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What are the best chess openings for beginners?

For beginners, we recommend openings that:

  • Follow basic opening principles (control center, develop pieces, castle early)

  • Are easy to understand strategically

  • Don't require memorizing long theoretical lines

    For White:

  • Italian Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4) - Classic, principled play

  • London System (1.d4, 2.Bf4) - Solid, same setup against everything

  • Scotch Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4) - Open positions, active pieces

    For Black:

  • Scandinavian Defense (1.e4 d5) - Simple, immediate counterplay

  • Caro-Kann Defense (1.e4 c6) - Solid structure, easy to play

  • Symmetrical Defense (1.d4 d5) - Mirror White's setup

    Focus on understanding the ideas rather than memorizing moves.

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