This is overwhelming.

I just started playing this year and I  find all the openings you have to learn overwhelming. For the first 3000 games I played only as black, this way I only had to learn black openings. When I started playing on chess.com, it forces you to play as white as well. So just when I'm beginning to learn my openings as black, now I have to learn all these white openings. I play 1. e4 and there's so much you have to know. People always say "if you're a beginner you should just focus on learning tactics and the endgame" the problem is if you don't the openings you can find yourself in a bad position from the very start of the game. Last night I played against the Scandinavian for the first time, of course I got completely crushed. 1. e4 d5..I don't know what that is!

I think this is why chess isn't more popular. It's all these openings that people have to learn just to start playing the game.

I think you're making it harder than it needs to be. Just playing by general opening principles along with a handful of basic memorized openings a few moves deep will do for the most part. Yeah, you'll step into a trap or a bad position occasionally, but so what? When that happens, look up that line to see what you should have played.

Most times, you'll eventually play a move that goes out of book, and it won't really be a bad position. OK, maybe -0.2 pawn, but so what? That would only matter to a master.

Yes, opening study can be overwhelming.  This is why I usually don't study openings.  While it's true that you can get into trouble quickly without knowing openings, I find that by following general opening priciples and being aware of tactics and strategy in the position I can usually avoid it.  If you depend on opening memorization to win, you'll lose as soon as you get out of the opening you know.  On the other hand, if you study strategy, tactics, opening principles, and a little bit of endgame, you'll be fine in almost any position.  This has worked for me very well + it's much more fun than memorizing boring (imho) opening lines.

scandinavian my pref is e4 d5 exd5 qxd5 knf3 book recommends knc3 but i like this move if q e5+ Be2 then Bg4 pinning i castle kingside proceed to moves like knc3 Re1 d4 bish g5  this should give white a two tempo /ii lead to work with ps if black goes0-0-0 push the a pawn to question the pawn wall and place c1 bish to f4

How can you fit 3000 games in just one year? O_o

Yeah following general opening principles is what I did with the Scandinavian.

"Hey if I take the d5 pawn the queen will come out early and I can win a tempo on the queen with knight to c3"

Unfortunately by doing this I was walking into a main line I knew absolutely nothing about and my opponent had probably played for years.

How do Ifit 3000 games in one year, simple, by playing everyday. I just started playing at chess.com a few days ago and I already have like 50 standard length games here.

Oh. Well, using my calculator I see that 3000/365 = 8.219178... which means that he has to play 8 games per day!

...Isn't that a lot? :O

stop the q checking the king as black regains tempo so leave knc3 till king is safe then harass her highness to your hearts content

I looked at your Scandinavian game. Even if your opponent had memorized MCO, you basically left book by 4.Nf3. (This is only a footnote in MCO, calling 4.Nf3 a wimpy move.) Yet the Houdini evaluation for 4.Nf3 is almost the same as the main line 4.d4.

It was basically an even game beyond move 10.

But the queen coming out early was a main line, so the person knew automatically where to put the queen no matter what I did.

2point, I usually play more than 8 games per day. Some days, like on the weekends, I play chess from the moment I wake up until I fall asleep.

But your 4.Nf3 probably took your opponent out of book. And even if he had memorized the "wimpy" footnote from MCO, he should have continued with 4...Nf6. So him playing 4...Bg4 effectively took himself out of book.

Who's the Gremlin?

http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/content/ten-rules-opening

And it's easy to overlook the link for Purdy's opening guidelines on that same page:

http://exeterchessclub.org.uk/node/241/8#comment-8

"Basically left book"? My first point would be even if we were following book for four moves, that's four moves where I'm having to think and spend time and he's not. Second point is there are themes and plans that go along with an opening that he would know and I wouldn't. The third point is that if I "basically" left book at move 4 then obviously that wasn't the best move.

And I guess I shouldn't leave out Heisman's opening guidelines on this page:

http://home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Articles/Dan_sayings.html

"My first point would be even if we were following book for four moves, that's four moves where I'm having to think and spend time and he's not"

True, but that's only a minor disadvantage. If you know your general opening principles, it shouldn't take too much time to come up with a reasonable move.

"Second point is there are themes and plans that go along with an opening that he would know and I wouldn't."

I wouldn't be too sure of that. Your opponent was rated only about 50 points higher than you. I doubt if he has a deep understanding of the themes, plans and goals of the opening.

"The third point is that if I "basically" left book at move 4 then obviously that wasn't the best move."

True, not the best move, but look at the two moves with an engine - Hardly any difference in the evaluations of the two moves. This might matter for grandmaster chess, but it's not all that important for club level chess.

You mean the opening principles like how the queen isn't supposed to come out early, and therefore drawing your opponent's queen out  on the second move would seem like a good idea by "general opening principles"?

Also, it's not how many points higher he was than me that makes him understand the opening or not, it's if he plays it. I'm sure if he's been playing the opening for any length of time he understands the basic themes of it.

Try 1. c4.

One of the IMs on here said the English was a bad opening for beginner players. I like 1. e4 because I love playing Sicilian games either as black or as white, it's just most of the time people don't go into the Sicilian and instead play 1. ...e5 I actually respect the Scandinavian and the Caro-Kann, they aren't the Sicilian but at least the person isn't just copying you. But yeah I like 1. e4 because every so often I do get a Sicilian game and then I get to use my favorite of all openings, the Smith-Morra Gambit.

Well, that's only a suggestion. That's fine if you like 1. e4 and Sicilian. I like 1. e4 opening, but as black. I can choose many openings to break it.

There are not many who use 1.c4 and not many who practice 1. c4 as black. It's an advantage for me.

@Mogwai (but also all others): Honestly you have no need for opening knowledge to start playing chess. I had rudimentary knowledge (can name the general opening but no clue how to play it) when I started, and revelled in the fact that any game would go out of book by move 4 (if it didn't, I would deviate intentionally, sometimes suicidally too.)

What is happening is a gross overestimation of the opponent. Usually (even at my current level) people have no clue what they're doing in the opening. And we get by fine, since not playing the "best" move has no meaning even at super GM level. What matters is you're not blundering, which is all you need to survive to a playable middlegame.

Plus, people usually switch up openings, or play stuff they have no clue about. For instance, I rely on two-three wildly different main defences against e4 (Caro-Kann and Bird's Ruy Lopez, or Italian) and try complete nonsense from time to time (got in early trouble with a 4. f3 Nimzo, or returning to 1. f4, or playing hippos.) There is no guarantee your opponent knows what they're doing.

Eventually you'll be familiar with most openings on some basic level at least. But for now, don't attach any importance to serious opening study, it won't boost your game at all. (I haven't memorised any lines ever whoo)