Opening Chess Moves Game

Replay and read the comments of the game below. This is your first game and you should play the same opening chess moves as White or as Black. If the opponent plays something else, so be it. We have to start somewhere, don’t we?

As a beginner it is a good idea to start first playing 1.e4 as this creates open and tactical rich games, where you can learn chess principles faster as in blocked positions. You are not ready to play closed positional games starting with 1.d4 or 1.c4.

Start with 1. e4

You play first move 1.e4 to control the center squares d5 and f5 and to prepare the development of the kingside bishop at f1. This bishop can go to c4 or b5 (Spanish Game) if you like. These are the most active places for the bishop.

Before you get the bishop out you should place the kingside knight to its natural square f3, from where it attacks the black center pawn at e5.

Rule: Develop knights first, after that get the bishops out.
The reason is that bishops work already from their original starting squares, but knights don’t. A knight sitting on its original starting square at g1, for example, is dead like a duck. It controls nothing, it simply does not work. But a bishop does work already from its original starting square f1, once the e-pawn is pushed ahead.

Replay and study these Chess Opening Moves

Flip Board: Press F-Key (or click e7 or d2 on top)

Nc3 – Clearcut and Straightforward

In the game above White played c3 to control d4. But in this example below White plays the straighforward move Nc3.

Make sure you don’t give your bishop at c4 for the black knight, because Black will play Na5 sooner or later to trade your bishop as the bishop is stronger in this half-open position.

This means you have to play a3, then the bishop can retreat to a2 when it gets attacked by the knight.(…Na5? You play Ba2!) This way the bishop stays on the strong diagonal a2-g8.

In the left diagram above the black knight c6 cannot attack the bishop with Na5 as White would win a pawn playing Nxe5. But after Black has played d6 (see right diagram above) the pawn is protected and Black threatens to trade his knight for the active white bishop playing Na5.

White has stopped this idea (see right diagram above) and has played a3 to be able to retreat his bishop to a2. Just understand this idea and you are right as you can apply this way of thinking to many situations in chess.

As the white bishop is out before the white pawn chain, it cannot protect the knight f3, so Black plays Bg4 to pin the knight, which is uncomfortable for White as Nd4 can follow adding more pressure. It is not advisable to attack the bishop playing g4?, because this move would weaken the kingside pawn structure.

White thinks ahead and stops the idea Nd4 and plays Be3 to be able to trade the knight if it comes to d4.(see diagram on the left)

In the right diagram White has traded his bishop for the active knight d4 and the position becomes a somewhat blocked character. This means knights are not worse than bishops in this position. So there was no harm done for White giving his bishop e3 for the black knight.

Understand that the black bishop at e7 is somehow reduced in power by the black pawn sitting on the black square d4. This bishop will never be able to jump over his own pawn in the future. So the black bishop e7 has lost energy and potential already.

The white knight has to retreat now (see right diagram) as it is attacked by the pawn d4.

It will reposition itself going first to b1 and then to d2, where it overprotects the knight f3 and is ready to play at the kingside. This will protect the king as well. In this position the white king is safe as there are no open lines or ways for Black to attack the white king.

Two Knights Defense

However you should get into the Two Knights Defense for a start. See image below

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Nf6

You can replay the games now. This will show you how chess is played. I selected some grandmaster games for you. Watch where they place their pieces and how they proceed in the center.

Replay Games of the “Two Knights Defense”

Your first Game – Italian Game