First opening repertoire for learning purposes

Hi, everyone. This is my first post, so I hope I'm doing it right.

I'm an unexperienced player (no idea what my rating is), who likes to learn and is kind of obsessed with systems and preparation. For that reason I want to find a simple opening repertoire that will aid my learning and make it more fun for me to play the game, even though I've heard it's not recommended for lower rated players to study too much opening theory. I have completed the beginners study guide for openings, and now I want to start to build an opening repertoire.

Criterias:

• Losing advantage in the opening is OK
• I want open, tactical games to practice tactics
• I want to avoid theory-heavy openings
• I want to learn as few openings as possible, steering the game in to familiar territory
• Learning themes and ideas, rather than long variations
• Openings that are playable as I increase my rating, even if they aren't optimal at the highest levels

 Any ideas of specific openings to look into?
 
Candidates for white
e4-e5: four knights / italian (which is better for my purpose?)
e4-c5: alapin c3
other first moves to look out for?

Candidates for black
e4: Petroff
d4: Queen's gambit declined (lasker)
other first moves to look out for?

Do these candidates look like a good starting point?
Are there any better/easier options?

It seems like these are the most common openings from the players I've played against, and will be likely openings as I climb the ranks.

White: King Gambit

Black: Ruy Lopez, Two Knight defence, Falkbeer , Modern Benoni.

I was going to recommend the Queen's Gambit Accepted, but I know Fiveofswords plays that and he didn't recommend it so now I'm not so sure. Aside from that I agree with everything that Fiveofswords said: Italian, Petroff, not c3 Sicilian.

Suggestions for White (assuming 1. ... e5):

King's Gambit, Centre Game, Scotch

Suggestions for Black (against 1. e4):

Petroff's Defence (most players will be more familiar with 2. ... Nc6)

Thank you all for the input! I'll look into the other sicilian variations and go with the italian game for white. QGA sounds interesting!

That leaves me with
e4-e5: italian
e4-c5: open sicilian

and for black
e4: petroff
d4: QGA

Time to go study! More ideas/tips are very welcome!

You should also add KGA. If you want to avoid theory, the deferred wing gambit sicilian is pretty sound. 1.e4 c5 2.a3 Nc6 3.b4.

The QGA is nice! Just remember that there are a few key themes you need to know - i.e you should know why you're giving up the centre to take a pawn that White can easily win back. Basically you're using the time it buys you to strike back at the centre with ...c5, perhaps inflicting an isolated queen's pawn on White. Often also you end up playing a6 and b5, opening a nice diagonal to develop your light-squared bishop. There's more to it than that but I believe those are the main ideas!

If you want to force active play as black, maybe the Dutch against d4 (Leningrad not the Stonewall), or a Benoni/Benko. I quite like the Benko, probably my favourite gambit as black, you get active pieces, great pawn placement and a straightforward plan.

I'd also look for a plan as white against e4-e6, as in most variations of the French the centre can remained closed until the endgame.

I'd say the exchange variation fits every one of the criteria set out by the OP.

I agree with that suggestion.

Your openings are horrible.

3. d4 exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 Qd3+ Kf7 and white has really good winning chances. If white sacrificed a piece in the middlegame to blow the position open I think black would be fighting for a draw.

Haven't you been banned for sandbagging yet, Charetter?

I would add the Kings Indian Attack and the London System.

However, that is only because that is what I used when I was a beginner.

http://www.chess.com/blog/X_PLAYER_J_X/chess-repertoire

The giuoco piano/issimo lines look very slow and positional to me. Were you thinking about the gambit lines (evans gambit/italian gambit)? Any other things to look for?

It doesn't have to be sharp to be a recommendation. Anyway, even if it did it would only have to be sharper than the 4 Knights... The great thing about the Italian is that it demonstrates/make you think about many of the important opening principles. Fast development, control of the centre etc. If people play very poorly it will also demonstrate just how weak those f2/7 pawns can be. It is the perfect opening for people of your standard.

We share a lot of the same philosophies in regards to constructing a repertoire. I've been refining mine over the course of about ten years and I'm pretty happy with it so far. Some of my choices are a bit off-beat, but they're sound and have been used in grandmaster play. I'm no master, but the repertoire has carried me from complete newb to strong A-class and I see no reason to abandon it. I figure I would share it and even if you don't like the lines it will hopefully give you or (whoever else might be reading) an idea of how I went about building the repertoire.

White Repertoire

As White I play 1.e4.

Against ... 1.e5 I play the King's Gambit. It's really good for sharpening your tactical skills. I've played this longer than any other opening and am thankful for it. A good alternative I've considered is the Glek System which is the line in the Four Knights with g3. It's easy to play and I think it's pretty fun despite the Four Knights drawish reputation. I actually play it as a little side project when I want something a bit more mellow. I use the Vienna move order though with 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3. This opening avoids the Petroff plus the move order sidesteps nonsense like the Latvian, Philidor, Elephant Gambit, etc. Not that those lines are all that threatening, but if you can avoid them altogether and cut out some homework then why not?

The Sicilian can be a tricky beast. A lot of players really struggle deciding what to play against the Sicilian, sometimes giving up 1.e4 altogether, so I'll go into a bit more detail here. I play a few Anti-Sicilian systems, but I don't trust things like the Smith Morra or Wing Gambit. They might be playable, but I think I would have a hard time with them as I move up the rating ladder and are kind of gimmicky. I'd prefer to pick something that will grow with me. The Open Sicilian just requires too much homework for my tastes. I go with "second best" stuff like the Rossolimo (the Alapin is a good choice too, but some of the lines are pretty complicated). Here's a breakdown of the lines I use:

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 (Rossolimo Variation)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4!? (if 4...Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6) this little known variation doesn't have a name, but has actually been used by some pretty strong players such as Tal and Polgar. The idea is rapid piece play and development, even if you have to give up the bishop pair. It probably won't garauntee an edge for White, but I really don't mind settling for equality as White, especially if it means not having to learn reams of theory. A good alternative to this line if you don't trust it is the Moscow variation. It goes good with the Rossolimo and often they transpose. The Moscow is a bit more solid though and has a drawish reputation which is why I like the other more aggressive line.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 This is the Alapin Deferred. I mentioned that the Alapin can be a bit complex, but I find the line with the Black pawn on e6 easier to play. Often the pawn will obstruct his light square bishop which in other lines of the Alapin often has a lot of activity.

These three lines will probably cover 95% of what you would face in the Sicilian. The next most popular is probably the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6) I play 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 again going for rapid piece play.

Against the French I play the Tarrasch. It's easy to play and really limits black's fun against d4. If it's too tame for your tastes the Monte Carlo Varation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4!?) is interesting and leads to a wide open position. Also the little known Reti Gambit (1.e4 e6 2.b3!? d5 3.Bb2) is a fun surprise plus there's a good book about it.

Against the Caro Kann I play the Fantasy Variation (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3!?). In some line this can lead to positions resembling a King's Gambit which is probably not what the typical Caro Kann player wants. Here's a good sample line: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 dxe4 4.fxe4 e5 5.Nf3 exd4 6.Bc4! I've won every tournament game I've ever played in which this line was reached.

Against the Alekhine I play the little know Saemisch Variation: 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.Nc3!? If they trade knights you capture with the b-pawn and have a nice center, plenty of space, and a b-file to play with - easy to play and no theory.

For the Scandinavian I play 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nf3. I prefer not to block the c-pawn with the usual Nc3 (which they are probably prepared for) so I can play c4 and d4. Against 2...Nf6 I play 3.d4 Nxd5 4.Be2!?, this saps out a lot of fun Black normally has with pinning a knight on f3 and pressuring d4.

Against the Pirc I like the setup with 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 and going for the "Yugoslav attack" setup with moves like Qd2, f3, g4, h4, 0-0-0, etc. It's a popular setup, but it scores well in practice and is easy to play.

Against the Modern I play 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.c3. It's easy to play and really reinforces the center.

Black Repertoire

As Black the core of my repertoire is 1.e4 e5 heading for the Schliemann Gambit against the Spanish, 1.d4 d5 with the Chigorin as my main weapon vs. the Queen's Gambit, and 1.c4 e5 against the English (actually I play 1...Nc6 first and then e5 against the English, I'll explain below).

Together these form a complete repertoire and White can't really "move-order" you. For example if they start with 1.Nf3 I play 1...Nc6 and if 2.e4 then e5 gets us back into the King's Pawn Game. If 2.d4 then d5 with a likely transposition into the Chigorin (there are some independent tries for White, usually involving an early g3, but these are nothing to worry about). If 2.c4 then e5 and we're back in the e5 English. Against 1.c4 I actually like 1...Nc6 first "inviting" White to transpose into the Chigorin. If he plays the natural 2.d4 then 2...d5 is the Chigorin which they may not be familiar with.

Here's a break down of some of the lines I like:

First is 1.e4 e5. For the Ruy Lopez I like the Schliemann with 3...f5. It's aggressive and avoids all the Ruy Lopez mainline theory. Against the Italian Game I like the Two Knights Defense, especially the Fritz Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nd4!?) Against the Scotch I play the 4...Nf6 lines.

Next is 1.d4 d5. If White wants an edge they need to play c4 in the next few moves. If 2.c4 then 2...Nc6 is the Chigorin. If they play 2.Nf3 then 2...Nc6 anyway. They can avoid c4 on the next move with something like g3 as i mentioned earlier, but these independant tries aren't too threatening and Black should reach equality without too much trouble. I think the Chigorin is a really great line to play for a win. The lines often feel more like the Open Game with 1.e4 e5. Some lines can be tricky, but learning them has taught me a lot about chess and initiative. It's also not seen very often so White can really get clobbered if he isn't prepared. There's a fantastic video series on ICC by John Watson, unfortunately you have to be an ICC member to view them.

The 1...e5 English is pretty aggressive. I prefer the lines with an early f5 building up some space on the kingside, but thier are plenty of other ideas as well. The book by Davies called Gambiteer II has some interesting lines using the setups with f5.

I wouldn't stress to much with stuff like the Bird, 1.b4, 1.Nc3, etc. You won't see them much, but it's good to have a basic idea of what to do. I do gravitate towards uncommon responses. I'm reminded of this qoute (I don't remember where I heard this): "Against main lines play the main lines, against uncommon lines play uncommon lines, against unsound lines play the refutation". When dealing with unorthodox openings if you play the most common response to their pet line chances are they have more experience with it and they will know it better than you. It can be very practical to fight fire with fire. For example I like this against the Bird: 1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 Bg4!? - kind of like an anti-dutch. Against 1.Nc3 the simplest is probably 1.Nf6 and probably White's best is to just go into a King's Pawn Game. If 2.d4 then d5 and it will probably turn into a Veresov or something.

There is a single overlap between your White and Black reps and you didn't cover it! 

I always like to know what people play against their own openings, I find it very interesting. What do you play against the KG? Which KGA do you play anyway? 3.Nf3?

Good question! I've played both the King's Knight Gambit and Bishop's Gambit over the years, but I've settled on the King's Knight Gambit. The fantastic book "The King's Gambit" by John Shaw makes a pretty good case for 3.Nf3 being superior (he actually claims 3.Bc4 has been refuted and gives pretty good reasons why, which makes me sad). This article has a good template for breaking down some of the chapters in John Shaws book for use as a repertoire and is pretty much what I use as a reference: http://www.chessvibes.com/?q=review-the-king%E2%80%99s-gambit

As Black vs. the King's Gambit I play 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5, but I don't play the Falkbeer. Instead I transpose into the Modern with 3.exd5 exf4. This sidesteps the Bishop's Gambit plus all the other lesser used lines like 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nc3!? etc. Those lines shouldn't be a big problem to face, but if I can avoid learning them with no repercussions then I'll do so.

Thank you. that is a well thought out rep. I completely agree with your mentality of narrowing down your opponent's possibilities where possible and therefore also your learning.