13 

Nimzowitsch-Larsen
Attack
The Nimzowitch-Larsen Attack is named after
both Aron Nimzowitsch and Bent Larsen, who
both commonly played 1.b3 or 1. Nf3 2. b3.
The Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack lets players
put their dark-square bishop on b2 early in the
game, which helps to control the center and
also gives White a dangerous weapon against
Black's kingside, especially if they castle on that
side. A common tactic for Black is to try and
block the White's dark-squared bishop with
their pawn structure, and to attack White's
kingside can be underdeveloped in the mid-
game if White isn't careful.
The two most popular continuations from this
position are 1. e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb5
Bd6 and 1. e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 d5 4. Bb5 Bd6.
In both examples, White is trying to capture
Black's knight and then take their pawn which
would be undefended.
12 Caro-Kann Defence
The Caro-Kann Defence is the fourth most
popular response to 1. e4. The opening is
similar to the French Defence (more on that
later) in the sense that Black ideally wants to
play 2. d5, quickly challenging White's e4 pawn
for control of the center.
One of the main benefits of the Caro-Kann
Defence in comparison to the French Defence
is that Black's light-squared bishop doesn't
tend to get blocked, though it does prevent
Black from moving their knight to the c6
square.
A common continuation from this position is 2.
d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6.
Following this, White usually either plays 6. h4,
putting pressure on Black's bishop, or 6. Nf3,
developing a piece, controlling the center, and
offering further kingside protection.
11 Scotch Game
The Scotch Game is an alternative to the
popular Ruy Lopez system. The opening's main
benefit is that it quickly gives White plenty of
space, particularly for their two bishops which
are both given open diagonals.
The opening isn't without its issues, as it swiftly
releases the tension and can make White's e4
pawn vulnerable later in the game. Still, it's a
great opening to learn for those who want to
gain early space and avoid all of the theory that
comes with playing the Ruy Lopez. A common
continuation from this position is 3. exd4 4.
Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 - White
doubles Black's pawns on the c-file, though
they now need to prevent Black from capturing
their knight with the bishop and then taking
the undefended pawn with the knight.
10 Italian Game
The Italian Game is believed to have originated
in the 15th century, making it one of the oldest
openings still commonly used today. White and
Black both get some control of the center and
open up space for their queen and bishop with
the e pawn push. Both develop their knights as
Black defends the e5 pawn that White is
threatening.
The move Bc4 has multiple purposes. It puts
pressure on Black's weak f7 square, develops a
minor piece, helps control the center of the
board, and allows White to castle on their next
move. When playing as Black and in this
position, be wary of the move Ng5 White is
threatening to take the f7 pawn, forking the
queen and rook. This is known as the Fried
Liver Attack.
9 Ruy Lopez
The Ruy Lopez is similar to the Italian Game,
but with the bishop on B5 instead of C5. Like
the Italian Game, it's a solid opening as White
has good control of the center with their pawn
and knight, and can castle with their next turn.
The most common response for White in this
position is a6, forcing White to decide what to
do with their bishop. It may seem tempting to
take the knight as it doubles Black's pawns.
However, this is a dubious strategy as,
generally speaking, bishops are slightly better
than knights.
It may seem that if Black plays a6, White can
take Black's knight, then capture the hanging
pawn on e5 with their knight once it recaptures
the bishop. However, this would allow Black to
play either Qe7 or Qg5, causing problems for
White.
8 Sicilian Defense
The Sicilian Defense has become the most
common response to e5, so it's certainly worth
learning the move as both White and Black.
However, the Sicilian Defense is a minefield
when it comes to chess theory – entire books
have been written about it. Therefore, the best
strategy to adopt when first encountering the
opening is to stick to basic opening principles.
Control the center of the board, develop pieces,
and castle early.
The idea behind c5 for Black is that it
discourages White from playing d4, their ideal
move. The most common move for white in
this position is to play Nf3, with the idea of
pushing d4 next move. If cxd4, White has the
move Nxd4.
7 French Defense
The French Defense is the third most common
response to e4, with e5 being the second. The
idea is that Black wants to counter White by
playing d5 next move, quickly challenging
White for control of the center. It's a solid
move for Black as it usually leads to closed
positions in the mid-game. This is handy when
learning the game or playing against a higher-
rated opponent.
However, the increase in defense creates an
offensive issue. The main one is that Black will
likely struggle to develop their light-squared
bishop, due to Black's pawn structure blocking
it in. The most common continuation from this
position is 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3, defending the e4
pawn with the knight.
6 Caro-Kann
The Caro-Kann is the fourth most popular
response to e4. Its basic idea is similar to the
French Defense in that Black wants to play d5
on their next move, challenging the e4 pawn.
The benefit of the Caro-Kann is that it ensures
Black will have an easier time developing their
light-squared bishop. However, it comes with
its own problems. Black can no longer develop
their Knight to the c6 square where it is most
naturally placed.
The most common continuation from this
position is the same as the French Defence: 2.
d4 d5 3. Nc3. Again, White has developed their
knight while simultaneously defending the e4
pawn.
5 Scholar's Mate
The Scholar's Mate isn't a great opening to
learn when aiming for chess improvement, but
it's handy to know to avoid being beaten by it.
White has checkmated Black in this position, as
the king can't escape White's queen.
Meanwhile, White's bishop prevents black from
capturing it.
Thankfully, there are a few ways to combat this
as Black. For starters, Black can play Nf6 on
move 3, guarding the f7 square and
simultaneously developing a minor piece. It
also prevents White from moving their queen
to h5, which is another way to deliver the early
checkmate. If in the pictured position, White
played 3. Qh4, then the most common
response for Black is g6, kicking the queen
away. Opening in this way isn't a good strategy
for White, as it usually puts them in a poor
position in the middle game due to their
awkwardly placed queen.
4 Queen's Gambit
The Queen's Gambit is an opening that new
players may want to learn after watching the
show of the same name. The move may seem
odd to new players, as Black is free to take the
unprotected c4 pawn. However, White is likely
to win the pawn. The most common way for
White to win the pawn back is with the move
e3, which opens up the bishop to capture
Black's pawn. Black can continue trying to
defend the pawn, though they will likely find
themselves in an awkward position.
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If Black doesn't take the pawn, then the
benefits for White include decent control of the
center. They are free to start developing their
pieces while their king is, usually, in a safe
spot.
3 King's Indian Defense
The King's Indian Defense is a common
response to White's d4 and c4 moves. Black
intends to play g7 within their next few moves,
allowing them to castle and develop some
center control with their pieces rather than
pawns. Generally speaking, this opening allows
both players to comfortably start developing
their minor pieces. It also allows them to castle
within the first ten moves without any real
trouble.
A common continuation from this position is 3.
Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5. The
moves e5 challenges the center, while White is
ready to castle.
2 London System
The London System is a very common move for
new players to learn as it usually allows White
to safely develop their pieces and obtain a solid
position moving into the mid-game. A common
strategy for White in this position is to play e3
on their next turn; this defends White's dark-
squared bishop while also allowing the light-
squared to develop, letting White castle
kingside.
A common continuation from here is 3. c5 4. e3
Nc6 5. c3 e6 6. Nbd2 Bd6, giving both players a
solid position to begin the mid-game.
1 King's Indian Attack
The only opening on this board not to start
with e4 or d4 is the King's Indian Attack. The
opening is similar to the aforementioned King's
Indian Defense, but with White having an extra
tempo. The move has similar benefits to the
King's Indian Defense, as White controls the
center while developing pieces and can also
castle within their first few moves after moving
their light-squared bishop to f2.
The most common continuation from this
position is 2. Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bg4. Black
still has a bit of work to do to castle in this
position, but their king is in a very safe spot for
the time being.