white openings for beginners?

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SaviorNegan
Hey everyone! Just curious as to what are some good openings to use as white as a beginner? I just crossed 1000 today for the first time in my chess career and it’s due in part to my use as black I speculate. I have a 15-3-2 record with black and a 8-8-1 record with white. I usually play the London but maybe it’s time to look at a 1. e4 opening. Any advice would be helpful!
SamuelAjedrez95

Ruy Lopez is the best. There are a lot of variations but it can be worth it as you learn a lot about the game.

Italian and Scotch are also very good and a bit simpler.

To play more aggressively in these lines, Evans Gambit and Scotch Gambit are both pretty respectable gambits and there are a lot of tactics which will work best at lower levels.

AfterDonuts

You're doing great with white, but I suspect that you might be less prepared against some responses to the London that black plays. You don't need to switch, just study it a bit more.

zork54321

At that level I'd try playing the Vienna with white. You can also try playing the Leningrad Dutch as black against d4. Against e4 as black, I personally play the Caro-Kann, but at the 1000 level you should try learning some gambits. 

MichaelJChess123

Definitely recommend the London and the Vienna

orlock20

London or the Colle System. If you tend to hang pieces or fall for opening tricks, go with the Colle System. If you loose in the Colle system, you'll still get 30+ moves in instead of 5.

RussBell

Here are some of the 'easier' (i.e., less 'theory' – documented lines and variations - to learn) King pawn (1.e4) openings for White which are very playable at the amateur, club level. Typically, the 1.e4 games are so-called "Open" or "Semi-Open" games, where lines (files and diagonals) can more readily be opened when the pieces may enjoy more scope and mobility. These game tend to promote play of a more tactical character as opposed to "closed" openings characterized more often than not by blocked centers which tend to result in a more maneuvering, "positional" style of chess early on in the game...

Scotch Game & Gambit

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=scotch+game

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_Game

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=scotch+gambit

Ponziani Opening 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ponziani+opening

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponziani_Opening

Vienna Game & Gambit

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vienna+game

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Game

Introduction To The Vienna Game & Gambit

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/introduction-to-the-vienna-game-gambit

The Italian Game – more challenging to learn (i.e., more 'theory') than the above, but a very rich and sound opening complex, which can be played for your entire chess career, even at the highest levels...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Game

Introduction to The Italian Game & Evans Gambit

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/introduction-to-the-italian-game

Bishop's Opening – this is not an opening per se, but an opening 'gateway', leading to a rich variety of openings (useful for keeping your opponents guessing!) including several of the above, especially the Italian Game...

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bishop%27s+opening

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop%27s_Opening

If you prefer to play 1.d4 as White, then among the 'easiest', yet sound and effective, openings to learn are...

The Stonewall Attack - I consider this to be a precursor to the London System. There are some similarities between the two, with the Stonewall being the easier to learn as there is less theory, while also very playable at the amateur, club level...

The Stonewall Attack...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/stonewall-attack

Introduction to the London System & Jobava London System

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/the-london-system

Chess Openings Resources for Beginners and Beyond…

ttps://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/openings-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

For more helpful, instructive chess resources, be sure to check out my blog...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell

Jenium
BurgTownKnight wrote:
Hey everyone! Just curious as to what are some good openings to use as white as a beginner? I just crossed 1000 today for the first time in my chess career and it’s due in part to my use as black I speculate. I have a 15-3-2 record with black and a 8-8-1 record with white. I usually play the London but maybe it’s time to look at a 1. e4 opening. Any advice would be helpful!

Congrats. Time to play real openings. ;-) Try the Danish gambit or the Evans or King's Gambit.

SamuelAjedrez95

@alexlehrersh

Some of your lines aren't right. The pirc line isn't that good. The queen move in particular is a waste.

Better is f4, The Austrian Attack

Be3 and Nf3 are also good options.

The Sicilian line isn't right. Black can't play a6 in that position because it allows Nxc6 followed by e5.

SamuelAjedrez95

Black has to start with d6 and then you play Bg5, the Richter-Rauzer Attack, or Bc4, the Fischer-Sozin Attack.

This can be reached via 2 move orders, 2. ...d6 and 2. ...Nc6. The d6 order is most common.

Also in that position black can play e5, the Sveshnikov, instead of d6.

AleReds

ruy lopez and scotch

SamuelAjedrez95
alexlehrersh

Whether they are a bit complex or not, they are the correct lines.

The fact is that the variation of the Sicilian you showed isn't played because it doesn't work. Whenever black plays these 2 knights out and then doesn't prevent e5, Nxc6-e5 follows. It's important to understand these things because you can win games like this.

In the correct continuation for both sides, Bg5 and Bc4 are simply the main moves. They are the main moves because they prevent black from playing e5. Be2 is an alternative, allowing e5, but it's very passive.

Ethan_Brollier
BurgTownKnight wrote:
Hey everyone! Just curious as to what are some good openings to use as white as a beginner? I just crossed 1000 today for the first time in my chess career and it’s due in part to my use as black I speculate. I have a 15-3-2 record with black and a 8-8-1 record with white. I usually play the London but maybe it’s time to look at a 1. e4 opening. Any advice would be helpful!

Congratulations man! London is fine if you like it enough, but I'd recommend learning the Pseudo-Catalan as well, and if you're sticking with the London, learn the Rapport-Jobava System (also known as the Jobava London).

ltfakdmr

So many good information