Openings to study

As perceive it, d4 is way too complicated for a beginer. A lot of lines and variations. You can never be sure what your opponent will play. He may play the grunfeld, or maybe a benoni. The point is 1.d4 needs so much preparation that a new player may not be able to handle.

On the other hand, e4 has two main responses, either 1...e5 or 1...c5 and the Italian game or the Roy Lopez are pretty easy to understand. Not to mention that you can adapt ideas in either opening and employ them in the other. Another point to be stressed is that most playes incline to play 1.e4, so if you know an opening as white you can face it as black more efficiently.

Whatever the case may be, different openings provide diffenerent middlegames and ideas. One has to see the potentials of those openings and, of course, like it. I recommend 1.e4 as white for the reasons mentioned above. As black, 1...e5 is, in my opinion, the ideal opening for a novice. It is very simple, whereas 1...c5 or 1...c6 are mostly for players aquainted with the basics

Last but not least, if one wants inspiration about what to play, why not check what old world champions used? I mean, if they played it, it must work, mustn't it?

No one at your level will play theory so the important thing is to develop the necessary skills that will allow you to play reasonably well no matter what your opponents do.

Another critical part regarding the opening is not so much the opening itself but the positions it produces. Of course the best is to know every possible position but since that is impossible(they are millions) you have to decide which opening creates positions that are more beneficial because of their universal value.

It is better to start with the so called main openings. Play 1.e4 with white , 1...e5 against it with Black and try to understand in depth the reason of the moves in Ruy Lopez and Italian. These 2 along with Queen's gambit are the 3 most important openings for a beginner. They will allow you to understand the opening pronciples , the fight for the centre and several other important strategic concepts and pawn structures like the Carlsbad pawn structure and the minority attack , the isolated pawn and the way to exploit it's advantages and its drawbacks and many many more.

Also just wanted to throw in there that chessable.com is a great source to explore openings as well. There are many free books over common openings like the Queens Gambit and the interactive learning helps reinforce the ideas behind the moves, and walks through various variations.

I would definitely recommend *against* playing 1... e5 as Black against 1.e4. I feel like this is already a concession; you're allowing White to dictate the game when it is not necessary to do so.

Here's the opening repertoire I was given to study as a sprog a hundred years ago by my trainer, a USCF Master named Lou Barcarola:

White: 1.e4 with King's Gambit Accepted and Declined, including wild and fun romantic stuff like the Allagier and the Muzio... against 1... c5 the Yugoslav and the Smith-Morra Gambit... against 1...d5 the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (gulp! for funsies and cause it actually is a tricky and transpositional surprise against the 'Center Counter/Scandi' complex)

Black: 1... Nf6 against 1.e4 because it's an immediate central counterattack and the amount of lines needed to know cold are far fewer; and against 1.d4 the Benko with 1... Nf6 and associated King's Bishop fianchetto ideas with middlegame Queen's side counterattack. Your mileage may, of course, vary wildly.

This may sound a bit crazy, but it was a fun way to learn openings early on with many simpler but still interlocking ideas. My thanks to Louis B... a great teacher.

This all happened in NYC at the Village Chess Shop/Washington Square Park in the mid and late '90's, just for some context. A wonderful place to learn and have so much fun at chess. Sadly gone now.

MR