Joseph Nizich of Nashua, NH is an avid chess player. In the following article, Joseph Nizich discusses some beginner chess strategies for those new to the game, how to implement them, and the pros and cons of playstyles.
The first few moves can be all-important in a game of chess. Joseph Nizich of Nashua, NH explains what some beginner-friendly openings and defenses are in the game:
If starting as White, the Italian Game and Ruy Lopez are highly effective playstyles, with the Italian Game being a great starting point to then develop from. For players who choose Black, the Sicilian Defense and French Defense are tried and tested strategies: the former focusing on aggression and the latter on slowing down the pace explains Joseph Nizich of Nashua, NH.
The Italian Game
This is a beginning strategy for White to use. It focuses on moving out the knights and bishops to the center of the board, meaning they take control and mobility of this critical space. To set up the game, Joseph Nizich says to use the following moves:
- e4 e5
- Nf3 Nc6
- Bc4
The Pros
The Italian Game is a popular chess strategy for beginners as it is relatively easy to pick up, but also gives some of the best benefits in terms of controlling the center squares and moving highly mobile pieces to keep the opponent under pressure. Joseph Nizich of Nashua, NH says that it also provides flexible options to counter Black’s moves, making it viable even at advanced levels of the game.
The Cons
By focusing on moving the knights and bishops out quickly, users of this strategy can lose mobility with their pawns, with the pawn at F2 being particularly vulnerable. Joseph Nizich explains that players also need to be careful when it comes to their bishop on C4, as it can easily become exposed.
The Ruy Lopez
The Ruy Lopez opening, sometimes known as the Spanish Opening, is pretty similar to the Italian Game, utilizing White’s knights and bishops early on. However, it places much more importance on controlling the center of the board. Joseph Nizich says that set up for the Ruy Lopez opening using the following moves:
- e4 e5
- Nf3 Nc6
- Bb5
Pros of This Style
Joseph Nizich explains that the Ruy Lopez is all about center control, severely limiting Black’s actions. It also develops some powerful pieces early, such as the knights and queen. The bishop on B5 is also a formidable piece, helping to secure favorable captures while maintaining pressure on the opponent.
The Cons of Ruy Lopez
As powerful as the B5 bishop is, it is still rather vulnerable and can end up being taken by Black’s pawns if White is not careful. Its position becomes all the more precarious if White has castled on the kingside.
The Ruy Lopez can also open up more defensive maneuvers from Black, making it a trickier strategy to master. Novice players may wish to brush up on their Italian opening before making the segue into starting to use the Ruy Lopez.
The Sicilian Defense
For those playing Black, Joseph Nizich says that the Sicilian Defense is a great strategy and counter to many classic White openings that aim for center control. The first move to make in the Sicilian Defense is e4 c5.
The Pros
The Sicilian Defense is a solid strategy, so much so that it is one of the common openings used by some of the greatest chess players, such as Magnus Carlsen and Gary Kasparov among others. It tries to create an aggressive stance to create an unbalanced game that can easily turn in Black’s favor.
The Cons
As much as the Sicilian Defense can be a great strategy for Black to use, it can also give White players a few openings, so users of this strategy need to keep on their toes. It can also become quite complex, meaning a lot of theory is needed with some more advanced plays.
The French Defense
Joseph Nizich of Nashua, NH explains that the French Defense is another play for Black, which works to control the center of the board using pawns. This a popular strategy that is used by grandmasters and amateur players alike. This strategy starts with the move e4 e6.
The Advantages of This Strategy
The French Defense sets up a slow play style that can be easy to learn. Its control over the center of the board with pawns can make it hard for White to counterattack all the while developing powerful pieces such as the dark-squared bishop and queen according to Joseph Nizich.
The Disadvantages
While the dark-squared bishop is an important asset in the French Defense, the light-squared bishop is imprisoned and made useless by this strategy. Creating pawns in the center of the board can end up limiting play by overcrowding areas of capture. Although the French Defense is set up for a slower gameplay style, players need to make sure that it does not become too passive of an approach.
