Chess Openings for Beginners: Essential Strategies Every Player Should Know

by Jessica Era Martin

Make your first move with confidence

During a chess match, your opening strategy can determine how the rest of the game will go—but how do you know which strategy to use? Stick to the most effective techniques, master the five opening principles, and become a worthy opponent with this beginner-friendly guide to the top 25 openers, from the Scotch Game to the French Defense.

What sets this book apart from other chess strategy

Step-by-step advice—Start with a refresher on chess basics, then find clear and thorough explanations of each opening strategy, complete with illustrations.The most common variants—Be ready for anything with tips for executing other popular variations of each opener.Ways to practice what you've learned—Try sample chess scenarios that challenge you to come up with the next move and test your new skills.Plan your strategy and take on the competition with Chess Openings for Beginners.

Genres: Chess, Nonfiction

141 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2022

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opening of a chess game almost always determines the style of play and limits the tactics that can be employed. If this sentence doesn’t make you want to play chess, then I do not believe that Chess Openings for Beginners with do the trick.

This book is for “beginners” only in the sense of those who are dedicated to the game but not either very experienced or haven’t had much evaluation of what they have been doing.
Believe it or not this book will take the reader through 25 separate ways to open a chess game and multiple variations of each. These will be accompanied by commentary and some analysis of strengths and weaknesses.

Because a truly interested beginner will want to analyze and play-through what is being laid out, I don’t think this is best read in bed before sleep. Or, I am not the target audience.
3.5

[Igy The Book Hermit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this book a 5 star rating, but there was a couple of openings that were different than what a grand master had suggested.

[Jacob Bonesteel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever wanted to get good at chess? I don’t mean impress your friends that you know how the horsey moves good, I mean top level grandmaster Magnus Carlsen good. Welp—the truth is if you are reading this book review that ship has likely already sailed. Sorry. However, you can still enjoy chess as the beautiful, fun, complex game it is. If that sounds appealing to you, you are in the right place. Like many new chess enthusiasts, I learned how to play chess growing up. However, I didn’t really fall in love with the game until the modern chess boom circa 2020 when so many of us rediscovered why the game of chess has been so beloved and time-tested since the 6th Century. The truth is the game of chess can be a daunting pastime to pick up. It has been said that there are more possible chess positions than atoms in the known universe. Now, I’m not a scientist (or a grand master), but that is a statement grandiose enough to unnerve any potential future Kasparov’s out there. The good news is that Martin wrote this handy chess primer to get you started on your chess journey.
Chess Openings for Beginners is an introductory look at 25 of the most popular chess openings. With many oft-seen openings for both the white and black pieces, you’ll be left with a cursory understanding of how to play (and how to play against) many different types of chess players. Learn how to unleash devastating early attacks with the Fried Liver, strong positional games with the Ruy Lopez, and sneaky tricks with the Scholar’s Mate. There is so much to like about this book. I was able to find a few openings that I want to add to my repertoire and learn the basic moves and theory guiding them. I will personally be playing many Ruy Lopez and Queen’s Gambits with the white pieces, and trying my hand at the Caro-Kann and Grünfeld defenses with the black pieces.
The reason I didn’t rate this book higher is something of a rubric issue and has little to do with the book itself. I generally save four and five-star reviews for books that I would read again. The nature of this book means I will likely not be doing that. However, this book was quite helpful in exposing me to a host of different openings as well as resources where I could find more chess content. My one real critique of the book is that I found it to be light on the actual strategy. Many openings were explained in terms of their opening moves, with a few popular variations, but were lacking any explanation of “why” the moves are made. Some added context as to the basic theory behind some of these openings would have made a good chess primer even better. All in all, this was a great read that I will recommend to any burgeoning chess devotees.

3.5/5 Stars

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a helpful guide to twenty-five chess openings (and their variants) with some review puzzles at the end. I like that each entry gives a brief history of the opening's use or development and includes a game plan for the rest of the game for black and for white; it really helps communicate what the ideas are.

This is a good introduction to know what is out there, but it does not go super deep. Also, "beginner" is always relative. If you have trouble visualizing a few moves at a time, you may want to read with a board set up nearby.

[Max Wolffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly what it says it is - a buncha openings.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guide for beginners to understand opening strategies.