There is no "best" opening.
We all have struggled with finding out what openings suit us, haven't we? I have struggled and I believe many have and are struggling to find a suitable opening for themselves. Well, this blog will be the ultimate guide for players below 2000!
- Choosing an opening that is based on opening principles: This is the first and foremost step to choosing an opening. I do not recommend going for unprincipled lines. The opening you choose should be based upon quick development and castling and control over the center. Do not go for tricky lines that are just not sound from these point of view. Let's give an example of this from the White side:
This is a main position from the QGD, and is part of many strong players' repertoire from both sides. Why is this? Let's study the position:
White has a strong central presence. His knights are well placed on good squares, and he has easy development with moves like Bf4/Bg5, e3, Bd3 (one of the systems) or g3 (the Catalan), both promising fairly easy play.
Let's have look from the black side: He also has a pawn fighting for the center, his knight on f6 is well placed, and he is also promised easy development, with either Be7 (QGD) or Bb4 (Ragozin). The Vienna is an advanced line which I will not talk about here.
An example of an unprincipled line: The Modern is an example of an unprincipled line. It gives the opponent easy-to-play moves and does not focus on central control all that much.
- Choosing an opening with simple plans and ideas: In the opening you choose, you should be able to play the opening even if you don't know theory. What do I mean by this? This means that the opening has simple plans and ideas that can be applied universally. You should know where to place pieces, what exchanges should be done, what pawn pushes should be done, etc. Let me give another example to illustrate this:
- In the above position: Black's play is very easy, even if he doesn't know the line. Let's say the opponent plays d3 d6 a3 Bc5 g3, a line that you do not know. You should be able to play the position even without knowing theory. The typical ideas may include: Castling, h6, a6, and after some preparation, Nd4 and c6, after that, you can decide between Be6-d5 and the b5 break. I was able to summarize what I will do next and is probably the best plan without even knowing the line.
- A line that poses practical problems: What do I mean by 'practical problems'? With this, I mean that an opening in which if the opponent tries to play natural moves, they can lead to trouble. Such lines are hard to find but they will be very effective, especially against people who do not study the opening seriously. An example:
- In the line I've shown above: What are the most natural moves? By far, for lower levels, it is Nf6 and Nge7, but you'll be surprised to know that these lines give white the winning chances. I'll not delve deep into why, you can explore that. What I want to draw your attention to is that Bb6 is the only move to at least give complete equality to Black, and Bb6 is definitely not the most natural move for sure.
- Gambit or no gambit? To be honest, this is not a question with an objective answer. I can give my most unbiased opinion: Know yourself. If you like playing positions that are fun and easy to play but at the cost of some material, go for a Gambit. If you do not like sacrificing material, I prefer for you to not go for a Gambit.
- Knowing yourself: Last but not least, you should know yourself. Do not force yourself to play an opening that is considered 'better', it really does not matter unless you are 2000+! Play what you like! But how do you know yourself? You should understand the following points:
- 1) Style: What is your style of play? Do you enjoy playing tactical, attacking position or slow grinds? Are you a solid player that fits in none of these? Or are you a provocative player? Based on your style, choose your opening.
- 2) Do you like learning theory?: You should be practical. Don't force yourself to play Ruy Lopez and learn like 400 lines of 25-move theory just cause it's considered 'the best'. You should understand whether you like learning large amounts of theory and you are ready to learn it or you want to understand and feel positions more and memorize less.
Do you not know what kind of player you are? I suggest you to use these 2 tools:
https://chesspersonality.com - You can determine what kind of player you are by answering 20 questions, and you will get some opening recommendations as well.https://chessable.com/quiz - You can answer a few quick questions to understand yourself. This is more detailed and related to openings - and it will lead you to some courses. I do not suggest you to buy the courses for levels below 1500 - most Lifetime Repertoires are not suited for you. You can buy the S&S (free/mini) version of the course or do self-analysis.
Summary:
1) Choose on opening based on general principles
2) Choose an opening that is easy-to-play
3) Choose an opening that poses practical problems
4) Know yourself - choose an opening based upon: Your style and how much you are ready to learn.
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