New Opening Repertoire
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corzounaii
Mar 31, 2020
0
#1
Hello, I am planning to change my opening repertoire. I was thinking of something like this: English Opening as white, Scandinavian (Portuguese Variation) vs e4, Old Indian Defense vs d4 and b6 vs everything else. What do you think? What changes would you do and what suggestions do you have?
Thanks,
Perhaps it would be a good idea to start with Discovering Chess Openings, a book about opening principles.
"... For beginning players, this book will offer an opportunity to start out on the right foot and really get a feel for what is happening on the board. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2006)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf
"... For players with very limited experience, I recommend using openings in which the play can be clarified at an early stage, often with a degree of simplification. To accomplish this safely will take a little study, because you will have to get used to playing wiith open lines for both sides' pieces, but you can't eliminate risk entirely in the opening anyway. ... teachers all over the world suggest that inexperienced players begin with 1 e4. ... You will undoubtedly see the reply 1 ... e5 most often when playing at or near a beginner's level, ... After 2 Nf3, 2 ... Nc6 will occur in the bulk of your games. ... I recommend taking up the classical and instructive move 3 Bc4 at an early stage. Then, against 3 ... Bc5, it's thematic to try to establish the ideal centre by 4 c3 and 5 d4; after that, things can get complicated enough that you need to take a look at some theory and learn the basics; ..." - IM John Watson in a section of his 2010 book, Mastering the Chess Openings, Volume 4
"... As Black, I think that [players with very limited experience] would do well … playing 1...e5 versus 1 e4 and 1...d5 versus 1 d4. … [After 1 d4 d5, if] White plays the most important move, 2 c4, inexperienced players might want to begin classically with 2...e6 followed by ...Nf6 and ...Be7 …" - IM John Watson (2010)
It seems to me inconsistent. The English is a positional opening that requires a fair bit of strategic knowledge to play well. The Portuguese variation is very sharp and you need to memorize a lot of lines. The Old Indian is solid but can be passive - you'd have to watch all the time for opportunities to break out. As for b6, I don't think much of it, but again you have to know what you're doing - - you're taking two moves to develop a queenside piece instead of the safe option of getting castled on the kingside as quickly as possible. If you're an inexperienced player, I wouldn't recommend any of them.
This is an odd opening repertoire idea. The English is fine. I would learn the Portuguese Scandinavian but also learn something more solid like the 3.Qd6 Scandinavian. You might want to learn something more mainstream than the Old Indian. Lastly, b6 against everything else is not a great idea. Instead play something that works well with your d4 repertoire.
Mar 31, 2020
0
#5
It is severely flawed. You cannot get by on the English alone. After 1...e6 or 1...c6 followed by an early ...d5, you are forced into either a QP opening if d4 or a Reti if not d4, like 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 and now 3.b3 or 3.g3. Same after 1.c4 c6.
Portuguese only works if 3.d4. What about 3.c4?
1...b6 can only be recommended against 1.c4.
If you are going to do Old Indian, might as well do the Kings Indian as well.
Apr 1, 2020
0
#6
ThrillerFan wrote:
It is severely flawed. You cannot get by on the English alone. After 1...e6 or 1...c6 followed by an early ...d5, you are forced into either a QP opening if d4 or a Reti if not d4, like 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 and now 3.b3 or 3.g3. Same after 1.c4 c6.
Portuguese only works if 3.d4. What about 3.c4?
1...b6 can only be recommended against 1.c4.
If you are going to do Old Indian, might as well do the Kings Indian as well.
If white plays c4, then black can play a gambit with both e6 (Icelandic Gambit) or c6
Apr 1, 2020
0
#7
ThrillerFan schreef:
It is severely flawed. You cannot get by on the English alone. After 1...e6 or 1...c6 followed by an early ...d5, you are forced into either a QP opening if d4 or a Reti if not d4, like 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 and now 3.b3 or 3.g3. Same after 1.c4 c6.
That is nonsense. There are anti-Slav and anti-Queen's Gambit declined lines in the English. You should check out this book.
Apr 1, 2020
0
#8
corzounaii wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
It is severely flawed. You cannot get by on the English alone. After 1...e6 or 1...c6 followed by an early ...d5, you are forced into either a QP opening if d4 or a Reti if not d4, like 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 and now 3.b3 or 3.g3. Same after 1.c4 c6.
Portuguese only works if 3.d4. What about 3.c4?
1...b6 can only be recommended against 1.c4.
If you are going to do Old Indian, might as well do the Kings Indian as well.
If white plays c4, then black can play a gambit with both e6 (Icelandic Gambit) or c6
...e6 is dicey, and ...c6 will force him to also know the Panov-Botvinnik Attack (White's best move is to do that and not take on c6).
Part of the issue of it being flawed is that it's incomplete and doesn't account for other things he needs to know - Panov-Botvinnik, London System, etc as Black, along with either Reti or QP openings as White.
Apr 1, 2020
0
#9
Anyway, as for your black repertoire choices vs other then 1.e4, i would opt for a Queen's Gambit Declined type set up or the King's Indian. And there is no need to play 1...b6 as these openings can be played against virtually everything white throws at you. And if you're worried about maybe King's Indian theory, there are lesser theoretical variations, like with ...Na6.
As for your choice vs 1.e4, i would rather opt for a Caro-Kann instead of the Scandi. Personally i play the open games.
Apr 1, 2020
0
#10
ThrillerFan schreef:
corzounaii wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
It is severely flawed. You cannot get by on the English alone. After 1...e6 or 1...c6 followed by an early ...d5, you are forced into either a QP opening if d4 or a Reti if not d4, like 1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 and now 3.b3 or 3.g3. Same after 1.c4 c6.
Portuguese only works if 3.d4. What about 3.c4?
1...b6 can only be recommended against 1.c4.
If you are going to do Old Indian, might as well do the Kings Indian as well.
If white plays c4, then black can play a gambit with both e6 (Icelandic Gambit) or c6
...e6 is dicey, and ...c6 will force him to also know the Panov-Botvinnik Attack (White's best move is to do that and not take on c6).
Part of the issue of it being flawed is that it's incomplete and doesn't account for other things he needs to know - Panov-Botvinnik, London System, etc as Black, along with either Reti or QP openings as White.
What are you talking about? The book i mentioned offers a COMPLETE English repertoire against all of black's replies with the exception of the Dutch, an early ...b6 and the King's Indian. But the book offers repertoire choices against those as well.
I wouldn’t recommend c4...b6 @ThrillerFan. After d4 or even stronger maybe e4 are you suggesting a sketchy line like the English Defence.
check out the links to articles pertaining to opening repertoires at the end of this article...
Chess Openings Resources for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/openings-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond