Well, the Ruy Lopez and Sicilian are going to pop up a lot in tournaments, so they're definitely worth looking at.
Some fairly strong players I've asked like the King's Indian, which is a fairly versatile opening.
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the reti opening: 1.Nf3, its very flexible
Thanks for the ideas Is there any way I should practice or should I study some and just play online? I would like to practice with software a bit then try playing some online... Dont want to just start by getting beat down.
Sep 1, 2008
0
#5
i like ruy lopez exchange variation as white and sicilian najdorf as black. But thats me.
Sep 1, 2008
0
#6
ow and practise them vs friends or get yourself chessmaster for 6 euro or something :)
lazylightnin wrote:
What would be some of the best openings to study for someone not new to the game but new to trying to get good at chess?
First of all, I'd like to remind you that there is no such thing as the "best opening". Some openings are good, some are ok, some are bad. There are many "good" openings, none of which is objectively any better than any other.
As for learning chess: "they" say that it's best to start with classical chess ideas. As far as openings are concerned, that means control the center, develop your pieces, castle the king to safety, don't move any piece twice (unless you have to) until all your pieces are developed, etc. A good book for this kind of thing would be "Ideas Behind the Chess Openings", by Reuben Fine. If you want to learn a specific opening, start with the openings where you'll be applying these principles: for example, the Ruy Lopez, Giuocco Piano, Queen's Gambit.
How to start learning these openings? I'd recommend at first just learn the first 4-5 moves of these openings and play lots of games using them. Experiment a little, see what happens, etc. Often your opponents won't make the moves they're "supposed to" make, so you can find a book and look up the moves they made, and see how you can improve on what you did. You'll learn lots by experience that way. After doing this for some time, you can buy a book on a specific opening if you want to learn the theory in more depth.
And any other general advice for someone like me that is new and overloaded with all the chess info out there.
Yup. Don't worry too much about openings. Tactics are the most important thing to focus on! They say you shouldn't spend more than 25% of your study time on openings. That's a good rule of thumb.
I would like to practice with software a bit then try playing some online... Dont want to just start by getting beat down.
Experience is the best teacher.
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That is very useful thanks! Where do I find more info on tactics and how do I study them? I love to read and already got these books can you reccumend any others and should I not read any of these? Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess, Third Edition, How to reasses your chess, and My system.
I dont know what firs paragraph was read second...
Sep 1, 2008
0
#10
Shay,
I am in the same position (no pun). I have dabbled with chess off and on, mostly off... for years. I want to actually begin learning rather than "playing". I have been working on this renewed interest now for about a month. I too have CM11. I have recently purchased Fritz11 as well. Fritz is great and it's the real deal in that it is much better for analysis than CM11. I find that CM is more user friendly and a great tool as an intro into the computer chess world. It certainly does have analysis and instructional capabilities. On the other hand, Fritz is a bit more advanced and I can definitely see its benefit over CM for study and analysis but I know I am not fully capable of using it to its fullest potential.... it is amazing if you resist the feeling of becoming overwhelmed with how much there is to learn.
I have been reading various chess forums and some books. I have also played against the Chessmaster personalities but have not yet jumped into the online play... although I have visited a few of the online sites as well. As for books, I have followed the advice of others and bought The Complete Idiot's Guide. I did refresh my memory with this material but it is just a bit too basic for me, although as I say, it was good for a "warm up" and refresher. I also have Seirawan's "Winning Chess Tactics" and WinningChess Strategies". I have not yet gotten into the Strategies book yet as it was recommended that I do Tactics first. I like the tactics book. I find it very clear, orderly, and concise. There are test questions (puzzles) after each section. I enjoy puzzles so this works for me. I like the endgame studies so I bought Silman's Complete Endgame Course. This is an excelent book. It rates the complexity of the endgames according to ranking from beginner to master. Last but not least I have Polgars "Chess-5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games". This I will use for now and long into the future; it is a very thick volume of work. I probably need to play more games at this point but I really like looking at the elegant simplicity/complexity of various studies involving the few pieces in the endgame, or the mate in 2 or 3 type puzzles, or the tactics involving pins, forks, double attacks, etc.
I have not spent much time on openings. As Lanceuppercut recommended, I have learned the first several moves of the Ruy Lopez but its time for me to better understand what I am actually doing. So in summary, I have skipped around it seems in a way that might not be recommended by those in the know but I think I have acomplished what I wanted to do in the first month; that is, to do what interests me without regard the order or method of study (make it fun) and to get back "in touch" with chess to see what happens. Actually, I am enjoying this more than I imagined and am amazed by this game more now than I ever was when I first started back in my teens (30+ years ago).
I am considering signing up for Chess Mentor for a while and possibly going to a private tutor after that. I need to get started playing more...
Hope this helps
Donald
What would be some of the best openings to study for someone not new to the game but new to trying to get good at chess? And any other general advice for someone like me that is new and overloaded with all the chess info out there. I have Chessmaster 11. Thanks for your help!
Shay