Chess Openings - The Open Game
The King's Pawn Opening - 1. e4 - is the oldest and most common opening. Bobby Fischer famously called the King's Pawn Opening "best by test." Fischer almost exclusively opened with 1. e4 his entire career.
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1. e4 e5
Black can respond in many ways, but the most straightforward is the symmetrical 1... e5. This leads to what we call the Open Game. Open games tend to be dominated by tactical, rather than strategic play. This means that combinations and direct attack are common.
From a strategic standpoint, the King's Pawn move is excellent for both White and Black. It attacks important centre squares and opens developmental lines for the King's Bishop and Queen. A noteworthy weakness in the Open Game for both white and black is that the King's Pawn is initially undefended on it's central square. This makes it a prime target for a developing attack on subsequent moves.
How Common is the Open Game?
Very Common at All Levels
You can expect to see white play the King's Pawn Opening in about 50% of games. The opening is even more popular amongst novices and beginners. For these reasons, you must always be prepared to face 1. e4 when playing black.
Black responds to 1. e4 with 1... e5 (The Open Game) about 30% of the time. The Open Game leads to a large number of fundamentally important openings (discussed on subsequent pages). For this reason, it is essential for beginners to be comfortable with this opening.
White's Next Move
At this point, white has the initiative and can choose to take the game in a number of different directions. The most common second move is to attack black's centre pawn with the King's Knight: 2. Nf3. This move is known as The King's Knight Opening, and we will consider it in detail. But first, let's take a look at some of white's alternative continuations out of The Open Game.