A Truth About Openings?
Sort:
Jul 24, 2025
0
#23
outwittedyou wrote:
Chickenfarmer2009 wrote:
MaetsNori wrote:
badger_song wrote:
... Honorable mention: all the idiot comments and threads telling beginner's and lower-rated players to not learn openings but just play by principle. There is a lot of stupidity out there.
Well ... I wouldn't tell a beginner to avoid learning openings ... but I definitely would encourage that they learn opening principles first.
Otherwise we run into problems where players begin asking things like: "I've been learning _____ opening, but my opponent never plays the book move here. What do I do?"
That's where having an understanding of opening principles helps to fill in the gaps. What to do when your opponent deviates from book? You play principled moves ...
It's good to learn opening principles (Development, king safety, central control via pawns or pieces) and the main ideas of your specific opening (Key squares, move orders, variations, so on) along with the opening itself. Because yeah, a lot of the time people will leave the book very fast and then you're screwed if you don't know the principles. Opening principles apply to basically every opening, so if you know the principles then you'll be fine enough no matter where the game takes you.
It's still cool to learn openings, maybe not extremely deep until you're at a good level (As said by @LieutenantFrankColumbo), but still cool to learn and cool to talk about.
When you’re opponent goes out of book, opening principles matter, but not really. Every opening has a point- why it’s good. Theory is both sides making their points, so when somebody deviates from the book, you don’t want to play just opening principles, you won’t be able to squeeze any advantage out of the opening that way. Instead, you have to follow the principles of that opening.
Every opening has different plans and ideas, so when you’re out of book, don’t randomly develop your pieces and castle, you have to know where your pieces belong on. Know your pawn breaks as well, but that has more to do with the middlegame. If your opponent was supposed to play a different move to fight more for the center, take that opportunity! Maybe it’s a diagonal their leaving open. Seize it! Know your opening principles, but more importantly, know the principles of your opening.
I peaked as a USCF A player and never had a single game decided by the opening. But people should do what makes chess fun.
Jul 24, 2025
0
#24
A player who knows his openings but little in the way of opening principles, will in general, outperform a player who knows opening principles but little in the way of opening theory. If one can play an opening well they will, by force, learn opening principles as well as the value of initiative and a sense of timing, when to attack, and at what point the game is in a critical stage. Truth is, learning both elementary openings and opening principles simultaneously is the ideal approach. There are plenty of players giving advice to beginners to just learn principles and avoid learning theory, which is without a doubt a terrible suggestion for new players that's like claiming two wheels equals a bike.
There is actually a best opening, based on the win ratio
You need to differentiate the car from the driver.
Yeah well a Lamborghini is still better than a Toyota, no?
Lamborghinis are flashy but they cost a lot more than a toyota. Also I wouldn't want people always looking at me because I have a Lambo. A Toyota is a lot less cool but I don't know what I would want.