Learning a New Opening

I took my own advice from my blogs and started keeping a notebook of my games and what I learned from them.

One thing I have learned.  I am awful from the black side.  I have not really learned a Black opening that I am comfortable with -- and it shows.

How would you go about learning and learning well a new opening?  I own a Mac so I do not have Fritz, but I have Shredder.  Do you just play against the computer until it comes natural.  

My goodness, there are videos galore and posts galore on openings.  I have several great books.  How do you go about learning a new opening.  After I have played it awhile, I can tell if I am "comfortable" with it.  I prefer open to closed games.

Any thoughts besides the obvious which to me is:  watch the videos several times, read all you can, play again the computer.

Thanks

Jim

Play through annotated GM games with the opening. Use it in as many games as you can, not just against the computer. Read books on the opening. Use databases. Try to find improvements after each of your games. Accept that the process may take years.

Playing against the computer is a bit limiting; you'll find that humans play different moves that you also need to know what to play against, and a computer will usually beat you anyway, regardless of how well you played the opening.

EDIT: But at your level, the opening really has hardly any impact on the result of the game. You should probably work on not losing material to simple tactics first.

I am probably not the best person to take advice from, as I am hardly a chess expert, but this is what helped me (and it really did help, it took me from 800 to 1000+ in fast order):

I didn't try to learn specific openings, I just taught my self opening theory.

These are the key rules I (attempt) to follow religiously. Following them, I find that openings are not a huge problem for me any more:

1) Aim for the center.

2) Don't move any piece twice until all of your major (back row) pieces have been moved at least once. (Except maybe a rook).

3) Castle as early as possible.

4) Knights before bishops, unless the bishop gives you an advantage.

5) Keep your Queen back until your other back row pieces are developed.

6) Remember to build an escape route for your king as soon as possible.

Obviously sometimes you will find an advantage that will defy these rules, but I find they are pretty solid.

Having said that, I also invested in a second hand Nintendo DS (about $AU90) and brought a chess game for it (about $AU5), and I play against the computer most nights (in bed, after some reading). The computer isn't terribly hard (even on hard mode), but it really helps iron out common mistakes.

Lynch, you have 3 trophies in your trophy case from tournaments.  Not bad I would say.

Lets say (and this is generally true) that I know the opening and basic theory.  LEARNING it is the tough part, and generally I am a good learner (I had to learn SOMETHING after 4 college degrees).  

I like the idea about databases.  There are some free ones and I get lots to chose from since I bought Shredder.

Shredder has a nice mode (I do have Fritz on my iPhone) that is probably in all computers, that you can play and it moves its Elo power up or down depending on how you play.  And it has a coach mode -- which I find less than useful.  A great move and the coach will tell you it is a bad idea.  It is programed with basic help from the coach.

I think I will play the opening I chose over and over on Shredder (or Fritz on the iPhone) until I get to know it.   I need to know one for e4 and one for e5.  That should get me started.  Strange openings one book I have has a "general black opening" which might be a 3rd.  I have a lot of work to do.

 The Sicilian is probably the sharpest opening in the game...

My advice to improve is to study why you loss certain games and won others. Did you miss a checkmate? I was a beginner who have improve over several losses. I studied the endgame instead of the opening. I just play to get an endgame that i can handle. I don't play with an opening, just what moves best control the center.

Hope this helps. 

The important thing is to pick an opening and stick with it for a while. Too many guys blame their openings for some bad losses and hop around, never getting used to anything.

 +1

I'm probably gonna get shot down for this, But here's a way to learn an opening in a day, to an reasonable level of competence:

Download a database with a few hundred games with your opening.

Start with game 1, play through, look at each position for no more than a few seconds. Carry on to game 2, etc.

By game 5, you will find you can start predicting moves (this is just pattern recognition). Once you can start predicting opening moves, spend a little longer on positions, see if you can start predicting middlegame moves.

After an 8 hour session, you will have a pretty good idea, and if you like the opening you can try more traditional methods.

Possibly try the scandinavian, (e4, d5, Exd5, Qxd5))this isnt a very well known play and it loses you a tempo with the queen. BUt it got me from a 1100 to 1400 rating in 3 months. Then i started using the sicilian with the same results.

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but with a 900 rating you're terrible from both the black AND white side...

Actually, more often than not early in the game a move like h3 or h6 will only prove to be a waste of time and perhaps slightly weakening unless it's absolutely necessary. A situation of a back rank mate is so far off you shouldn't even be thinking about it...

The good news is that Black is a lot easier to learn than white.

I coach Juniors and I find the following to be helpful

1. Learn an opening system rather than a whole series of openings.

2. The system should be applicable against 99% of all openings by white.

3. It should be robust and easily assimillated.

4. The systems I teach are

a...d6 (Pirc / Kings Indian) for improvers

b. g6 ( Modern/Pirc/Benko) improvers

c. 1..e6 (French/Dutch) beginners.

d 1..c6 (Caro Kann/Slav) advanced players

5. Use a DVD to start with the Playchess DVD system is by far the best.

6. Deepen your knowledge over a period of months

7. Do not chop and change because you have a few bad results  You have to work at it over a period of years

8. Learn all the tactics and endgames associated with your chosen opening.

9. With Black be hard to beat find rhe most solid lines

10. Do not be swayed by fashion or theoretical argument. Some of these openings have been around for over a hundred years , they are sound.

You have to know WHY my rating is below 1000.  Looking at numbers will get you beat.  Did you see my best win was against a 1665?

My rating has taken two big hits from two major stays in the hospital.  I have been in the hospital (and nearly died) for 18 days last year.  It was after the long stay I bought a diamond membership which allows me to automatically go into vaction mode. 

But that is no good when you are entered in a "no vacation tournament".  No, I have had my days.  My group team play I always play board 8 or board 16 or something.  Often I am outgunned by 200 rating points or more.  I have a positive record in team matches (about 75%) and I have never played anyone with a lower rating.

No, numbers do not tell the whole story.  I am a Ph.D statistician who truly believes in numbers when correctly applied.  My rating of just under 1000 is justified.  One should always ask why.  Coming close to death is tough.  In the aftermath I get chronic headaches.  I am prescribed narcotics.  But still, it can and does at times, make it hard concentrate.

If you took the time to look up my rating, you should have looked at my record.  700 something to near 1000 in two months.  I bet you can guess the last time I was in the hospital.

That, my friend, was a sharp barb that was unnecessary.   I said last time I made a post I would never again do it.  I really wanted some ideas.  I got some good ones.

But this will be my last post.  Some people must delight in trolling the boards looking for a place to shoot people down.  I feel a bit sorry for them.

For the rest of you, you have given some good advice.  Thank you.

Jim

Eh, don't let one comment dissuade you from using the forums. Harsh words are common on the internet. Just ignore them and move on. For every rude comment you encounter, hopefully you'll receive many more friendly, helpful replies.

 I think this is

P in England we say never point out a guy,s weakness but his potential.

It will serve you well to remember that