An opening repetoire to save the day

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Avatar of Bcage70

I started using a specific opening about 2 months ago.  At first I didn't do to well. Slowly my game started to get better; 1. I was becoming more comfortable with the positions I saw.  2. I did not get such stage fright.  What do i play when they play ... ?  Does this sound familiar to anyone?  I play Queen's Gambit as white. And try to play Caro-Kann or Slav as black.  What do you play?

Avatar of mgwxta19

I still mix things up. (I do very much like the Caro-Kann though, on both sides.) But I've heard some chess teachers say it's better to stick to a small repertoire that suits you, just like magicians say it's better to know ten tricks very well than a hundred tricks. I think Tigran Petrosian played the Caro-Kann a lot as black. And I remember it was a favorite of Yasser Seirawan, who also played the Queen's Gambit a lot as White. Can't remember any Slav players off the top of my head. But I think the best way to learn an opening is to study games from a player you admire who used the opening a lot. It's probably good to stick to what you know for a while and get good at it. You can always experiment later on, but if you're looking for good results, there is magic in mastering one thing.