Meet your army

CLU

Your first dance

Eight pawns. Two rooks, two knights, two bishops. A king and a queen. They've been arranged like this for over a thousand years.

Statistically, the strongest first move when you don't yet have a plan is e4 — the king's pawn forward two squares. It stakes a claim in the center and opens lanes for the bishop and queen. Grandmasters play e4 less often than you might think — at their level, the game gets more poetic, more personal. But for you, right now, this is your move.

Push the pawn.