How to study an opening

The opening is the first stage of the game and if you want to study an opening this topic will help you.

Learning an opening

• Select an opening or defense. Example: Modern Defense.
• First read the plans of the opening: The plans of the Modern defense are moving the "a" and "b" pawns to suffocate the queenside pieces and start an attack there also moving the "b" pawn makes possible the fianchetto of the white squares bishop.
• Study the theory with a board: No matter if it is digital or real board, reading text only makes harder to learn (and boring!).
• Reproduce: After reading and reproducing the theory, reproduce again without reading the theory, make this until you know the moves.
• Study GM games: You get the partners and ideas.
• Play with a strong engine: To get a strong opening you must be crushed by a potent engine, after you get beaten fix the error on the opening, eventually you will know what to do and what to avoid with ease.
• Study the most known variations: The most common lines are the first ones to study.
• Study the most dangerous: When your opponent goes for a strong attack, Example: Austriac attack on the Pirc defense, study it and practice on it to avoid getting beaten so easy.
• Start to use it: On live games OTB or Online, with good knowledge of an opening you can get the edge!.

Never!

• Follow blindly the theory: If you do this, unexpected -and wining- tactics attacks will strike you and hardly left you with a good position or material (GMs have fallen on this).
• Avoid the plan: Getting too far away of the plan will be worse.
• Go to an unknow line: If your opponent is pushing you to another line he or she may know that line, and if you don't...R.I.P...
• Avoid the opening principles: Always keep in mind that some openings have slow development, faster, etc.
• Ignore the other parts: Chess has opening but it has middlegame and endgame too, never forget them.

I hope those tips helps you on the future.

Try this opening!: