Chess opening principles: centre, development, king safety
You do not need to memorise openings to play them well. A few principles tell you what to do in the first ten moves of almost any game.
They all serve one aim: get your pieces into play quickly and safely, before the opponent does.
Four principles
- Fight for the centre. Pawns on e4 and d4 (e5 and d5 for Black) give your pieces room and take it away from the opponent’s.
- Develop your pieces. Bring out knights and bishops, knights first if you can, each to a useful square, and do not move the same piece twice.
- Castle early. The king is safer behind its pawns, and the rook comes into play.
- Do not bring the queen out early. It becomes a target, and the opponent develops while chasing it.
A model opening
In the Italian Game both sides follow the principles move by move. After ten moves every piece has a job, and both kings are safe.
What happens when you break them
An early queen sortie looks dangerous, but a good answer turns it into lost time: each attack on the queen develops another black piece.
Exercise: develop with a purpose
White to move. Find an active move: develop a piece to a good square or strike in the centre.
Make the move on the board: drag a piece, or click it and then a square.
Solved!
Bc4 and Bb5 develop the bishop to active squares, Nc3 brings out the second knight, and d4 strikes in the centre. All four follow the principles; moves like h3 or Qe2 do not.
Key points
- Centre first: pawns on e4 and d4 give your pieces room.
- Develop knights and bishops, one move each, and castle early.
- Keep the queen at home for now: an early queen loses time.