Decision-Making for Beginners The Opening PGN Only by IM Mateusz Kolosowski Chessable Jun 06, 2025

If You’re Still Losing Your Way In The Opening,
Even After Memorizing Lines…

It’s not your memory. It’s your thinking. Stay on track with clear opening goals and a sharper eye for mistakes. So you can avoid them yourself… and pounce on them for easy, early advantages!

Meet your coach, International Master Mateusz Kolosowski.

Kolosowski has competed at the top levels of chess. He earned top-three finishes in major events like the Polish Youth Championship and the Rubinstein Memorial. He also holds a peak FIDE rating of 2474.

He’s faced 2700+ legends like Levon Aronian — and even snatched online wins against Fabiano Caruana.

But Kolosowski is also a gifted teacher. He knows openings inside and out. And he has that rare talent for turning complex ideas into practical steps you’ll actually use.

He created Decision-Making for Beginners: The Opening to help you start your games with a clear direction.

So instead of putting out fires, you reach the middlegame with a healthy winnable position.

Each of the 14 chapters and 22 hours of video tackles common opening challenges. You’ll see sub-1000 players walk into trouble and miss opportunities.

Your job?

Stop Making The Same Mistakes
and Start Cashing In On Them!

Kolosowski starts you on the basics.

You’ll revisit the core principles of central control, quick development, and king safety in the opening. But you’ll also learn when it pays to break these principles and go for the win.

Discover:

🧠 The 3 opening goals which serve as your mental GPS. So even when your opponent sidesteps your theory, you’ll know exactly what to aim for in the first 15 moves.

🧠 The 5-point litmus test which tells you whether to keep following opening principles — or ditch them and play for tactics.

🧠 How to time your second central pawn push, especially as Black. Push too soon and attacks pour from all angles.

🧠 You know you need to develop, but not sure how? Aim your minor pieces at the opposing center or its defenders. Then watch your position build itself up.

By aiming your pieces against the center,
you secure the better pawn structure and
enjoy easy play against d4! See more
examples in chapter two.

🧠 The early knight sac every beginner should know. It opens the d1-h5 diagonal for your queen. So even if it doesn’t win on the spot, their king will spend the next dozen moves dodging checkmate!

Next, Kolosowski fine-tunes one of your most critical chess skills — threat awareness.

Threats don’t wait until the middlegame. They pop up as early as move two or three.

Many beginners panic at the first sign of aggression. But not you. You’ll learn how to handle threats with calm and precision. Safe and still pushing forward, yet not overreacting.

🧠 Cut down game-losing mistakes with this end-to-end blunder test. Ask this question after the opponents move. Then run this check before making yours.

🧠 That “silly” move is no accident! Your opponent didn’t block their own bishop or hang a pawn for nothing. Kolosowski trains your eye to see through the bait.

At the sub-1600 level, Black loses on
their very next move in one out of four
online games. Discover exactly what
they’re missing in chapter four.

🧠 The #1 mindset mistake beginners make when attacking. It’s the reason for those painful turnarounds. Fix this mistake, and your attack stays strong.

Doubling down on threats, you’ll also learn how to take the wheels out of those scary-looking early queen sorties…

Then use her highness’ exposed position to gain a lead in development!

With a little practice, you’ll be using
that exposed queen to develop three,
even four pieces for free!

Kolosowski also drills into you the dangers of obsessing with piece placement. Chasing “perfect squares” leads to moving the same piece multiple times — while the opponent overwhelms the board with fresh forces.

You’ll also capitalize on useless checks, unnecessary pawn moves, and other classic opening dilemmas…

A typical opening dilemma:
How to complete your development
while keeping d4 safe? See how to
untangle in chapter 12.

Then you’ll put everything together and drive the lessons home through a 24-position “mixed themes” test.

Master fundamental opening strategy with IM Mateusz Kolosowski. Fix your foundations once and for all. And reach the middlegame with confidence and the upper hand.