what opening should I use?
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Which one?
Oct 25, 2019
0
#2
It's interesting you post this question. After being away from Chess I wanted to pursue a certain line that I thought I knew well and wanted to add my variation. I came upon an article that said Forgive the misquote of the title but it went something like you don't have to know each opening. You just have to be able to focus on the opening that you are performing and make sure nothing is dangling in the breeze and of course, understand the mechanics of the opening. I decided to test this theory and played in a blitz and learned people always react fairly common to how the opening is played. Therefore the short answer is to learn one that appeals to you, you don't have to be perfect and learn and grow with it as time goes along. You may discover you hate it or this is the best opening. Just a thought.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to start with Discovering Chess Openings, a book about opening principles.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
Here are some books that set out to help the reader to choose specific openings:
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.chess.com/blog/ForwardChess/book-of-the-week-openings-for-amateurs
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
First Steps: 1 e4 e5
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7790.pdf
https://chesscafe.com/book-reviews/first-steps-1-e4-e5-by-john-emms/
First Steps: Queen's Gambit
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7652.pdf
My First Chess Opening Repertoire for White
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9033.pdf
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/vincent-moret/
Opening Repertoire 1 e4
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7819.pdf
Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Openings
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
Be sure to try to use the openings in games in between sessions of learning. Most of the time, one faces a position with no knowledge of a specific move indicated in a book. One has to accept that as part of chess, and think of opening knowledge as a sometimes helpful aid. After a game, it makes sense to try to look up the moves in a book and see if it has some indication of how one might have played better in the opening. Many opening books are part explanation and part reference material. The reference material is included in the text with the idea that one mostly skips it on a first reading, and looks at an individual item when it applies to a game that one has just played. Resist the temptation to try to turn a book into a mass memorization project. There are many important subjects that one should not neglect because of too much time on opening study.
https://www.chess.com/article/view/learning-an-opening-to-memorize-or-understand
"... 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)
"... I feel that the main reasons to buy an opening book are to give a good overview of the opening, and to explain general plans and ideas. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... If the book contains illustrative games, it is worth playing these over first ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... 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)
"... Everyman Chess has started a new series aimed at those who want to understand the basics of an opening, i.e., the not-yet-so-strong players. ... I imagine [there] will be a long series based on the premise of bringing the basic ideas of an opening to the reader through plenty of introductory text, game annotations, hints, plans and much more. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627055734/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen38.pdf
"The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line." - GM Nigel Davies (2005)
"... Review each of your games, identifying opening (and other) mistakes with the goal of not repeatedly making the same mistake. ... It is especially critical not to continually fall into opening traps – or even lines that result in difficult positions ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627062646/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman81.pdf
E4 as white and d6 as black, follow opening principles.
king s gambit
Well... what openings do you want to use?
I think the best way forward is to simply pick an opening, and then ask how the opening should be played.
Who to ask and why to ask how? There are hundreds of years of research on openings. The question is how many openings and how deep you will memorize them. This is the difference.
Oct 28, 2019
0
#8
Adrianchessasphalt a écrit :
Which one?
Try the London system;it's easy to learn in a few hours;look at it on the net with google;it's very simple and it will make tyou feel in control after a few times.
Ixneilosophye wrote:
Who to ask and why to ask how? There are hundreds of years of research on openings. The question is how many openings and how deep you will memorize them. This is the difference.
Memorize the position, not the opening.
Chess Openings Resources for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/openings-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell
WSama wrote:
Ixneilosophye wrote:
Who to ask and why to ask how? There are hundreds of years of research on openings. The question is how many openings and how deep you will memorize them. This is the difference.
Memorize the position, not the opening.
Oh yea this interesting concept flies in the face of everything taught in chess 101.
Oct 28, 2019
0
#12
The first openings should be gambits. They will teach you to value tempo, taktical principles and dynamic play. Classic openings are the next. Which value does the center and positional themes got. Mordern and Hypermodern openings will theach you a more dynamic positional style.
I think people should play 1.e4 as White and with Black defend 1.e4 with 1...e5 and 1.d4 with 1...d5 for a long time before moving on to other openings. It's better to learn chess than to obsess over openings, especially when starting out.
"... When you first begin serious competition, play sharp openings so that you can strengthen your tactics. Several weaker students have told me they play 'dull' openings because they are not very good at tactics. Bad strategy! Since tactics are such an integral part of the game, getting better at them means improving overall, so work on your weaknesses and see if you can minimize them! Gambits are great to play when you and your opponents are not advanced players. The reason is clear: you often get a 'free' attack and your opponents probably don’t have the technique to win up a pawn anyway if you misplay the position and lose the initiative. ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627052239/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman16.pdf
"... if you feel you’re poor at tactics you can choose a quiet positional opening (trying to hide from your weakness and just play chess), or seek more dynamic openings that engender lots of tactics and sacrifices (this might lead to more losses but, over time, will improve your tactical skills and make you stronger). ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (January 28, 2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/opening-questions-and-a-dream-mate
"... I feel that the main reasons to buy an opening book are to give a good overview of the opening, and to explain general plans and ideas. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
Oct 28, 2019
0
#15
Indeed. I started with 1. e4 openings (as with most methinks) and "graduated" to 1. d4. Heh. But that's just us. Of course, it does entail application of ideas & memorization of key lines. Ingrain general opening principles when your opponent deviates from mainline but yes; memorization of patterns, variations goes without saying. I have never delved into English Opening set ups but that may be something worth looking into. Otherwise, 1. e4 & d4 are always mainstays in anyone's repertoire. Like many forums similar to this (where one is asking for opening repertoire suggestions) I always say, "playin's the the thing, man!" You never know until you do. Best wishes✌🏽
Everyone who has posted here is right. I especially like the idea of dabbling with some gambits for dynamics.
But ultimately, forget about official lines for now. Forget about specific openings. Focus on basic opening moves. Discover the openings on your own and have fun. That way you'll learn the game.
great info everyone!
Nov 23, 2019
0
#18
Get a opening book and read about maybe d4 openings or e4 try Catalan is a good opening for starter or maybe try QG or some e4 like ruy Lopez or Italian game or Something else try out but remember a opening it’s really not so important in chess yes not play the strange lines with like a5 or duras gambit or something really bad that’s make no sense try to know what your do in the opening try to look of the top players like Magnus maybe Bobby fisher there is many great players also Alexander alekine one of the best chess players today look how they playing in the opening and try to understand how they play or just read some books or searching on the internet
