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Sorry, Beginners: Openings DO matter.

#11

not to be mean but funny thing he is right and you are not even at your level u can get away by just playing simple openings and stuff no one cares to learn 10 20 moves of theory it doesnt matter what matters is tactics is this why you are 1200 uscf in chess even top gms say this u should learn mid game and endgame first and tactics and u come back to openings

not to be mean but funny thing he is right and you are not even at your level u can get away by just playing simple openings and stuff no one cares to learn 10 20 moves of theory it doesnt matter what matters is tactics is this why you are 1200 uscf in chess even top gms say this u should learn mid game and endgame first and tactics and u come back to openings
#12

It rlly depends on the players and openings

It rlly depends on the players and openings
#13

I agree to some extent, but I think it largely depends on the time control. A Blitz player can easily play 5–10 games a day, which means they can pick up an opening simply by watching a YouTube video and reinforcing it through practice. For example, playing five games a day adds up to about 1.300 (5 days a week) games in a year—plenty of opportunities to refine opening skills and learn from mistakes.

By contrast, a classical player at a local club might play only once a week, giving them around 52 games per year. That’s roughly 4% of the repetition a Blitz player gets. Classical games are also far more punishing: mastering an opening typically requires at least 100 games. For a Blitz player, that’s just 2–3 weeks of play, but for a club player, it could take two years—two years of slogging through sidelines and unexpected ideas from opponents, each lasting 4–6 hours at a time.

So when people say you should ignore opening theory and instead only focus on puzzle rush and general play, they’re usually referring to the average online chess player today—someone rated around 600 on Chess.com, playing 10 minutes and faster. That advice doesn’t necessarily apply to the average club player rated 1500 OTB, who only gets one standard-time game per week.

I agree to some extent, but I think it largely depends on the time control. A Blitz player can easily play 5–10 games a day, which means they can pick up an opening simply by watching a YouTube video and reinforcing it through practice. For example, playing five games a day adds up to about 1.300 (5 days a week) games in a year—plenty of opportunities to refine opening skills and learn from mistakes. By contrast, a classical player at a local club might play only once a week, giving them around 52 games per year. That’s roughly 4% of the repetition a Blitz player gets. Classical games are also far more punishing: mastering an opening typically requires at least 100 games. For a Blitz player, that’s just 2–3 weeks of play, but for a club player, it could take two years—two years of slogging through sidelines and unexpected ideas from opponents, each lasting 4–6 hours at a time. So when people say you should ignore opening theory and instead only focus on puzzle rush and general play, they’re usually referring to the average online chess player today—someone rated around 600 on Chess.com, playing 10 minutes and faster. That advice doesn’t necessarily apply to the average club player rated 1500 OTB, who only gets one standard-time game per week.
#14

@EntschuldigungUwU almost every OTB classical player I know also plays blitz. The ones that don't are either seniors (50+ / retired) or favor system openings purposely to avoid learning theory.

@EntschuldigungUwU almost every OTB classical player I know also plays blitz. The ones that don't are either seniors (50+ / retired) or favor system openings purposely to avoid learning theory.
#15

@sethlaynejerry never said you had to learn 20 moves of theory but completely ignoring theory and "just studying tactics" isn't enough - this is not my opinion, it's from talking to multiple NM / FM / IM titled players.

@sethlaynejerry never said you had to learn 20 moves of theory but completely ignoring theory and "just studying tactics" isn't enough - this is not my opinion, it's from talking to multiple NM / FM / IM titled players.
#16

@noahlz said in #14:
Thanks for clarifying. I think I understand your point — many classical players also play blitz, while some (like seniors or people who dislike fast time controls) don’t. My point was simply that for players who don’t get that extra blitz volume, a more deliberate opening study becomes necessary. For those who do play blitz regularly, the repetition from games already covers a lot of that ground.
On top of that, the amount of opening study also depends on rating. A 600‐rated online player can often get by with just following basic principles in the opening, while a 1500 OTB club player does need to know the main theory lines in their chosen openings, because opponents at that level will punish mistakes. So when people say “you don’t need any opening theory,” that advice is usually aimed at the first group — newer, lower‐rated online players who play rapid or blitz — not at club players who face stronger opposition in classical formats.
The Milner‐Barry Gambit is a good example: after 6...Bd7, black still scores 52% at 1400 and below, a respectable 44% at 1600+, and even 42% at 2500+. It’s only when you look at the master database that the win rate collapses to 20% with a puny 20% draw rate.

@noahlz said in #14: Thanks for clarifying. I think I understand your point — many classical players also play blitz, while some (like seniors or people who dislike fast time controls) don’t. My point was simply that for players who don’t get that extra blitz volume, a more deliberate opening study becomes necessary. For those who do play blitz regularly, the repetition from games already covers a lot of that ground. On top of that, the amount of opening study also depends on rating. A 600‐rated online player can often get by with just following basic principles in the opening, while a 1500 OTB club player does need to know the main theory lines in their chosen openings, because opponents at that level will punish mistakes. So when people say “you don’t need any opening theory,” that advice is usually aimed at the first group — newer, lower‐rated online players who play rapid or blitz — not at club players who face stronger opposition in classical formats. The Milner‐Barry Gambit is a good example: after 6...Bd7, black still scores 52% at 1400 and below, a respectable 44% at 1600+, and even 42% at 2500+. It’s only when you look at the master database that the win rate collapses to 20% with a puny 20% draw rate.
#17

@EntschuldigungUwU said in #16:

...a 1500 OTB club player does need to know the main theory lines in their chosen openings, because opponents at that level will punish mistakes.

Thank you. This is exactly my point. 10000% everyone in OTB tournaments in my section (1200 - 1800) has opening prep. The only people I've heard say "you just need tactics" are online players who play garbage (even up to the 2000-range of chess.com, where most of these junk players hang out)

And we're not talking 20 moves deep, we're saying "know how to play the first 5 - 8 moves." This is also true online where you need to navigate "Fried Liver" and "Danish Gambit" as black - if you want to play e4-e5 and survive past move 12 (those who prefer to always play a system ... fine, you do you).

Side note: I'll never forget my first chess coaching session, where I asked my coach (an FM) about the various trappy openings I faced online. He was puzzled at first, and then he remarked "oh, you're talking about those chess dot com guys! Don't worry about that, nobody plays like that in slow chess, because you have 90 minutes to figure out the defense to their wild opening and then punish them - which turned out to be true.

@EntschuldigungUwU said in #16: > ...a 1500 OTB club player does need to know the main theory lines in their chosen openings, because opponents at that level will punish mistakes. Thank you. This is exactly my point. 10000% everyone in OTB tournaments in my section (1200 - 1800) has opening prep. The only people I've heard say "you just need tactics" are online players who play garbage (even up to the 2000-range of chess.com, where most of these junk players hang out) And we're not talking 20 moves deep, we're saying "know how to play the first 5 - 8 moves." This is also true online where you need to navigate "Fried Liver" and "Danish Gambit" as black - if you want to play e4-e5 and survive past move 12 (those who prefer to always play a system ... fine, you do you). Side note: I'll never forget my first chess coaching session, where I asked my coach (an FM) about the various trappy openings I faced online. He was puzzled at first, and then he remarked "oh, you're talking about those chess dot com guys! Don't worry about that, nobody plays like that in slow chess, because you have 90 minutes to figure out the defense to their wild opening and then punish them - which turned out to be true.
#18

i agree too openings matter A LOT.begginrs are all about tactics, but how will get a good position for tactics, without a good opening

i agree too openings matter A LOT.begginrs are all about tactics, but how will get a good position for tactics, without a good opening
#20

@Kavir_Madan said in #19:

pls reply Nohlz

Yes, beginners need to know basic openings, Four Knights is how most start and it's fine.

Eventually you'll learn opening lines "the hard way" (losing a lot) etc is the point I made in my post.

@Kavir_Madan said in #19: > pls reply Nohlz Yes, beginners need to know basic openings, Four Knights is how most start and it's fine. Eventually you'll learn opening lines "the hard way" (losing a lot) etc is the point I made in my post.