How do you study an opening ?

How I study openings:

0. Develop a White Repertoire. These are my preferred moves against common responses at my ELO level. I store the moves in a Lichess study. I keep the repertoire short enough to memorize by discarding rare moves, shortening long lines, and trying to maintain consistent pawn structure and piece placement.

1. Use chesstempo.com to memorize the repertoire. (The Lichess study can be exported, and then imported into chesstempo.)

2. Review how closely my games match my repertoire. I export my Lichess games, and use an Excel spreadsheet to crunch the numbers.

Repeat for Black Repertoire against e4, and Black Repertoire against d4. My repertoires are each about 70 moves.

I find this process enjoyable, but am not sure of its effectiveness, as I've only been doing it for a few months. Lichess has some amazing tools: Export games (in Profile hamburger menu), Analysis board (select your name to see your win rate), Computer analysis. I don't find Chess Insights useful.

For example, using the Analysis board, I see your win rate is good when playing 1. d4 as White, but you struggle against Queen's Gambit Accepted. You often play 3. Nc3, but other moves might be stronger. A possible start at a White repertoire:

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4
2. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5
3. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. Bg5
4. d4 e6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 exd5 4. cxd5 d6 5. Nc3
   
   https://lichess.org/study/rXHoc58c/cqAoSfnW

@bluezorro251 said in #11:

How I study openings:

0. Develop a White Repertoire. These are my preferred moves against common responses at my ELO level. I store the moves in a Lichess study. I keep the repertoire short enough to memorize by discarding rare moves, shortening long lines, and trying to maintain consistent pawn structure and piece placement.

1. Use chesstempo.com to memorize the repertoire. (The Lichess study can be exported, and then imported into chesstempo.)

2. Review how closely my games match my repertoire. I export my Lichess games, and use an Excel spreadsheet to crunch the numbers.

Repeat for Black Repertoire against e4, and Black Repertoire against d4. My repertoires are each about 70 moves.

I find this process enjoyable, but am not sure of its effectiveness, as I've only been doing it for a few months. Lichess has some amazing tools: Export games (in Profile hamburger menu), Analysis board (select your name to see your win rate), Computer analysis. I don't find Chess Insights useful.

For example, using the Analysis board, I see your win rate is good when playing 1. d4 as White, but you struggle against Queen's Gambit Accepted. You often play 3. Nc3, but other moves might be stronger. A possible start at a White repertoire:

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4
2. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5
3. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. Bg5
4. d4 e6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 exd5 4. cxd5 d6 5. Nc3

I wasn't expecting such a complete answer, thank you so much! will def follow your advise)) !

I'm not sure that's the best approach. I am also trying to work out a good way to study openings. The proposed "pick a Repertoire, memorize the moves, review" might not be the best use of limited time and ability.

Another approach is to pick a setup, and try to achieve that setup. For example, the first 7 moves in the King’s Indian Attack might be:

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c5 4. O-O Nc6 5. d3 e6 6. Nbd2 Be7 7. e4
   
   https://lichess.org/qg6c2vZ7#13

Use Lichess Studies and Videos to learn the opening's main setup. For example:

English Opening!

Petrosian on the King’s Indian Attack with IM Bill Paschall https://youtu.be/daGRvAWk57Y?si=4zhhJeyoL0Z-JjUi&t=384

I'm not suggesting either of these openings, but these are examples of openings that have a standard setup that works against most responses.

Memorize, play it a lot until it becomes automatic.

I find studying openings easy.
Retaining what I've studied is hard.
I'm constantly forgetting a key move here and there, often in a blitz game, then going back to ''fix'' what I've misplayed. The time I have to study/patch holes/even think about chess is limited these days and I seem to often face opponents who go for tricky sidelines in sharp openings. I enjoy sharp games, but am rethinking my openings to possibly change them to slow and boring ones.

As for your question: I try to learn where the pieces go, what the key position I should aim for is what the MG strategies for both sides are. I collect thematic tactics for openings I play and review those periodically. Sometimes thematic EGs connect to openings so I study those too.

I have small blank books filled with variations I try to go back to occasionally and study. And I play through annotated GM games in the openings I expect to play when I can find them.

Bill

@EDTA532 said in #1:

My question might seem basic to some of you, but I'm struggling to understand how to effectively study an opening. I’m familiar with the fundamentals, like trying to grasp the main ideas and typical responses, but I feel like I’m not doing it very well.

Let's take an example : If I decide to study the Caro-Kann Exchange variation, I often hear experienced players say it's a more drawish opening, but I don't really understand why. So, what’s the best approach—should I focus on studying all the main lines or just the best moves?

On a practical level, how do you actually memorize the moves? Do you repeat them on an analysis board until they stick? Do you play against Stockfish or bots before facing human opponents? Do you learn openings by learning traps (and is that a good method) ?
You were given a lot of good advice, but it seems to me that you are not yet at the level to study openings as described. You are not a beginner, but not yet advanced. If you have some amount of money, I could recommend you a few courses on chessable just for your level, where you do not need to know a lot and at the same time you will get good positions, since in such courses the main goal is to develop understanding of a certain opening, and not to remember as many lines as possible. The problem with studying openings on your own or in studios created by other players is that usually the analysis is not very high quality. To be able to analyze on your own is a great gift, as for me, I never had it, it is very difficult, boring and I would even say not always effective, because it can take you many hours, which you can spend, for example, on solving problems (which will be the main reason for your rating growth on your level). The same with videos on YouTube. You must clearly understand and distinguish between meaningless videos and those that will really help you. In 90% of cases, the content for beginners on YouTube nased on studying of some openings based on traps (and as you have already been told, the main thing is to learn not specific lines, but plans in a certain opening, in which case your positional understanding will grow and, accordingly, your level of play). Again, it is also not easy to distinguish a dummy from a find, especially if you do not have a coach and no one can help you distinguish the first from the second. Again, I do not urge you to refuse what you have already been offered, those were good tips, but you need to understand that the opening at your level is not the most important thing and you should not worry too much if you have a weak knowledge in openings

Very valid question, and again all depends on opponents move while maintaining a flawless game I guess.
Defence seems best even as white but there is a balance depending your level I understand, but the balance is right in there> go offensive when you studied a plan or see an opportunity that may turn out sour?

@EDTA532 said in #1:

Let's take an example : If I decide to study the Caro-Kann Exchange variation, I often hear experienced players say it's a more drawish opening, but I don't really understand why. So, what’s the best approach—should I focus on studying all the main lines or just the best moves?

The Caro-Kann is only played in 7% of 1600ELO e4 games, but is played more often at higher levels. This might be because the Caro-Kann does not have any quick attacks. Below 1800, whoever develops a reasonable attack quickest wins, because defense is difficult to get perfect. Below 2000, the player with fewer blunders wins (tactics, hanging pieces). If you study the Caro-Kann, have a planned setup for the Advanced, Exchange, and Tartakower variations. The Caro-Kann is a safe slower opening, and so some might call it drawish or boring (no gambits or quick attacks). The idea is to get to the middle game (a safe King allows a queenside minority attack), and win there. I play the CK, and like the Alex Banzea youtube videos. A possible CK Exchange setup:

I made a study showing the most common 16 opening moves for each ELO level playing Lichess Blitz.

400, 1000, and 1200 ELO all went for the Fried Liver Attack. White plays Nf3 and Bc4 looking for an early checkmate. Black allows the attack.

1400 and 1600 ELO both played the Greco Gambit in the Classical variation of the Italian Game. Black prevents the Fried Liver Attack. White develops the center pawns. Black gets greedy, takes too many pawns, and fails to block White's attack on their King. White's move 10 Qb3 is interesting: it is not the best move but fits in the theme of attacking the f7 pawn.

1800 ELO also went for the Greco Gambit in the Classical variation of the Italian Game, but Black refuses the pawn gambit, and instead castles to safety.

2000 ELO most common moves was the Lasker-Pelikan variation of the Open Sicilian Defense.

2200 and 2500 ELO both went for the Najdorf variation of the Open Sicilian Defense.

https://lichess.org/opening/Italian_Game_Two_Knights_Defense_Fried_Liver_Attack/e4_e5_Nf3_Nc6_Bc4_Nf6_Ng5_d5_exd5_Nxd5_Nxf7

What Chess Openings are the Strongest?
"Focus on middle and end game first! Studying openings is fun, though."
https://lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/what-chess-openings-are-the-strongest

I would say' to go over so many COMPLETED Games in the Opening in Question @EDTA532 These games should have comments . . Hopefully by doing this you can check what you are learning & Learn from The Middlegames & Endings as well as Tactics Defences & more'

Understating the idea of an opening is a good way to master it