Well my point is @LukaCro you keep putting it as lack of opening prep. Which it isn't. You're just studying chess. And thinking it is "opening prep" might point you in incorrect directions. If you haven't noticed there already is several missed directions. A lot of people assume you are memorizing moves. And contrariwise you think people think YOU'RE memorizing moves. Both sides are pointed this way by default because of what the term opening prep does to people. If you were looking at what some of us are saying, we are saying "Openings" don't matter up to SM or FM+. The reason that is stated is because you don't need the ECO openings to play good chess. And this is true. You can apply principled chess all the time without ECO type openings. AND if you do it correctly a lot of the times you can come up with ECO moves just following the principles. And it might surprise you how accurate this thought process really is.
By serious analysis I mean taking your games or master games. Putting them to a group of people of ranging strength, hopefully someone way higher than you is in your group somewhere. Spending on average 4 hours on a single game and combing through the actual ideas. I know you didn't on the last game because you focused on the move you didn't play rather than the reason you felt your position was worse, which was you had a backward pawn that you couldn't figure out how to eliminate. And which by the way, even after your move "a5" you still had plenty of chance to cure said backward pawn. No mention of these ideas. Just that you missed one move and blame opening prep. Slav and semi slav positions have MANY opportunities to play c5 to get rid of that weakness.. Your game was no different. Analysis of your games is "MORE IMPORTANT" than analysis of master games. Personally I need this type of idea, but I can't find anyone 2300+ that wants to do analysis group or private unless I pay them 60 an hour. Sadly I even tried getting 2000-2200 players interested and they tend to not want to do it either. I do have A and B players that will sit with me, but I think it benefits them more than it benefits me. I enjoy it, but I do wish I could find more higher.
I think @PixelatedParcel has a good thing going. You could try joining his discord. When I was there it was pretty hopping. Good chance I will sit down with someone for serious if they asked me. Only problem with me is I am sometimes crude and rude, so you have to deal with my craziness if you want me to sit down with you. :-) Our openings might conflict a little though. I notice you take on c4 a lot earlier than I do. I will wait for offers to do botvinnik lines. When I do Meran lines, I am weird and play a6 instead of Nbd7. I am also trying to figure out a new white idea. Took up a chessable video course by IM ChessExplained called "Keep it simple: 1. d4" I am absolutely loving it. The strategic lessons alone are worth the price I paid for it. I have a discord server I am trying to build too, but it's slow going. Would love to have it lively. Also I hear there are others as well. I would probably suggest seeing if any fit you.
@MeWantCookieMobile I am a member of @PixelatedParcel 's discord group and I see your point. But like Pix said, in our age and with family to raise our most precios resource is time. I just can't do everything anyone advices, although lot's of advice make very much sense. I have an hour or two a day to do chess, and I always have to decide what is the most optimal (sic!) way to invest that time.
I agree that the analysis of my own games is one of the most important part of chess training and I intend to do so. This game was only an example, I didn't have time to analyse it deeply. But I will, eventually.
@LukaCro
I am hoping my daughter starts catching on. I was 1200 at 30. If I can get my daughter to 1600 by 16 I will celebrate. Unfortunately in my family if she even gets passed 1000 she will be a legacy. I am the only chess player in my family to get higher than 1000.
Can we all agree that the term "study openings" used in this thread's title is too ambiguous and should probably be replaced by "memorize opening moves", so that it's clear that this is what's bad, but studying middlegame positions arising from certain openings isn't?
@ProfDrHack yes, there was obviously a mis-understanding about the semantics. For me "study openings" means to study games with particular openings and learn middlegame plans. Not memorization, except few characteristic initial moves which get you in the game. But maybe I am using the term wrong.
@LukaCro @MeWantCookieMobile @ProfDrHack
I know this is a bit off-topic but it seems to me a good compromise for those who don't have much time would be to include a "thematic tactics" book, such as those that are available on Chessable.com, in their daily routine and even use it for "tournament-prep".
These courses really help a student's understanding of the positions that arise out of certain openings and develop one's eye for critical points/moments in game-types. This way, the student can work on "opening specific tactics" while internalizing associated motifs and learning how to set up pieces harmoniously in order to make them the most effective without loss of tempi.
A good example, I think, is this one: https://www.chessable.com/thematic-tactics-the-london-system/course/16947/
Regarding memorizing opening moves (this is necessary in some sharp lines) - I write a text about this specific line into the lichess 'personal notes' entry, where i explain the reason why this move and not another must be made. Usually this is just one sentence, but the sharper the line, the longer the text.
This is the well known trick which makes use of the fact that you can only describe a thing for which you have concepts in your mind. Building cocepts is achieved by building sentences. When this is done honestly your brain has no other choice than to memorize it, because you feed it with new concepts which you attached to concepts you already have.
It is not neccessary that you describe the absolute truth, describe your truth! You can extend later if your truth wont work.
Here is an example of a text i recently wrote into the notes entry in a relatively sharp line:
https://lichess.org/gCENjmoU/white#18
The text i wrote (translated to english using google translate):
"Position after 9 ... a5: We want to grab the bishop pair. This is possible because the pawns a5 and c7 are weak.
In the following, White sacrifices the c-pawn on c5 or c4, but wins it back after Rc1 with advantage on c7 - Black keeps an Isolani on the d-file.
10 ... Nxe5!
Removes the Nc6 from protecting the a5 pawn.
10 ... Nxe5 a3! Bc5 (11 ... Bd6 Ne4! - the pawn sacrifice mentioned above - Nxc4 Nxd6 Nxd6 Rc1! +=)
Sb3!
The easiest. Ne4 and even b4! are good, but far too complicated.
If the bishop now moves to a7, a5 falls, otherwise the mentioned pawn sacrifice c5! follows.
The best move is ...Bb6 c5! Ba7 Rc1! a4
doesn't fall c5 now?
Nd4!
No, because on Bxc5 i can play Nf5! and queen e7 cannot cover the bishop. Qe6, attacking Nf5 does not help, because after Rxc5 Qxf5 Rxe5 also the Ne5 gets lost."
Earlier in my life i have also tried solutions like chess position trainer. This is at best good for analyzing because it can do min maxing (in a restricted way, it does not detect strongly connected components in the move graph). But the memorizing by just executing moves on a board simply does not work. Make notes. That works.
@Ernst_Weiss
I have only recently begun to "seriously" study (and appreciate) the game and though "opening study" is not a big part of my daily routine, I can tell you that I am always running a little "storyboard" in my mind when developing my - admittedly very superficial - knowledge of theoretical move sequences belonging to my limited opening repertoire comprised of the London and KIA (backup) and Caro-Kann and Slav.
For example, when working with the London I will typically say to myself "the Bishop is now outside of its pawn chain at Bf4, possible replies are Bd6 and Nh5...be prepared" or "Nb5 now attacks the c7 square, in harmony with Bf4...Let's at least tie-up the queenside Knight and Rook", etc. I don't remember when I adopted this practise but it has become second nature and I agree 100% with your comment. I think this is really key to understanding the moves and memory retention/quick recall.
Thinking of this, it would be awesome if we could make these notes public on Lichess. One can press a button: "make it public". Then, if a note entry starts with something like "Position after <move>: ..." or just "<move>:..." Then lichess could show these notes somewhere in the opening tree at this position, notes by strongest players first. Or as some type of 'Note Browser' on an own page. Something like that. And we could have a note takers highscore. That would be a fun thing :-)
Or instead of the button, just wrap it into "note (<move>) {...}"
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