My chess trainer made me change all my openings!? Part I
Ah yes I remember it well. It was Fall of 2018 when the idea was first suggested to me by National Master Michael Joelson, my new boss at non-profit chess organization, Progress With Chess. “Just play 1. e4,” he said candidly. We were looking at a game and everything looked fine as far as I could tell so I wasn't sure what he meant by this, and I certainly wasn't considering the idea, but this was just the first of many times he would make this crass and seemingly ridiculous suggestion.
Queen Pawn = Rating Increase (or so I thought)
Now if you know me, and you don't, I'll tell you that at this point in my chess I hadn't played 1. e4 since my first chess tournament game in 2015. I guess one weird thing about me that makes me an atypical chess professional (working in chess definitely not a professional player) is that I honestly only picked up chess as a serious thing less than five years ago and when I did that I played queen pawn on move one.
Three years later I increased my rating from 1100 to 1791 USCF, an accomplishment that I'm quite happy about by the way, but yes I did that with queen pawn openings, and left to my own devices (and YouTube) for improvement, and advice from 1900 player, Jim Antoline (excellent coach! owe him a lot!) I did focus on openings quite a bit to accomplish this. It was definitely more than needed and definitely more than I should have. Yes, I admit I enjoy openings, but my point is that I invested a full three years in my Queen’s Gambit, Slav Exchange, my beloved Catalan, and countless other lines that I was now being asked to put to rest. For how long?
Here is a rather typical game in my old queen pawn style. I could have won in the opening, but hey, why do that when you can just develop pieces and win later? lol
Throw years of opening preparation in the trash? Surely, you jest!
When NM Michael Joelson continued this suggested first move of 1. e4 the fear started to creep in to be honest. Should I really do this? I mean, a CHESS MASTER is telling me I should do this.... and yet I knew that I wore my opening preparation like an armor. I had dozens of memorized trap lines unsuspecting opponents often fell into, and I had a play style that fit my openings.
An actual picture of me wearing my opening preparation.
You know this style of play. I'm certain you've seen it.
Play solid.
Play safe.
Develop all your pieces.
Castle kingside.
Fianchetto that bishop.
...and ONLY once all is right with the world break with e4! Your opponent will never see it coming (lol).
And my opponents would sometimes find chinks in this armor and checkmate me, but hey it got me to 1791 so I’m not one to look a nearly 700 point rating increase (in my late 30’s no less) in the mouth. But game after game I analyzed with NM Michael Joelson and game after game he said similar things ….
“You don't understand the open game.”
“Lack of foundation.”
“Work on your tactics.”
“Just play king pawn already.”
And finally on January 1st, 2019.............. I did it.. I made the switch.
To be continued....
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