Why do people say the English Opening is bad?

Sort:
SarvendraTS
pfren wrote:
SarvendraTS wrote:

you all will be seeing more e4 games from me lol

Your current priority shouldn't be playing 1.e4 instead of 1.c4, but rather playing more slowly/ carefully. Almost all the games you have played here are full of (mutual) blunders.

alright then thanks for the advice!

SarvendraTS
Stil1 wrote:
SarvendraTS wrote:

I'm not exactly a beginner lol. 

My parents think i'm a beginner but I would call myself an intermediate one. I've been playing chess for 5 years, playing with some pretty good opponents and I've only got a coach now. 
When I was a beginner, I would use e4 but gradually I started using c4. Perhaps my coach thinks of all his students as beginners?

Well, by "beginner" I mean in terms of relative strength, as opposed to time played.

Again, 1.c4 is fine, but it's more of a positional opening. The ideas in it are more abstract, and less concrete.

In some lines, for example, white "undevelops" his f3 knight and redirects it to c2. In others, white gives himself a backward pawn in the center and prepares a pawn advance on the queenside with the support of his queen rook ... These ideas (and others) are generally considered too advanced for beginners to grasp and handle properly.

With 1.e4, the strategies tend to be more direct and principled - easier to understand and easier to learn from.

I'd argue that playing 1.e4, at your level, will definitely make you a stronger player in the long run.

yeah I'm learning on developing pieces and e4 definitely helps not gonna lie. But thanks for the tip

Goofi_Goobr
SarvendraTS wrote:
pfren wrote:
SarvendraTS wrote:
 

I'm not exactly a beginner lol. 

My parents think i'm a beginner but I would call myself an intermediate one. I've been playing chess for 5 years, playing with some pretty good opponents and I've only got a coach now. 
When I was a beginner, I would use e4 but gradually I started using c4. Perhaps my coach thinks of all his students as beginners?

 

 

 

These ratings have "beginner" written all over them. You may think that you are the Master of the Known Universe, but some self-awareness wouldn't hurt you.

my good sir, if I truly were a 'Master of the Known Universe', would I have asked this question? Masters know everything, I don't. I am new to O.N.L.I.N.E chess, not actual chess. 

Well if you used that acronym "O.N.L.I.N.E", could you at least tell us what it stands for?

 

Goofi_Goobr
ItzFruitless wrote:
SarvendraTS wrote:
pfren wrote:
SarvendraTS wrote:
 

I'm not exactly a beginner lol. 

My parents think i'm a beginner but I would call myself an intermediate one. I've been playing chess for 5 years, playing with some pretty good opponents and I've only got a coach now. 
When I was a beginner, I would use e4 but gradually I started using c4. Perhaps my coach thinks of all his students as beginners?

 

 

 

These ratings have "beginner" written all over them. You may think that you are the Master of the Known Universe, but some self-awareness wouldn't hurt you.

my good sir, if I truly were a 'Master of the Known Universe', would I have asked this question? Masters know everything, I don't. I am new to O.N.L.I.N.E chess, not actual chess. 

Well if you used that acronym "O.N.L.I.N.E", could you at least tell us what it stands for?

 

if you have the brain capacity, that is.

BroiledRat

I don’t want to sound harsh OP but…


Switching to online doesn’t make you exponentially weaker.

The first few games of online chess I played had me in the 800-900 range, and I only knew the rules (and even then, I was unaware of repetition and the 50 move rule.) which is the average rating range on this site.

 

To be below that means you are below average in a player base predominantly composed of weak hobby players.

You may not be new to chess, but you still play at the strength of a beginner.

Circumlocutions
What broiledrat said was true, when I was 500-600 range a few months back I had no understanding of opening principles and constantly hung pieces I certainly would consider myself a beginner then and even now I still consider myself a beginner as I close in on 1200 rating
Hikaru75

The thing is, 1.c4 is perfectly fine, however, there are many positional concepts that come with that opening that a beginner is simply unable to properly follow. That is why playing 1.e4 for example, can be a good opening to begin playing chess and as you become better, then move into other openings such as the English.

henryt2603

English opening is a good one but you should try new opening which give you knowledge about defences and opening to play good on each openings