Beginner Chess Opening Repertoire: What to Play as White and Black

Which chess openings should beginners learn? A ready-made repertoire: one opening for White, one reply each to 1.e4 and 1.d4, with plans, traps and drills.

Beginners should learn just three openings: one opening with White, one defense against 1.e4 and one against 1.d4. A good starter repertoire is the Italian Game (or the London System) with White, 1...e5 or the Caro-Kann against 1.e4, and the Queen's Gambit Declined against 1.d4, and you only need the first five to eight moves of each. That small set covers almost every game you will play, so you keep reaching positions you already understand.

Most beginners do not struggle because they know too few openings. They struggle because they know a little bit of ten openings and never get the same kind of position twice. This guide gives you the exact moves of each part of the repertoire, the plans behind them, the traps that decide most beginner games and a 30-game practice plan.

Not sure why these openings work, or want to compare more options first? Our best chess openings for beginners guide explains the opening principles and ranks the popular choices. This page assumes you know the basic ideas (center, development, castling) and want to know what exactly to play and why.

How to choose your first openings

A good beginner opening is not the one that scores best for grandmasters. It is the one that meets three tests:

1. It follows the opening principles. Your pieces come out naturally, your king castles early, and you do not need to find tricky only-moves in the first ten turns.
2. It has plans you can explain. After move 8, you should know what you want: push a pawn to d4, attack on the kingside, or trade pieces and play an endgame. If you cannot say the plan in one sentence, the opening is too advanced for now.
3. It repeats. Choose openings that lead to similar pawn structures. Every game then teaches you something about the next one, and your experience builds up much faster.

Two more practical tips. First, pick openings you enjoy; you will play them hundreds of times. Second, do not switch after one bad loss. Most losses at this level come from a hanging piece or a missed tactic around move 15, not from the opening itself.

The repertoire at a glance

Here is the whole plan before we look at each part:

• With White: 1.e4 and the Italian Game. Later, when you want more strategy, add the Ruy Lopez. If you prefer quieter positions, play 1.d4 with the Queen's Gambit or the London System instead.
• With Black against 1.e4: 1...e5 (the classical answer), or the Caro-Kann if you like solid positions, or the Scandinavian if you want a simple, low-theory choice.
• With Black against 1.d4: 1...d5 and the Queen's Gambit Declined (2.c4 e6). The same setup also works well against the London System.

Pick one option on each line, so you start with three openings, and keep the others for later. You only need the first five to eight moves of each.

With White: the Italian Game

The Italian Game begins 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4. Every move develops a piece or fights for the center, and the bishop on c4 aims straight at f7, the square next to Black's king that only the king defends.

Why it suits beginners: the moves are easy to remember because they are the moves the principles suggest anyway. You castle quickly, and the positions teach you about open lines, piece activity and king safety.

The calm version, often called the Giuoco Pianissimo ("very quiet game"), is the easiest to handle. White plays c3 and d3, castles, and keeps the center stable before deciding where to attack.

Typical plans for White: play Re1 and h3 (so a black piece cannot land on g4), bring the queen's knight around with Nbd2-f1-g3, and later push d3-d4 to open the center when your pieces are ready. Many club games also feature a4 and b4 to gain space on the queenside and chase Black's bishop.

What to watch for: if Black answers 3...Nf6 (the Two Knights Defense), the quiet 4.d3 keeps you in familiar territory. The sharp 4.Ng5 leads to the Fried Liver Attack and wild positions that are fun but full of theory.

Next step: Ruy Lopez basics

Once the Italian feels comfortable, the Ruy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5) is the natural upgrade. Instead of aiming at f7, the bishop puts pressure on the knight that defends e5. The main line usually goes 3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3, after which White slowly prepares d4.

Two beginner lessons from the Ruy Lopez:

• After 3...a6, taking the knight with 4.Bxc6 dxc6 does not win a pawn yet. If White grabs it with 5.Nxe5, Black replies 5...Qd4, attacking the knight and the e4-pawn at the same time, and wins the pawn back.
• Keep an escape square for the bishop on b3. In some lines Black can play ...c5 and ...c4 and trap it. This old trick is known as the Noah's Ark Trap.

With White: the Queen's Gambit or the London System

If 1.e4 positions feel too sharp, 1.d4 is a great alternative. Games tend to be slower and more about structure than quick attacks.

The Queen's Gambit

The Queen's Gambit starts 1.d4 d5 2.c4. White offers the c-pawn to pull Black's d-pawn away from the center. If Black takes with 2...dxc4 (the Queen's Gambit Accepted), simply play e3 or e4 and recapture with the bishop later. Do not panic about the pawn; it is hard for Black to keep.

In fact, keeping it often backfires. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 b5? 4.a4 c6 5.axb5 cxb5, White plays 6.Qf3 and the rook on a8 has nowhere to hide from the queen.

The most common reply is 2...e6, the Queen's Gambit Declined. White develops with Nc3, Bg5, e3 and Nf3, then often trades on d5 and pushes the queenside pawns (the "minority attack"). But there is one trap every Queen's Gambit player must know, because beginners fall into it all the time:

The lesson: when Black's knight is on d7, the knight on f6 is not really pinned to the queen, because Black can give up the queen and win it back with a bishop check.

The London System

The London System is the lowest-theory choice for White. You play d4, Bf4, e3, Nf3, Bd3, c3, Nbd2 and castle, almost regardless of what Black does. Your plan is often Ne5, followed by f4 or a queen-and-bishop attack on the kingside.

Its one well-known weak spot is the b2-pawn. Once the dark-squared bishop leaves c1, nothing defends b2 except the queen, and Black likes to hit it with ...c5 and ...Qb6:

Other London habits worth building: play h3 so the bishop can retreat to h2 if Black tries ...Nh5 to trade it, and do not rush the Ne5 jump before your king is castled.

With Black against 1.e4

1...e5: the classical answer

Meeting 1.e4 with 1...e5 gives you open, principled positions and teaches you both sides of the Italian and the Ruy Lopez. Against 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4, the calm 3...Bc5 mirrors White's setup. Against 3.Bb5, play 3...a6 and 4...Nf6 and castle. Against the Scotch Game (3.d4), take with 3...exd4 and develop quickly.

The downside is that White has many sharp tries after 1...e5, from the Fried Liver to various gambits. That is fine if you enjoy tactics. If you would rather avoid them, try one of the two defenses below.

The Caro-Kann Defense

The Caro-Kann starts 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5. Black prepares ...d5 with a pawn, so there is never a pawn left hanging in the center. Its big advantage over the French Defense is that the light-squared bishop gets out to f5 or g4 before ...e6 closes it in.

Typical plans for Black: solid development (...e6, ...Nd7, ...Ngf6, ...Bd6 or ...Be7) and castling, then a well-timed ...c5 break to challenge White's d4-pawn. Against the Advance Variation (3.e5), play 3...Bf5, then ...e6 and ...c5.

There is one famous trap that every Caro-Kann player should see once, so they never fall for it:

The Scandinavian Defense

The Scandinavian starts 1.e4 d5, attacking White's pawn at once. After 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3, the queen steps aside, usually to a5 or d6. It breaks the "do not bring your queen out early" rule, but in a controlled way, and White's ways to sidestep it (such as 2.e5 or 2.Nc3) are rarely played. That makes it a favorite of club players who want a simple, predictable reply to 1.e4.

Typical plans for Black: ...c6 to give the queen a retreat, the bishop to f5 or g4, then ...e6, ...Nbd7 and castling. Watch out for discovered attacks: when White has a bishop on d2, any move of the c3-knight uncovers an attack on your queen on a5.

With Black against 1.d4

Answer 1.d4 with 1...d5, and if White plays 2.c4, choose 2...e6: the Queen's Gambit Declined. You keep a firm pawn on d5, develop with ...Nf6, ...Be7 and ...O-O, and add ...Nbd7 and ...c6. Your freeing ideas later are ...dxc4 followed by ...c5, or ...e5 when you are fully developed. Remember the Elephant Trap from the White section: as Black, you are the one setting it.

If you dislike the blocked-in bishop on c8, the Slav Defense (2...c6) is a fine alternative with a similar spirit to the Caro-Kann.

Against the London System or other quiet setups (1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 or 2.Nf3 and 3.Bf4), use the same pawns on d5 and e6, add ...c5 early, and look for the ...Qb6 idea you saw above. Against rarer first moves like 1.c4 or 1.Nf3, just put a pawn in the center, develop and castle; the principles are enough.

Common opening mistakes beginners make

These cost far more games than not knowing theory:

• Ignoring threats against f7 (or f2). Before every move in the first ten turns, ask whether a queen and bishop are lined up against that square. Try the position below: Black just ignored the threat.
• Moving the queen around to win a pawn. You gain one pawn and lose three tempos, and your queen often gets trapped.
• Not castling. If your king is still in the center by move 12 and the position opens up, you are usually in trouble.
• Pushing too many pawns. Moves like a3, h3, a6 and h6 have their place, but four of them in a row means your pieces are still at home.
• Playing from memory without checking. If your opponent leaves the book on move 4, they may have set a trap, or blundered. Look at their last move before continuing your plan.

More tricks like this are in our tactics guide and basic checkmates guide.

A simple repertoire you can start today

Pick one package and stay with it for at least 30 games:

• Classical: White plays the Italian Game. Black plays 1...e5 against 1.e4 and the Queen's Gambit Declined against 1.d4. Best for learning open positions and tactics.
• Solid: White plays the London System. Black plays the Caro-Kann against 1.e4 and the Queen's Gambit Declined against 1.d4. Best for players who like safe structures and long plans.
• Low theory: White plays the London System. Black plays the Scandinavian against 1.e4 and the same d5-e6-c5 setup against 1.d4. Best if you have little study time.

How to practice your openings

1. Learn the first five to eight moves of each line and say out loud why each move is played.
2. Drill the lines in the opening trainer until you can play them without thinking. The Italian lesson and the other opening lessons on Learn explain the ideas step by step. To start right away, use the ready-made training sets for White (Italian and London), Black against 1.e4 and Black against 1.d4, which match this repertoire line by line.
3. Play them against the computer at a comfortable level, then in real games online.
4. After each game, check where you left your preparation and save the correct move in your repertoire. Review the game in analysis to find the moment it really went wrong.

Within a month, you will reach the middlegame with familiar positions and more time on the clock, which is exactly what a beginner repertoire is for. For a wider study plan, see how to get better at chess.