IM Christof Sielecki has a repertoire book that came out in 2019 titled Keep It Simple 1 d4. The move orders are usually 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 g3 4 Bg2 5 0-0 and then most of the time 6 c4. But he does have exceptions to the move order, depending on what black does. Delaying c4 cuts down on black's number of defense choices, but it's still a big book at over 400 pages.
1.d4/1.Nf3/1.c4/1.g3 ultra-transpositional XXXL White repertoire
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If 1. Nf3, c5 without 2.e4,... you will play a symmetrical English with 2.c4,... and could possibly transpose to a Benoni defense.
Jun 5, 2023
0
#4
i am a 1 e4 player but this is such a unique idea i had to bring it here
so...
you want to play all the openings arising from 1 Nf3, 1 c4, 1 d4, 1 g3, maybe 1 b3
and no f pawn pushes
hmm
1 Nf3 seems like the most flexible option given that no f pawn pushes so i will focus on it, besides its very transpositional
1 Nf3 d5 2 c4 reti opening
2...d4, 2...dxc4 are the independent lines
2...c6 and 2...e6 and then you can transpose to qgd/ slav using 3 d4
2 b3 nimzo larsen
3 Bb2 vs pretty much everything and then its just 1 b3 (this move order allows other options, 1 b3 basically telecasts that youre playing the nimzo larsen)
2 d4 allows many options like a qg, torre, or even london
2 g3 and its a kia/ maybe catalan
dont see much else useful here
1...Nf6 2 d4
if d5 you have options like torre, london, qg
if e6 then you can go c4 and black has four options; or Bg5/Bf4 i guess
if g6 then c4 allows a grunfeld if you want, if not idk maybe Nc3 then e4
if d6 same stuff, theres c4 lines and Bg5/Bf4 too
2 b3 nimzo larsen, its just like 1 b3 again
2 g3 its a kia or if black also fianchettos then you can go c4/d4 later
2 c4 then you have to be ready for symmetrical english if c5
if not then ig just an english setup
1...g6 then not much to say, just that you can go c4 + Nc3 + e4 to prevent grunfeld maybe
same options as 1...Nf6 2...g6 stuff except 2 b3 is a bit eh
1...e6 then all the options too
i am getting bored so i will say this:
1 Nf3 then against basically everything you have 2 d4 2 c4 2 b3 and 2 g3
search it up yourself mostly, the ideas will tend towards a few stuff though (catalan, qg and all its subvariants, nimzo larsen, kia, english, then independent stuff like the reti and some gambits)
this is a lot but thats by design, you asked for tons of options
Jan 20, 2024
0
#5
Hi!
Your idea looks very interesting and it is similar to what I do.
You might go for g3 variations in all your d4 setups, like against the KID (fianchetto variation), the QID, the QGD (Catalan)... and so on.
Concerning 1.b3, it is nice too but it may not always transpose because of 1...e5 -you may prefer 1. Nf3 and then 2. b3. I wrote a post on 1.b3 you might be interested checking out:
https://www.chess.com/blog/maafernan/opening-repertoire-the-nimzowitsch-larsen-attack
Good luck!
Interesting, I once played 1. Nf3 not to avoid tactical play but to create it. There was once a game where I felt I needed to win and I have a reputation as a 1. e4 player. My thinking was that my opponent would be quite comfortable in kings pawn game or at least any prep he would be doing would be directed against 1. e4, so I decided to completely change it up and play 1. Nf3. It was the first time I ever played it in a serious game and I didn't actually do any prep myself for 1. Nf3. I just figured the knowledge I have acquired over the years would be enough.....watching commentary on GM events, preparing for opponents who play 1.Nf3, opening studies, youtube videos, ect. It actually worked. I didn't get a position I knew much about but my opponent didn't seem to know much about it either and that was the more important thing to me. It was actually some line of the Torre attack. That is an opening that I have barely studied at all and what studying i have done on it was over 20 years ago. I actually had a winning position at one point but then I blundered in the endgame and had to take a draw, which can be a drawback of playing a lot of openings. It isn't so much that you will get caught in some fancy prep, its more that it is necessary to think hard from move one. It is possible to play a good game in positions that you aren't super familiar with but it takes a lot of energy. Also, I am talking about classical chess here. It would be pretty hard to play this way in faster time controls....like blitz or 15+10. Even in classical I get into time trouble a lot.
As White, I've been thinking about playing all the openings that arise after the moves 1.d4, 1.Nf3, 1.c4, 1.g3, and perhaps also 1.b3. Except those that transpose to 1.e4 openings (for example, after 1.Nf3 c5, I will never play 2.e4 transposing into the Sicilian).
Since I would have so many different openings in my White repertoire, in total my White repertoire would be theory-heavy. In order to ensure that my White repertoire is not too theory-heavy (so theory-heavy that it just becomes completely impossible), I will only play openings that are slow, quiet and theory-light, openings that I can play without needing to spend countless hours studying them and memorizing moves, openings that allow me to avoid opening theory and just play chess.
I will exclude the moves f4 and f3 (e.g. against the KID, I will never play the Four Pawns Attack and the Samisch), I will always play an early Nf3 (no later than move 5), firstly in order to reduce the size of the repertoire, and secondly because f3 and f4 tend to be sharp and theory-heavy, while an early Nf3 tends to be slow, quiet and theory-light. Are there other sharp and theory-heavy openings that I can exclude to further reduce the size of the repertoire?
What do you think about this XXXL White repertoire? Objectively, it's probably a bad idea, but I think I really like this idea anyway. How bad is it really? Would it be so big that it would be completely impossible for a 2000 Elo player to learn? How much time would it take someone to learn this super-wide White repertoire compared to a regular White repertoire? 3 times as many hours? 10 times? Are there people who have this White repertoire?
With this White repertoire, I would be the ultimate master of transpositions, I would be able to exploit transpositions to their fullest.
The advantages of this White repertoire:
- Diversity: I will play many different openings and structures so I will never get bored.
- Unpredictability: I will be unpredictable and it will be impossible for my opponents to prepare against me.
- Anti-preparation: The openings that I play are slow, quiet and positional. Preparation is useless against these kinds of openings.
- Perhaps I will be able to move-order my opponent out of his repertoire? For example: If he is a Grunfeld player, I could try 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 and he can't play the Grunfeld anymore. If he is a Slav ...Bf5 player, I could try 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 or 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 c6 (or 1.c4 c6 2.Nf3 d5) 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nc3, and he won't be able to play ...Bf5.