DON'T Try to Memorize

In past blogs, I've been talking about lots of different openings. Lots and lots of openings. And it's good to learn about different openings because then you have more moves to choose from at the beginning of the game. But, even though you probably (should) know, you're not required to remember every single opening that ever existed - you still might want to try and memorize as many openings as possible, thinking that it'll help you get better at chess, and I guess that's what we all want, right?

However, I don't think that is the right approach when it comes to improving you chess skills. Why? Well, let me tell you.

Actually, the answer is quite simple: You shouldn't memorize, and instead, you should understand. Now, what does that mean? It means that you should learn and understand the meaning behind each move of that opening. If you just memorize all the moves and not know what it does to you or your opponent, you could end up getting yourself into a very bad situation.

It's like if you took a test but remembered all the answers to each question. Then you wouldn't learn anything at all. You wouldn't understand exactly why the answer to those questions were those answers. 

So you see, it's the same thing with chess. Stop trying to memorize every single opening! You need to learn the opening and learn what each move means. But, of course, I'm not telling you to stop playing an opening if it becomes natural to make those moves. I'm saying that you should understand the openings so that you will naturally remember the moves to them. So if you do play moves - not by memorizing the opening - that's a good thing. It means you've practiced and understood it. 

To sum it up, you should STOP forcing yourself to remember every single opening. Instead, try to figure out what the moves would do to your position and your opponent's. Then, you'll be able to figure out which works best for you, and you'll be on your way to success!