Manual: How to make your own opening repertoire with the Lichess study feature • page 1/1 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

FM Wittke

Probably the most loved studies here on Lichess are opening studies. A lot of them have fancy emojis in the title and look really neat, but they only show you the opening's starting position and maybe a few lines. To really learn and understand the opening they are much too brief and shallow.
Although by no means an expert of openings, I have built my own opening repertoire with the help of the Lichess study feature and opening explorer. I thought I'd write down a few tips for those of you who want to make their own, more substantial, opening study.
First things first: choose the opening you want to study. If you can get your hands on extra material like videos, articles etc. - great! Watch/read them carefully and don't focus too much on the actual variations (we'll take care of them later); rather try to grasp the general ideas and plans of the opening. If not - no need to worry, it will also work without outside help.

Step 1: Build a variation tree.
The first chapter of your study should be an overview of all variations, to which you can go back to if you quickly want to know the right move in a given situation. Begin with the starting position of your opening and click through the most common variation in the opening explorer (always use the Master database, not the Lichess game database!) up to move 9-13, depending on the opening. Stop once you see that the amount of games is split roughly evenly over several different possible moves.
This is the main line of your opening, the line which you will probably encounter most often and is therefore the most important line in your repertoire. Now go back move-by-move and each time save the 2-3 most common alternatives of your opponent as sidelines. You can also play through these sidelines up to roughly move 10. Don't go in too deeply! It's supposed to be an overview, not a jungle.
If you are back at the starting position of your opening, this is now the variation tree that determines the contents of your study. It is most convenient to first study the main line and then work your way backwards through the variation tree.

Step 2: Structure your study in sections.
I find it very useful to structure your study in different sections. The first section should be about your main line. Later sections should then deal with your opponent's alternatives, for example: "Deviations on move 8", "Deviations on move 7" and so on. Usually, every section contains roughly 3-5 chapters.

Step 3: Build the individual chapters.
The individual chapters should deal with one variation each. A good rule of thumb is: "If the variation has a name, it gets it's own chapter." Chapters should also concern themselves with sidelines and important alternatives; you can go into much more details here than in the variation overview. You don't always have to go for the most-played move yourself. If there are alternative moves for you which score really well, they are a good candidate to look at.
Model games are super useful for studying openings. While browsing through the variations, keep a lookout for the 'Top games' in the opening explorer. Maybe there was a top-level game won in this variation just recently? You can view the game whether it is really that useful to you, and if so cite it (if it covers a sideline in your chapter) or insert it and use it as the model game for this variation.
Hint: if you can find a top player that uses this opening regularly, that's a gold mine. Study his/her games and shamelessly copy their ideas!

Step 4: Perfect the chapters and understand the opening.
Once you have found model games, it is time to comment them yourself. Make extensive use of the glyphs and arrows (although you should keep things clear). Also use text to explain moves or set-ups. What are the plans, what do you have to look out for? Use your own words, there are no mistakes.
You have hit the jackpot if you can make out rules or patterns for yourself, for example: "If White moves back his queen, it is safe to castle" or "If Black has not developed his bishop, you can advance on the kingside". This shows that you understood the opening really well and also helps you memorizing - it is much easier to go by rules than pure memory of variations!

This is in no way the only possibility to build up opening studies, but it has worked really well for me. Maybe it's also useful to someone else. Happy studying!

Disclaimer: This post is, although not directed directly to them, probably more useful for intermediate players and above. If you are still a beginner - don't worry! Opening theory is not something you have to concern yourself with just yet. Stick to the opening principles and focus on tactics, tactics, tactics! Probably the most loved studies here on Lichess are opening studies. A lot of them have fancy emojis in the title and look really neat, but they only show you the opening's starting position and maybe a few lines. To really learn and understand the opening they are much too brief and shallow. Although by no means an expert of openings, I have built my own opening repertoire with the help of the Lichess study feature and opening explorer. I thought I'd write down a few tips for those of you who want to make their own, more substantial, opening study. First things first: choose the opening you want to study. If you can get your hands on extra material like videos, articles etc. - great! Watch/read them carefully and don't focus too much on the actual variations (we'll take care of them later); rather try to grasp the general ideas and plans of the opening. If not - no need to worry, it will also work without outside help. Step 1: Build a variation tree. The first chapter of your study should be an overview of all variations, to which you can go back to if you quickly want to know the right move in a given situation. Begin with the starting position of your opening and click through the most common variation in the opening explorer (always use the Master database, not the Lichess game database!) up to move 9-13, depending on the opening. Stop once you see that the amount of games is split roughly evenly over several different possible moves. This is the main line of your opening, the line which you will probably encounter most often and is therefore the most important line in your repertoire. Now go back move-by-move and each time save the 2-3 most common alternatives of your opponent as sidelines. You can also play through these sidelines up to roughly move 10. Don't go in too deeply! It's supposed to be an overview, not a jungle. If you are back at the starting position of your opening, this is now the variation tree that determines the contents of your study. It is most convenient to first study the main line and then work your way backwards through the variation tree. Step 2: Structure your study in sections. I find it very useful to structure your study in different sections. The first section should be about your main line. Later sections should then deal with your opponent's alternatives, for example: "Deviations on move 8", "Deviations on move 7" and so on. Usually, every section contains roughly 3-5 chapters. Step 3: Build the individual chapters. The individual chapters should deal with one variation each. A good rule of thumb is: "If the variation has a name, it gets it's own chapter." Chapters should also concern themselves with sidelines and important alternatives; you can go into much more details here than in the variation overview. You don't always have to go for the most-played move yourself. If there are alternative moves for you which score really well, they are a good candidate to look at. Model games are super useful for studying openings. While browsing through the variations, keep a lookout for the 'Top games' in the opening explorer. Maybe there was a top-level game won in this variation just recently? You can view the game whether it is really that useful to you, and if so cite it (if it covers a sideline in your chapter) or insert it and use it as the model game for this variation. Hint: if you can find a top player that uses this opening regularly, that's a gold mine. Study his/her games and shamelessly copy their ideas! Step 4: Perfect the chapters and understand the opening. Once you have found model games, it is time to comment them yourself. Make extensive use of the glyphs and arrows (although you should keep things clear). Also use text to explain moves or set-ups. What are the plans, what do you have to look out for? Use your own words, there are no mistakes. You have hit the jackpot if you can make out rules or patterns for yourself, for example: "If White moves back his queen, it is safe to castle" or "If Black has not developed his bishop, you can advance on the kingside". This shows that you understood the opening really well and also helps you memorizing - it is much easier to go by rules than pure memory of variations! This is in no way the only possibility to build up opening studies, but it has worked really well for me. Maybe it's also useful to someone else. Happy studying!

PranavBobbySekhar

Wow, thnx @Wittke

kaissa44

@Wittke The Lichess forums don't deserve somebody like you with such good advice

vio7

listudy.org has a move trainer for lichess studys to memorize/practice opening lines.