You don't need anything else against 1.d4 or Flank openings.Against some irregular ones , common sense and basic principles can help you to get a good position.Don't try to refute by force irregular openings.Sometimes the best refutation is normal development.I will give some examples:
Let's see what we can do against 1.e4.
The best and easiest solution against 1.e4 is French defense.There is a reason for choosing French defense as it is interconnected with your 1.d4 defense but we will see that later.
The huge advantage of French defense is that it is the most simple defense you can find against 1.e4 and can be played with a minimum knowledge of lines.
French defense, for those who don't know it ,is this:
Black's plan, in it's simplest form, is attacking and eliminating e4 with ...d5.The good news for black is that white has no satisfactory way to support and maintain e4-pawn
2.d3 will lead to King's Indian attack that has already been examined(see game Gurgenidze-Korchnoi)
The extreme try with 2.f3 is also awful and offers white nothing.
That gives white 3 choices.Exchange ,advance or piece/support e4.These 3 choices practically create 3 categories of lines:
1)Exchange Variations
2)Support variations
3)Advance variations
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Exchange Variations
As exchange Variations we will consider all the lines where white exchanges e4-pawn with d5-pawn(Black can also exchange d5 with e4 but white has to allow that by supporting the pawn, that will be examined in Support Variations).For example:
All the above examples will be considered Exchange Variations.As it is obvious , no form of exchange variation can worry Black as he gets free lines for his pieces.No theory is needed and "common sense chess" can give you a good position
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Support Variations
The failure of the Exchange Experiment practically leaves White with 2 choices:Support or Advance.
White's 2 main supporting moves are 3.Nc3 and 3.Nd2.
3.Nc3 seems the most natural but allows Black to continue his e4-pressure with 3...Bb4
3.Nd2 avoids 3...Bb4 but the "passive" position of the knight allows black to be more aggressive
All that of course in their simplistic form as there is a lot of theory after the initial 3 moves in both cases.
But chess is a simple game and there is always a simple solution if you know where to look.
Against both 3.Nc3 and 3.Nd2 black can simply exchange the pawn.Surprisingly 3...dxe4 is the more consistent of white's moves as it eliminates e4-pawn which was Black's initial plan.
The advantage of 3...dxe4 is obvious.One response against both white's main moves that bypasses a ton of theory and leaves hundreds of authors and theoreticians unemployed.The specific move is called Rubinstein Variation as the great Akiba Rubinstein was the first that employ it regularly at high level.From now on , we will call Support variation, Rubinstein Variation.The point behind Rubinstein Variation is that Black never allows e4 to "survive" if he has the chance.White's only chance to avoid Rubinstein Variation(if he wants to avoid it) is to either exchange on d5 or advance to e5, black exchanges on e4 in any other case.
For those that now begin in French defense remember that rule:
NEVER ALLOW ANYTHING TO STAY AT E4.
That rule covers you in any crazy line White might think to play:
I think it is clear what I mean.
After taking on e4 , continuing is easy but there are some points we need to understand.
Let's see the main Rubinstein's Variation position again:
If you examine that position carefully you can easily understand what Black's targets are:The knight at e4 and the pawn at d4(what else?).
The battle for e4 isn't over since white replaced the pawn with a piece.Since e4 was black's primary target it's only reasonable to begin from there.So eliminating the knight at e4 is Black's next goal.But how can we do that?
Black can't play 4...f5 because that leaves him with a backward pawn at e6 and a "hole" at e5
Black can't play immediately 4...Nf6 also as that will force him to move his queen too soon and lose not only one but 2 tempo.
Are we on a dead end?Of course not.
...Nf6 is our move but it has to be prepared.Since black wants to gain control of e4 it is only natural to prepare ...Nf6 with Nbd7 so that one knight replaces the other in case of exchange.
And that ladies and gentlemen is the main line, the so called Blackburne Defense ,although Albin and De Weydlich were the first who played it and Rubinstein the one that employed it regularly in high level(naming of variations and openings it's a huge chapter of chess history with many many "funny" stories).
But what if white doesn't exchange at f6.Then the primary rule:
NEVER ALLOW ANYTHING TO STAY AT E4.
helps us find the moves......
White of course "never" plays 8.Qe2 and usually retreats the bishop to d3 admitting his "defeat".
Rubinstein Variation
Let's study Rubinstein Variation a little deeper.After the initial moves........
.......White can simply withdraw the knight(6.Ng3 or 6.Nc3).That is rarely seen today as White loses a move and none of the available squares is satisfactory.Nevertheless remains a popular continuation in club level so it will be our introduction.There is nothing difficult or weird in Black's development plan and again there is nothing new to learn.
It is easy to underestimate Rubinstein Variation and lose without even understanding what happened.Once the position opens , it's like everything is in it's right place.
Next game the "wizard" Petrosian casts an unbelievable "spell".
A trap worth to remember:
Be very careful every time you see your opponent putting a rook on d-file as various discovered attacks can ruin your position.10...c5 is still playable but the opening of d-file with a white rook and the Black queen on it, is not recomended.If you are not sure that you can control the tactics or if you just want to keep it safe, then 10...Qc8 followed by ...c5 is fine.In some cases good is also 10...Qe8 followed by ...c5 and a later (after Nd7 leberates the diagonal)...Qc6(usually) or ...Qb5 or...Qa4(take a look on e8-a4 diagonal you may see something interesting).
Let's return to the main line.After........
......White has practically only 2 choices:Protect Ne4 or exchange on f6.Unfortunately for him both lead in the same position.
In both cases we have the same position, only difference is that in the second case the position is produced with one move more.
Again there is nothing new to learn except maybe a couple of easy traps.
Be carefull the trap on Black's 12th move as it appears very very often in French defense(we will see it in Advance Variation, Milner Barry Gambit).We used to call the discovered check of the bishop Milner Barry Trap and can occur in many forms.For example:
Another trap you should remember(we call it "Becker")is the following:
It is called "Becker" because it first appeared in the game Becker-Hansen at1936 in Munich Olympiad.It is amazing that this trap has appeared in tournaments more than 20 times and not all the times the players with white pieces played the correct move!!!You can avoid the trap by playing ...Rb8 before ...b6
Be carefull all kind of Batteries against h7.If you see that threats are created then find a way to play ...g6
TRASPOSITIONS
Transpositions in chess is a huge chapter.It's the art of forcing your opponent to enter favorable for you lines by changing the move order.But it's a much bigger than that.It's the art of seeing the relative pawn structures and recognising their similarities.There is a connection in all the systems you learned that will help you deal with anything your opponent might throw to you.For example, against the popular, at club level, Colle System, Orthodox Fianketo defense is probably the best defense.The reason is simple.White's plan is to play e4 so when he plays it , Black exchanges at e4 and creates a French defense Rubinstein's Variation with white having a tempo down(he played e3 and e4).You don't even have to know all that.Once you see e4 the Primary rule (NEVER ALLOW ANYTHING TO STAY AT E4) can tell you what to do.
EXAMPLE 1
We saw how from a 1.d4 opening , black created an 1.e4 opening line transposing into his favorite defense.That can happen with white also.
EXAMPLE 2
Black played a quick e5.That's weird , damn Michael didn't mention that.What should I do?
Let's see.......If I take at e5 the position reminds me something..........
......transposition again , this time white is playing French defense Rubinstein's Variation with colors reversed and 2 tempi up.Let's see what happened next:
Learn to recognise the pawn structures and use them in your favor.If your opponent chooses reasonable or even slightly irrational moves the repertoire I give you covers it but you must have to think.All systems/lines are interconnected and the whole system is based not on lines but on pawn structures.
Rules and exceptions.
It's a good moment to talk about Rules.Chess is not a game of rules , it's a game of decisions.Rules exist to help you make these decisions and not do the decisions for you.
Imagine rules as some extra invisible pawns and pieces on the board.Every time you violate one of them is like sacrificing a pawn or a piece and that means that you have to take something in return.The more important the rule , the more the compensation you need to get.Some rules have the importance of the pawn and you can sacrificing them with small compensation but others are as important as a bishop or as a rook and need more compensation.So every time you decide to go against a rule , examine what you get.In chess we always have to give something to take something back but we must try to get more ( as more as possible) otherwise obviously we don't have any chances to win.That is true in every simple exchange we do.If I give pawn , I must take pawn(at least) or a piece(even better).If I don't take anything I must take something in the form of positional superiority , attack or lead in development that deserves a pawn or even more.
The same is true with principles.If I give one I have to take something back.That something can be really small if my principle is not so important or something really big if it is important.Here is where things are becoming somewhat complicated.
One of the first thing beginners learn is the value of the pieces.So many books give the following board:
Bishop and Knight = 3 pawns
Rook = 5 pawns
Queen = 9 pawns
As a rule a Bishop worth 3 pawns but not every time 3 pawns can win the bishop .The following very simplistic examples make clear what I want to say:
In both cases Black has 3 pawns for the bishop but in the first case White wins while in the second case Black is the one that plays for win.The difference between these positions is extremely small.A pawn from c7 in the first case is at b6 in the second but that small difference radically changes the evaluation of the position.The reason is that the 3 connected pawns can cooperate better supporting each other while advancing.At the same time the isolated pawns in the first case are powerless and white will easily take them all.
Every pawn's and every pieces's value is closely related to the position and to it's cooperation with the other pieces and pawns.The same is true for principles also.Depending on the position they become more or less important.
Another important fact in chess is that principles exist to make you focus on some important points and not to blindly follow them.The "castling principle"(castle ASAP) or the "pinning principle"(always unpin your pinned pieces ASAP) exist to make you understand the importance of castling and the importance of unpinning your pieces and not to force you castle or to force you play a move that unpins your piece.The decision has to be always yours but to learn when you can ignore a principle it is necessary to learn it's importance.
Let's return to our Primary rule on Rubinstein Variation's pawn structures:
NEVER ALLOW ANYTHING TO STAY AT E4
That rule's only purpose is to make you understand the importance of e4-square.Although blindly exchanging at e4 can give you equality it does also limit your options as the quick exchanges lead to a quick drawish endgame.
Let's return to example 1 on post #30.The game Guimard-Stahlberg ended in a quick draw:
So white played a Rubistein Variation with a tempo down , is that Black the best he can do?Of course not, it's the simplest but certainly not the best.When the opponent has lost a tempo(or more) the best thing you can do is avoid exchanges but keep under heavy pressure your targets.The reason for this is that, the more the pieces , the more the chances for your opponent to do a mistake(unfortunately that applies to you too).
A very instructive game for many reasons.It teach us the "essence" of the principles.With 9...Nbd7 Black didn't stop the fight for e4 , he just conducted it indirectly by forcing his opponent to vacate the square.It seems that white was the one that made the choices of the exchanges but in fact he was forced to do these exchanges as no retreat of Ne4 was satisfactory.
If we also take one more look at Example 2 in post #30 you can imagine what is white's best play.
For those of you who are new in this and you need time to familiarise the "Don't let anything stay at e4" rule can save you from a lot of trouble and a lot of thinking.But learning the importance of this rule means knowing when you can (and you must ) ignore it.
French defense Advance Variation
After a small break we return to French defense.We will consider as Advance Variations all the lines in which white advances e-pawn.For example:
All the above and many more will be examined under the large category Advance Variations.We will study only the original one(first example) and you will realise that once you know that , you know them all)
Once we examine carefully the position of Advance Variation we can easily determine our targets:d4 and e5(what else?).
Advance Variation of French defense is maybe the most controversial line in opening theory.You will see Black violating one after another all the basic principles without being punished.The reason is that already from move 3 White has a space advantage and he has it in a very dangerous area, the k-side.Additionally Black can't have his usual castling -position defender (Nf6).If Black attempts to castle as soon as possible is like putting his head in the crocodile's mouth.So black must forget "quick" or "safe" castling for now.
That already means that Black has to be very aggressive in order to survive.It is necessary to exert pressure in White's centre so that White won't have the time to organise a k-side attack.If Black ties down white's pieces in the defence of his centre pawns , castling may become a safe option.
We saw black violating 3 basic principles in just 5 moves but it is white who loses a pawn although he stayed faith in them!!!
It is easy I think to understand that in the highly tensed position that is created after 3.e5 what matters most is not the principles, but active play.For Black active play means pressure on white's centre starting from d4.No principle is more important than that and you will see in games Black players ignoring many more.Even king's safety is of secondary importance!!!
It has to be noted here that the position is of closed nature.In any position no matter how closed or open it is 2 are the important things:
1)Piece placement(cooperation) and
2)Key Plans.
In closed positions though that 2 little devils become very very important.Nothing matters more than having good piece placement and being able to proceed with your key plans.In fact they are both the same because good piece placement is considered only the one that helps you proceed with your key plans so although many distinguish these 2 they are in fact the same.Your key plans are the ones that determine the positions your pieces should have.In our example the need for immediate pressure on d4 reveals our optimum piece placement:
Pay attention to Black's next game as it reveals most of Black's key plans.
A game that you must study again and again with very important key plans.
Some advises for those who begin with French defense:Always pay attention if d4 and e5 are well protected.White usually loses one or both these pawns.
There are some traps that you need to know:
1)White loses e5
The following examples show a typical way with which white may lose e5
White can lose d4 by playing normal moves
d4 usually stays unprotected after b3
It is also possible for black to gain a3-pawn!!!
Let's talk about some typical plans for Black.White very often chooses to expand on q-side with a3 and b4.That expansion creates weaknesses.
Often Black's king is fine uncastled.
If you are aggressive white's position may collapse really quick
Alot of times your opponent will forget that b2 is under threat and lose it.Be carefull not to be too much greedy.
My job regarding "Openings for Beginners" is over.I know I promised an alternative opening repertoire but for now I don't have the time and I prefer to make this one better than giving another one.
If anyone of you have questions , please ask.If it wasn't simple enough , if something was not understood, feel free to tell me.
Especially for those of you who don't have time to study lines or you don't have to be lost in lines , this repertoire can cover you.Remember that you have to use your mind and deal with irrational moves.Against irrational moves , usually a hit in the centre and a couple of good development moves are enough to give you a good game.
You have also to be able to recognise transpositions.A lot of times you will begin playing something and end playing something else.If you fail to recognise the change, it won't work.
For those of you who need this is the best database out there and it's completely free(probably you all know it):
http://www.365chess.com/opening.php
But one final advise:
Play moves you understand because that way you will get positions you understand.That doesn't guarantee winning but it does guarantee improvement.
The next game is a game from a woman that had less than 1000 rating when I met her(in another site, she convinced me to make an account in chess.com).She was trying to learn openings from various videos.I convinced them to follow Trifunovic's suggestions.Only a year after she is around 1650 and she plays for even better.The following is one of her games.
An amazing game for a woman that 5 months before that game was at less than 1000.No one can get anything more than an equal position from the opening with her(unless she experiments and unfortunately she does it a lot).Even me couldn't get more than a slight edge(and believe me , unless you play with Kasparov , "slight edge" means nothing) with her although I know these openings very well and I have read a ton of books.The even better is that her ability to evaluate the position and plan have improved a lot.
Let's do a small jump back to the light side and talk about Dutch.You probably can imagine how white can play aganst Dutch since Dutch is Bird's Opening with colors reversed.
Nothing difficult , right?