Opening Blunders

I just bought a book on chess openings, and I've been trying to learn them. However, when I play online my opponent usually deviates from the book opening pretty early. I was wondering if someone deviates from the opening how do you seize their mistake?

By not wasting your time studying openings.

Study chess and its basic priniciples, and that is how you will learn to exploit opening mistakes.

Well, that's when you have to start using your chess ability. Ask yourself why did he deviate? Is it because he has missed something or has he not understood the idea behind the opening? Is he setting a trap?

Book openings have developed over the years to provide better development for one colour or other. To follow certain plans of attack. To set up pawn weaknesses in positions once pieces are exchanged etc. New moves and variations come and go all the time until they are refuted and so on and so on.

Just because someone deviates from a line does not necessarily mean they may have made a mistake. They may lose a tempo or whatever in the short term but it may be to improve their position for later in the game.

Some strong club players never learn openings but still play at a reasonably high level, often beating "book" players in the process. Their tactical ability and endgame is often much more important at that level. Using general opening principles they often hold their own in the opening anyway.

If you play the same openings regularly enough, you will get a feel for some deviation that something is just "wrong" about the move. It might just mean you get a stronger say in the centre or an extra tempo whilst developing. That can mean a great deal in master matches but at lower levels you can often get away with trying new stuff. Sometimes it may mean you can win a pawn or a piece.

Good luck with trying out new openings. Try to play ones that suit your style of play. Then stick with it. It's best not to change what opening you play just because you lost. Ask yourself why and improve for next time.

Don't neglect other parts of your game. Endgames are best for beginners to learn and then practise tactics, tactics, tactics. Youll get much better results.

Grumpy - Excellent advice. I'm experimenting with some other openings here on Chess.com and downloading a few into my Palm for more study onto my laptop. But I find that I still fall back on two or three that I know well. Endgames are very good to study.

yes tactic for the novice like myself.  I just need to tell myself "Maybe you should stop playing with the Opening Explorer and start using the Tactics Trainer?" and the I whine back," But the Opening Explorer is Sooo dreamy...."

Well the seduction is in that the rote learning of openings gives immediate feedback, whereas "general principles" lead to results that are not quantifiable at first blush....

Do not "memorize" per se.  Instead, understand the reasoning behind the moves. Sometimes the error is a blunder that leads to a trap but the trap is often hard to find OTB, but often it just leads to an awkward game.  In either case, you usually must respond correctly the very next move or you will wind up cooperating with your opponent's intent.  Also, books (even opening tomes) are often incomplete and legitimate innovations still take place, so take a second and try to perceive what your opponent has in mind.

Mistakes in the opening are literally the bane of my chess playing, if I can pry myself out of this opening theory, I'm actually not too bad.

I wish to compliment DRD and E Pawn for reenforcing the contrast between "academia" and "reality".  There have always been those who become enticed to follow the book, and those who think on their feet, or maybe their hindsight.

As chess is compared to life, there is a time to lead, a time to follow, and a time when you really don't know what in the heck to do, but you just do it. The consequences will determine if your opening was any good.

In any case, smile, and move on.

I study openings just to get a general feel. You can study and study and then nobody gives you the line you want or expect. Down here at the lower levels of chess, openings don't mean all that much. If you choose a strong opening then your opponent is probably going to know how to defend against it because everyone plays the strong openings. That sort of negates the advantage you thought you had. When I see an opening that looks interesting then I make it a point to play 20 or 30 games with it in order to get to know it. If I win or lose, it doesn't have much to do with the opening. General principles and dumb mistakes make a much bigger difference. Some openings appeal to me and some don't. Maybe it's just the way my brain is wired. Capablanca advised the beginner to master the endgame first - and study the games you lose to find out why you lost. He said you have to lose a lot of games in order to get good. I agree.

broze wrote:

"Mistakes in the opening are literally the bane of my chess playing, if I can pry myself out of this opening theory, I'm actually not too bad."

I love it! A great quote! You well summed up trying to adhere to the opening books. Amen.  

They're much like trying to memorize the dictionary.  We can comprehend and recall the meaning of many words, but the ability to put them into the most opportune order is a matter of personal deduction and selection.  

A master has learned how to use his or her acquired knowledge, appropriately, to his or her advantage. Welcome, all chessnuts to a facsimile of the real world -- the game of chess! That's why we love it!  

I am with GrumpyComic, openings can have many lines if they deviate, it could simply be another line. Everything else I had to say, GrumpyComic said

You can't expect your opponet to walk him/herself into the perfect trap, (although sometimes they do; watch for those) playing chess is about being able to addapt to fight your opponet no matter what he does.

it is very important that you get your opening right or it could mess up the rest of the match

I get the openings right most of the time; it is typically the transition into the end game where I have more trouble. Although it would be nice if my opponents always made the 'proper' moves!!!

yeh that would be good!