Do you use anything to memorize openings?

There is an app called Lotus chess on the Apple Store. You might wish to download as it has a lot openings and has drills to help memorize an opening.

FourtyTwoFields

#22

I have three criteria regarding my method to learn openings: Seems that many players only go for the first criteria

Must be able to recall the moves in my games
Want to learn the ideas and typical middlegame patterns
Should be fun and not a boring torment like spaced repetions

Currently I picked a global top200 player who has an opening repertoire which I like, which he plays consistently and who streams often e.g. titled tuesday tournaments.

With SCID and Lumbrasgigabase but also with Lichess if you know the players handle you can build his opening tree
By watching him play and explain what he does I learn the ideas of the openings and typical patterns which occur

In addition I watch some Youtube videos about the openings because explanations in videos tend to be far more extensive than in books which usually dont explain every move with a lot of words but are often just printed variation trees.

I have three criteria regarding my method to learn openings: Seems that many players only go for the first criteria - Must be able to recall the moves in my games - Want to learn the ideas and typical middlegame patterns - Should be fun and not a boring torment like spaced repetions Currently I picked a global top200 player who has an opening repertoire which I like, which he plays consistently and who streams often e.g. titled tuesday tournaments. - With SCID and Lumbrasgigabase but also with Lichess if you know the players handle you can build his opening tree - By watching him play and explain what he does I learn the ideas of the openings and typical patterns which occur In addition I watch some Youtube videos about the openings because explanations in videos tend to be far more extensive than in books which usually dont explain every move with a lot of words but are often just printed variation trees.

swimmerBill

#23

I am old so pure memorization of new material is slow. I also retain zero from videos.
What I do in openings I play is:
play thru as many annotated games as I can find in books -''as many'' = more than 500
.
I have a set of postal chess stamps & use them to record positions from these with thematic tactics and opening moves that are critical and anti-intuitive to me.
.
Periodically go thru these recorded positions while waiting for whatever.
.
Make a study where I annotate myself a 'bunch'' (20-50) of games -- first my comments then what books say then adding what the computer says.
.
Annotate similarly in a study interesting games I play.
.
Sometimes set up an opening position I have trouble i and play (5 or 10 min) game after game vs stockfish on different levels until I start to have an understanding of the right patterns of play.
.
--This all happens slowly as I'm working full time with a normal life outside of chess. family, home repair, work, auto repair, fitness, taxes, other paperwork, normal tiredness at the day's end, etc all come before chess.
Bill

I am old so pure memorization of new material is slow. I also retain zero from videos. What I do in openings I play is: play thru as many annotated games as I can find in books -''as many'' = more than 500 . I have a set of postal chess stamps & use them to record positions from these with thematic tactics and opening moves that are critical and anti-intuitive to me. . Periodically go thru these recorded positions while waiting for whatever. . Make a study where I annotate myself a 'bunch'' (20-50) of games -- first my comments then what books say then adding what the computer says. . Annotate similarly in a study interesting games I play. . Sometimes set up an opening position I have trouble i and play (5 or 10 min) game after game vs stockfish on different levels until I start to have an understanding of the right patterns of play. . --This all happens slowly as I'm working full time with a normal life outside of chess. family, home repair, work, auto repair, fitness, taxes, other paperwork, normal tiredness at the day's end, etc all come before chess. Bill

greysensei

#24

chessbook, anki, and flashcards.

Cedur216