Openings

Hey everyone,

I wanna know, what do you do to memorize the openings?

Play vs the computer. Use the opening inUnrated games first —- then once I’m better at it, in tournaments. 

Generally I use opening books (Quality Chess and NIC normally) and practice the lines out in blitz. Of course I use chess.com videos as well and assorted articles to further knowledge.

Nothing!  I understand them, not memorize them!

If I do not fully understand the opening (i.e. Grunfeld), I do not play it!  With Black, it is simple.  No 3...d5.  With White, 1.e4, 1.c4 (anti-grunfeld lines), 1.Nf3, or if 1.d4, Torre/Colle (depending on Black's first 2 moves) or 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.h4, which is fine against the KID and kills the Grunfeld.

First I find videos on the opening maybe watch a few others play it. Then I like to join a tournament of players rated around my level, where I use the same opening agaisnt all of them. This lets me think slowly and helps me not make blunders yet helps me see different variations. If I tend to do well I might implement them in my rapid games or just use them for daily. Honestly trial and error works the best for me.

This is how I learned one of my favorite tournament openings the English.

By understanding them, e.g

e4 e6 (right that's the main move) d4 d5 (counter-striking the center) Nd2 (let's say) Nf3 (adding central pressure) e5 Nfd7 (moving the knight back from the attack) Bd3 c5 (again counter-striking, pressurizing d4) c3 Ngf3 (pressurizing d4 yet again) Nge2 cxd4 (because we wanna play f6 and we want Nxd4 to be possible after Nf4) cxd4 f6 (the other pawn break, if exf6 Nxf6 and black is fine, after Bd6 O-O a great position) Nf4 Nxe4! (as planned) Qh5+ Ke7!! perfectly fine because after exf6+ (forced) Ng6+ hxg6 Qxh8 Kf7 (getting the king safe) black is completely fine

Looks like learning notation should be your first step:

3...Nf3?  Don't you mean 3...Nf6?

6...Ngf3?  Don't you mean 6...Nc6?

7.Nge2?  Don't you mean 7.Ne2? (Other WN is on d2).

Also, after your 10...Bd6 and 11...O-O, White has a nagging edge (starting with 12.Bf4, by the way).  Survivable for Black, sure!  But if Black wants complete equality, he should play 3...c5!

true

I play them with sparring-partner

There's very little book for the Reti Opening, which I use, and the accepted main line (1. ..d5) is bad for black (both 1. ..Nf6 and 1. ..c5 are better replies), so I don't really have to worry about it.  The Reti is flexible and non-committal, so as long as you understand the principles (keep the center open and don't resolve the tension without advantage), no memorization is necessary.

With black, my main weapon of late has been a transposed Owen Defense (1. ..e6 with 2. ..b6 to follow), but for that I have to know the French Defense in case white doesn't play d4, as 2. ..b6 is no useful unless d4 has been played first.  Both defenses, of course, can be played effectively and flexibly using hypermodern principles.

If you have to memorize an opening to great depth, you'll struggle against someone with better memory, and likewise struggle if taken out of book.