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  • Lesson 26 of 32
  • Opening principles
  • 3 min

Control the Centre: A Chess Opening Principle

The opening is the first ten or so moves, when both sides bring their armies out. Most opening advice comes down to three ideas: control the centre, develop your pieces, and keep your king safe. This lesson is about the first.

Step 1 of 5

  1. The four centre squares

    The four squares in the middle of the board, d4, e4, d5 and e5, are the centre. A piece there reaches more of the board, and it can switch quickly to either side. A knight on d4 attacks eight squares; in a corner it attacks two.

  2. A pawn in the middle

    The two most popular first moves in chess are 1.e4 and 1.d4. Each puts a pawn on a centre square and opens a diagonal for a bishop and a path for the queen.

    Your move

    Put a pawn on a centre square.

  3. Knights towards the centre

    Pieces control the centre too, without standing on it. The knight on g1 can go to f3 or h3, the two stars. Which is better?

    Question

  4. Take the whole centre

    Black answered 1.e4 with 1...a6, a move that does nothing for the centre. Use the time: put a second pawn beside the first. Pawns on e4 and d4 take c5, d5, e5 and f5 away from Black's pieces.

    Your move

    Put a second pawn in the centre.

  5. Which move helps the centre?

    After 1.e4 e5, which of these moves does the most for the centre?

    Question

What you learned

  • The centre is d4, e4, d5 and e5. Pieces there, or aimed there, do the most.
  • 1.e4 and 1.d4 take a centre square and free a bishop and the queen.
  • Knights usually belong on f3 and c3, towards the centre, not on the edge.
  • If your opponent ignores the centre, take it with two pawns.

In this course

Unit 1The pieces

  1. The Chessboard and How to Set Up the Pieces
  2. How the Rook Moves in Chess
  3. How the Bishop Moves in Chess
  4. How the Queen Moves in Chess
  5. How the King Moves in Chess
  6. How the Knight Moves in Chess
  7. How Pawns Move and Capture in Chess
  8. Chess Piece Values: What Each Piece Is Worth

Unit 2Special moves

  1. What Is Check in Chess, and How to Get Out of It
  2. How to Castle in Chess: Kingside and Queenside
  3. En Passant in Chess, Explained on the Board
  4. Pawn Promotion in Chess: Turning a Pawn Into a Queen

Unit 3Winning the game

  1. What Is Checkmate? Learn to Mate in One
  2. Stalemate in Chess: Why It's a Draw
  3. How to Checkmate With a King and Queen

Unit 4Your first tactics

  1. The Fork: Attack Two Pieces at Once
  2. The Pin in Chess: Freeze a Piece in Place
  3. The Skewer in Chess: Attack Through a Piece

Unit 5Checkmate patterns

  1. Back-Rank Mate in Chess: Spot It and Stop It
  2. Smothered Mate in Chess: The Knight's Checkmate
  3. The Ladder Mate: Checkmate With Two Rooks
  4. How to Checkmate With a King and Rook

Unit 6More tactics

  1. Discovered Attack in Chess: Unmask a Hidden Attacker
  2. Double Check in Chess: Two Checks at Once
  3. Removing the Defender in Chess: Take the Guard

Unit 7Opening principles

  1. Control the Centre: A Chess Opening Principle
  2. How to Develop Your Pieces in the Chess Opening
  3. Scholar's Mate: How It Works and How to Stop It
  4. Fool's Mate: The Fastest Checkmate in Chess

Unit 8Endgame basics

  1. The Rule of the Square in Chess Endgames
  2. The Opposition in Chess: King Endgame Basics
  3. King and Pawn vs King: How to Win the Ending

Lessons for every game

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