How to Learn Chess Openings

Make sure you know how to set the board up before learning an opening.

Think about your playing style and decide if you're an attacking, defensive or balanced player.

Purchase an introductory book on chess openings. If you're new to opening theory, there are a number of good reference books that can help you learn (See Resources). These will give you a good sense of how to play the openings and the types of positions to which they lead.

Pick an opening that leads to positions you're comfortable with and learn the basic theory behind it. For example, if you're an attacking player who loves the thrill of tactics and the possibilities of the open board, don't pick an opening that creates closed or dense positions.

Know the strengths and weaknesses of your opening. Many openings focus on the defense of a single piece or positional advantage, so you should know how to exploit anything your opponent overlooks.

Memorize the different move orders and variations of your opening. The easiest way to do this is to set up a board and play through the moves for both sides by yourself.

Use your opening against as many other players as you can and make a note of when it works well and when it doesn't. After you've played a game, look it over and see which of your mistakes you could have avoided with a better opening play.