Best Openings in Chess: Strategies for Winning

1. Why Openings Matter in Chess

Openings matter in chess for many reasons. The first is that Chess is a game of logic that offers almost 3 billion combinations of play (once the first four moves have been played). That means by learning some of the most effective of these you can make the game easier and increase your chance of winning.

Indeed, as the first opening moves of the game can control the play for the rest of the session by placing your pieces in the most favourable position as the game continues, educating yourself on the best ways to open can help put you in a much stronger position as you play. Last of all, by choosing known openings used by famous players and masters you can intimidate your opponent as you will be demonstrating that you have a high level of knowledge and skill.

The best ways to learn chess openings

Now you know just how important chess openings are, you’re probably wondering what the best way of going about educating yourself on them and memorising the best ones are. Well, first of all, you can find the most effective aggressive and defensive opening chess strategy below along with the best openings for beginners, and ones you should learn as you become more advanced in your game. Below in this section, you will be able to get some sound advice on the best way to commit these opening strategies to memory.

How to memorise opening chess strategies

Study the professionals

Just like artists study paintings done by masters for their composition, value structure and use of light, chess players can study the masters to learn which openings they use while playing. One of the best ways to do this is to watch YouTube of old games, first seeing if you can identify the chess opening used and then continue watching to how they impacted the board, flow and result of the game.

Practice regularly

Practice indeed makes perfect when it comes to playing chess, especially concerning learning openings. That means you need to practice consistently every day if possible. Indeed, some experts suggest short and consistent practice sessions are much more effective than longer, more random sessions for building skills and memorizing techniques. If you can play in real life with an opponent, playing chess online either against a real person, or a CPU will still give you plenty of opportunity to put the openings you are learning into practice.

Memorize in batches of 5

Overwhelm can seriously damage your chances of effectively memorising a variety of chess openings. That is why it's best to avoid it by choosing only 5 (or less) at one time to learn. Once you have those five committed to memory and can play them with ease you can move on to the next five you wish to learn and so on.

2. Top Aggressive Openings In Chess

Let’s begin with the best aggressive openings to use when playing chess. Aggressive openings offer a range of benefits to the platter including providing them with an edge psychologically, pushing the other player to play defensively, and enabling faster piece activation which can provide the player with a distinct advantage.

Aggressive Chess Openings for White

Danish Gambit

The Danish, or Nordic Gambit as it is also known dates from the 1830s. It consists of sacrificing two pawns in exchange for fast development of other pieces on the board, and better control of open diagonals.

The Danish Gambit can be successful because it allows white to attack Black’s central pawns, and so allows for a faster development on the side of White. It, when used correctly can also be effective at catching an opponent off guard, and it can speed up the game in favor of White.

However, there are also some downsides to consider when it comes to the Nordic Gambit. One of these is that since 1920, it has become a much less popular move, particularly in professional and advanced circles. This is because it is now well-known how to meet and beat it. Additionally, because the Danish Gambit means that White must play with a pawn down from the beginning, they have to be OK with this sacrifice and understand how to proceed one man down for the rest of the game.

The moves for the Danish Gambit are: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3.

Evans Gambit

Next, the Evans Gambit, named for Captain William Davies Evans who first used it in the 1900s, is a move which involves sacrificing a pawn to achieve faster control of the center of the board.

Favored by many professional players such as Garry Kasparov and Mikhail Chigorin, the Evans Gambit works effectively because the player gambits (or gives up) the b4 pawn. They do this so they have time to attack the black piece that takes it. Once white has done this they can then take over the middle of the board aggressively, giving them the advantage.

While the Evans Gambit is well known to be aggressive and bold, some players dislike using it too often because it immediately provides black with a white pawn. Additionally, there are some smart and now fairly well-known ways to counter an Evans Gambit, so it may end up being a wasted risk and effort.

Moves to complete an Evans Gambit are: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4

Aggressive Chess Openings for Black

Now let's take a look at some of the best aggressive openings for Black in chess. Since White always makes the first move in chess, any aggressive opening for Black will be a counter-attack or counter-gambit. Find two of the best below.

Albin Counter-Gambit

The Albin Counter attack or counter gambit as it is also known can be played only in response to the Queen’s Gambit Played by White., which you can read more about further down in our advanced section.

The Albin Counter Gambit aims to temporarily sacrifice a pawn in exchange for better control of the board while disrupting White’s Queen's Gambit move. It can work successfully because it creates a power imbalance in the pawns and faster development on the board.

Moves used in an Albin Counter-Gambit are: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 (sacrificing the central pawn).

3. Best Defensive Opening Strategies in Chess

The Pirc Defense

Considered hypermodern and named after Vasja Pirc, the Slovenian Grandmaster, the Pirc defense is used by Black in response to a 1.e4 by White. While it has in truth been around since the 1800s the Pirc defense was only truly popularized by Vasja Pirc in the mid-19th century. It was then adopted by Grand Masters such as Mamedyaro, and Kramnik, making it a popular move for all levels of players to this day.

Some of the main benefits of choosing and playing the Pirc defense include its ability to easily provoke a reaction from White. It also provides Black with plenty of different ways to continue the game, which can be matched to their style.

However, when playing the Pirc defense it is important to remember that the Pirc defense is not undefendable, and indeed, there are many effective responses White can play. The Pirc defense may also lead to a situation where White can play on to limit Black’s game so it's important that Black be mindful of this.

Moves involved in the Pirc defense: 1.e4 d6

The Alekhine Defense

The Alekhine Defense is a defensive move with a rich history as it was first used in a world championship against Alekhine by Evans in 1935. However, Alekhine had first popularised the move in 1921 when playing in Budapest.

The Alekhine Defense aims to overextend White’s presence in the center of the board, and it can be a risky but rewarding choice for defensive players. Indeed, the Alekhine Defense scores well compared to other defensive moves including the Pirc as described above, and it can be difficult to counter. It's also fairly original and uncommon which means opponents are unlikely to expect it to be played, thereby providing the advantage of surprise to Black.

However, with such high stakes come many perils including the issue of Black having to move their knight more than once and the concession of the valuable center space of the board to White. The latter is something that could backfire later on in the game if they retain dominance of this zone.

Moves in the Alekhine defense: 1.e4 Nf6

4. Chess Openings for Beginners

Many chess openings can seem a little complicated and overwhelming to beginners, especially when they have so much else to learn and memorize. That is why if you are just starting out playing chess and want to use an effective opening you may be best sticking to The Sicilian Defense, which you will find below.

The Sicilian Defense

A response by Black to 1.e4 played by White, the Sicilian Defense is a robust and feisty opening that can result in a dynamic game. Its main benefits include that it sets Black up for a win, and an overall aggressive game, instantly unbalancing the board in Black’s favor.

However, beginners should remember that there are many ways that whites can meet and successfully counter when black plays the Sicilian Defense, so it may not always create the desired outcome.

Moves in the Sicilian defense: 1.e4 c5

Advanced Player Openings For Chess

For players that are more advanced in their game, other openings can be used in Chess to great effect. Perhaps the best known of these is the famous Queen’s Gambit which we will examine below, and then move on to one of its most popular variants, the Slav defense.

The Queen's Gambit

While popularized in the 20th century by players like Capablanca and Alekhine, the Queen’s gambit is a very old chess opening. Indeed the first instance that we have of being recorded as a chess move is in the Gottingen manuscript from the 15th century!

Despite its advanced age, the Queen’s Gambit remains a powerful and relevant opening for advanced chess players today. This is because it enables White to gain fast control of the centre of the board, while also intimidating Black.

Although before playing the Queen’s Gambit or one of its many variations it's worth noting that it also can lower the opportunities White will have to attack Black’s King. It can also delay and distract White’s game with the task of reclaiming the pawn into play, and never forget that Black can both accept or decline the gambit, as we’ll see below which can change the outcome of the game.

Moves for the Queen’s Gambit: 1.d4 d5 2.c4

Queen's Gambit Declined

A popular opening move for Black once the Queen’s Gambit has been played by White is to decline it. That means not taking the pawn that is offered up in sacrifice by White, and instead using their resources to support their center.

The possible issues to look out for when playing a Queen’s Gambit Declined include sacrificing structural weakness and ending up with a Black pawn on the path of a light-squared Bishop.

Moves for Queen’s Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6

Queen's Gambit Accepted

Once white has played the Queen’s Gambit Black also has the option of accepting the pawn sacrifice. This is often seen as a much safer play, as long as Black also continues to develop their advantage while White is distracted.

Moves for Queen’s Gambit Accepted 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4

The Slav Defense

Lastly, another advanced opening and response to the Queen’s Gambit is the Slav Defense. In the Slav Defense Black battles against White’s opening move to retain balance on the board by staying present in the center. It also provides the opportunity for Black to take the White c4 pawn. Lastly, it's a strong opening move because it avoids the issue of moving a Bishop to a light square, something that can be a problem in the Queen's Gambit Declined.

Although before playing the Slav Defense, it is worth noting that it can cause a slower course of development for Black, and that your Knight may also be limited in development concerning the c-6 square.

Moves for the Slav Defense: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6

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