Expanding opening knowledge

"... I feel that the main reasons to buy an opening book are to give a good overview of the opening, and to explain general plans and ideas. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... Once you identify an opening you really like and wish to learn in more depth, then should you pick up a book on a particular opening or variation. Start with ones that explain the opening variations and are not just meant for advanced players. ..." - Dan Heisman (2001)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626180930/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf
"... For inexperienced players, I think the model that bases opening discussions on more or less complete games that are fully annotated, though with a main focus on the opening and early middlegame, is the ideal. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2010)

"... the average player only needs to know a limited amount about the openings he plays. Providing he understands the main aims of the opening, a few typical plans and a handful of basic variations, that is enough. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line." - GM Nigel Davies (2005)

 

  Nothing complicated in what I said: given the possible number of ways White can begin the game with, Black’s preparation of only 3 ways to defend, as per suggestion, is inadequate.

Are you makin' fun o' me?!!!

once youve found your openings ,id suggest to study pawn structures in those openings,will help your endgame knowledge

 

                                                          ______________________________

The first visualization pattern memory bank that you should be able to doin your sleep is the K+p vs. K endgame visualization pattern memory bank.  The 3 step endgame technique for queening the pawn is first the K goes ahead of the pawn, second the 2 enemy Ks go into opposition (facing each other one square apart with the lone K turn to move.  This is necessary because  it forces the lone k to give ground.  The 3rd and final step is to take  control of  the 3 squares  (e6, e7, e8); finally the pawn queens and the position changes  from a winning position to a won position.

Eventually the 3 step endgame technique will flash in your mind every time you see this position (K+p vs. K}

All very sensible except for the "endgame visualization pattern memory bank" laguage. I am amazed at how I sometimes know more endgame stuff than players who are otherwise much better than me. Sometimes that knowledge is indeed useful, and I would benefit from acquiring more, but I fear that, some night, an apparition will appear over your bed and proclaim, "I am Kmoch, the ghost of chess-writers-past. Heed my warning, ...".

 

  Why, do think you can control your dreams?

Every player should study openings. Openings determine what the middle game will be and the middle game determines how the endgame plays out. There is a difference, I think, between studying Openings and studying Opening lines. Amateur players, like myself, benefit from studying opening theory and opening basics and even in picking general opening systems such as the Reti, Sicilian, English, e4, d4, to work from. What amateurs shouldn't do is study lines. Play the general openings and discover yourself what they feel like, what weaknesses they have and whether or not they are for you. Play a lot of games using those openings and then go back and look up the openings in slightly more detail. Saying that lower ranked players should study tactics more than openings is completely correct. But to say that they shouldn't bother trying to learn openings at all is a vast oversimplification.

and the differences between a KID with a Nf3 and  p AT F3 STRUCTURE. SO STUDY MORE THEN ONE LINE AND FIND THE BASIC IDEAS.IE PAWN STORN WITH f3 VS CENTRAL ATTACK AND Q SIDE EXPANSION WITH a knight at f3.so i used to play a lot of games featuring high rated players to understand how they handled the position ,pawn structures ,endings etc.these games will help your middle game and endgame play esp if your learning about these concepts at the same time,youll see these things happening in others games and go ahhh i see now.lol.and mark down what your studying in a notebook ,so you can reflect back at what you've learned.that alone pays dividends. good luck.

and remember ,chess is supposed to be fun, so have a fun opening or 2 you like to play just to throw someone off,and maybe it might become a real weapet in time. ,like budapest or d4  nc6 !?maybe a dodo kings gambit,which i won with last night ,lol .e4 e5 f4 ef Qg4 !?! see i even play 1.f3!? so have fun learning,or it wont become fun  later.cheers 

"... This book is the first volume in a series of manuals designed for players who are building the foundations of their chess knowledge. The reader will receive the necessary basic knowledge in six areas of the game - tactcs, positional play, strategy, the calculation of variations, the opening and the endgame. ... To make the book entertaining and varied, I have mixed up these different areas, ..." - GM Artur Yusupov

For the record, what I meant by saying all players should study openings is that all players should study the major openings and get a general grasp of what each opening is trying to accomplish. General theory about what each major opening is trying to accomplish and what the weaknesses are. Memorizing lines and going more than a few moves deep into analysis is not what I was talking about.

I don’t know why anybody would tell you not to study openings. Especially at our level, when everyone plays like one of five openings every game, knowing a handful inside and out makes for quick wins— especially since most people know like the first three moves and then they start guessing. If you know the mainline and a few variations five or ten moves past that then you’re gonna bury them, obviously. Unfortunately, as mentioned in this thread already, opening study doesn’t pay much when you still can’t notice hanging pieces and cheap tactics. John Bartholomew says it pretty well in his sub-1000 video, “you’re liable to implode any second.”

In openings you must always understand the ideas on each side, what are they trying to accomplish, immediately and in the long run. If one side holds the initiative then it’s easier, as the other side usually just reacts, so there is only one plan, instead of two. And you must try out moves of your own, in order to see why the same thing wasn’t possible by using a different move or try a different thing altogether, although that’s harder.

  So understand the ideas, little sequences of moves—find out what they represent, using common language—and don’t memorize single moves, but sequences of moves representing ideas. Then understand the whole line as an idea, in comparison with other lines/ideas, for you, as well as for your opponent.

 Studying opening is a most serious task.