Chess has enjoyed a sharp rise in popularity over the last year. This began when Chess.com created their first PogChamps tournament on Twitch in 2020, which proved extremely popular thanks to thanks to streamers like Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, xQc, and Ludwig. The tournament has gone from strength to strength since, with celebrities outside of Twitch like Gregor Clegane and Rainn Wilson competing in the tournament.

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Furthermore, Netflix's hit series The Queen's Gambit spurred another wave of interest. Sites like Chess.com, Chess24, and Lichess have had huge increases to their player base. To help players who are new to the game, we've listed 10 of the best openings to get started with. It's a good idea not to overcomplicate things when first starting, so this list will predominantly look at the two most popular opening moves, e4, and d4.

(NOTE: Notations showing how the pictured games were reached will be on the right-hand side of each picture. For those who are yet to learn chess notation, a handy guide can be found here.)

10 Italian Game

The Italian Game is believed to have originated in the 15th century, making it one of the oldest openings still commonly used today. White and Black both get some control of the center and open up space for their queen and bishop with the e pawn push. Both develop their knights as Black defends the e5 pawn that White is threatening.

The move Bc4 has multiple purposes. It puts pressure on Black's weak f7 square, develops a minor piece, helps control the center of the board, and allows White to castle on their next move. When playing as Black and in this position, be wary of the move Ng5 White is threatening to take the f7 pawn, forking the queen and rook. This is known as the Fried Liver Attack.

9 Ruy Lopez

The Ruy Lopez is similar to the Italian Game, but with the bishop on B5 instead of C5. Like the Italian Game, it's a solid opening as White has good control of the center with their pawn and knight, and can castle with their next turn. The most common response for White in this position is a6, forcing White to decide what to do with their bishop. It may seem tempting to take the knight as it doubles Black's pawns. However, this is a dubious strategy as, generally speaking, bishops are slightly better than knights.

It may seem that if Black plays a6, White can take Black's knight, then capture the hanging pawn on e5 with their knight once it recaptures the bishop. However, this would allow Black to play either Qe7 or Qg5, causing problems for White.

8 Sicilian Defense

The Sicilian Defense has become the most common response to e5, so it's certainly worth learning the move as both White and Black. However, the Sicilian Defense is a minefield when it comes to chess theory – entire books have been written about it. Therefore, the best strategy to adopt when first encountering the opening is to stick to basic opening principles. Control the center of the board, develop pieces, and castle early.

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The idea behind c5 for Black is that it discourages White from playing d4, their ideal move. The most common move for white in this position is to play Nf3, with the idea of pushing d4 next move. If cxd4, White has the move Nxd4.

7 French Defense

The French Defense is the third most common response to e4, with e5 being the second. The idea is that Black wants to counter White by playing d5 next move, quickly challenging White for control of the center. It's a solid move for Black as it usually leads to closed positions in the mid-game. This is handy when learning the game or playing against a higher-rated opponent.

However, the increase in defense creates an offensive issue. The main one is that Black will likely struggle to develop their light-squared bishop, due to Black's pawn structure blocking it in. The most common continuation from this position is 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3, defending the e4 pawn with the knight.

6 Caro-Kann

The Caro-Kann is the fourth most popular response to e4. Its basic idea is similar to the French Defense in that Black wants to play d5 on their next move, challenging the e4 pawn. The benefit of the Caro-Kann is that it ensures Black will have an easier time developing their light-squared bishop. However, it comes with its own problems. Black can no longer develop their Knight to the c6 square where it is most naturally placed.

The most common continuation from this position is the same as the French Defence: 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3. Again, White has developed their knight while simultaneously defending the e4 pawn.

5 Scholar's Mate

The Scholar's Mate isn't a great opening to learn when aiming for chess improvement, but it's handy to know to avoid being beaten by it. White has checkmated Black in this position, as the king can't escape White's queen. Meanwhile, White's bishop prevents black from capturing it.

Thankfully, there are a few ways to combat this as Black. For starters, Black can play Nf6 on move 3, guarding the f7 square and simultaneously developing a minor piece. It also prevents White from moving their queen to h5, which is another way to deliver the early checkmate. If in the pictured position, White played 3. Qh4, then the most common response for Black is g6, kicking the queen away. Opening in this way isn't a good strategy for White, as it usually puts them in a poor position in the middle game due to their awkwardly placed queen.

4 Queen's Gambit

The Queen's Gambit is an opening that new players may want to learn after watching the show of the same name. The move may seem odd to new players, as Black is free to take the unprotected c4 pawn. However, White is likely to win the pawn. The most common way for White to win the pawn back is with the move e3, which opens up the bishop to capture Black's pawn. Black can continue trying to defend the pawn, though they will likely find themselves in an awkward position.

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If Black doesn't take the pawn, then the benefits for White include decent control of the center. They are free to start developing their pieces while their king is, usually, in a safe spot.

3 King's Indian Defense

The King's Indian Defense is a common response to White's d4 and c4 moves. Black intends to play g7 within their next few moves, allowing them to castle and develop some center control with their pieces rather than pawns. Generally speaking, this opening allows both players to comfortably start developing their minor pieces. It also allows them to castle within the first ten moves without any real trouble.

A common continuation from this position is 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5. The moves e5 challenges the center, while White is ready to castle.

2 London System

The London System is a very common move for new players to learn as it usually allows White to safely develop their pieces and obtain a solid position moving into the mid-game. A common strategy for White in this position is to play e3 on their next turn; this defends White's dark-squared bishop while also allowing the light-squared to develop, letting White castle kingside.

A common continuation from here is  3. c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. c3 e6 6. Nbd2 Bd6, giving both players a solid position to begin the mid-game.

1 King's Indian Attack

The only opening on this board not to start with e4 or d4 is the King's Indian Attack. The opening is similar to the aforementioned King's Indian Defense, but with White having an extra tempo. The move has similar benefits to the King's Indian Defense, as White controls the center while developing pieces and can also castle within their first few moves after moving their light-squared bishop to f2.

The most common continuation from this position is 2. Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bg4. Black still has a bit of work to do to castle in this position, but their king is in a very safe spot for the time being.

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