USCF OTB: How Booked Up are Players from 1400-1799? 1800-2100?

Don't know about others, but I - whose Elo is in the 1800s - am not booked up at all. I usually pick openings that are easy to play and I am happy to get out of the opening without trouble - which I usually manage to do.

True, once in a while I get caught in a trap and have to spend some serious time to find my way out, but usually my games are decided in the middle game. 

So I wouldn't worry too much about booked up players. No one forces you to go into the sharpest gambit line...  

For what it's worth, a 1667 Fide-Rated player posted his opening repertoire (chess_com_syndrome) on his own post on chess.com.

He wrote:

"As white, 

1.e4 player

against e5,ruy lopez,Anti-Marshall variation with d3

against Petroff 5.Nc3 variation

against Jaemisch, 4.Nc3 

Against e6, 3.Nc3 player

Against Bb4 e5 c5 a3 Bc3+ bc 

i accept the poisoned pawn variation

Against the Classical french,4.Bg5 player,I play the  new classical MacCutcheon variation

Against Be7,The Chatard-Alekhine attack

Against 1.c6,I play the classical caro kann with 3.Nc3 and i castle queenside

Against d6,i play the 180 attack or Austrian attack

Against 1.d5,i play ed Qd5 Nc3 and d4,Bc4, Bd2,Qe2,Nf3,Bd2 setup,Against 2...Nf6 i play d4 Bg4 Nf3

Against c5, I play the open sicilian

Against the dragon,I play without Bc4 and if d5,Qe1, a not so sharp line that suits my style

Against Najdorf,I play Be2 and 0-0 and Be3,Kh1,a4,f4 setup

Against Scheveningen, I play Be2,a4,0-0,Kh1,f4,Bf3,g4-g5 setup though i also might play the Fischer attack on occasion

Against Classical variation,I play the Ritcher,Rauzer attack

Against Sveshnikov,i play the positional line

Against Kan,I play Bd3,Qe2,c4 setup

Against Accelrated dragon,I play 5.c4

Against the Hyperaccelrated dragon 5...g6,I play 6.Nc6

Against Taimanov,I play the g3 variation

Against Kalashnikov,I play 6.c4

Against 2.a6,I play 3.c4

Against 4 knights,I play the main line

Against Alekhine,i play 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3

Against b6/g6 setups,i play 2.d4 and Bd3,Bg5/f4/Qe2,Nf3,Nbd2 setup

Other than this,i very occasionaly have reserved 1.b3 and The colle system and london system, especially match play 

As Black

Against 1.e4 i play 1.c5

Against an open sicilian, i play the Kan or Taimanov variation

Against Smith Morra gambit, i accept the gambit and play the main line

Against Alapin or delayed alapin,i play 2... or 3...Nf6

Against closed sicilain-Grand Prix Attack Bb5  i play Nd4 main line and against Bc4 I play e6

Against g3 closed sicilian,i play the classical setup with d6,Nc6,e5,Nge7,g6,Bg7,0-0,Rb8

Against 1.d4

I play the Queens Gambit Declined as it suits me,slight pressure and less theory!

I reach the QGD through 1...d5 move order and against i play the b6 variation

Against Catalan,I play this: 0-0,0-0 and now dc4

against Ne5,Nc6

against Qa4,a6

against Qc2,Bd7

my favorite variation is the catalan.Black obtains a juicy position

Against london or Colle or Torre attack,i play the classical structure with an early Qb6

against 1.b3, i play e5

against 1.c4,Nf3 or g3 i just construct a QGD structure,

against 1.Nc3,i play c5

That's my opening repotoire and you can beat me if you can! haha"

This is so far above and beyond what I ever did 30 years ago.  I must have been the softest 1762 USCF player ever.  

I gotta cowboy up to get in today's rodeo.  

That amount of opening prep is ridiculous, and unecessary.  Class players have no need for that.  

That makes sense.  A lot of sense.

And here's what a 1900 USCF player posted on his Opening Repertoire:

"As white:
I play d4, if Nf6 then c4 and:
Against King's indian: magolagov system with h3;
Against Nimzo Indian: Classical variation with Qc2;
Against Grunfeld: Bf4 variation against ...Qc7, Rc1 variation against ...Bg4/cd4; I might also play 7.Nf3 in Blitz games;
Against Benoni: 4 pawns attack;
Against Benko gambit: Fianchetto variation;
Against Old Indian: f3 setups like Seamitsch in KID;
If 1...d5 then c4 and: 
Against Slav: Ne5, if e6 then f3/Nbd7 then g3;
Against Semi-Slav: Shablov Attack
Against QGD: Exchange/Bf4 variation;
Against QGA: D29 Main line;
Against Dutch: Krejcik gambit;
Against Lundin/Polish/Englund: Play normally. 
As black: 
Against e4 I play the Sicilian, Svehkinov variation, alcelarrated dragon rarely;
Against d4 I play the Grunfeld, ...Qc7 variation;
Against c4 I play the Symmitrical variation;
Against Nf3 I play the Sicilian Invitation;
Against b4 I play the Outflank variation;
Against f4 I play 1...Nh6;
Against others I play 1...d5.
Done.

These posts remind me of an old joke:

A guy is walking in a dark alley and is approached by two robbers. He says, "Don't mess with me. I know Kung Fu, Jiu Jitsu, Wing Chun, and lots of other scary words."

That's all this is - lots of words. Weak players loooove showing that they know the names of opening variations. It makes them feel like they actually know and understand chess. Besides the fact that about half the names are misspelled, knowing lots of names of variations and being able to list them in one's repertoire has nothing to do with chess skill. Don't be intimidated by these people. Improve your overall game and don't worry so much about being booked up.

Do not walk into dark alley.  That is where bad people like to do bad things in the dark.  Follow the light and learn your opening well enough to play normal chess middlegames.  Tactics are very important.  A little endgame study doesn't hurt.

IMO, as you get better, you begin to streamline and simplify.

I recommend: One white opening, one e4 defense as black, and one d4 defense as black.

Use your d4 defense against anything else white throws at you, adjusting as needed.

Three openings to learn. No tons of memorization necessary.

The rest comes down to playing sound moves, and pouncing on any tactics along the way.

"... Overall, I would advise most players to stick to a fairly limited range of openings, and not to worry about learning too much by heart. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"... the average player only needs to know a limited amount about the openings he plays. Providing he understands the main aims of the opening, a few typical plans and a handful of basic variations, that is enough. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)

No cowboys on this range, Daniel, just take up with the king's and the queen's indians and you'd scalp 'em (ha ha).  But seriously, if this guy is so damned great, why is he a 1667.  Play him a little 960 and see how far he gets.

Like many have said in this thread, once guys like this are out of the opening it's downhill from there.

In short, I am not impressed.