The First Fifteen MovesA checklist for the opening phase, whichever opening you play.ChessIndependent of the specific opening.1Moves 1–4: stake the centreA centre pawn, and develop a knight toward it.2Moves 4–8: minor piecesBoth knights and both bishops to active squares.3Moves 6–10: castleEarlier if the position is open.4Moves 10–14: connect the rooksQueen off the back rank, rooks to open or half-open files.5By move 15: form a planBased on the pawn structure, not on a general urge to attack.SELF-CHECK AT MOVE 15Every minor piece developed?King castled?Rooks connected?Anything hanging?If you cannot answer yes to the first three by move fifteen, the openingdid not go well, whatever the evaluation says.The First Fifteen Moveslearnposters.com
The First Fifteen Moves — printable games wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

The First Fifteen Moves, step by step

Independent of the specific opening.

  1. Moves 1–4: stake the centreA centre pawn, and develop a knight toward it.
  2. Moves 4–8: minor piecesBoth knights and both bishops to active squares.
  3. Moves 6–10: castleEarlier if the position is open.
  4. Moves 10–14: connect the rooksQueen off the back rank, rooks to open or half-open files.
  5. By move 15: form a planBased on the pawn structure, not on a general urge to attack.

Self-check at move 15

  • Every minor piece developed?
  • King castled?
  • Rooks connected?
  • Anything hanging?

If you cannot answer yes to the first three by move fifteen, the opening did not go well, whatever the evaluation says.

Questions about the The First Fifteen Moves poster

What’s on the The First Fifteen Moves poster?
5 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Independent of the specific opening. Moves 1–4: stake the centre — A centre pawn, and develop a knight toward it.; Moves 4–8: minor pieces — Both knights and both bishops to active squares.; Moves 6–10: castle — Earlier if the position is open.; Moves 10–14: connect the rooks — Queen off the back rank, rooks to open or half-open…; By move 15: form a plan — Based on the pawn structure, not on a general urge to attack.. If you cannot answer yes to the first three by move fifteen, the opening did not go well, whatever the evaluation says.
Who is the The First Fifteen Moves poster for?
The First Fifteen Moves belongs to the Chess section rather than to a school year, because games is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning openings can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the The First Fifteen Moves poster?
By move fifteen you want every piece out, the king safe and a plan. Check whether you have. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so The First Fifteen Moves belongs on the wall where that games work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with The First Fifteen Moves?
Avoiding Theory, The Caro-Kann and When to Castle sit alongside The First Fifteen Moves in the Chess section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Avoiding TheoryThe Caro-KannWhen to Castle
Is the The First Fifteen Moves poster free to download and print?
Yes. The First Fifteen Moves downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Chess section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the The First Fifteen Moves poster print at?
The First Fifteen Moves is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of The First Fifteen Moves loses nothing.Printing guide

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