Requesting advice and suggestions for my opening repertoire.

Hi guys,

I feel like I have grasped the chess basics with a decent understanding of how to develop pieces in a proper manner, simple pawn structure and end game knowledge, and a decent understanding of tactical themes. Now I want to learn some openings that I can slowly get a better and better understanding of as I study and play and focus my attention to the pawn structures and different positions that generally occur in those openings. From my simple internet research so far the general advice has been to pick openings for both white and black that have similar structures, themes, or as called in a variety of ways "intensity", usually qualified as meaning either highly tactical or positional, and to make sure it fits your "style", which appears to mean your preference of play.

I suppose I'm not at the level yet to really understand if I am more tactically or positionally inclined, probably because I've played such a variety of opening structures that give me so many different types of positions. One suggestion I read was to look at master games and see your more drawn to a certain master's way of playing and see what openings they prefer, or more generally, look at many different openings and see what positions usually occur in them and see what ones you like more. I've tried a little of that, but they all seem to be interesting and fun to me! Maybe it is the way the openings are presented that I get sold on them all! I thought the opening for black that starts with 1.e4 c6 looked pretty strategic and fun to play, but I also really liked the more intense and tactical opening that black can use with 1.e4 c5. One with 1.d4 f5 to me seemed like the c5 one, very intense and tactical, and then the one where you hold your pawns back on d6 and g6 and use your pieces instead of your pawns early on to control the board was interesting to me too! And don't even get me started with the white pieces, I think I liked every opening I looked at!

I guess I need some guidence and suggestions, I'm like a little kid walking through a toy store and I want it all when I can only pick several. How can I possibly decide!?

Thanks! :)

After I learned all the basics and principles of chess, I played the Italian game for both sides for a long time.  I played them while learning tactics and endgame stuff (do this!) but I eventually got bored of them.

The French and King's Indian Attack were the two openings that opened me up to the world of openings.   The French, depending on how white plays, can be really open or can get cramped and positional.  The basic ideas and positions of the French were ones that I enjoyed. 

The King's Indian Attack gives white a fianchetto bishop on g2.  It's a pretty solid position for the king and something different for white.  I would recommend that before using it with black.  KIA also doesn't really require black's cooperation to achieve.  Some openings for white need black to complete them like the Ruy Lopez or even the Italian.

So I'd say the Italian game for both sides then the French and KIA.  They may work or may not.

Like the above said. Its a good idea to choose an opening to learn and stick with it until you have a firm grasp, and then move onto another.

Just remember, that as black your opening is subject to the opponents first move.

I thought I was the quiet type guy, but honestly Tactics are more exciting, and Position and quiet stuff bores me so I play:

as white

Mostly e4 openings

KG

Sicillian (when Najdorf, I play 6. f4, for others, whatever I feel like)

and ocasionaly Italian

as Black

Against e4, Alekhine, Open Game, KGA, Ruy and Italian, and if I am feeling brave, The Latvian

against d4, KID almost always, only rarely I play The Dutch

Against others, What ever I feel like

Hope this helps you if you like quick tactical games.

Your main goal (as every one's) is improve(obviously) and preferably , fast(as fast as possible).Choose openings that will minimise your opening study needs and will increase your middle-game and endgame study needs.Choose openings that are based in understanding and not in memorisation(and forget databases and numbers).Choose openings that produce rich in ideas and concepts positions and will help you understand chess better(isn't that the ultimate goal?).

   Chess is like maths , if you leave " gaps" in your knowledge you will pay it later.

For example ,no matter what everyone tells you , you must first understand Queen's Gambit Declined(against 1.d4) before playing anything else.There are very important lessons to be learned there(minority attack , isolated pawn , hanging pawns, etc,) all essential if you want to understand middlegame.I strongly disagree with the "play the Benko" or "play the KID" opinions(with no disrespect , I may be the one that is wrong).

Against 1.e4 try 1...e5 and 1...e6.

1...e5 will improve your understanding on open positions and 1...e6 will help you understand the relation  between pawn structures , opening , middlegame and endgame(very important).If you decide to play 1.e4 as white then you can keep only 1...e6 as black.That way you will cover quite a big part of what you should learn.  

Both Sicilian and Dutch are very good openings but it's like trying to read Algebra without knowing the numbers.For your level, openings is not a matter of "what I like" yet , it's a matter of "what I must". 

Thanks for the replies. Are there any specific openings that happen after 1.e4 e5 that I should focus on then? What about 1.e4 e6? And for 1.d4 I should play 1.d5 you say with the Queen's Gambit Declined in mind. But what do I play if they play 1.Nf3, 1.c4, 1.f4 or 1.Nc3, and so on?

Sorry it took me so long to get back with you guys, and thanks again. :)

I will assume you ask me(or and me)and will answer.If not , no problem , just ignore it.

Keep things simple so that you focus on middle-game and end-game.

On 1.e4 e5, Bishop's opening(2.Bc4) avoids a lot of theory and can be played by understanding some basic principles and knowing some basic traps to avoid unpleasant surprises.t is an opening that will help you learn how to handle the open positions and black has no way to avoid it if he plays 1...e5.It is also an opening with a lot of transpositional possibilities meaning that as you become better you will have new things to learn and try if you decide to keep it.

In French defense all you need is understand some basic ideas and plans in 2 lines only ,advance variation and Rubinstein's Variation and you are good to go.If you decide to keep it later you will also have no problem as there are many ways to play it.For exchange variation , common sense and basic principles are enough.

Finally against 1.d4 the Orthodox fianchetto defense, almost forgotten with almost no theory, needs only to understand the main plans and ideas and can be used as a formation against all the main flank openings(1.Nf3,  1.c4, 1.f4, 1.g3, 1.Nc3).For the rest , common sense and basic principles are enough.Queen's Gambit declined is also an opening that gives you many options if you decide to keep it, with many  very good and solid defenses for later.

Note that this repertoire is not mine.It was given to me(and others of course) when I was a beginner(around 1400 ELO) too by an IM.It has been "tested" mostly with kids that didn't have much time to devote to study(most kids eat opening lines for breakfast) with excellent results. It has everything a beginner needs.Openings based on understanding, producing rich in ideas and concepts "must-learn" positions, no memorisation , no need for extensive opening study but highly flexible and update-able for later(whenever you decide).

At your level you can honestly skip all the opening theory you want.  Just study tactics till you hit 2000.

Agreed, just keep your repitoir small, adopt a system, and learn how to use it. um tactics are a constant thing.

cheers hope this helps

The famous Russian trainer Zak (who had Korchnoi and Spassky as his students) was a firm believer that the improving student would get the most benefit playing the Open Games as black, i.e. 1. e4 e5.

My experience is that many club players eschew the complexities of the Ruy Lopez and play one of the gambit lines such as the King's Gambit, the Evans' Gambit, etc.

Zak's logic was that these games have "normal" development and lead to tactical positions, the study of which can only help whereas the complexities of the Sicilian should be left for a later date when the player has improved his overall understanding of the game. Furthermore, the Open Games were among the first openings to be studied in detail so a study of these lines will acquaint the student with the classic games of Morphy, Anderssen, Chigorin, Steinitz et al, and the theory doesn't change as much.

As for 1. d4? Although not the most exciting opening in the world, the Queen's Gambit Declined is another classic opening which has even come back into vogue at top GM level today.

Learning the Open Games and the eg. Karlsbad structure in the QGD should be part of any player's abc of chess.

With white, it's a bit more tricky(!) because of all the half open defences. One thing though: avoid the Open Sicilian. The Closed Sicilian is an ok choice -- Smyslov and Spassky were two world champions who employed it, so you can find some inspiration from looking at their games.

These suggestions are based on the idea of getting away from as much theory as possible so that you can give more study time to the middlegame (tactics, strategy) and the endgame; plus the opening theory you would need to study is incredibly beneficial in the long term anyway, compared to say the minutae of the Poisoned Pawn Najdorf Sicilian!