Three golden opening rules
In short
In the opening, both sides race to get their pieces into play. Three rules cover most of what a novice needs.
By the end you can
- Follow centre–develop–castle
- Avoid early queen adventures and repeated piece moves
The lesson
In the opening, both sides race to get their pieces into play. Three rules cover most of what a novice needs. One: put a pawn (or two) in the centre — e4, d4 for White, e5, d5 for Black. Two: develop knights and bishops towards the centre, usually knights before bishops. Three: castle early to make the king safe and connect the rooks.
Avoid moving the same piece twice without a reason, and do not bring the queen out early — she gets chased by smaller pieces and you lose time. Do not grab pawns on the edge while your pieces are still at home.
A simple model is the Italian Game: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6. Both sides follow all three rules.
Key points to remember
- Centre pawns
- Knights and bishops out
- Castle early
- Don’t move one piece twice; keep the queen home
Examples
Show the moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6
Practise it
Solve puzzles on this idea: opening tactic puzzles.
Homework
In five games, write down the move number on which you castled and whether all minor pieces were developed by move 10.
Free further reading
- Chess and Checkers: the Way to Mastership, Edward Lasker (1918, public domain)
More openings lessons
- Scholar’s mate and how to stop it (Novice)
- Italian Game: plans, not just moves (Class F)
- Answering 1.d4: the Queen’s Gambit Declined (Class F)
- Meeting the Sicilian with 2.c3 (Class E)
- From moves to structures (Class D)
- Building a complete repertoire (Class B)