When you spend enough time playing Guess the Elo, you start to realize that beginner chess is not entirely random. In fact, players in the 400 to 1000 Elo range have a very distinct set of openings that they play with absolute, unshakeable confidence. While Grandmasters are memorizing 25 moves of the Najdorf Sicilian, beginners are sticking to the classics. Here are the five most common openings you'll spot in the lower ratings.
1. The Wayward Queen Attack (1. e4 e5 2. Qh5)
This is the holy grail of beginner chess. Ask any 600-rated player what their favorite opening is, and they will tell you it's the Scholar's Mate setup. The idea is simple: bring the queen out immediately, point it at the f7 pawn, bring the bishop out to c4, and hope your opponent doesn't notice the impending checkmate.
At 400 Elo, this works about 50% of the time. At 800 Elo, it gets you a terrible position because Black easily defends with g6 and Nf6, chasing the white queen around the board. If you see this in an EloGuessr game, you can comfortably guess under 900.
2. The Italian Game (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4)
This is arguably the most "correct" opening that beginners play, mostly because it's the first one taught in every single chess tutorial ever made. You control the center, you develop your knights, and you aim your bishop at the weak f7 square. It's solid, it's reliable, and it leads to massive chaos when players immediately launch the Fried Liver Attack at the first opportunity.
3. The Fried Liver Attack (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5)
Speaking of the Fried Liver, this opening represents the peak of aggression for intermediate beginners. As soon as Black plays the two knights defense, White immediately lunges forward with their knight to g5, joining the bishop in attacking f7.
This opening is incredibly popular around the 800-1100 range because Black rarely knows the correct defensive lines (like playing d5 and Na5). Instead, they blunder into massive tactical traps where White sacrifices the knight on f7 to draw out the king. It's a favorite for players who love quick wins.
4. The London System (1. d4 2. Bf4)
Ah, the London. Thanks to content creators and easy-to-learn system openings, the London has infested the beginner tiers of chess. The appeal is obvious: you can play the exact same setup (d4, Bf4, e3, c3, Nf3, h3) regardless of what your opponent does. You don't have to think; you just build the pyramid.
While the London is completely viable at the Grandmaster level, beginners often play it entirely on autopilot. They will blindly build their setup even if Black is hanging a free piece on move four. Seeing a perfectly built London setup followed by a one-move queen blunder is a classic Guess the Elo trope.
5. The "Push Every Pawn" Opening
This one doesn't have a formal name, but we've all seen it. White opens with h4. Black responds with a5. White plays b3. Black plays g6. It looks like the players are terrified of moving their actual pieces, so they just build a solid wall of pawns across the middle of the board.
This opening usually indicates that the players either don't know how the pieces move properly, or they are desperately trying to prevent any pieces from getting near them. If you see four pawn moves before a single knight or bishop is developed, you're looking at a sub-500 game.