Opening Principles

Five habits that hand you a healthy position out of any opening — take the centre, develop with purpose, get the king safe, and don't waste moves.

1. 1Fight for the centreA pawn on d4 or e4 stakes out space and opens lines for your pieces.
2. 2Knights before bishopsA knight's best square is nearly always f3/c3; a bishop's depends on how the pawns land — so knights first.
3. 3Castle earlyCastling gets the king behind a pawn shield and brings a rook into play — usually by move ten.
4. 4Don't move a piece twiceEvery tempo counts early — moving a developed piece again usually means another one stays home.
5. 5Don't bring the queen out earlyAn early queen sortie gets chased by minor pieces, and you lose the very tempi the opening is about.