I can’t stick to a single opening

Hi,

I am currently rated about 1600 USCF and have been playing chess tournaments for a little over 3 years. When I first learned how to play chess, I played only double king pawn openings for both sides. When I was about 800 USCF I started playing the Sicilian as black because I would always lose to it and decided to learn it. Until I was 1100, I would play only e5 and Sicilian, and then my coach taught me the French. I eventually got bored of that, and went back to other openings. In my USCF rated history, I have played (against e4) e5, c5, e6, d6, c6, d5, and even b6. Not to mention the different lines within each opening. For white I have played e4, d4, and c4, and again, a variety of sidelines.

For example, before quarantine, or January-March of this year, I played every single opening and tried to switch it up every round to confuse my opponents. My coach explained to me that this strategy was bad because I wouldn’t be able to study individual openings as much. So at the start of April, I switched to the London for White and the Scandinavian for Black. Sometime in mid-May, I got bored of those and switched to the Sicilian for black and e4 for white. Now I am sick of those openings and I don’t know what to do. I tried out the Vienna in some games today (with f4) and decided I liked it. But I know that it won’t last for more than 3 months, if even that.

I think part of my problem is that I don’t have a style, or at least a permanent one. My style changes on a daily basis. Sometimes I feel like playing aggressively, sometimes positionally, sometimes full of traps, and so on. I have tried to stick to openings before and they just always wear out for me. I have read that every chess player has a style, but I haven’t figured out the style that is right for me. 
I would just like to say that I don’t want a bunch of people recommending openings, although I will consider them. What I am looking for is an opening repertoire that I can stick with, at least for 1 year. I want an opening that suits my style, although I don’t know my style yet. Also, if somebody could give me a way to find my style, I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks so much,

Ben

I keep moving to different openings because I want to discover new ideas and enjoy the game.  Not a problem.

Thanks for your input. I agree at my current rating it might not be a problem, because most people my rating don't study openings. However, my coach told me that when I get to a higher level, this won't work well because I won't know the opening as well as my opponent and I might get a bad position.

forget about that most a

Another factor: different openings sometimes lead to similar positions.  The more openings you are familiar with, the greater chance of getting a favorable transposition.

forget about that most stupid of ideas / terms, "..style..". it does not mean a '.F***.'. just pick one opening for black and white and stick with it

I've tried many openings over the years. My problem is not just that I chop and change, but that I am simultaneously fascinated by openings and incapable of the effort to learn any of them deeply enough. The ones I have stuck with longest have been the Vienna Gambit, the O'Kelly Sicilian and the Budapest, and I have to admit that my allegiance to each has been partly determined by the fact that they are relatively obscure and have traps in them that my opponents often fall into. But I don't know any of my openings well enough to be prepared for any plausible line my opponent might play. I made an effort just before lockdown to learn most of the White repertoire in Christof Sielecki's Keep it Simple 1.e4 and the Black repertoire in Play 1...d6 Against Everything by Zude and Hickl. I love the e4 lines in the latter, but am less keen on the Old Indian, and I really don't have the stamina to learn all the lines of either book. So recently, in online blitz, I've been playing the following:

White: Colle-Zukertort, a nice simple system opening that I understand fairly well.

Black against e4: d6, aiming at the Antoshin Philidor

Black against d4: Dutch, aiming at a Stonewall but changing tack if White doesn't play the mainline, which is what usually happens at my level.

I'd quite like to play e6 against 1.d4, so as to avoid some of White's anti-Dutch options, but that would mean preparing a French, which I like, but I'm enjoying my Philidor too much at the moment.

I like this repertoire (it hardly even deserves the name) because I don't have to think about it too much and that seems more sensible at my level than trying to remember a lot of variations. It will be interesting to see if it lasts till the return of over the board chess.

i have sort of the same problem too, and there is nothing wrong with a wide repertoire, so long as you understand the openings. if you don't id recommend a flexible opening where you can reach a lot of different, and interesting positiosn.

I did not know that I was playing a daily game with a player rated 1600 USCF

Lol, I have over 100 ongoing daily games and I play the moves at blitz speed. Therefore, I often make egregious blunders in Daily Chess.

Title: I can’t stick to a single opening

Me: well neither can I. I have 4 different ways I respond to 1.e4 (Alekhine, Pirc, Modern, Nimzowitch) and some others I use occasionally (Owens, CaroKann, St.George)

i have too many openings as white as well: 

Colle, Italian, Vienna, Van Geet, 1.a3 (I actually won a game recently with 1.a3), Reti (transposing to a pseudo-Catalan), Nimzo-Larsen, and the one I use against high rated players: Bird’s!

I don’t know your style, but I think I’m a “demolitions expert” (undermine the opponents center) so I tend to support flank openings often. Still, I also have the problem of not sticking to the same openings, but I think if you play and analyze enough games with a “wide” rep, it’ll be good.

Against 1.e4, I usually play one of two: Alekhine or Pirc.

against 1.d4, I play Nf6 hoping for a Budapest Gambit. But if they play something else, I have to find something to stick with.

As white, it usually depends on my mood. But usually I’ll choose between 1.Nc3, 1.e4, and 1.d4 (aiming for a colle, I don’t play d4 c4). That’s kinda like a rep, I guess?

@awesomeben I also have 100+ games due to too many daily tournaments- I mean, I don’t even PLAY the French, so why enter the thematic? But I did so. And why play the Dutch? I don’t play that either. The Budapest Gambit tournament added about 20 daily games at the same time as well. So in a couple weeks time I went from 20 games to 110 games- and if you check my profile, you’ll probably see that I’m not doing so well...

Get a full collection of the games of your favorite Grandmaster and play his openings. Chess-db.com is one of a few sites where you can download PGNs for free. From my experience this works well for improving players (1500+) who wish to make dramatic changes to their repertoires.

My favorite player is Karpov, and I find the English Opening suits me well.

So, you don't have a style?

No problem at all, I don't have one, either, and I'm playing chess for 50 years.

Switching your openings every second day is just fine, unless you really want to improve.

I can relate to the constant need to re-evaluate an opening repertoire, however this video might be enlightening: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxYEQmo2sII

I play different openings, but not just randomly.  They are all for the most part similar in nature:

White - 1.e4, 1.Nf3

Black vs e4 - French - about every variation you can think of except early Nc6 lines, like I do not play the Guimard

Black vs d4: Nimzo, Bogo, QGD, Dutch, all via 1...e6.  If 2.e4, see above!

https://chessmood.com/blog/5-reasons-to-play-sicilian-defense-for-black