Hey guys,

I'm a beginner chess player, and I was wondering when have you decided which opening you want to play?

If playing white, and going into a chess game with a mindset that you are playing the Kings gambit no matter what, of course speaking hypothetically, would you continue the Kings gambit even if your opponent plays something different?

Or are good chess players versatile?

Thanks for your help guys.

well, I am playing the KG, but if my opponent respond with e6-french i play the tarrasch, c5, Open sicilian... I play 2.f4 only after 1...e5

openings aren't for one side, except systems, such as the colle or the london system or hippopotamus. generally speaking, white will open with e4 if he rather plays openings more wild and less positional. Black can follow white's mind and respond e5 and then white can play the king's gambit or put his knights out to Nf3 because it is supposed to be the best move after 1. e4 e5, it leads to spanish , scootish, italian. But on move 2 black can instead play 1... e6 if he wants to go in a french and the king's gambit isn't anymore possible because it will not lead to king's gambit position.

When we play exactly a certain opening when start loving the positions and structures arising from the opening.

You can't open with e4 and expect to play f4 no matter what, you have to choose what to play based on what your oponent plays, if you really wants to play f4 no matter what, that's your problem, but you can't expect to play it against everything just because you play it against e5.

Think with yourself, if my oponent plays c5, what will I play? And after e6? c6? What if he captures f4 after playing e5? Maybe he plays d6 instead. Now you are starting to build a repertoire.