How to find some interesting chess openings?

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Lada_Niva

Hello fellow chess players,

I'm playing chess now for quite some time. And I want to get to a higher level. And one question comes up after some chess games is, what are some nice and interesting chess openings for me? I don't have books enough on that topic. Only one, A Killer Chess Opening Repertoire. And I'm still not finished in that book. And I think, that I'm maybe needing some specific books on specific openings. One opening I found interesting is the Nimzo-Witsch defence, according to chess.com openings. With 1.e4 Nc6. 

My question now is, could you help me to find some interesting openings and things for my chess games? Already played the classical chess openings as Italian game with Bishop in the center. But I want something different.

Your help will be much appreciated,

Lada_Niva

kindaspongey

It can get to be pretty tedious to read about one opening after another. Perhaps you would like Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Openings.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf

I think that it is the most readable book of its type. Unfortunately, it does not have much in the way of sample games. For that, you may want to look at The Mammoth Book of Chess by Graham Burgess.

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093123/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review756.pdf

While reading such a book, don't forget that the primary purpose is to get help with making choices. Resist the temptation to try to turn a book into a mass memorization project. There are many important subjects that one should not neglect because of too much time on opening study.

Once one has chosen openings, I think that there is wide agreement that the way to start is by playing over sample games. Some of us think that it can be useful to use books like First Steps: 1 e4 e5 and First Steps: Queen's Gambit
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7790.pdf

https://chesscafe.com/book-reviews/first-steps-1-e4-e5-by-john-emms/
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7652.pdf
as sources of games with explanations intended for those just starting to learn about an opening. Be sure to try to use the openings in games in between sessions of learning. Most of the time, one faces a position with no knowledge of a specific move indicated in a book. One has to accept that as part of chess, and think of opening knowledge as a sometimes helpful aid. After a game, it makes sense to try to look up the moves in a book and see if it has some indication of how one might have played better in the opening. Many opening books are part explanation and part reference material. The reference material is included in the text with the idea that one mostly skips it on a first reading, and looks at an individual item when it applies to a game that one has just played.

OldPatzerMike

“Fundamental Chess Openings” by van der Sterren is a good overview of all major openings. It is excellent for exploring the basics of various openings so you can decide which ones you might be interested in learning more about.

kindaspongey

"... [Fundamental Chess Openings by Paul van der Sterren] is not particularly suited for players who are just starting out. I would imagine players rated at least 1400-1500 would get the most benefit from this volume. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2009)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140626173432/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen128.pdf

http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/FCO-Fundamental-Chess-Openings-76p3561.htm

http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/FCO_Fundamental_Chess_Openings.pdf

I would strongly recommend examining the sample before making a decision about buying. Both Fundamental Chess Openings and Winning Chess Openings are discussed at:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-understand-openings

Lada_Niva

Okay, currently I'm busy with studying the French Defense. According to an online quiz, that is a good opening for me. So I'm studying it now and trying it out.