Get Your Pieces Out

A pawn in the centre is a claim; pieces make it stick. Bringing your knights and bishops off the back rank to useful squares is called development, and it is job number one after your first pawn move. Knights are ready at once, and one centre pawn move opens a bishop, so after 1. e4 e5 White's plan almost plays itself: knight to f3, bishop to c4.

After 1. e4 e5. The arrows show White's plan: knight to f3, bishop to c4.

You get exactly one move per turn, so spend each one on a new soldier. Moving the same piece twice in the opening, unless it wins something concrete, means some other piece is still asleep at home. Count developing moves in your head: whoever has made more of them is usually winning the opening.

And the queen? She is the strongest piece, which is exactly why she comes out last among the pieces. Everything cheaper that attacks her forces her to run, and every escape wastes a turn. Watch: 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 (the knight develops and guards the e5 pawn the queen was eyeing) 3. Bc4 g6, and the queen is attacked already.

The pawn on g6 pokes the queen. She must run, and Black gained that time for free.

Here is what the opening looks like when both sides do it right: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Nc3 Nf6. Four moves each, four pieces on active squares, queens patiently at home, both kings one move from castling. This is the position of two players who know what they are doing.

After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Nc3 Nf6. Four moves each, four pieces developed, both kings ready to castle.