I read this guide that said you shouldn't bother until you're at 1500 or so, but I feel not knowing *any* openings at all puts me at a disadvantage even at my low level. I feel kinda comfortable with mid- and endgames but in the beginning I just lack any semblance of a game plan.
Am I allowed to learn some openings yet or do I need to crack 1500 before that
When you play your first game. - :]
Learn the first three moves of some openings, and concentrate on learning the principles that make them work. If you know the first three moves of the Queen's Gambit, and know the principles that make pieces valuable, you can adlib the rest while holding your own.
No point to going deeper until you're up against titles. Memorizing too much of an opening will just trick you into thinking you can win games through sheer memory.
yea that sounds reasonable.
2100 or 2200 is when you should start theory id say, although I am not at that level yet
Otherwise just learn the first couple of moves
If you all go to your chess insights you will discover you learned chess openings indirectly and have some that are making you win more than other. Even the lowest of ratings will have an opening repertoire in their Lichess insights. It's what you plan to do with your style of repertoire that will make the difference. Look at a video that covers your personal opening mainline. You might discover the true plan of the opening.
@Toscani that's good advice, thanks!
Meekal Tall played chess with a hockey stick. After learning about openings, he switched to brooms. An opponent of his, Bend Larspoon told him to switch to spoons. He found this easier to calculate moves. Then he met a guy, Mr. Importisch, who taught him what was important in chess.
No, just play chess, meet famous people and enjoy chess.
I started learning openings way too early, maybe around 800-1000 strength? Its not totally useless. But not totally useless is not the same thing as the best use of chess studying time. Better off with a chess course and/or doing tactics problems (which is fun too). When you get strong enough that a disadvantage in the opening is a nagging problem that seems to linger in your games, thats the time to study openings. What rating that might be depends on where your playing and what time control.
At beginner level.
The real question is how much. Beginners should learn opening principles (control the centre, develop your pieces, get the king to safety), then when they get stronger learn the first 5 moves of an opening with White, an e4 opening with Black, and a d4 opening with Black; then later learn the first 10 moves, but focusing on the ideas of each move, not move order tricks; then when very strong learn cutting edge theory; then learn to wield multiple openings. All the while not falling behind in other (more important) aspects of chess (tactics, endgames, positional play, etc...).
