Control the centre
The four central squares (d4, e4, d5, e5) are the most important on the board. A pawn or piece that controls them gives your pieces room to move and takes room from your opponent. Open with a centre pawn, such as e4 or d4, and support it with another pawn or a knight.
Develop your knights and bishops
Development means moving your pieces off the back row to squares where they do something. A good rule is knights before bishops, and a piece should usually move only once in the opening. Do not move the same piece again and again while your other pieces are still asleep.
- Bring both knights out towards the centre.
- Place your bishops on open diagonals where they point at the centre.
- Do not move the queen out early. It can be chased around by smaller pieces and you lose time.
Castle early
Castling does two jobs at once: it moves your king to safety behind a wall of pawns, and it brings a rook towards the middle. Try to castle within the first ten moves. A king that stays in the middle can come under attack as soon as the position opens.
Do not grab pawns while behind in development
A free pawn can be tempting, but if you spend several moves taking it while your opponent develops their pieces, you can end up with a worse position and a pawn you cannot hold. Ask yourself, before you capture, what your opponent will do with the time they have gained.
Watch for the common early traps
Beginners lose most early games to a handful of ideas. The first is the quick attack on the f7 or f2 square, which is only protected by the king at the start. The second is leaving a piece undefended, so that a fork wins it. The third is a back-rank problem, where your own pawns trap your king so a rook delivers checkmate.
- Before every move, check whether the piece you move leaves something undefended.
- Check every capture and every check your opponent can make, even if it looks silly.
- Make a habit of asking: what is my opponent threatening?
A simple plan for your first moves
As White, play a centre pawn, bring a knight out, bring the other knight out, develop a bishop, and castle. As Black, answer in the centre in the same way. After that, look for a plan: attack a weak pawn, put a rook on an open file, or trade pieces if you are ahead. Remember that a plan, even a simple one, beats random moves.
