Safest Chess Opening?

Hi everybody, this is my first time on this website and I don't really know anything about chess except how the pieces move and the very basics of the game. I want to start learning the simple strategies and tactics to get better. I've played other strategy games and I do best when I'm able to draw the game out and just make better decisions than my opponent.

That being said, I was wondering if there is a "safe" opening in chess. By "safe" i mean something that can be adjusted to be in a winnable position against almost every other opening if you can adjust to what they're doing. (let me know if this doesn't make sense)

I also would like to know the main goals I should have in the early, mid and late game. Things like controlling the middle of the map so you have more room to move your pieces and they have troubles moving theirs.

Thanks for your time!

With respect, you're getting ahead of yourself.

Your experience/ability, as stated makes several of your questions premature. Play lowest level against the computer and get a feel for the game first would be my advice.

The Spanish exchange is probably the safest opening for White.  It is very hard to lose.

 I agree that I probably am getting ahead of myself, but playing without the basic strategy of even just "control the middle of the board" or "protect your king by keeping it in the corner" doesn't sound that advanced (I may be wrong). I feel like it would give me some very basics to work towards and atleast be able to improve on those.

and also i think just knowing a safe 5 move opening would be helpful.

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fit-all openings. What you do depends on the opponent. Try to understand the opponent's plan and move accordingly to counter that plan. Try out many different openings to familiarize yourself with various different ideas.

The above post by Dicroth has a lot of good material. :)

If your looking for a solid opening to learn for the white pieces that is flexible enough to give you a playable game against almost anything that your opponent throws at you I think the King's Indian Attack is probably high on the list for that criteria you mentioned. However I think that your focus right now should be learning opening principles, such as Dicroth's post talks abit about, and understanding how to develop your pieces according to the pawn structures of you and your opponents as the game develops as far as the opening phase goes and to concentrate on your tactical awareness mostly. You should also quickly learn the basic check mates of King+Queen verse King, King+Rook vs King, and how to promote a pawn with King+pawn verse King if you don't already know. The biggest mistake  beginners tend to make in my opinion is that they focus so much on openings when they first start playing, trying to find that "killer" opening that'll just give them fantastic positions which they will blow their opponents off the board in less than 10 moves, usually involving bringing their queen out before the 4th move. That will rarely occur past the beginner level and if you don't have a good grasp of tactics, basic pawn structure, and piece development then memorizing a few line sequences of an opening isn't going to win you many games. You'll improve much more consistantly and rapidly by focusing on tactical awareness (outside of bad opening development I think tactics results in beginners losing games the most- even that applies to players like me still!), learning opening principles (NOT memorizing lines of openings!) and some basic end game principles and mates.

That would be my advice, don't spend much time on learning openings right now but learn the opening principles like fighting for control of the center squares (e4-d4-e5-d5), developing your pieces (not just pawns!) towards the center quickly, and getting your king to safety early (usually involves castling) will be enough for you to get playable games as you hone your tactical awareness and learn more about strategic elements, pawn structures, how to attack and defend positions, positional principles, ect, and you should improve pretty quickly with some consistant playing and practicing.

lol i've been playing vs computers and I forgot how frustrating this game is to learn...lol

I suggest playing the London System, it's very safe and you can still play for a win. I use it in nearly all my games as white.

Please,whatever you do, don't play the London System or any system opening like the Colle--ESPECIALLY as a beginner

As a beginner, you need to learn to play active chess and the London is far from it. Yes, maybe you are able to come up with some active stuff but chances are a beginner won't be able to and will eventually become a passive player and it will be harder to unlearn this passiveness later on so I wouldn't advise the London to a beginner, even though its first moves are easy.

I suggest play 1.e4, don't focus on openings that much. Go for the Kings Gambit if you want 1.e4 e5 2.f4. Against 1...e6 or 1...c6, play 2.d4 and play Advance variation 3.e5 (after Black plays d5 in response to d4) against both.

The London System has nothing to do with passiveness. It's merely a solid set up.

After having completed the set up one can begin active operations in the centre.

Also, I will not advice any beginner to play sharp openings, as they often will lose and further more make a lot of very dubious moves.
Later on they will have a hard time unlearning incorrect sacrifices which are usually played in sharp games and so on. But really I just think a beginner should play whatever he likes and not focus on opening knowledge right away.

Please don't play the king-gambit though. It's theoretically unsound, though hard to prove for anyone lower than 2600 rating.

You consider the King's Gambit to be "safe"?

Andaura: for you, "safe" might be the same as "closed"; you can reach a closed game with queen's pawn openings (1. d4). However, I recommend going for open games, in which there are more opportunities to learn tactics, which should be the first thing that you strive to master. I'd say start with the Italian Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4). Your basic idea is to attack the f7-square (after Ng5 and Qf3), and black has to keep protecting it. Playing good chess is all about having a plan, and it helps if you have one right from the start. With other openings, finding a good plan isn't as easy.

Then, after you get proficient with tactics and bored with the Italian Game, you can try something else, e.g. queen's pawn openings. I recommend browsing through Wikipedia for different openings - there's a wealth of superficial information there to give you an idea about almost every opening you can find. Always try to find that passage in the text that states the main ideas behind each opening.

My advice. Study endgame tactics first! stuff like king-pawn vs king, king-rook vs king, king-queen vs king-rook, ect ect.

Then you can use that to improve your middle game tactics, and also know when to go into an endgame.

I typically play the London System (as white obviously) when I want a solid, likely-to-draw game.

I don't really know what to say when someone says

"I don't really know anything about chess except how the pieces move"

and someone answers:

"I suggest playing the London System"    or

"The Spanish exchange is probably the safest opening for White"

Only God knows how can Spanish Exchange or London's System  help someone that admits that he knows nothing about chess except how the pieces move.And If I say "hey guys , you are completely wrong" someone will accuse me as disrespectfull , I will be the "bad" guy and all the rest will be the good guys.

The bad thing about Internet is that everyone feels that   has an answer(yes , even me) and the good answers (like Jordan's G or Dickronth's) are lost(or in danger to be lost) among the awful ones.

Dear Andaura , I was once like you ,and I had the luck to have an excellent teacher, a very highly knowledgeable IM.I had also the rare opportunity to work as his assistant later so I will tell what I learned from him (although it is not at all sure I learned it right).  

You are saying (post #4)

 "i think just knowing a safe 5 move opening would be helpful."  

Wrong!!! Being able to find 5 (or more) safe opening moves would be helpful.You don't need an opening , you need an understanding of how the opening "works".For now forget openings, focus an basic principles because basic principles are, by far , more important than any opening.No mater how good you are going to be  , basic principles will never stop being a vital part of your game.If you think that when you will be rated 2000+ you will have the luxury to ignore them , you are fooling yourself.No one has that luxury.The only thing different is that you will have the ability to understand when must, and should, be ignored and for how long or how much.But to do that ,you must ,and you should ,understand them.And please realise that "understand them" doesn't mean "read them".Memorising the principles means nothing, saying that "oh that does make sense" or "ok , got it , let's go to lesson 2" means nothing.Understanding is a much deeper process that requires not only careful study but also practice(games).

     I won't tell you the basic opening principles or the basic middlegame principles(you can find them everywhere),I will tell you though that in your level it is vital , when you play something , to understand exactly why you play it(even the first move).

    A final  advise, focus on the "He threatens -I protect" tactical ping -pong(that is how my teacher used to call it).Before understanding complicated tactics and combinations it is vital to realise how important are the simple-threat moves.Most say that chess is 90% tactics.I say that for a begginer , protecting what is threatened(simple one-move threats) , and taking what is unprotected is the 90%  he needs to learn.Later , complicated multi-move plans or combinations will depend on these simple-threat moves("gaining tempo"  is a very important concept in chess strategy based on the very simple threat-protect principle).

    Chess is at it's core a simple game ruled by simple principles.Understand the simple principles now and you will have no problem understanding more complicated concepts later.

What you will  "learn" now will "follow"  you in all your (chess) life.

                                "Learn" it right.

I suppose if you want something super safe, you could pick up the 5.Qe2 symmetrical Petrov.  It has a 75% draw rate at the GM level so that is about as safe as it comes.  But both players are needed to cooperate to bring about that opening.

Excellent post, Michael-G, cheers

A common mistake a lot do.

If you want an easy win(or more) , yes , it's a good advise.But that easy win doesn't make you better.What your opponent doesn't understand or doesn't know or doesn't like , doesn't make you better.What you understand makes you better.  

If the goal is to improve, always play what you understand or what you try to understand  and ultimately you will be rewarded because what you will learn will stay with you, for ever. 

 If the stronger player is the black side of the Ruy exchange variation he has the two bishops to work with and because of the relative lack of tactics, I think he would have great opportunities to out-manuever and out-play white.

Arguably the best and "safest" opening is one that you have studied (and know well), and your opponent hasn't or doesn't.  Q.E.D.

But I wouldn't suggest building a opening repetoire before you study some basic tactics and endgame books.

There is body of knowledge you must know cold before you graduate from newbie.  Study that first.  And just "wing it" in the opening when you are starting out.  That's pretty much what everyone ends up doing.

And if you want a safe (but theoretically huge) opening for white, buy Tony Kosten's, The Dynamic English (1999), only about 160 pages, and play the "Botvinik Formation" against everything that Black can throw at you.