How many Openings are worth knowing and using? - Chess Forums - Page 2

MegaPro-123

Feb 5, 2021

0

#21

Ke2 so strong it is 6 move mate

catmaster0

Feb 5, 2021

0

#22

Deranged wrote:

catmaster0 wrote:

MegaPro-123 wrote:

Deranged wrote:

You should learn what's called an opening repertoire.

That means having a response in mind to each of your opponents' moves.

For example:

- I will always start with e4 as white

- If my opponent plays e5, then I will play an Italian

- If my opponent plays e6, then I will play a French Tarrasch

- If my opponent plays c6, then I will play an advanced CaroKann

- If my opponent plays c5, then I will play an Open Sicilian

- If my opponent plays d5, then I will play the mainline Scandinavian

- If my opponent plays Nf6, then I will play the four pawns attack variation of the Alekhine

And now you do the same thing as black...

You don't need to memorise every single opening in existence, but you do need to know the openings that you intend to play.

- I will always start with e4 as white

- If my opponent plays e5, then I will play Ke2

- If my opponent plays e6, then I will play Ke2

- If my opponent plays c6, then I will play Ke2

- If my opponent plays c5, then I will play Ke2

- If my opponent plays d5, then I will play Ke2

- If my opponent plays Nf6, then I will play Ke2

And now you do the same thing as black.

You move your pawn 3 squares forward to e4 turn 1 and teleport your king to the other side of the board by move 2? Very impressive. XD

Nah you misunderstand.

White plays 1. e4. Black plays 1... Anything. Then white plays 2. Ke2.

I was replying to the "same thing as black" bit and taking it literally for fun, lol.

catmaster0

Feb 5, 2021

0

#23

Zjlm1015 wrote:

" CatMaster0 Wrote:

Not a lot. So you defend vs the opening and come out even? That might avoid some early losing spots, but it's not where most of your chess is going to be, your games will be determined elsewhere. Punishing a bad defense can be nice, though it doesn't guarantee a win either, as the game can quickly slip through the cracks. Not to mention it requires the opponent to play a bad defense. If it's significant enough there's a good chance it was already noticeable anyways.

Okay fine, attribute 3/4 the probability that your particular instance is correct.

Granted. el Fin. Done.

Doesn't answer the question at which point (or rating) does opening knowledge pay off.

Whether or not it pays its dividends isn't necessarily up to your opinion or experience alone (though I say, odds are in your favor).

I'm not sure yet. I'm probably around 1500s, toed my way into the 1600s, and my opening knowledge still feels overrated so far. I feel ok with my opening lines, then face some opening like the French I know next to nothing about... and still end up doing just fine too. Most of the time I find I'm just winging it anyways rather than using a planned line and it makes little difference. Every now and then I get a good spot from my opening, but at my level its still largely about slip-ups elsewhere, even if I get in opening trouble I frequently win regardless because of the game's outcome coming down to the middlegame or endgame.

Zjlm1015

Feb 5, 2021

0

#24

horselover123 wrote:

personally I just play around with stuff until I find stuff I like and then study them once I know I like them. Just know basic moves of like every major opening aka French Sicilian Italian Pirc QGD (as you can see from what I have listed here, I am very much an e4 player and clueless on most other openings) and also know the correct moves for trap lines, such as Scotch Gambit, Evans gambit, Fried Liver stuff, etc

Friends in high places, thank you. Exactly, being able to know how to defend and also execute those gambits adds substantial amounts of points to your rating. among many other variations

Zjlm1015

Feb 5, 2021

0

#25

catmaster0 wrote:

I'm not sure yet. I'm probably around 1500s, toed my way into the 1600s, and my opening knowledge still feels overrated so far. I feel ok with my opening lines, then face some opening like the French I know next to nothing about... and still end up doing just fine too. Most of the time I find I'm just winging it anyways rather than using a planned line and it makes little difference. Every now and then I get a good spot from my opening, but at my level its still largely about slip-ups elsewhere, even if I get in opening trouble I frequently win regardless because of the game's outcome coming down to the middlegame or endgame.

I imagine this is common

llama47

Feb 5, 2021

0

#26

Zjlm1015 wrote:

At 1250 Blitz, I literally only use Kings pawn- Italian Game

Well, that's not possible right? You can only play the Italian after 1.e4 e5.

So I downloaded 200 of your games and did a quick search. The following are a few big problems with your current repertoire... not so much memorization but it seems you're lacking the basic ideas behind some of the opening moves.

First the Sicilian. Bc4 is not good against e6 sicilians.

-

Just for reference, a fairly normal e6 sicilian might look like this (below)

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Now the way you play the French (below). e5 does not mix well with an early Nc3.

-

Below is the basic shape of a French advance. You don't have to memorize the moves, it's more the general idea that's important. White protects his long central pawn chain and black puts pressure on it, particularly d4.

-

Now the way you play the caro (below). Again e5 does not mix well with an early Nc3.

-

A proper caro advance looks more like this (below)

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llama47

Feb 5, 2021

0

#27

I suggest getting access to an opening database. I know there are many online that are free (up to a certain move number) including on chess.com

After every game you play, reference the moves vs a database like this
https://www.chess.com/explorer

Figure out who left book first, and what the normal options are. Pick an option for your side you think is interesting and try it out for some games.

If you really want to improve a lot, get a book on chess strategy, and every day look at a few GM games at a quick pace. Only 5-10 minutes per game. Your goal when looking at a GM game is NOT to understand every move, but to pick out one interesting idea or thing you like... in the context of opening training, you'll be learning what a normal _____ opening looks like. You can even use the website chessgames.com to search for games with a particular opening.

So one week you might look at Sicilian games. One week you might look at Italian. One week French, etc.

AvroVanquish

Feb 5, 2021

0

#28

Deranged wrote:

You should learn what's called an opening repertoire.

That means having a response in mind to each of your opponents' moves.

For example:

- I will always start with e4 as white

- If my opponent plays e5, then I will play an Italian

- If my opponent plays e6, then I will play a French Tarrasch

- If my opponent plays c6, then I will play an advanced CaroKann

- If my opponent plays c5, then I will play an Open Sicilian

- If my opponent plays d5, then I will play the mainline Scandinavian

- If my opponent plays Nf6, then I will play the four pawns attack variation of the Alekhine

And now you do the same thing as black...

You don't need to memorise every single opening in existence, but you do need to know the openings that you intend to play.

Nicely explained.