Significant Chess Opening Strategies For Kids And Beginners

As a parent, you must have heard that playing chess is great for a child’s brain development, right? Well, it is 100% true. The game of chess gives the brain a rigorous workout which is great for both kids and adults. To ace the game of chess like a pro, your kids must have an understanding of the basic chess opening strategies that will help them to master this game.
Studies have shown that children who play chess regularly have a better visual memory and concentration. Moreover, by playing chess your kids tend to develop better problem-solving skills which further helps them in planning and foresight. To understand the important chess opening strategies, your kids also need to know about their significance.

What is a Chess Opening Strategy?

Chess opening strategy means how to start the game of chess and what will be your first move. The art of chess strategy can be defined as a way of formulating a plan for the chess game and arranging the chess pieces in proper order to accomplish the winning strategy. It can also be defined as a roadmap that helps the new chess players to understand the correct rules of different chess opening strategies, that is- how to control the chessboard from move 1. By developing effective chess-playing strategies, kids will be using their cognitive skills such as decoding, analysis, thinking, and comprehension which are some important skills.

Related Article: 9 Reasons Why Your Kid Should Learn To Play Chess

Now, one question that can pop into your mind is “what is the best chess opening strategy suitable for beginners?” Well, not all chess openings are suitable for beginners as they are meant for experts. The majority of the chess openings require an in-depth understanding of deep, and strategic ideas that will help the player to make the perfect move. If your child is a beginner, ask them to focus on the classic chess principles like controlling the center and developing the pieces. The first few moves of a chess game can be some important moves that your child can make. For the starting phase, most beginners are not required to memorize exact opening moves, and rather, they should primarily focus on good opening principles like controlling the center and developing your pieces accordingly.

Let’s take a look at some of the popular chess opening strategies for beginners-

1. The Ruy Lopez or Spanish Opening

The Ruy Lopez has been one of the most popular openings in chess for a very long time. This move was named after a popular Spanish bishop who wrote one of the first books on chess. Therefore, Ruy Lopez attacks the knight which helps in defending the e5 pawn. While white hopes to use this attack to create pressure on black’s central pawn.

2. The Italian Game

The Italian game begins with the following moves- 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4. This move aims to gain overall control of the center quickly with pawn and knight and place your bishop on the most dangerous square. After all, even you are preparing yourself for the castle to safety. It is one of the greatest moves as it leads to sharp and interesting positions, teaches the player how to seize the initiative, and is a better move when compared to the Danish Gambit. Well, this move can also be played at the grandmaster level which is quite interesting.

3. London System

This is perhaps the most recommended and evergreen chess opening being played for years now. The reason is that it is very simple to learn and play; this strategy gives you the advantage to develop your pieces to the same square and it hardly matters what your opponent does. At some point, there is a slight possibility that your child might get bored with playing the same stuff regularly. Also, you will not get different positions and pawn structures to practice your move. This might affect your chess understanding and will eventually slow down your development. Though this is a decent opening, you should not only rely on this movement when you are playing. Be experimental and keep playing with the new moves.

4. Danish Gambit

Ideally, 1.e4 is considered to be the best chess move of all time and especially for those who are starting their career in chess. It leads to open positions and hence, allows the player to unlearn their tactical power. Against 1.e5 we would recommend starting with the Danish Gambit. It is considered as an impactful and aggressive move, where the white sacrifices 2 pawns for quick development. This position starts with- 2.d4 exd4 3.c3: Better development, aggressive piece placement, and open positions promise an exciting chess experience. With this move, you’ll get more attacking prospects and learn that the activity of pieces is crucial. Stronger opponents will know how to play well against Danish Gambit, so there is a need to look for another alternative move.

5. French Defense

This is one of the famous chess strategies for beginners. With this move, your kids will learn about space advantage, pawn chains, planning moves in closed positions, good and bad pieces, outposts, and so on. This move starts right after 1.e4 e6 which allows the white to occupy the center, but black immediately break the center with 2.d5. Eventually, white close the position by pushing the pawn forward from e4 to e5.

6. Sicilian Dragon

The Sicilian Defense is a popular and fun move at any level. It is considered the best chess opening for beginners. Though it is very theoretical, with this move you can revamp your chess-playing strategies. The only thing that will matter here is the initiative and the activity of the pieces. There are some very popular Sicilian lines, such as the Najdorf, the Scheveningen, or the classical version that your child can successfully use at the beginner level. Perhaps, the easiest one to play is the Dragon. This is because the dragon leads to sharp and exciting positions that are full of opportunities.

7. Queen’s Gambit

Queen’s Gambit is one of the most classical ways to initiate the game of chess and is also a good chess opening strategy for beginners. It starts with 1.d4 d5 2.c4: Though this is called a gambit, it mostly leads to strategic battles. Using this position you can learn about planning, manipulating, improving the placement of your pieces, and many other important concepts. The Queen’s Gambit has been played by all the world champions, and you can simply understand the concept by learning it from the very best players.

Related Article: How to Make Your Kid A Chess Champion

8. The Four Knights Opening

The four knight opening is a fairly popular chess opening strategy among beginners who swear to the principle “ develop knights before bishops”. This move will lead to a positional play with some sharp variations. This move usually starts with 1.e4e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6. After these moves, white is responsible for developing the bishop with 4.Bb5, and black does the same with 4.Bb4.

9. The Slav Defense

The Slav Defense is an imperative chess opening that helps in defending the d5-pawn with another pawn. The majority of the black pieces can develop into natural squares, but black will have less space and you will have to find a good place for their b8-knight.

10. The 2 Knights Defense

Popularly known as the “fried liver”, this position comes to the board right after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6, and it is a classical move order in games that start with 1.e4, from here the players can reach The Ruy Lopez opening or even the Giuoco Piano.

Final Words

Just like your body, even the mind needs proper exercise so that it can function properly. The best way for kids to exercise their minds is by playing chess. Chess is a fun-filled game and it can be played by all ages, it offers infinite possibilities for players to improve their strategies, and is played across the globe! Playing chess offers immediate feedback. It helps in enhancing focus and concentration. Therefore, these are the top 10 chess opening strategies, which will be the best for your children if they happen to be a beginner.

However, if you are seeking professional guidance, you can explore the website of PiggyRide as they offer a comprehensive range of online chess courses. Moreover, your kids will be trained under the guidance of experts who have also represented India globally. So, give your kids the wisdom of knowledge.