which opening should I start with?

@street_dancer_3D said in #20:

Nothing's complicated at the beginner level alright? Just develop the pieces castle, bring the rooks etc and play chess. I wouldn't suggest anybody to learn anything over 7moves because it's waste of energy and time.
actually u are right.... no one is gonna teach someone 3.d4 in petroff coz its hard to learn for both sides

https://lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/is-opening-theory-really-that-important

I think you should start with e4 after that go knight f4 with that you can play so many different openings: stanford, sicilian, Inter Continental balistic attack... But with the move of that just two pieces you can see wich will be the better opening. As black (pieces) you may do the indian defense.

I do not agree with those who propose the openings:

-sicilienne
For what ? because the strategic ideas behind this opening are complicated for a beginner to learn, we usually learn to take the center and this is not the case
! Black has compensation but the beginner player won't understand, beginner players must be used to taking the center, so I think the Sicilian
is reserved for level one may be higher.
it's an opening that requires a lot of practice, it would surprise me if a beginner launched with the scisilienne with success

-Caro-Kann and the French defense
how to castle easily when white makes the variant in advance?
generally you have to do c5 and know the theory, you can't castle quickly and for a beginner he it will be lost

I think I'll teach him the London system,because we can go quickly to castling and play moves regardless of the opponent's moves
(this is not the case but it is the idea of the system)

with the blacks against e4 I'm thinking of e5, but hey it will be necessary to learn a little theory like Ruy Lopez,
unfortunately there is no system against e4 it will be necessary to know a minimum of theory

and against d4 he will do d5-e6-Nf6-Be7-00

I think he plays Italian with White but Black can play something other than e5 so no

what can I say about the choices of my openings for my friend and thank you for the answers

@The_ThreeChecks said in #18:

Just tell him/her to follow the opening principles

Maybe a better question would be "what are the best choices to teach sound opening principles?". For instance, I love Petroff but recapturing with Nxe4 and then returning the Knight to f6 is hardly a "best practice"... Same about Ruy López with White if the Bishop is going to "waste" three consecutive moves.

I think Italian (that I never play) or QG(D) are the most clear, straightforward examples for White.

@FanDesEchecs said in #24:

I do not agree with those who propose the openings:

So basically you come here and ask for tips, and then you say, I choose the Londen system anyway.... Time well spent....

"... you must choose what openings you will be using. ..." - Journey to the Chess Kingdom (a book for beginners by Yuri Averbakh and Mikhail Beilin)
"... For players with very limited experience, I recommend using openings in which the play can be clarified at an early stage, often with a degree of simplification. To accomplish this safely will take a little study, because you will have to get used to playing with open lines for both sides' pieces, but you can't eliminate risk entirely in the opening anyway. ... teachers all over the world suggest that inexperienced players begin with 1 e4. ... You will undoubtedly see the reply 1 ... e5 most often when playing at or near a beginner's level, ... After 2 Nf3, 2 ... Nc6 will occur in the bulk of your games. ... I recommend taking up the classical and instructive move 3 Bc4 at an early stage. Then, against 3 ... Bc5, it's thematic to try to establish the ideal centre by 4 c3 and 5 d4; after that, things can get complicated enough that you need to take a look at some theory and learn the basics; ... Of course, you can also play 1 d4 ... A solid and more-or-less universal set-up is 2 Nf3 and 3 Bf4, followed in most cases by 4 e3, 5 Be2 and 6 0-0. I'd rather see my students fight their way through open positions instead; however, if you're not getting out of the opening alive after 1 e4, this method of playing 1 d4 deserves consideration. ... a commonly suggested 'easy' repertoire for White with 1 Nf3 and the King's Indian Attack ... doesn't lead to an open game or one with a clear plan for White. Furthermore, it encourages mechanical play. Similarly, teachers sometimes recommend the Colle System ..., which can also be played too automatically, and usually doesn't lead to an open position. For true beginners, the King's Indian Attack and Colle System have the benefit of offering a safe position that nearly guarantees passage to some kind of playable middlegame; they may be a reasonable alternative if other openings are too intimidating. But having gained even a small amount of experience, you really should switch to more open and less automatic play. ... As Black, I think that [players with very limited experience] would do well ... playing 1...e5 versus 1 e4 and 1...d5 versus 1 d4. ... [After 1 d4 d5, if] White plays the most important move, 2 c4, inexperienced players might want to begin classically with 2...e6 followed by ...Nf6 and ...Be7 ..." - IM John Watson in a section of his 2010 book, Mastering the Chess Openings, Volume 4
"... I am not a big fan of weaker players memorizing lots of opening lines they will never play. However, it is quite a different issue to spend a small amount of time learning how to play your openings a little better each time they occur. A long journey begins with a single step. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2005)
web.archive.org/web/20140627023809/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman50.pdf
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