Best Chess Openings for Black: Top Strategies

Newcomers to chess can often think that it’s fine to slowly feel their way into the game they’re playing. But that’s not the case. In chess, every move counts — or, at least, it should count. There are some instances during a game when you can sit back and wait for your opponent to open up space for an attack, but those moments are so rare that they’re not really worth thinking about.

The ‘every move matters’ philosophy begins from your very first move. If you’ve been assigned the black pieces, then that will be the second move of the match, since white always starts. Your opponent’s move will be an attacking move (since all the pieces are in place, every move is “attacking”), and thus yours will be defensive.

Ensuring you make the right move is paramount for increasing your chances of success. Below, we’ll run through everything you need to know about the best chess openings for black, including why it’s important, the most effective strategies, and common mistakes to avoid. Take our advice on board, and you’ll likely find that you win more games than before.

Want to put what you’ve learned into practice? Play a game at 247chess.com and click ‘Play.’ On the settings page, you’ll have the option to select which player is assigned white. It is automatically set to ‘player’ (you), but you can easily assign it to the computer by clicking the arrow between the two boxes.

Understanding Chess Openings

Those familiar with chess will be aware that games can go on for a long time. On average, the winning player will make around 40 moves, though it’s not uncommon for that stretch to fifty or even sixty. As such, it’s easy to overlook the importance of the first move. After all, it’s impossible for your opponent to take any pieces in the opening phase of the game.

However, while they can’t take pieces or win the game, your opponent’s opening move can set them on the path to victory. If you, as the “second” player, don’t take the same considered approach, then you’ll be giving the white player a serious advantage.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why working to improve your opening move for black is so important.

Respond to White’s Opening

If you’re playing against a player who knows a thing or two about chess, then they’ll play their opening move with intention. They’ll be setting up a plan for how to win the game. Your opening move is your opportunity to respond to their move. If you play it correctly, then you can nullify their threat. If you don’t take a considered approach — and instead just play randomly — then you may be giving them a chance to take early control of the board, which can seriously decrease your odds of success.

It Sets the Foundation For Your Approach

Your opening move won’t just help combat the threat that your opponent made in their opening move. It will also help set the foundation for your general approach to your game. For instance, you may choose an opening move that opens up the board to more aggressive play, or you might just keep things defensive until the game has opened up a little more. Good chess play demands taking a considered, consistent approach, and aligning your opening move with what will come later is a great way to do that.

Understanding Is Key To Becoming an Elite Player

Have ambitions to become a top chess player? Then you’ll need to have a solid grasp of opening moves and how to use them to your advantage. Opening moves are still useful for casual players to know, but you won’t have to worry too much about them. It’s enough to know general strategies that’ll lead to a good start. But anyone looking to develop their gameplay will absolutely need to know about opening moves.

Top Openings for Black Players

It’s impossible to offer guidance on the best opening moves for black players. Why? Because it all depends on the opening move of the white player. There are countless possible opening moves that the white player could make, and each one would require a different response.

As such, we’ll only offer guidance on the best moves you can make if the white player moves their pawn from e2 to e4. Why did we pick that one, you ask? Because it’s by far the most commonly used opening move. This will be the go-to opening move for a big percentage of the games you play. Below, we’ll outline a few strategies that can help turn the move in your favor.

The French Defense

The French Defense involves moving the pawn that’s on e7 to e6. This is a handy strategy because it leaves plenty of moves on the table, allowing you to develop your own gameplay while ensuring that your king and queen are protected. It’s a closed, defensive move that favors players who like to slowly develop their play.

The Sicilian Defense

The Sicilian Defense involves moving the c7 pawn to c5. This one is slightly more aggressive since it helps challenge the white for control of the center, and it also leads to a more open game. If you’re confident in your capacity to play well in the middlegame, then this is a good option.

The Italian Game

The Italian Game is an intriguing strategy, in part because of its age — this strategy has been used since the 16th century, making it one of the oldest in the game. It’s not really an opening move, but rather a series of opening moves. If everything follows the order, after two moves you’ll end up with your e7 pawn on e5 and your b8 knight on c6. It puts black in a strong position to control the center.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Playing chess well isn’t just about what you do; it’s about what you don’t do. All too often, newcomers to the game make common errors that either prevent them from developing their play or make them vulnerable to opponent attacks. While you’ll sometimes get lucky (either the player doesn’t notice your error, or they’re new to the game), over time errors will result in defeat.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes we see.

Making a Random Move

This is the mistake that all newcomers make. They sit down to play a game of chess and make a random first move just to get things going. While that’s fine when you’re still learning the game (say, the first few times you play), once you’re playing regularly you’ll want to have a plan for what you’ll do with your opening move. If you’re playing as black, then it’ll involve responding to what your opponent has done with their first move while also setting up your own play.

Before you make your first move, ask yourself why you’re making it. If you don’t have a good answer, then it won’t be worth playing!

Moving The Same Piece Twice

There are times during a chess game when you may move one of your pieces twice — or even more times — in a row. But it’s unlikely that it’ll ever happen at the beginning of a game. In fact, it should probably never happen. Moving your knight out only to then move it backward or sideways is just pointless. The opening stages of a chess match are about moving your pieces into position, and you can’t do that if you’re just moving one of your pieces around. While you’re messing with the knight, your opponent will be getting their pieces into play.

Being Too Eager to Involve The Queen

You can understand why players are eager to get their queen involved. It’s the most powerful piece on the board! However, it’s not usually wise to bring your queen into play too early in the game. With so many pieces on the board, it’ll be inevitable that your opponent tries to snatch your queen, which will mean you’ll need to continually move it around the board. The early stages of a chess game are about building momentum, and you can’t do that if your queen is always in retreat.

Focusing Too Much On Openings

We know this article is about the importance of opening moves, but we should mention: opening moves aren’t everything. If you’re a relative beginner to the game, then your time will be better spent focusing on the general approaches to opening play rather than trying to commit specific moves to your long-term memory.

While there are instances when a specific move will be called for, the chances that the white player makes that opening move will be fairly limited. Think of memorizing opening moves as more of a long-term goal rather than something that you need straight away.

Mastering the Sicilian Defense

The Sicilian Defense is one of the most widely used opening moves for black, and with good reason. It’s probably the best move you can play if you’re looking for an early win. With that said, while it can push you toward victory, it can also make you more susceptible to defeat.

The best way to master this approach is to read up on the variations, of which there are many. That’ll give you a lot of flexibility and agility that will ensure you always have the right move up your sleeve when the white player opens with their pawn in e4.

The Power of the French Defense

Chess is an ever-evolving game, and so if a move has been around since the 1830s, then you know it’s a good one. This move, which sees the pawn on e7 move to e6, is used by both beginners and professional players and allows for plenty of strategic planning. If in doubt, then use the French Defense. It’ll give you time to figure out your next move.

Tips for Improving Your Game

The opening move you make will increase or decrease your chances of success, but it’s not the only thing that’ll impact your performance. It’s just one of many components that’ll help you to improve your game. Let’s take a look at some other tried and tested tips for improving your chess gameplay.

Play a Lot of Games

There’s simply no substitute for experience. The more chess you play, the better you’ll perform. The digital age makes it easier than ever for players of all levels to practice chess, so don’t worry if there’s no one around to play with! At 247chess.com, you can play chess whenever and wherever you like, completely free of charge. Games are available in a variety of levels, too, so you can always play a challenging game. Commit to playing a few games every day, and it won’t be long before you notice an improvement.

Make Time For Studying

You’ll make yourself an infinitely better chess player if you study regularly. As this article demonstrates, there’s so much to learn about chess — and while you’ll learn a fair amount just through playing, experience won’t teach you everything. There are plenty of online resources that can teach you strategies, tips, and other useful information that can make you a better player.

Focus on All Stages of the Game

If you’ve taken the advice in this article on board, then you’ll know what to do in the early stages of a game. But the opening isn’t the entire game! Study just as hard for what to do during the middle and end games, and you’ll be a powerful player.

Understand (And Fix) Your Weak Points

You’ll have a lot of weak points in your chess gameplay, especially when you first start playing. That’s not a bad thing — you should make mistakes. You’ll become a much better player if you take the time to figure out where you went wrong and fix them.

Do that with every mistake you make, and you’ll be well on your way towards being a great player.

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