Opening a game wellStep 6 of 6

Recap

Four rules, in order — and three exercises to check them.

Four rules, in order:

  1. Take the centre with a pawn.
  2. Get your pieces out, knights first, once each.
  3. Castle early.
  4. Keep your queen home until she has a safe square.

If you do not know what to play in the opening, just ask yourself: which of my pieces is doing the least right now? Then move it. That is almost always the right move.

Three exercises — find the developing move

Your turn

White to move

Loading the board…

Move1 / 1

Attempts0

Play your move on the board: drag a piece, or tap it and then tap its destination square.

Standard notation (Bc4, Nxe5, O-O) or plain squares (f1c4). French piece letters work too: R king, D queen, T rook, F bishop, C knight.

Exercise A — find the developing move.

Your turn

White to move

Loading the board…

Move1 / 1

Attempts0

Play your move on the board: drag a piece, or tap it and then tap its destination square.

Standard notation (Bc4, Nxe5, O-O) or plain squares (f1c4). French piece letters work too: R king, D queen, T rook, F bishop, C knight.

Exercise B — find the developing move.

Your turn

White to move

Loading the board…

Move1 / 1

Attempts0

Play your move on the board: drag a piece, or tap it and then tap its destination square.

Standard notation (Bc4, Nxe5, O-O) or plain squares (f1c4). French piece letters work too: R king, D queen, T rook, F bishop, C knight.

Exercise C — develop, don't bring the queen out

To practise more, head for the exercises. And if the rules of the game are not quite clear yet, learn the basics first — there is no shame in that.

What next?