From Mark Weeks,
Your Guide to Chess.
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In Top 10 Popular Chess Openings, we overview the opening moves that the experts prefer to play. If you are just starting to play chess and are wondering how to open a game, you can certainly do worse, much worse, than copy the experts for the first few moves.

Here are some recommended opening moves to get you started in a game of chess. The key to these recommendations is that you play 1.e4 as White, and symmetrical responses as Black. For each recommendation, we also provide additional resources to explain more in depth about the particular opening, using this format:

• Recommended move

  Supporting material : Opening Tutorials and Every Move Explained

As White, play 1.e4:

• 1.e4 King's Pawn Openings • Introduction to 1.e4 (Tutorial)
  
  

And prepare to meet these responses:

• 1...e5 Open Game with 2.Nf3

  Two Knights Defense and Giuoco Piano (Tutorial) • Ruy Lopez - 3...a6 Closed Variation (Tutorial) • The Lesser Moves after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 (Tutorial) • 1844 Romantic Game (Every Move Explained) • 1937 Margate, Thomas vs. Keres (Every Move Explained)

• 1...c5 Sicilian Defense with 2.Nf3

  Sicilian Defense - Najdorf Variation (Tutorial) • Sicilian Defense - 2...e6 Variations (Tutorial) • 1962 Varna Olympiad, Tal vs. Mohrlok (Every Move Explained) • 1982 Turin, Karpov vs Ljubojevic (Every Move Explained)

• 1...e6 French Defense

  French Defense - 3.Nc3 (Tutorial) • 1969 Sarajevo, Kovacs vs Korchnoi (Every Move Explained)

• 1...c6 Caro-Kann Defense

  Caro-Kann Defense (Tutorial)

As Black, prepare to meet certain first moves as follows:

• 1.e4 e5 Open Game

  Introduction to 1.e4 (Tutorial) • Two Knights Defense and Giuoco Piano (Tutorial) • Ruy Lopez - 3...a6 Closed Variation (Tutorial) • 1844 Romantic Game (Every Move Explained) • 1937 Margate, Thomas vs. Keres (Every Move Explained) • 1960 Leningrad, Spassky vs. Bronstein (Every Move Explained)

• 1.d4 d5 Closed Game

  Introduction to 1.d4 (Tutorial) • Queen's Gambit Declined - 4.Bg5 (Tutorial) • 1907 Lodz, Rotlewi vs. Rubinstein (Every Move Explained) • Queen's Gambit Accepted (QGA) (Tutorial) • Slav Defense (Tutorial) • Games from the 2006 Unification Match (Survey : 2.c4 c6)

• 1.c4 English Opening • 1.Nf3 Reti System • Unusual First Moves (Tutorial : moves other than 1.c4 or 1.Nf3)

  English - 1...e5 (Tutorial) • Reti Opening (Tutorial) • 2007 Barcelona, Krasenkow vs. Nakamura (Every Move Explained) • 1961 Bled, Petrosian vs. Pachman (Every Move Explained)

After you have absorbed this introductory material on the first few moves, use the techniques described in Build an Opening Repertoire to expand your knowledge of specific opening variations.

If you want to play something else like 1.d4 (Queen's Pawn Openings) as White, or 1...c5 (Sicilian Defense) as Black against 1.e4, or 1...Nf6 (Indian Defense) against 1.d4, you have our wholehearted approval. It's your game after all, not ours!