What happens when you don't study openings

Just got my first schooling by Bill Wall.  I hate chess games like this where I feel I'm perpetually behind.  I've added my own analysis to the game after some moves, but would value any of the community's insight to how I could have done better.

 My first guess is just better study on openings.  I don't believe I opened correctly.  Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

 Bill's White, I'm Black. 

yeah. you gotta know your openings :) 4...d5 is a MUST there.

actually erik, i have a question for you...why is d5 the best move? can you please exlain what happens after 4)...d5 because wouldnt his bishop just eat the pawn?

hahaha wait nvm i thought move 3 was move 4, my bad. anyways, ya its all about the opening. try to remember the importance of castling during open diagonals in the middle. if you see an open game, it should blink in your head, CASTLE IMMEDIATELY! also, if you face an opening you've never seen before, just remember that the basic principles isn't memorizing an opening to counter, but to follow along with these two rules when making your first moves:

1) get control of the center

2) develop all of your pieces. when i say all, i mean all! chess is a team game

 3)make room as your develop to castle so you're king is out of the way of attacks in the middle, which are the most threatening for mate. the uncastled king is a no no.

hope that helps :)

What happens when you don't study openings?  You immediately find endings!

perhaps i can answer for erik: if 5 Bxd5 Nxd5 6 exd5 Qxg5 and Black has a srong K-side attack. best is 5 exd5. 3... Bc5 is a safer way to develop.

when you don't study openings, you could get a bad start in the middlegame which will lead to a most undesirable ending.

My thoughts on the game.  I played 1.e4, the most common opening, and you played 1...e5.  Already you have to know or be prepared against the King's Gambit, 2 Knights, Giuoco Piano, Ruy Lopez, Center, Vienna, Bishop's Opening, etc.  It's too much to know when starting out.  Better to try something that is less studied until you know the openings.  When I started playing, I learned 1...e6, the French, first, then 1...Nf6, the Alekhine, then 1...c6 the Caro, then 1...d6 and 1...g6, the Pirc, then 1...c5, the Sicilian, then finally 1...e5. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 is good.  Other ideas are 2...d6, the Philidor, and 2...Nf6, the Petroff.  1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4.  At the master level, this is usually drawish.  At the amateur level, there are so many traps in this opening.  The safest response may be 3...Bc5.  Other ideas are 3...d6, 3...Be7, and 3...Nd4.  With 3...Nf6 you have to be careful. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6, GMs prefer 4.d3 or 4.O-O or 4.Nc3 or 4.d4 before 4.Ng5, which leads to drawish games at the top level.  After 4.Ng5, about 90% of the games play 4...d5, but there is always the Traxler Gambit or Wilkes-Barre gambit, which I like and play.  It is very wild and not for the weak hearted or someone who doesn't know all the lines.   Now, after 4.Ng5, Black had to count.  How many ways am I attacking the f7 pawn?  Two.  With the bishop and the knight.  Is there any way to defend it.  Only one logical way, and that's with 4...d5.  Even if you don't understand why its the best move, you must rule out every other move, and that move is the only one left, unless you can see 4...Bc5 with the idead of 5...Bxf2+ later.  So 4...Qe7 does not protect the f pawn unless you want to lose the Queen.  The game is practically over after 5.Bxf7+, winning a pawn and Black has no compensation and the king is caught in the center.  Now, after 5.Bxf7+ Kd8 6.Bc4, I am still threatening 7.Nf7+ forking the king and rook, and winning a rook.  The only good way to prevent that is 6...Ke8.  Your 6...d5 loses another pawn.  Why did you see 6...d5 now, and not 4...d5 earlier?  Now 7.exd5 h6 8.d6 gives me the threat to play 9.Nf7 forking king and rook again.  Instead of 7...h6, perhaps better was 7...Nxd5 8.Bxd5 Qxg5 and you are only a pawn down.  However, I do play 9.d4 attacking your Queen.  You can't play 9...Qxg2 because of 10.Bxg2 (the Bishop on d5).  So, perhaps 9...Qe7, then 10.Bxc6 and if 10...bxc6, 11.dxe5+ wins me another pawn.  So study those openings.  When you are playing on the Internet and not playing blitz, have a real chess set in front of you and move the pieces.  That's what I do.  I try to make a legal move for every piece and pawn to make sure I did not miss anything, and I play as many moves ahead as I think before I am satisified it is a good move and I am not losing something.

Bill, you asked "Why did you see 6...d5 now, and not 4...d5 earlier?"

 

Good question.  I asked myself that.  I played 6... d5 with the hopes of blocking the bishop's support of the knight.  But, this was flawed, of course.  At this point,  I just didn't see a lot of good options.

 

But, I won't make that mistake again and that's what it's all about.  

 

Great feedback.  I'll use it. 

Been there!Bill Wall surprised me with variant yugoslav attack versus Sicilian Dragon

I like Bill's recommended approach to learn Black defenses to 1.e4 that are not 1...e5 first.  I'll start doing that.

bartz:

 "What happens when you don't study openings?  You immediately find endings!"

 That's the best quote I've read in a while.  That should be a sig if it isn't already.

 I read that a chessmaster took 50 min., on his opening move. The opening can make you ar break you.I would like to know how you guys and girls get on the front page. when I log on the web site? Study the board very carefully.

Good game