Ones which control the centre are always good.
Focus on opening principles, don't memorise openings.
need some advice on openings for white and black.
Sort:
as white i usually play something like 1.e4 and black its usually 1.c5. now when you say focus on opening principles what do you mean by that exactly?
Nov 16, 2010
0
#4
You did not reveal just how long you have been playing. "just started playing" could mean last month or last year. Anyway, if you know the following it will be just review to you.
Take some thought about learning from what Lasker said below. Notice how much time is spent on openings. Beginners seem to want to memorized the openings as though that is the key to learning chess in a hurry. Well, at least it seems that way. I have highlighted a few things in blue to consider. Notice that learning endings comes before openings, of which, many masters suggest before learning openings.
Learning to play chess
"Chess rules and exercises - 5 hours
Elementary endings - 5 hours
Some openings - 10 hours
Combination - 20 hours
Positional play - 40 hours
Practical play with analysis - 120 hours
"Having spent 200 hours on the above, the young player, even if he possesses no special talent for chess, is likely to be among those two or three thousand chessplayers [who play on a par with a master]. There are, however, a quarter of a million chessplayers who annually spend no fewer than 200 hours on chess without making any progress. Without going into any further calculations, I can assert with a high degree of certainty that nowadays we achieve only a fraction of what we are capable of achieving."
-- Em. Lasker, Manual of Chess
___________
The amount of time spent on practical play with analysis will help far more than working solely on openings.
One more thought from a master:
"In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else, for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame."
-- Jose Raul Capablanca, World Champion 1921-1927
Many beginners barely make to the endgame, so it seems unimportant to them to be concerned with it.
chrisdc wrote:
as white i usually play something like 1.e4 and black its usually 1.c5. now when you say focus on opening principles what do you mean by that exactly?
As crosspinner said, I don't know how advanced you are in your chess studies. If you are just starting out, you want to be learning basic principles such as only moving a piece once in the opening, not memorising lines.
Nov 16, 2010
0
#6
AndTheLittleOneSaid wrote:
chrisdc wrote:
as white i usually play something like 1.e4 and black its usually 1.c5. now when you say focus on opening principles what do you mean by that exactly?
As crosspinner said, I don't know how advanced you are in your chess studies. If you are just starting out, you want to be learning basic principles such as only moving a piece once in the opening, not memorising lines.
By all means, principles and rules of thumb, such as placing a rook to control an open file, etc. are good things to memorize before memorizing openings. Not to say having a knowledge of openings is harmful, but sound chess playing is the ability to deal with the unexpected moves an opponent may use in an attack. If one has a sound understanding of such things it is possible to deal with openings. It is next to impossible to learn all of the openings and their variations in a short period of time, and without sound knowledge of the principles one soon becomes lost if an unknown or strange and weird opening confronts a player. And when such moves are least expected in a decisive game it can be devastating.
I just started playing and have really picked up on the game, but I feel that I need to work on my openings. I know there are many openings I just don't know which ones are good these days and are popular. I am more of a control type player, but I feel that I lose control because my openings are not strong. Could anybody give me any advice on what openings are good for white and black and how each opening works? thanks.