Just make sure your tactics are pretty good and you understand the fundamentals. It doesnt hurt to know openings, cant say using the engine ever really helped me alot I learned alot from playing the giuoco, so id say if you arent playing that opening try to steer your games into it, the only openings that dont transpose into are the qgd the caro/french the english, but it taught me to preserve my bishops with moves like h6 a6 etc...creating an escape and plugging the center with the knight and pushing g5 after h6 to break a pin, trading bishops (happens in the london too on e6/e3). I learned the italian counter because people around our rating love ng5 in the italian and it gives away white's advantage and blunders very early in the opening very often. Thats what id say. Learn the fourknights in and out because it has many themes that are in other openings as well and theres alot to learn. I play the berlin as black maybe you could try that too?
Woah! that's much information is one paragraph. I have some questions and comments.
1. "I learned the italian counter because people around our rating love ng5 in the italian and it gives away white's advantage and blunders very early in the opening very often."
-What do you refer to by "the italian counter?" thre are many lines gasint the knight attack, which I play.
2. " it gives away white's advantage and blunders very early in the opening very often." "
No. It doesnt. if you are referring to stockfish not loving it then you should consider that fact that the endigne is not very good at accurate evalulations. Ng5 is a perfectly fine move. Many gandmasters have and are still playing it today. Once again, I play this opening.
3. "Learn the fourknights"
Okay. Some people will not like this, but the four knights is too easy for your opponent at any level. Agaisnt an ~1200 rated player you want to play openings where your opponent can easly go wrong without being dubious. Of course, if you insist, the four knights isnt losing and is a perfectly fine opening.
4. I play the berlin as black maybe you could try that too?
I fully agree with @9 / #9. The berlin is full of theory.
Remeber that the person your talking too is playing rapid and doesnt have acess to the master games database unlike daily.
Also: you are 1300.
Were not good enough to know theory lol thats why the berlin still works, you know what doesnt, the sicilian no 1300s are ever getting the najdorf, taimonov, pelikan/schveshnikov, belenksy old dragon blah blah we just never get it right lol the sicilian is much harder than the berlin. When professionals play its probably reverse for them the berlin being uncrackable or w.e. but when you make mistakes at least every 5 moves it doesnt matter, thats why its good for black. The italian na5 polerio is a draw but we will never draw that because its open and complicated, but 1300s and 1500s still like to play ng5, im just telling you my experience, i dont know any other refutation. And the move i was referring to in that is bishop a4 which is a blunder, but of course it doesnt have to get played i just like having it in my tools thats all
I have been playing the Sicilian and hearing you speak about it, opens my eyes. I will learn the berlin, some opening principles, and try to play some games with berlin. If you have a study that shows the Berlin, kindly share, I would love to learn from you. Thank you so much, for investing so much time on me.
Humble Regards,
supergminthemaking.
Something, I observed myself. Very well said. Nevertheless, since most people have suggested it, I'll go through it. Thank you.