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Chess Openings

#31

@RoundMoundOfUnsound said in #29:

"Your first lesson is to read MCO from cover to cover, twice." -- Actual world champion Robert James "Bobby" Fischer.

"On being quizzed over chess lessons, Bobby Fischer advised ... Frank Brady, (tongue-in-cheek, I'm sure) ..." - GM John Emms (2006)

@RoundMoundOfUnsound said in #29: > "Your first lesson is to read MCO from cover to cover, twice." -- Actual world champion Robert James "Bobby" Fischer. "On being quizzed over chess lessons, Bobby Fischer advised ... Frank Brady, (tongue-in-cheek, I'm sure) ..." - GM John Emms (2006)
#33

@RoundMoundOfUnsound said in #29:

... One becomes a master by building a world-class repertoire. Any move good enough for Fischer or Carlsen is fine for a beginner. ...

"... the NM title is an honor that only one percent of USCF members attain. ..." - IM John Donaldson (2015)
https://www.jeremysilman.com/book-review/reaching-the-top/
"... On the one hand, your play needs to be purposeful much of the time; the ability to navigate through many different types of positions needs to be yours; your ability to calculate variations and find candidate moves needs to be present in at least an embryonic stage. On the other hand, it will be heart-warming and perhaps inspiring to realize that you do not need to give up blunders or misconceptions or a poor memory or sloppy calculating habits; that you do not need to know all the latest opening variations, or even know what they are called. You do not have to memorize hundreds of endgame positions or instantly recognize the proper procedure in a variety of pawn structures.
[To play at a master level consistently] is not an easy task, to be sure ..., but it is a possible one. ..." - Reaching the Top?! by NM Peter Kurzdorfer (2015)
"... A typical way of choosing an opening repertoire is to copy the openings used by a player one admires. ... However, what is good at world-championship level is not always the best choice at lower levels of play, and it is often a good idea to choose a 'model' who is nearer your own playing strength. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)

@RoundMoundOfUnsound said in #29: > ... One becomes a master by building a world-class repertoire. Any move good enough for Fischer or Carlsen is fine for a beginner. ... "... the NM title is an honor that only one percent of USCF members attain. ..." - IM John Donaldson (2015) https://www.jeremysilman.com/book-review/reaching-the-top/ "... On the one hand, your play needs to be purposeful much of the time; the ability to navigate through many different types of positions needs to be yours; your ability to calculate variations and find candidate moves needs to be present in at least an embryonic stage. On the other hand, it will be heart-warming and perhaps inspiring to realize that you do not need to give up blunders or misconceptions or a poor memory or sloppy calculating habits; that you do not need to know all the latest opening variations, or even know what they are called. You do not have to memorize hundreds of endgame positions or instantly recognize the proper procedure in a variety of pawn structures. [To play at a master level consistently] is not an easy task, to be sure ..., but it is a possible one. ..." - Reaching the Top?! by NM Peter Kurzdorfer (2015) "... A typical way of choosing an opening repertoire is to copy the openings used by a player one admires. ... However, what is good at world-championship level is not always the best choice at lower levels of play, and it is often a good idea to choose a 'model' who is nearer your own playing strength. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
#35

@kindaspongey said in #33:

"... the NM title is an honor that only one percent of USCF members attain. ..." - IM John Donaldson (2015)
www.jeremysilman.com/book-review/reaching-the-top/

I already hit 2276 here at one-minute, and hit 2000 by age twenty-two, dipped to 1500 then hit my new peak. Close enough for this purpose.

"... On the one hand, your play needs to be purposeful much of the time; the ability to navigate through many different types of positions needs to be yours; your ability to calculate variations and find candidate moves needs to be present in at least an embryonic stage. On the other hand, it will be heart-warming and perhaps inspiring to realize that you do not need to give up blunders or misconceptions or a poor memory or sloppy calculating habits; that you do not need to know all the latest opening variations, or even know what they are called. You do not have to memorize hundreds of endgame positions or instantly recognize the proper procedure in a variety of pawn structures.

Of course you don't, but amazing things can happen when you do.

[To play at a master level consistently] is not an easy task, to be sure ..., but it is a possible one. ..." - Reaching the Top?! by NM Peter Kurzdorfer (2015)
"... A typical way of choosing an opening repertoire is to copy the openings used by a player one admires. ... However, what is good at world-championship level is not always the best choice at lower levels of play, and it is often a good idea to choose a 'model' who is nearer your own playing strength. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)

Except those who choose elite repertoires tend not to stay at the lower levels. That's like saying "I'll study more once my rating improves."

@kindaspongey said in #33: > "... the NM title is an honor that only one percent of USCF members attain. ..." - IM John Donaldson (2015) > www.jeremysilman.com/book-review/reaching-the-top/ I already hit 2276 here at one-minute, and hit 2000 by age twenty-two, dipped to 1500 then hit my new peak. Close enough for this purpose. > "... On the one hand, your play needs to be purposeful much of the time; the ability to navigate through many different types of positions needs to be yours; your ability to calculate variations and find candidate moves needs to be present in at least an embryonic stage. On the other hand, it will be heart-warming and perhaps inspiring to realize that you do not need to give up blunders or misconceptions or a poor memory or sloppy calculating habits; that you do not need to know all the latest opening variations, or even know what they are called. You do not have to memorize hundreds of endgame positions or instantly recognize the proper procedure in a variety of pawn structures. Of course you don't, but amazing things can happen when you do. > [To play at a master level consistently] is not an easy task, to be sure ..., but it is a possible one. ..." - Reaching the Top?! by NM Peter Kurzdorfer (2015) > "... A typical way of choosing an opening repertoire is to copy the openings used by a player one admires. ... However, what is good at world-championship level is not always the best choice at lower levels of play, and it is often a good idea to choose a 'model' who is nearer your own playing strength. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008) Except those who choose elite repertoires tend not to stay at the lower levels. That's like saying "I'll study more once my rating improves."
#37

Hello again
Like I said. A lot of your games follow a similar pattern you fienchetto a bishop (sometimes both of them) and usually dont play for the centre with pawns. There are several good strong openings for black that use this approach. that is why I suggested that for the moment you stick to what you know for black. It is a atrategy that is much less used by white, because to some extent it gives up the initiative.
My feeling was that you might enjoy playing a different style of game as well. Instead of holding back to see what your opponent does and then attack it, try to play some games as white where you try to take control of the centre with pawns early on, taking advantage of the fact that white moves first.
That is why I suggested you try playing d4 as white for your first move and see what happens. Maybe play natural developing moves in the centre aiming for a London setup and see how it goes. If it works for you, then you have learnt another strategy. The reason I suggested the London, is that it is less vulnerable to an early attack by black that would mess up your plans. It is also a very different style of play to the one you are using at present, so might be a nice change. After you have practised the London for a while, maybe try to spice it up with a more attacking game in the centre, maybe the queens gambit, this sets up what is called tension, where peices threaten each other, but you are challenging your opponent to take your pawn, in theory to give you an advantage that you can then exploit. I would also add, don't try to learn lots of openinsg at once. At the end of the day as white you only need one, maybe two, but you need to be able to adapt to respond to your opponent, that comes from practice.
Several people have made helpful comments. I agree that learning move sequences does not really help. Trying to work out what the plan is for an opening is a better idea in theory, but is difficult without some trial and error first. That might be just me.
Someone earlier in the thread suggested the book by John Emms. I agree, excellent book. It gives loads of examples of good moves in various openings and what makes them good possible moves. Even more helpful, I found was, it identifies common blunders within openings and how they get punished. It is my "go to" chess book at the moment. It is not a book to teach you lots of variants of a specific opening, more a book to just make you a better chess player in the first half of the game.
Let me know how you get on, if you try a new opening for white, and if you fancy a game or two let me know.

Hello again Like I said. A lot of your games follow a similar pattern you fienchetto a bishop (sometimes both of them) and usually dont play for the centre with pawns. There are several good strong openings for black that use this approach. that is why I suggested that for the moment you stick to what you know for black. It is a atrategy that is much less used by white, because to some extent it gives up the initiative. My feeling was that you might enjoy playing a different style of game as well. Instead of holding back to see what your opponent does and then attack it, try to play some games as white where you try to take control of the centre with pawns early on, taking advantage of the fact that white moves first. That is why I suggested you try playing d4 as white for your first move and see what happens. Maybe play natural developing moves in the centre aiming for a London setup and see how it goes. If it works for you, then you have learnt another strategy. The reason I suggested the London, is that it is less vulnerable to an early attack by black that would mess up your plans. It is also a very different style of play to the one you are using at present, so might be a nice change. After you have practised the London for a while, maybe try to spice it up with a more attacking game in the centre, maybe the queens gambit, this sets up what is called tension, where peices threaten each other, but you are challenging your opponent to take your pawn, in theory to give you an advantage that you can then exploit. I would also add, don't try to learn lots of openinsg at once. At the end of the day as white you only need one, maybe two, but you need to be able to adapt to respond to your opponent, that comes from practice. Several people have made helpful comments. I agree that learning move sequences does not really help. Trying to work out what the plan is for an opening is a better idea in theory, but is difficult without some trial and error first. That might be just me. Someone earlier in the thread suggested the book by John Emms. I agree, excellent book. It gives loads of examples of good moves in various openings and what makes them good possible moves. Even more helpful, I found was, it identifies common blunders within openings and how they get punished. It is my "go to" chess book at the moment. It is not a book to teach you lots of variants of a specific opening, more a book to just make you a better chess player in the first half of the game. Let me know how you get on, if you try a new opening for white, and if you fancy a game or two let me know.

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