in fact he can't play c4 on the first move, it's c5 
Well, white can decide which course the game will follow on the first move, then black aswer c5 (sicilian defense), here white can plat Nf3, d4, c3, Nc3, Na3 and others, and the black can choose another variation, and so go on...
The truth is: to build a solid opening repertoir takes a few years and much study and practice, but I recommend focus on tactics first.
Good Luck! =D
It is true that black does decide the opening, and without going into details, there's nothing you can do about it.
Now; by going into details, there are plenty of things you can do to prevent this:
Useually, players adjust their opening repetoire, so they have a response to everything playable. If you play e4 for instance, you need a response for e5, e6, d5, c5, etc. just a couple of moves will do for now.
Second: Review the diffrient openings, and see if you can transpose it into something you know.
For instance; I play the Blackmar Diemer Gambit, which is a position I can reach through 2 completely diffrient openings. I play the 1. d4
Classic Blackmar-Diemer: 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6
"Anti-Indian" Diemer: 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4 dxe4
Note, the position is the same.
Third: The problem you describe there is a well known, and can be a bitter factor that can turn a game around, if your opponent know much more theory on the variation you end up playing. What people useually do when they play coordinated chess games (over the board) is that they check what their opponent plays before they play them, so they know what to read up on.
Yes, black can choose a course for the game by playing c5, e6, d6, etc., and if they play e5 unless you are going to play the King's gambit, Ponziani, or Ruy Lopez he can choose the opening he wishes. Even with Bc4 he can choose to play Bc5 or the Two Knights Defense. D4, however, is not that different. Black can play Nf6 and choose just about any of the indian defenses, or he can play d5, which gives white more choice. However, against the queen's gambit, he has the accepted variation, the declined, the slav, and the semi-slav. So yes, it is a little difficult for white because of the fact that black can choose whatever he wants. However, I would hardly say that Black is dictating the course of the game! White just has to learn a decent line against these openings and then play it enough to get enough of a feel of the position to not have to memorize much. You do not even really have to learn much about combatting these openings in correspondence chess, because then you can go to a games database or website, find a move of your choosing, play it, and see what happens.
I can see now this is going to be a long journey for me. I think I have expected to be able to do things more quickly than is reasonable for a novice. It's like taking a few month of piano lessons and expecting to play the Chopin g minor Ballade or the Brahms Handel Variations.
So it is patience- study- play chess as often as I can - and let go of lofty expectations at least for now. I need to work on tactics and study openings and strategy and just about everything else. There is no short cut on this road I am on with chess.
Sigh.
stwils
Dont use only your memory to play chess use logic and stick to the basics
I can see now this is going to be a long journey for me. I think I have expected to be able to do things more quickly than is reasonable for a novice. It's like taking a few month of piano lessons and expecting to play the Chopin g minor Ballade or the Brahms Handel Variations.
So it is patience- study- play chess as often as I can - and let go of lofty expectations at least for now. I need to work on tactics and study openings and strategy and just about everything else. There is no short cut on this road I am on with chess.
Sigh.
stwils
Don't get discouraged. One of the fun things about chess is the endless possibilities. You'll find (like everyone else) that the more lines you learn, the more flexible and confident you'll feel with your game.
The challenge that chess openings present to beginners becomes a joy for intermediate players and (I believe) a work of art for advanced players.
The more opening lines I learn, the more fun I end up having, and you will too.
You cannot always choose what road the game will take. It is good to become familiar with a number of the more popular openings. Some of them give the steering wheel to black, some to white, and some to both at different points. You can certainly steer clear of certain openings that you don't like, but there are tons of transpositional possibilities used to lure your opponent into a situation that you are more familiar with than they are.
I also like playing the Ruy Lopez as white, but I never play it as black, because I can steer away from it. As black I often play the Indian Defense, but I never play it as white.
If you are white and playing 1.e4 hoping for a Spanish Game, you must be prepared for black to steer it into the Sicilian, Scandinavain, French, Caro-Kann, or a number of other 1.e4 defenses. Even after 2.Nf3, black can still steer away from the Ruy Lopez by playing 2...Nf6 (Russian Game) among other possibilities.
If you are black and playing 1.e4...e5, 2.Nf3...Nc6 expecting white to play 3.Bb5 (the Spanish game/Ruy Lopez), you must still be prepared for white to play 3.d4 and steer it into a Scotch Game or some other variety.
Either player can go "off book" at ANY time. Both players combine to steer the game down one road or another. I believe that 1.d4 has far more transpositional possibilities than 1.e4.
As far as, "Can you still play the Ruy Lopez if your opponent opens with 1.c5?" - not exactly, but there is the Hispano-Sicilian which is similar (1.e4...c5, 2.Nf3...Nc6, 3.Bb5). But you must still be prepared for black to answer with 2...d6 instead of 2...Nc6.
Billium248
White has much more control in terms of dictating game play than Black. White gets to choose whether the game is going to be an open position or a closed one, a classical-style game or a hypermodern one; White dictates the course of action, and Black is forced to defend (unless White makes a completely non-threatening move).
However, with that being said, chess is such a balanced game because Black gets some options as well. Take for example the one you propose where White wants an open position with the Ruy Lopez, so he opens 1. e4. Black can decide if he wants to play a symmetrical position or an asymmetrical one, or if he wants to answer with a classical move that attacks the center, or if he wants to defend the center with pieces on the flanks. But even as Black is doing all of this, White is still by in large controlling the action.
What if Black wanted to play a closed position strategic game? Well by the nature of White opening 1. e4, he completely throws Black's hope for his choice of game right out the window. It's only a small consolation prize that Black can adjust the now open and tactical game better to his liking.
What if Black is a master of the attack and is looking to get an open and tactical position going to best exploit his play strengths? Well by the nature of White opening 1. d4, Black is now forced to settle into a longer and slower-paced game where the tactics will be delayed till at least the middle game.
White attacks; Black defends, but with some choice in the matter :)
The steering wheel always belongs to White, unless he's a moron. And Black is a back-seat driver, at best. White always decides where the final destination is, unless he wants Black to decide. And Black gets to choose a few pit-stops on the way to make him happy.
I believe in Ken Smith's idea on openings. Ken Smith is one of a few people who actually contracted with Bobby Fischer and worked with him during his World Championship.
He says:
"A simple forcing opening is the order of the day. Therein lies a problem, most books may be far advanced for you to master-so you must compromise. The way to do that is just to play over the main lines (skipping the notes) time & time again until you absorb the ideas. Pick one of the following: simple openings:
1. BIRD-LARSEN ATTACK
2. THE LONDON SYSTEM
3. WHITE OPENING SYSTEM COMBINING STONEWALL ATTACK, COLLE
SYSTEM, TORRE ATTACK
4. STONEWALL ATTACK
5. DYNAMIC WHITE OPENINGS -Harding. That looks at 1 b4!, 1 Nc3! and 1 g4!
6. COLLE SYSTEM: KOLTANOWSKI VARIATION
Pick one.
YOUR DEFENSE AS BLACK
(1599 and below)
Choose one: (They answer any White move)
1. WINNING WITH THE ENGLISH DEENSE -Soltis
2. A BLACK DEFENSIVE SYSTEM FOR THE REST OF YOUR CHESS CAREER -
Soltis."
So, don't play e4...yet. Ken Smith says e4 is your opening after you reach class A.
I was able to PDF his essay, "Improving Your Chess," and will gladly forward it to anyone. Send me an email: marioleal@chess.com.
Good luck!
When I started playing CC type chess on the internet, I didn't know hardly any of the openings, but I placed second in a beginners tournament. That was very encouraging. So, I figured if I learned the openings I would do even better. But every time I found an opening I liked and tried it my opponent took it "out of book" in just the first couple of moves. In short - my rating didn't improve at all. Then I read somewhere that Capablanca advised the student of chess to "master the endgame first. " I decided to give that a try - and low and behold - my game started to get better. The same thing happened when I began to practice middlegame tactics. So, it seems the best way to learn chess is to learn it backwards. In most cases it takes the moves of both players to define an opening as a Ruy or a Sicilian or a whatever. All openings eventually turn into chess games. The winner of a fight is not the guy who starts it - but the guy who finishes it.
Well said.
stwils
In most cases it takes the moves of both players to define an opening as a Ruy or a Sicilian or a whatever. All openings eventually turn into chess games. The winner of a fight is not the guy who starts it - but the guy who finishes it.
AMEN!!!
I like logic and sticking to the basics.
my advice: its good to know about openning, but more important, ENJOY THE GAME!!!!, when you get experience, you will acquire some instincts in the game, that you can combine whit your imagination, chess tactics, chess game way, etc.....like i told you before, just ENJOY THE GAME!!!!
So, don't play e4...yet. Ken Smith says e4 is your opening after you reach class A.
I think that this is a very good point. I've studied chess under the helpful watch of my father. Yes, he showed me 1. e4 before any other opening, but this was simply to learn the fundamentals of the game.
The first opening system he showed me as white was the Bird. This opening only has a few main lines (compared to others). Plus, it compliments the Sicillian, which I learned at the same time.
Next, he showed me the King's Indian. This, much like the Bird, is an opening system. If black's response is 1 ...b5, I don't panick. I just keep with the system.
Understanding openings on a macro level can be as benefitial as memorizing every single side line. Plus it allows for variance in your own play.
Try to look at the main responses to 1. e4 (as suggested before), and understand the themes that are common to each of them.
Or, if you don't feel ready to handle that many main lines, find an opening like the Bird that has fewer.
Yes, strangely enough it is Possible that e4 c5 could transpose to a Ruy Lopez. But it is so highly unlikely to happen, and black would have so much influence on the likelyhood of avoiding such a transposition that it is hardly worth playing for. It would also be a distant transposition needing quite a few appropriate moves to get to the point where a black player normally gets to play ...c5 vs a Ruy. [For it to actually happen, probably both you and the Black player would have to decide you wanted to make it become a Ruy. I suppose that could happen infrequently, say if black only played ...c5 because he was afraid to see a King's Gambit vs 1...e5 or similar reasoning.]
If you were looking for an opening with 1.e4 where you would be playing pretty much the same set-up on your side regardless of whether black plays 1...e5 or 1...c5 (or many other moves, such as ..e6, or ...g6 etc.) then you could open with something like the Kings Indian Attack/Kings Indian Reversed type position or the slightly different Closed Sicilian/Closed French type. Basically differing from the KIA/KIR setup, in having an early 2.Nc3 played. But there is the option to play 2.d3 and maintain transposability to either the first or second setup mentioned. The pawn structures involved are often similar to a Ruy Lopez, tho the WT Bishop will go to Bg2 rather than Bb5.
Also like the Ruy there is often the chance to attack on the King side. Tho there is not so much chance to play for Center dominance as in the Ruy. Something to consider.
I believe in Ken Smith's idea on openings.
"A simple forcing opening is the order of the day...."
In my opinion, this is a poor approach.
It will work, mind you. By possessing superior knowledge & experience in your specialized opening, you will have an advantage over less-experienced players, get some easy wins, increase your rating.
The problem is that your rating will not be indicative of your overall strength, because it's artificially inflated by a gimmick opening. Once you reach a strength where the players are not intimidated by unfamiliar lines, the rest of your game will not be complete enough to compete, and you will stagnate. I know, I've been there.
I'm not saying that you have to play into a mainline Yugoslav Dragon every time you see c5, but give pause to how "forcing" your openings are. Main lines are main lines for a reason. Variety is good for your game. The more you limit your exposure to different situations, the worse off you're going to be in the long run.
stwils
White chooses the opening, Black chooses the defense. That is the way of chess.
BTW, after 1.e4, e5; 2.Nf3, Black has some other replies than either Nc6 or Nf6. Black can play 2. ... f5 (played against me in a World Open) or 2. ...d5 (played on board one in the last round of the same WO). You cannot decide beforehand what the game will be. So surrender to the chaos and embrace it lovingly. You will enjoy the game more and probably score more points with the attitude.
But nothing will improve your game more than this: equal portions of study and play. And don't get caught up in the "book" lines--it is much better for your developement as a player to work on your own ideas. Your ideas may not be as good as the Grand Master lines, but when was the last time you played a GM?
If you play your own lines, at least you have the benefit of knowing what it is you are trying to achieve. Develope them at home (the study part) and then spring them on you competition (the play part). Just remember this--the stronger you get, the more you will have to rely on the books. But at the beginner level, let me tell you: Almost everything is valid, so long as you know where it is you want to go.
And at the risk of repeating myself, let me again say: Surrender to the chaos! It's a lot of fun.
Let's say I am playing a game and I am white. I am planning on using the Ruy Lopez opening and feel good about that. So I play e4 expecting my opponent to play e5. Already I am anticipating playing Nf3 next.
But wait! My opponent instead of playing e5 plays c4!!! And so he is playing the Sicilian defence!
So then I can not continue with Ruy Lopez, or can I somehow?
It seems to me that when white plays e4, his opponent may play God knows what kind of defence.
So how do you learn what to do?
It seems to me black may be dictating what course the game takes. Is that true?
What's the best way to figure all of this out?
stwils