Choosing openings

How did you choose the openings to study which you have since stuck with, to the exclusion of others? Why have you foresaken some openings? How does someone who knows only one opening go about selecting a new opening to master?

When I was a kid, I answered 1...e5 to 1.e4 because my dad told me (or maybe I imagine he told me) that it was the best answer. After I got my first openings book (Walter Korn's Modern Chess Openings), I tried the Alekhine Defence for a while, because it seemed solid and did not have pages and pages of theory. As an adult, I tried the Caro-Kann, and currently the Sicilian Sveshnikov (no doubt influenced by Kramnik, Leko, etc.).

As white, as a kid I started out with the Scotch and gave it up after one silly loss (sad & foolish but true). Tried the Ruy Lopez, too much theory. Tried the King's Gambit. Finally settled on the Two Knights/Evans Gambit, since I don't play against GMs, and don't need bulletproof openings.

In response to 1.d4, it was an adventure involving the Queen's Indian, the Benoni (for a very long time), the KID, and finally the QGD (Tartakower).

Bottom line is: if you plan to play chess for maaaaaany years, you can expect your repertoire to change. You may even want to revisit openings you gave up for some reason. Anyway, someone said (I keep forgetting who) "know thyself", and since the "self" changes over the years, learning is an ongoing process.

Very interesting! Thanks for your reply.

It makes perfect sense that people progress from opening to opening as time goes by.

I bought "Chess Openings for Dummies" recently. There are so many options, and not the clearest advice for picking one to learn over any other, which is what spurred this topic.

As for me, I found myself playing the Scotch opening before I even knew it was an opening (or even what an opening was). So finding it as a proven method was what got me into it.

By the way, "know thyself" was originally carved into the side of the ancient Greek temple for the oracle at Delphi! Wise words from long, long ago.

At one point i hated going against the sicillian so much that i gave up 1 e4 in faver of 1 c4 and am only now revisiting it so that know thyself is oh so true

I think a big part of picking an opening is how comfortable you feel in certain types of games. If you look at a bunch of your own games and see that you tend to win the open ones and have trouble in the closed ones, plan your openings accordingly. Of course sometimes that is beyond your control so you should also study your weak-points. 

I see 1000-1400 players constantly using openings where they don't have a clue what their long term strategies are. They will play a certain opening because Fischer, Kasparov or Anand uses it and this may be in direct conflict with their personal style.

I would recommend looking in a database of masters games online. Pick an opening that you would like to learn more about and play through some games 7-15 moves in. If the position seems comfortable for you, then use the opening. If the position seems like one you would hate to play, avoid the opening. 

the scotch in volves center domination and the 2 pawns (center) adavnce?

in my old wars with the chessmaaster i saw patterns of center domination like this.

i'd consider myself an 'antiHypermodernist' in chess judging by what little i've read on it. Hypermodernism sounds to me like lion taming.

i have yet to see a real solution to d4. i have a topic on that:

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-openings/the-d4

i have potentailly much to say, but i'll just see the responces...

Look

awesome sac how did he see that

is the 2 pawn center advance opening weak?(d4+e4)

It's never exactly "weak."  It can be strongER or weakER, depending on the moves your opponent makes.  Against the French or the Modern, it's probably optimal.  After 1.d4d5, it leads to the BDG, and is considered questionable, but playable.  Against Alekhine's, it probably borders on being a minor blunder, but doesn't lose the game outright or anything.

thank you for your responce. ..what is the BDG?

BDG - Backmar Diemer Gambit  1d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 or 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 f.f3. There are hundreds of traps in this opening (I wrote 500 Blackmar Diemer Gambits).  Very popular in correspondence games.  I have played it hundreds of times.

I started out in choosing openings a strange way.  My first chess book was Practical Chess Openings by Reuben Fine  (found in a used book store in the summer of 1969).  I started playing openings alphabetically because that's how this opening book was put together.  So my first opening as Black was Alekhine's Defense.  As White, I then played the Bird's Opening, then the Bishop Opening. Then I moved on to the Caro Kann as Black,then the Center Game for White, then the Center Counter, then the English, Evans Gambit, etc.  It took a long time before I played the Vienna.  But the whole point was I was booked up and knew the opening better than my opponent.  And just when they figured out my opening repertoire, I changed to the next opening in alphabetical order.  I combined this book with my next book I purchased, 1000 Best Short Games of Chess by Chernev.  Now I was familiar with every opening I played and every trap in that opening.  Now I specialize in trappy opening chess and irregular openings (the Grob, Larsen, Orangutan, Owen's Defense, Hippo, etc).  Lot more fun that way.  I win a few, I lose a few and seldom any draw.

^Pretty cool to have Bill Wall in the thread.

I play e4, ...e5, and ...d5.  I like these openings because it becomes a 'chess game' very early on and I have the idea that understanding these basic openings will help my general chess understanding as I try to get to expert/master.  I did try the sicilian for awhile but really sucked at it.  Maybe later.

I'm a proud amatuer, so I don't know many openings. But I was first attracted to the King's Indian Attack after seeing Bobby Fischer dominate games with it. Then I learnt the Evans Gambit, and it's still a favourite of mine today. I've also used the English quite a few times. Right now, i'm settling on a nice Scotch game, although it's not forced.

As black, I like to play either KID, Grunfeld, or Benko Gambit against d4. If white decides to play e4, I play Sicilian and I love to use the Najdorf.

Currently I'm studying the King's Gambit. Hope it goes well!

Personally, I feel that dabbling in all openings, instead of having a few pet lines, is better as you will learn the typical plans for many different structures and types of positions.

I chose the alekhine the KG, and the Italian as well as variations of e4, ...e5, ... c5

because well their cool,

I chose the Bongcloud because I wanted to

I open with the view to being in control for as long as possible...soon adapting to my opponents' game as inevitably and unavoidably things often go horribly wrong...I call my openings 'spaghetti openings' because I have no way of unravelling the impossible mess I often find myself in...I just love the game of chess and admire the consistent quality of thought of devoted chess minds...I don't particularly want to learn openings, I want to almost forget openings to keep myself on-my-toes, creative, excited and on-edge from the first move. If I make just one 'very' good creative move in a game it's enough, even if/when I then lose the game. The Berliner v Rottweiler game illustrated above by windowknight is absolutely amazing...way beyond my ability...but perhaps one never really 'knows thyself'.

Tq pellik...very reassuring.

Oh yes, can't forget the Bongcloud...