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Pick a couple and learn the main lines and some of the general ideas. Openings are less about knowing every single line (there can be hundreds) and more about identifying patterns and themes.
I recommend: playing, looking up, playing, looking up...
Only a bit theory in advance: you don’t know what is important and one barely remembers the theory without practical play
Only a bit theory in advance: you don’t know what is important and one barely remembers the theory without practical play
Do not care about openings. General principles are enough. Study of endgames is far more useful.
According to my experience I cannot support excessive endgame training as a beginner. Some basics, true, that is mandatory.
I barely have technical endgames, in every game I have an opening though.
I barely have technical endgames, in every game I have an opening though.
@tpr Learning endgames doesn't make sense if you do something wrong in the opening and lose. Your endgames won't do you much good! Capablanca's advice is outdated and I find it wrong, if not even harmful! You've got to get this far to get into an endgame!
Get ChessBase! Find some openings you like to play or want to learn and you can see the thousands of GM games with that opening! I like to play "Guess The Move" and try to find the moves the GMs played. This is an excellent way to improve all aspects of your game.
I read somewhere that I should not worry about openings until my rating is 1800 and above. I kinda believe this. Since am still blundering pieces here and there. Plus birds of my feathers never follow main lines past move 10 or so!! General principles get me through mucky openings.
But try Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition. It has a nice opening practice in the academy section.
But try Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition. It has a nice opening practice in the academy section.
I'd say play with random opp's, See how they play, study their playstyle. ( Tip - At the end of the game, you can click on the analysis board and figure out which moves were right/wrong and what opening was played. )
I'd say For Basics study 'Sicilian Defense' both for defending and attacking, since its very helpful when you're playing black, you should also know how to deal with the sicilian when playing white, and so on, if you study a opening, be sure to study both colors well for it.
(Or study any other defense which is played more at the top level.)
Good luck!
I'd say For Basics study 'Sicilian Defense' both for defending and attacking, since its very helpful when you're playing black, you should also know how to deal with the sicilian when playing white, and so on, if you study a opening, be sure to study both colors well for it.
(Or study any other defense which is played more at the top level.)
Good luck!
@odoaker2015
This is completly wrong. Endings teach exact thinking in chess. A beginner will win more games if he knows the basic mating ideas. The basic pawn and rook endings will help you make many points till average club player, aka ~FIDE 1550., and later.
@cmwxyz and @Sarg0n
They are right. Choosing a line, trying to understand the idea behind this line, playing, looking what was right (!) and what was wrong, and repeating this process again and again.
How to choose an opening?
At your level you should use openings leading to open positions with free piece play. There's a difference between an open game (opening) and an open position in a game. Try to understand this and learn to play open positions first. Closed positions can lead to open positions. The other way round didn't happen to me never in my 60 years of playing chess iirc. ;)
This is completly wrong. Endings teach exact thinking in chess. A beginner will win more games if he knows the basic mating ideas. The basic pawn and rook endings will help you make many points till average club player, aka ~FIDE 1550., and later.
@cmwxyz and @Sarg0n
They are right. Choosing a line, trying to understand the idea behind this line, playing, looking what was right (!) and what was wrong, and repeating this process again and again.
How to choose an opening?
At your level you should use openings leading to open positions with free piece play. There's a difference between an open game (opening) and an open position in a game. Try to understand this and learn to play open positions first. Closed positions can lead to open positions. The other way round didn't happen to me never in my 60 years of playing chess iirc. ;)
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