Learning Openings

When's a good time to start learning openings? So far I really only know two or three basic ones and some opening theory but I've been finding that I've been losing quite a bit in the opening, take this game for example:

all images except whites knights doesnt work

Although your knowledge of theory clearly isn't great, that wasn't the main reason why you lost. I think developing your tactical vision should be your main priority. Learn a few simple opening lines by all means, but for now not much more.

Erm, this was probably a bad example. I usually don't make such bad mistakes, I'm sure that if I thought for a bit mroe I wouldn't have made that mistake, but not to say that moves 1-5 could have been played better.

The longer you put off learning openings in depth... the longer you are putting off becoming a strong and consistent player.

So... when will YOU start learning them? Do you want to win? Or just play for fun?

Yes but people tell me that openings are the last thing you want to learn-- to start with endgame and tactics, to middlegame and strategy and only then openings. So it's really quite confusing.

The best way to learn openings is by getting an encyclopedic book like MCO or NCO, playing the opening, then comparing your games to the book afterwards. You'll only learn a tiny bit at a time, but each lesson will stick with you a lot more than trying to memorize tons of theory.

For instance, in the above game, you've got a standard Queen's Gambit Declined position through white's 5th move. I don't play the QGD, and I don't have my copy of MCO with me, so I don't know how common that Bb4 move is, but it seems reasonable to me. I think Be7 or Bd6 are probably more common, though.

But the move that really stands out to me is 5. ... Nc6. Pushing the c pawn is a common motif in queen's pawn openings, and you just blocked yours in. If you look up this line in MCO, I'm sure it'll tell you that castling or pushing your c pawn is more normal here. Or you can just take my word for it that you usually don't want to play Nc6 until after c5 in the QGD. Congratulations - You just learned something about openings from playing this game and reviewing it afterwords!

I know it sounds like you'll never learn a lot this way, but you'll be amazed as you get more experienced how many moves of opening theory you know. I remember when I first learned that 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 was called the Ruy Lopez. In my last two games in it, I played the book theory like a grandmaster 11-12 moves deep, and I learned all that just by picking up one or two moves at a time from playing it a lot and studying my games afterwards. And even if my opponents vary earlier than that, I know enough about what general direction I want to go that I can improvise well against different moves. There are still details that I'm learning here and there, but experience and a good reference book are the best teachers.

I agree that endgames and tactics are more important to study at low levels. But a little opening study, as I described above, will eventually take you a long way. But the biggest mistakes in your game above were tactical. They just happened to be tactics that took place right from the opening.

The point of the opening is to get your pieces out and start playing a middlegame. Until you get to a very high level, 'theory' doesn't matter. 'Knowing' an opening like the queen's gambit just means you get a few moves further in before you have to start thinking for yourself. There isn't any opening that wins material by force. I'd say the problem you're having is a tactical one. The fact that you're losing material early in the game doesn't mean your problem can be solved by memorising some moves.

Have you got the Opening Principles down cold? No great need to commit to memory lots of opening moves from specific openings if you do not. Like Fromper says, learning bit by bit from your games the openings you are using is a natural and useful way to learn about *your* openings.

Work on your tactics. A boxer who can't punch won't worry many opponents.

Endgames: Capablanca said that the student should begin here. I'd recommend knowing all the elementary mates (k+q v. K/k+r v. k/etc) and working on the k+p v. k endings. k+r+p v. k+r is also a good one to know.

You have no need to embark on a sophisticated or complicated course of study. Keeping it simple will serve you well.

Openings rarely decide games at your level--tactics do! For example, even though I don't play the QGD I know 5...Nc6?! is dubious. Even so, that didn't make or break your game. The tactical error 7...e5?? is what doomed you. Fromper's idea is very reasonable.

If you really want to studying openings, you could do much worse than to pick up Improve your Opening Play Now or Ideas Behind the Chess Openings and learn basic opening principles like controlling the center and developing your pieces or not playing ...Nc6?! which will help you play almost any opening better. :)

When your opening your pieces, gain control and hold the center of the board, while developing your pieces.

 Gaining control of and maintaining control of the center of the board is very difficult.  If you can accomplish this in most of your games, then you are likely to be a very difficult person to beat.  The challenge is learning how.  It seems that it takes much study, many games played, and some natural ability as well.

I'm sure you don't, but there's a saying "you're only as good as your worst game". Can you show us one of your better games then? from moves 1-5 I'm pretty sure that 4. Bb4 wasn't the best 5. Qa4+ Nc6 (forced) and as mentioned by previous posters that Knight shouldn't be on c6 in QP games before you've moved your pawn to c5, or in most cases it actually goes onto d7 to support c5/e5 advances. And so of course 5. Nc6 would logically not be the best either.

On move 4. Be7, Bd6, c6 and Nd7 would all have been probably better. On move 5. just something sensible like 0-0 would have been best.

Still your main priority should be tactics. I'm sure don't do it often but if you ever make moves like e5 then your focus should be tactics.

You noticed your mistake with move 8, this is how I would have went on from it. Take his Knight on c3 with the bishop and push the e pawn for the original fork no matter what his next move is. Don't fall back after making mistakes like that, push on and make the best of it. It could go something like Bishop takes knight, pawn takes your knight, push e5, pawn takes b7, Bishop takes b7, Queen b3, Rook from a8 to b8 and your pawn fork stands unless he does Knight e5 threatening Knight c6 instead of recapturing your black bishop. In which case, you castle to prevent Nc6 fork from happening (note if your bishop takes, his queen takes your rook with check) and if he saves his white Bishop, you save your black bishop. if he takes your black bishop, you take his white one with the pawn. You're still down a bit but the game is less ugly and you have far more moves to play =)

If you really want to learn openings i recommend you begin with the basics, looking at your temperament of play. For white, if you like aggression, i recommend the ruy lopez (e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bb5) or Evans Gambit (e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bc4 Bc5 b4).

This is really just an example, so go ahead and learn an opening that you would like to play. Don't bother memorising too many lines. Get one down so you can play properly, but otherwise stick to basic opening principles.

can someone teach me some great opening?i really suck at that part ty ^^

Thanks for showing the game.  My two cents:

Your seventh move was an error.  You opened up the position before securing your King.  I'd have castled first.

Good hunting!