The 6 Opening Fundamentals
Contents
Playing the opening well doesn’t require memorising twenty moves of theory. The first ten moves obey a handful of simple principles — the same ones for over a century — and mastering them is enough to leave the opening with a healthy position in almost every game you play.
These principles boil down to six fundamentals: control the centre, develop your pieces quickly, castle early, don’t bring the queen out too soon, don’t move the same piece twice, and finish your development before attacking. This article walks through them one by one, with the concrete reflex to build for each.
Keep one compass in mind: in the opening you are fighting for three things — development, the centre, and king safety. Every move should serve at least one of them; any move that serves none is suspect.
Fundamental #1: control the centre
The squares d4, e4, d5 and e5 form the heart of the board. A piece posted in the centre radiates in every direction: a knight on e4 controls eight squares, while the same knight on h1 controls only two. Centre control is the first fundamental because everything else flows from it: whoever holds the centre gives mobility to his pieces and smothers the opponent’s.
Controlling does not mean occupying everything. One or two central pushes — a pawn on e4 or d4 — are enough to claim your share of the centre and open diagonals for your bishops. The rest of the work belongs to the pieces: knights on f3 and c3 (or f6 and c6), active bishops, a queen supporting from behind.
Beware of pawn moves in a series, though. Pawns are the only pieces that never go back: every push is permanent, and every pointless push creates a lasting weakness. A sequence like a3, h3, b3, g3 with no piece developed lets your opponent seize the whole centre and the initiative.
Two pawn pushes, not five
The right reflex: occupy or contest the centre with one or two pawns, then bring out the pieces. A pawn on e4 or d4 opens the road for your bishop and your queen without committing to any new weakness. After that, every extra pawn move must justify itself.
Ask the question at every pawn move: "does it help a piece come out, or is it just pushing air?" If the answer is the latter, develop a piece instead: it is almost always the best move available.