^lol.
My way of choosing and learning an opening repertoire.
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kindaspongey wrote:
About half a century ago, I think that Ideas Behind the Chess Openings was considered to be nearly essential reading, but now, I fear that its information is seriously out-of-date.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708112658/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review315.pdf
Yes, in another thread (Reinfeld) I trashed the nostalgia for beginner instructional books from the 1940s, 50s and 60s. They just pale in comparison to many of the books written in the modern era by Pandolfini, Heisman, Seirawan, et al. But the new problem for beginning players today is that there is too MUCH written by too many for he/she to choose from. I think it is really important for a new player to keep it simple and not clutter his mind with information that he is not yet able to assimilate.
And to your point, "How to Open a Chess Game," is not a beginner's guide to openings -- in spite of the title. It was, however, a very useful book in helping me choose my own opening repertoire that suite my style. The chapter by Bent Larsen had a great influence on me.. obviously. 
I try to be a practical player when possible. At my rating and below you'll have any chance to get a balanced game even if the computer gives a half pawn advantage for one of the players.
And i don't want to waste time on unnecessary openings knowledge. E. g. when i was playing the french and the queen's gambit declined, i haven't learned anything special against the common english opening, because 1. c4 e6 2. d4 d5 transposes to the qgd and 2. e4 d5 transposes to a exchange french with early c4. The reti setups come via different move orders like 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 or 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4, you have to play against them anyway. Also if white plays the blackmar-diemer-gambit 1. d4 d5 2. e4 i haven't tried to learn any refutation of that seldom played move, i just played 2... e6, transposing to the french. When i switched to 1. e4 e5 i just briefly looked at some of the 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 lines, but eventually i would have played the french in a tournament game. With 1. e4 e5 there are some sharp gambits with some theory, but also some two move transpositions to other openings like
If you look for the best move in every position you'll miss some of these transpositions or maybe your engine says that 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 and 3. d4 exd4 4. Nf6 are best, when you have to play the italian and the two knights defence with the black pieces!
It was GM Glenn flear who gave me good advices what are the practical moves in the book "Starting out: the open games".
"... For new players, I cannot recommend books that use [an encyclopedic] type of presentation [of opening theory], because the explanatory prose that elaborates typical plans and ideas is usually absent, thus leaving the student without any clear idea why certain moves are played or even preferred over other apparently equivalent moves. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2010)
"... For inexperienced players, I think the model that bases opening discussions on more or less complete games that are fully annotated, though with a main focus on the opening and early middlegame, is the ideal. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2010)
"... Everyman Chess has started a new series aimed at those who want to understand the basics of an opening, i.e., the not-yet-so-strong players. ... I imagine [there] will be a long series based on the premise of bringing the basic ideas of an opening to the reader through plenty of introductory text, game annotations, hints, plans and much more. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627055734/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen38.pdf
Has Nunn written an opening book in the 21st century? Didn't Geller die in the previous one?
kindaspongey wrote:
Has Nunn written an opening book in the 21st century? Didn't Geller die in the previous one?
Allegedly, Geller died in 1998, but, in fact, he is too mean to die. I think he faked his death, assumed a new identity, and has spent the last 19 years sandbagging at Goichberg swiss events. (I'm pretty sure he was the guy that ended my dreams in the U2000 section of the 2004 World Open.)
"... As is the wont with modern opening works, these books usually centre their recommended variations around an instructive and/or entertaining game, without great depth but with sufficient detail to show the main branches and explain basic ideas. This is absolutely legitimate and is in fact the direction towards which I have gravitated in some of my own works. ..." - IM John Watson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627015516/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen163.pdf
Apr 27, 2017
0
#29
pfren wrote:
ThrillerFan έγραψε:
Wrong! Even the London System Guru of America, out in the California area, Cyrus Lakdawala, King of the London, will tell you that it is no good against the Modern Defense!
1.d4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.Bf4?! d6 4.e3 Nc6 (or 4...Nd7, take your pick, matter of taste) 5.h3 e5! =/+
The main difference with move 4 is 4...Nc6 allows a queenless middlegame if that is what White wants, and 4...Nd7 blocks the Bishop temporarily. I prefer 4...Nc6 5.h3 e5 where retreating the Bishop is best, and 6.dxe5?! makes matters even worse after 6...dxe5 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8! and now 8.Bg3 or 8.Bh2 is the lesser evil than the popular though outright bad 8.Bg5+ f6 9.Bh4 and the Bishop is shut out of play for virtually the entire game!
If you know for a fact that your opponent is strictly a London player against everything, doesn't matter what you normally play, throw the Modern Defense at him! Continue to do it until he learns that he must find something else for 1...g6.
Indeed. It is so "better for Black" that a strong GM could not break a player rated 400 points lower. As a matter of fact, had the lower rated player the inspiration to play 48.Ke4!, the GM could well pack and go home.
Your opinions are very objective. What about becoming a teleevangelist?
Uhm, I'm not going based on opinions. I'm going based on what the upper players past and present have all said. Duncan Suttles, Cyrus Lakdawala, etc.
In my own opinion, I think the Dragon sucks. That's different than things that have been backed up by many upper tier players. One game where Black happened to lose does not prove jack. That's like saying that one smart comment from a person makes the person overall highly intelligent. I will grant you that one person in power now for almost 100 days has probably made one intelligent comment. That doesn't make the clown smart!
Your sample size is too small, and you can't even identify the difference between one's own opinion versus going based on direct quotes, paraphrases, and summaries from players higher than you, let alone me!
Apr 27, 2017
0
#31
cagribey93 wrote:
Look at the game IM pfren said and reconsider London!
Ok, you want to go based on a single game? Fine! I'll play your game! 32...Qc2 instead of 32...Qd5, the difference between =/+ and +/= (even borderline +/-).
32...Qc2 33.Qe6 Bg7 34.Bh4 g5 35.Bg3 h6 with a slight edge to Black. Enough to win? Maybe not. But Black should be the one going thru the pain to draw in chess because he goes second, not White!
I also played the Modern for about 3 years. This line is very strong for Black in that he equalizes with zero problems if he follows up correctly, unlike most other lines of the Modern Defense where Black is often going thru a lot of pain just to survive!
Apr 27, 2017
0
#32
McDirtalot wrote:
Hello chess folks,
With so many different openings to choose from, it can be difficult and confusing for the average novice chess player to find and learn an appropriate opening.
I know my method is not perfect by any means and if anyone has any ideas on how to improve it, the advice would be greatly appreciated!
The way I am learning openings now is by putting my games one by one into an engine, in this case, fritz 15 using stockfish 8 and the "let's check feature". I check each of my opening moves individually and when I stray from the main line, the computer will find the recommended move, I then put the move into "chess position trainer" and that moves becomes part the repertoire.
I have found both advantage and disadvantage to the method.
Pro - And I think this is a big pro- The lines that get played against you most naturally get developed much quicker than more unpopular lines. for instance, at my level, the Sicilian does not get played very often in live chess, so you don't learn it until you improve and people start playing against you. You don’t waste time in learning repertoire that you will never use.
Con – It can be very hard understanding the ideas behind what the computer recommends.
At least with this method, you don’t waste time hours deciding then learning repertoire that you will seldom use.
Another con is sometimes the engine will recommend bad moves. And I don't mean sub-optimal, I mean bad.
Professional players have strong computers with multiple engines working all night on their openings. Some professional players even have assistants doing the same, adding their resources into it. All of this is tempered with their human understanding of the game. And then, of course, they test their lines against other professional players who have prepared the same way.
Letting your engine think for 30 seconds is meaningless, especially because they're not designed to play well in the opening in the first place.
I'm not saying you should adopt the main lines. Sidelines are fine too, of course. But a repertoire of pure engine lines would frankly be a joke.
Apr 27, 2017
0
#33
IpswichMatt wrote:
You can have the "pro" of your approach without the "con". Get a repertoire book on your opening and use that as a reference, rather than relying on the engine or Fritz's opening book. Then when you add your move to Chess Position Trainer you can write a summary of the thinking behind the move and can also add a reference to the page in the book that talks about it. Use Fritz as a last resort when your opponent has gone out of the book, and you cannot work out how to deal with his move.
I have seen your idea of adding to your repertoire iteratively recommended before, it makes a lot of sense.
I like this idea, but I have tried it and it seems daunting. I have an openings manual with pictures of the different ways the opening can be played. I've gotten to the point where I looked at what setups I thought I might like to enjoy and have an advantage with and then try those lines. It can help increase your creativity when learning to play.
Its all about concepts, are you better on open boards, do you know what to do in cramped positions, are you good at tactics, strategy? The concepts you know will help you in some openings, but make your play difficult in others. Knowing your opening line, the tactics, attacks, strategical play will all help you play those lines better rather than just having a memorized line with no knowledge to help guide your play.
Jun 1, 2018
0
#34
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Jun 1, 2018
0
#35
SuirenBoid wrote:
Ditch the engines!! Buy a good book and live with it! Positional Opening Repertoire by John Watson might be a good place to start, or My First Opening Repertoire from New in Chess. As Black, perhaps something like Rock Solid Opening Repertoire for Black by Eingorn, Chess Openings for Black Explained, I'd recommend the Kaufmann book as a one book fits all solution but it might be overwhelming at first, still it could become your opening bible and the lines are sound
I second that. I’m finding there is less time and someone who will teach you digitally. It took me 15 books to get to 1700 and something like 15000 games. It’s worth the pay to invest in some literature or opening manual and I suggest video if possible. When you get better or find a book you like then take your time and enjoy it.
In
Jun 1, 2018
0
#36
I’m reading the art of defense in chess and planning to purchase the London system with GM Simon.
Jun 1, 2018
0
#37
Move by move is a good book to read. It discusses the importance of having a purpose for your move and reacting to your opponents move. Chess is not an opening or a database, it is a mosaic of moves that you have to use proven concepts to get you through the game. Always make a plan and be willing to adjust based on your opponents move. And remember every opening move has a purpose. For example, e4 takes up space in the center but it also opens the white bishop to go to aggressive purposes at c4 and b5. Also invest in playing guided games the upper players are promoting. It’s free coaching that will answer and guide your questions and embolden your chess progress.
Jun 1, 2018
0
#38
Study what schema theory is. Then try and use it to study chess. The more you learn the more you can absorb about chess. The more patterns you find in any openings middle game will tell you more about the opening.
lovebecause wrote:
SuirenBoid wrote:
Ditch the engines!! Buy a good book and live with it! Positional Opening Repertoire by John Watson might be a good place to start, or My First Opening Repertoire from New in Chess. As Black, perhaps something like Rock Solid Opening Repertoire for Black by Eingorn, Chess Openings for Black Explained, I'd recommend the Kaufmann book as a one book fits all solution but it might be overwhelming at first, still it could become your opening bible and the lines are sound
I second that. I’m finding there is less time and someone who will teach you digitally. It took me 15 books to get to 1700 and something like 15000 games. It’s worth the pay to invest in some literature or opening manual and I suggest video if possible. When you get better or find a book you like then take your time and enjoy it.
In
If you happen to remember, what were the fifteen books?
Jun 1, 2018
0
#40
I wouldnt worry too much, just try them all on here and find one that feels comfortable then learn the basics of it.
Im finding OTB these days that openings are not a biggie, im playing people in the 1700-2300 range and we normally both out of book after seven or eight moves. With white I just play 1.Nf3 2.c4 3. g3 and generally know plans rather than specific moves
With black I play the sicilian and know surprisigly little, but it never seems to matter. Vary rarely even get a mainline. Play the dutch against d4 after 1...e6 first to avoid all the dangerous stuff and again know a few lines up to around move 10 and that is it
"... [Fundamental Chess Openings] 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 (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626173432/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen128.pdf
One can get an idea about what it is like to try to read this book by looking at this sample:
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/FCO_Fundamental_Chess_Openings.pdf