Occupying or commanding the central squares (e4, d4, e5, d5) from move one.
Why it matters
The opening is a race for the middle of the board. A pawn on e4 or d4 takes squares from the opponent's pieces before they have moved, and every piece you own is worth more when it points at the centre.
This is why the first move matters at all. There is nothing magic about e4 and d4 except that they claim the squares everything else has to travel through.
See it on a board
Four moves in, White has pawns on e4 and d4 and a knight hitting the centre. Every piece White develops from here has somewhere useful to go.
Checked: the position really has the feature described.
How to play it
- Open with a central pawn, and support it with the second one when you can.
- Develop knights and bishops so they attack central squares rather than sit beside them.
- Do not chase pawns on the edge in the first ten moves. The centre is worth more than a wing pawn every time.
At each level
The same idea, said the way it is taught at each age.
Pawn · ages 3–6
Start with a pawn in the middle. Then bring out your knights so they point at the middle too.
Knight · ages 4–6
Occupying the centre and controlling it are both fine. What loses games is ignoring it while the opponent takes it.
What goes wrong
- Opening with a rook's pawn, which takes no central squares and develops nothing.
- Grabbing a wing pawn in the first few moves and falling behind in the middle.
Questions people ask
- Is 1.e4 better than 1.d4?
- No. They lead to different kinds of game — e4 openings are usually sharper and d4 openings slower — and both take the centre, which is the part that matters.