Returning to chess.... Repertoire questions.

So I am returning to at least somewhat competative ches

s, I used to play a good bit as a junior competing in the open devisions of many tournaments, with some fair sucess.

Then, life, school, family and so on happened and I haven't played competativly for SEVERAL years.

I'd like to start playing in tournaments again, and alot of the perpetration is obvious. Endgame study, tactics and so on... Largely those areas of the game are where I left them. Openings are a different matter entirely...

In my competition time I played ALOT of different things (over about.... 15 years). Playing both e4 and d4 (more success with d4 at that time)

The sicilian, the grunfeld, te benko, and the Alekhine to name my most often played openings.

So for one I know I need to limit my study (so clearly pick e4 or d4 for quite some time) but I also want to be able to build up a solid opening repertoire...

So here were the two very different routes I was thinking about going...

Utilizing a somewhat offbeat repertoire, probobly following to a good degree the Alterman Gambit Guides. So this would be e4 with the Evans and Smith Morra for white, and the Benko and Marshall as primary choices for black. The intention would be to get this system down, work with it to develop my tactical abilities, remind myself of opening principles, and gradually switch over line by line to a more "mainstream" repertoire. Sticking with e4 but trying to learn the open sicilian as white for example.

The second option is to just go straight for tackling my favorite lines from day 1, that's probobly going to be d4 c4 with white, and the grunfeld and sicilian as black.

I'm open to any advice and opinions (perhaps a middleground) but these are my primary ideas.

It would be better to return to your previous repertoire so that

your rehabilitation will be firing on all cylinders and gain

some confidence when the old ideas/lines return.

i agree

Well I think I am going to follow this advice, avoiding the temptation of a quick fix and get right into the big lines with the queens gambit as white and the Grunfeld and sicilian as black.

"Playing both e4 and d4 (more success with d4 at that time"

Pick one or you'll be swamped.

Oh yes for now ill be living in d4 land. Mainly because I played it later so I remember it better and while the d4 lines can be somewhat unforgiving, my e4 repertoire was a constant razors edge