Do I need an "Opening Repertoire"?

I personally think once you find a repertoire you like you should take it deep. To me the specialist generally  will have more steady practical results. For instance ThrillerFan, I think your OTB opponents have your number 45+% of the time even with a thought out plan of  mixing up of your variations at the playing hall. Just some food for thought! Enjoy everyone's posts. Thank You! 

There is often a mis-conception of what is meant by knowing something deep or in-depth.  It does not simply mean that you memorized the lines further than another player.  If Player A memorized the lines through move 8, and player B memorized all the moves through move 15, and that's all player A and player B did, what both of them did is utterly useless!  You have to be able to study, analyze, and state with your own words the ideas behind what you just read.

"Read and Parrot" is useless!  Take the following as an example which I analyzed fully.  In this game, "Book" has been followed through White's 11th move.  Black's 11th move is bad.  The "book" will tell you that Black has 2 options, 11...f6 and 11...Rc8.  Ok, why are other moves bad?  If you can't answer this, and all you can do is parrot the 11...f6 and 11...Rc8 lines, you have learned NOTHING!

If you go to the following link, you will see that both valid moves are explained, and then a short description of what is wrong with the move played followed by a detailed 22-move demolition (White mates Black on move 33) will show you the problem with Black's 11th move.  You have to be able to do this, which 11...Be7 is not mentioned at all in the book, to claim you "know" an opening in-depth.  Just being able to parrot 20 moves of main line because the book said this was the main line proves absolutely NOTHING!  NADA!  ZILCH!

http://charlottechesscenter.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-french-connection-volume-31.html

Thanks, I don't know if I pass the test, but I'm playing 11...f6, because off the top Black needs to chip away at all that space White has. Just curious do you sit and think about why you are playing 1...e6, 2...d5, 3...Nf6, 4...Bb4, etc for 10 moves every game because there are special rules that apply...or is it because you have become accustomed to those types of positions and have a feeling those moves best suit your needs? 

When I first learned the French back in the mid-90s, it was all about the most basic of things. 

1.e4 e6 - prepares ...d5 where if White takes, I do not have to throw my queen out early to recapture

2.d4 d5 (see move 1 - now puts the question on e4)

3.Nc3 - Protects e4

3...Bb4 - Rather than add another piece to the attack on e4 to get White to advance it, pin the defender so it no longer guards e4.

4.e5 - Mission accomplished - the d5-pawn is very strong and very safe, and so I don't need to waste time with my c-pawn covering d5, and so I can make the following move in 1 go without worrying about my center.

4...c5 - Attacks White's center (the d4-point) and expands on the Queenside,

Etc.

Now, 25 years later, I sub-conciously know the reason behind those moves that I can make them instantaneously, but if you don't understand the moves initially, you would completely overlook the concept that Black's Dark-Squared Bishop has direct impact over a light square.  The pin of the Knight on c3 makes it so that the Knight is no longer guarding e4, a light square, and so a dark-squared Bishop attacked a light square!

After you get past the initial moves, now it's all about understanding deeper stuff, like why 11...f6 and 11...Rc8 are good, and 11...Be7 is bad, just as one example.

ThrillerFan, this deep and narrow repertoire you're calling ideal is great for open tournaments, but not as good in local competition; where you consistently run into the same players and everybody knows what everybody plays.

Of course a vast and shallow repertoire is worthless.

If a player's repertoire don't suit his circumstances, then there is a problem.

Growing up, I didn't get many opportunities to play in open tournaments. I did play in many local competitions with small pools of players, and even when I traveled a ways to play in some large scholastic tournament, it was divided into sections and still everybody knew everybody.

It's very good to have a back up defense. Trying out multiple lines with white against each defense is also good.

However, if I plan on traveling out of state to play in a large open tournament against total strangers, I do exactly what you're instructing everyone to do and I do it to a T. One opening, no back up, one line against each defense, etc.. No switching - stick to prep. I can't emphasize this enough.

If the English Attack is what you studied and someone puts a total beat down on you in the Najdorf, and you just happen to run into the Najdorft again 2 rounds later, play the English Attack again - stick to prep, don't deviate. Stick to what you practiced and what you studied. Don't suddenly decide you're uncomfortable ... The instant you've lost a game in a swiss tournament, you're out of contention and the rest of the tournament becomes a learning experience for the future.

In a local tournament, it's different. Let's say there are two local Najdorf players and one of them trashed your English Attack. He is showing the showing the other guy what a miserable excuse for an English Attack you just played ...

This is logical.  

SeniorPatzer, it's very logical.

Five years ago, I played in a local tournament and I played one of the players a blitz game after the tournament. I did not play him in the tournament. Anyway, he wanted to play black and he played the Dragon. I know too well that Dragon players are very well prepared for the Yugoslav Attack. I don't paly the Yugoslav Attack. I play mainly two lines against the Dragon. The line I played that day was 6.g3 … with intentions of leading him to believe that this is what I play against the Dragon. It's not. The only reason I played the line and the only reason I ever play the line is deception. When I know there is a chance I'm going to run into someone in a rated game, this is what I show them. The next month, I was paired with him and I had white and then I played the Levenfish Attack.

Quite often, you don't have to know a line 15 moves deep. Ten is more than enough, if it's the line your opponent doesn't know. In this instance, he blundered a piece even earlier.

When playing with practice partners, I used to mix up a lot of lines I knew of but didn't know how to play- just to see if I could find something they played badly. As soon as I found it, I wouldn't play it again. Just let them forget you played it and how badly it went - then go study it so you can play it when it matters.

I played for the first time this past chess season (before the shutdown restrictions) for a chess team in our city's chess club.  4 Boards.  I don't attend chess club much due to a scheduling conflict on that weeknight for club.  But sometimes I can play.  Anyways, my team captain would tell me a week in advance what board I was playing, who my opponent was, whether I had White or Black, and what my opponent's likely opening choice would be.  1. e4 player or 1. d4 player.  Or if I had White, what opponent was known to play.  THIS helped a lot!  

Takeaway Lesson:  In a local regional competition where you're likely to run in the same crowd of players, just know that if you have a narrow repertoire, the other players will know it.  And to prepare accordingly.  

SeniorPatzer that and somebody always doesn't like somebody, and they are willing to divulge information to his/her opponent.

Or it could just be that two people are friends ...

I just always remembered what who played with what color. Even if I didn't play them and I was just walking by. I also had conversations with people about what they played. It's surprising how easily people cough up the necessary information to destroy them. These days, though, it's easy to just pull up a database of some random amateur's games … it might cost you 99 dollars a year at chess.com, but it can be done.

Divulge all you want to your mateys about the French Defense.  I will still crush them, no matter how prepped they think they are!

Not Scared!  At All!

I mostly play my same stuff OTB against the same local players where ever I'm living at the time. I find I almost always out prep them. Yes some things give me trouble but then I go back to the drawing board and learn the specific variation. Usually I try to learn the middle game that goes with the opening choice as well so that might be part of it. I think its fun having themed matches against the same opponent and learning the different intricacies of the open ruy for example. I also think its alot easier to prepare as white