Oh from white's perspective, too? Umm...okay. The most fun line for white in the Petrov is the Nimzowitsch Attack where white plays 5. Nc3 and 5...Nxc3 6. dxc3, then castling queenside and playing on the kingside in an opposite-side castling position.
Learning 1.e4 e5 thoroughly
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@dpnorman: Thanks. I'll definitely consider all that. I'm not worrying about the openings, I'm having fun with them. I enjoy learning that junk. Lilov makes good videos. How did you come up with your lines? Given to you? You chose them? From a book or video?
@Tom: will do on the videos. thanks.
Chicken_Monster wrote:
I want to learn 1.e4 e5 well...especially as Black for now. However, I would also like to learn it from White's perspective.
I want a repertoire(s), but I ALSO want to UNDERSTAND the reasonings behind each move. I want to be able to play the Ruy Lopez, Petrov, Italian, Marshall Attack, Marshall Gambit, Berlin, Scotch, Four Knights, you name it -- whatever may arise.
What set of books would you recommend? I would imagine I would probably need material on levels anywhere between beginner on up.
I have the Kaufmann books, and they have lines to play...but they assume one already understands the reasoning for the moves (for the most part). Thanks.
I think youre biting off more than you can chew.
Some people are serious about studying chess and some are just serious about talking about studying chess ... 
that's true Reb! The belly of the bell shaped curve is populated densely by lip flappers.
i don't like playing e5 against e4 as there seems too much theory to learn and trappy openings
Don't trust thechesswebsite without checking against other sources. The coverage of the King's Gambit suggests White should choose a losing continuation with Nxf7 and Qgx4 etc. http://www.thechesswebsite.com/kings-gambit/ first video.
It took me years to play the Closed Spanish with any sort of understanding. I used play 1. e4 e5!, The Ruy Lopez: a Guide for Black, and Vol. 2 of opening for White according to Anand. Other books I used include Understanding the Spanish (for width not depth), Archangel and New Archangel, The Marshall attack by Lalic and vol. 1 of opening for White according to Anand. I also picked up the two Marin books.
Happy hunting! You have a lot of work ahead of you.
Hey look this is the puzzle of the day on a website that I don't think I can mention:
Feb 10, 2015
0
#31
@Chicken_Monster: I don't know what's up with your overly defensive emotional posture, but I neither intended nor produced a "diatribe". I neither attacked nor criticized you. If my warning against learning things incompletely is what got your hackles up, well, 1) I'm just warning against my own mistakes, and 2) I guess it must have hit pretty close to home.
I have stopped advising you to forget about openings, because it's become clear that the opening is your real interest right now, no matter what. Who knows, maybe you just want to be an openings theoretician.
So I answered the question that I thought you were asking - the one you specifically used as the title of this forum topic. I answered this one because finally you got back around to the first bit of advice I - among many others - gave you (to learn the open games). I know where to begin when it comes to thoroughly learning the open games, and I happen to love the open games, so I responded to your question.
I was working on the premise that your question was:
"How can I thoroughly learn 1.e4 e5?" Then there was additional discussion about wanting both a repertoire and understanding (as if you could have the former without the latter), and then you ask which books are good, sort of presuming that the answer to your original question lies in books.
I answered the question posed by the forum topic (book suggestion: Fine's IBtCO, then: hard work and experience - I forgot to mention to play over as many Morphy games as you can find). Is your question so unrelated to the forum topic that my response is thus so far from addressing it?
If I still have not responded to your question, then what was it?
Do you think that "having a repertoire" means "knowing specific variations by memory"? If so, then there are half a dozen books I can recommend for that purpose.
Did you really mean to ask for the best way to "gain familiarity with 1.e4 e5" rather than to "thoroughly learn 1.e4 e5"? If so, then Fine's IBtCO is all you need.
I can answer whatever question you meant to ask, if you make that clear. In fact, I thought I had - and I didn't do so with any criticism, much less attack, intended.
Another important motiff:
As black, I made things simple for myself by playing 2. ... Nc6 on almost any of white's 2nd move after 1. e4 e5 with the main part of my repertoire arrainged around the Two-Knights and Berlin defenses. Similar structures but different philosophies.
Feb 10, 2015
0
#34
Actually, I also forgot to mention two other classics.
Bronstein's 200 Open Games and the old RHM book with contributions from Soltis, Mednis, Peters, and Hartston Understanding the Open Games.
Those are two more books besides Fine's IBtCO and any collection of Morphy's games that go hand in hand with my answer.
The RHM book may actually be what you're searching for. It gives a nice descriptive coverage of the main lines and a few variations, and provides a couple of sample games with notes to support the opening explanations. It doesn't include the Ruy Lopez/Spanish, though.
It may be expensive but what about Chessbase Opening Encyclopedia?
http://shop.chessbase.com/en/products/opening_encyclopedia_2014
I'd wait until the 2015 one comes out however. If that seems like too much then order the latest Chess Informant. Try ordering it with other materials (ECE volumes recommended, you'll need them eventually but work on Averbakh's Chess Endgames: Essential Knowledge first then Endgame Tactics by Van Perlo with the light green cover, and Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual next) to qualify for the free shipping, otherwise shipping rates are brutal.
HEY,---- jlconn----I I don't like your sarcasm-----you want to play a game?
HEY REB-----you are another one with sarcastic remarks---let's play a game.
Feb 10, 2015
0
#38
What sarcasm? You lost me, donaldquezergue, unless you are being sarcastic.
MarkoMakaj wrote:
Before you start chosing the books and the repertoar you have to be able to understand all of those position and variations.
Do you have the title or elo rating? How old are you?
No, I'm new to being semi-serious about chess. I would just play friends who didn't know much either.
I'm an adult professional, well beyond undergrad and post-grad...well into my career. I learned how to move the pieces and basic rules when I was a little boy, but not much more. I really started playing and read my first chess book several months ago.
No tourneys yet, but I would like to join USCF and play in some when I get a little better.
Looks like donald is throwing down the gauntlet to jlconn and Reb.
XPLAYERJX wrote:
I find your question rather hard to answer with out extra context. I'm surpised people are even able to answer your question it seems really hard. What exactly are you trying to learn from 1.e4 e5 ???
I did notice you mentioned several line name's Ruy Lopez, Petrov, Italian, Marshall Attack, Marshall Gambit, Berlin, Scotch, Four Knights
You could spend a life time learning all these opening's and still never learn them all from both side's.
I'm 1700-2000+ and I have never played the Scotch, Four Knight's, or Vienna Game, Petrov in my entire life.
Out of the one's you listed I have only played 4
Ruy Lopez, Italian, Berlin, Marshall attack/Gambit is the same line I'm going to do a blog about that later in fact.
But even among those 4 I have study I only looked at specific variation's. It would take years learning all the variation's in them.
An the cruel reality of chess is even if you was able to spend all those years or a life time learning the line's of 1.e4 e5 until you got to a point in your life that when ever some1 played that against you. You would win alway's. What would happen would be your opponen'ts would realize your over whelming strength in that formation and they would seek on purpose a line that avoid them from playing it against you. With other line's like 1.e4 e6 1.e4 c6 1.e4 c5
Their is no way to master every line my friend. So I guess that is the answer to your forum question:
Learning 1.e4 e5 thoroughly It can not be done.
The only thing you might be able to do is learn 1 or 2 line's. However, that is where the extra context come's in. What 1-2 line's would you like to know?
I want to be able to use 1...e5 as a defense to 1.e4. I want to be able to go into the Ruy Lopez, which would be better than the Italian for Black. It's good for beginners. It's good for intermediates. It's good for Carlsen. Something worth learning well I think.
I would also like to continue practicing with 1.e4, even though I use 1.d4 quite a bit. I should be able to play the Scotch Game, Ruy Lopez, etc.
I don't think that's a ridiculous goal, do you?
@Chicken
no prob! And I'll check out the videos that were mentioned. Cheers!