Any, and everything that is considered "aggressive" and or needs to be known at least 30 moves deep.
Sicilian
Benoni
Gruenfeld
Ruy Lopez
Any, and everything that is considered "aggressive" and or needs to be known at least 30 moves deep.
Sicilian
Benoni
Gruenfeld
Ruy Lopez
What openings do you recommend and play? I have a horrible opening repertoire and want to learn more openings as white and as black
I find it helpful to play against computer and see what it does. 1. e4 and 1. d4 tend to be what it plays.
What openings do you recommend and play? I have a horrible opening repertoire and want to learn more openings as white and as black
I find it helpful to play against computer and see what it does. 1. e4 and 1. d4 tend to be what it plays.
And unless you understand "why" the engine plays the moves it does, playing an engine is not going to help you any.
Any, and everything that is considered "aggressive" and or needs to be known at least 30 moves deep.
Sicilian
Benoni
Gruenfeld
Ruy Lopez
Bacon... been hacked
No...I just gave up :-)
Chess Openings Resources for Beginners and Beyond...
https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/openings-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond
If you're pretty bored of normal openings, try 1...Nc6 as black against e4 and d4, and 1.Nc3 with white. Best of luck!
"... for those that want to be as good as they can be, they'll have to work hard.
Play opponents who are better than you … . Learn basic endgames. Create a simple opening repertoire (understanding the moves are far more important than memorizing them). Study tactics. And pick up tons of patterns. That’s the drumbeat of success. ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (December 27, 2018)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/little-things-that-help-your-game
"... For beginning players, [Discovering Chess Openings] 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
Detailed suggestions are provided by Moret in his My-First-Chess-Opening-Repertoire-for-White book.
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9033.pdf
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/vincent-moret/
Opening Repertoire 1 e4 and Keep it Simple 1.e4 are somewhat similar sorts of books.
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7819.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9068.pdf
https://www.chess.com/blog/HanSchut/review-keep-it-simple-1-e4-by-im-christof-sielecki
https://www.chess.com/blog/Milliern/a-solution-to-all-of-your-1-e4-problems
https://www.chess.com/blog/logozar/1-e4-a-comprehensive-white-repertoire-blog-preview
Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014) combines explanation of principles with starting opening suggestions. Of necessity, his opening descriptions are less detailed (than those of Moret) because he tried to offer choices to the reader and give some indication of how a player might choose what to try.
http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/openings-for-amateurs/
https://www.mongoosepress.com/catalog/excerpts/openings_amateurs.pdf
Some players may not like the idea of relying on the limited selection of an author. It is a pretty daunting project to try to learn a little bit about a lot of openings, but, if one wants more freedom to make choices, it would make sense to look at a book like Yasser Seirawan's Winning Chess Openings.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627132508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen173.pdf
While reading such a book, don't forget that the primary purpose is to get help with making choices. Once one has chosen openings, I think that there is wide agreement that the way to start is by playing over sample games. Some of us think that it can be useful to use books like First Steps: 1 e4 e5 and First Steps: Queen's Gambit
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7790.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7652.pdf
as sources of games with explanations intended for those just starting to learn about an opening. Be sure to try to use the openings in games in between sessions of learning. Most of the time, one faces a position with no knowledge of a specific move indicated in a book. One has to accept that as part of chess, and think of opening knowledge as a sometimes helpful aid. After a game, it makes sense to try to look up the moves in a book and see if it has some indication of how one might have played better in the opening. Many opening books are part explanation and part reference material. The reference material is included in the text with the idea that one mostly skips it on a first reading, and looks at an individual item when it applies to a game that one has just played. Resist the temptation to try to turn a book into a mass memorization project. There are many important subjects that one should not neglect because of too much time on opening study.
https://www.chess.com/article/view/learning-an-opening-to-memorize-or-understand
https://www.chess.com/article/view/3-ways-to-learn-new-openings
https://www.chess.com/article/view/how-to-understand-openings
"... Overall, I would advise most players to stick to a fairly limited range of openings, and not to worry about learning too much by heart. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"... I feel that the main reasons to buy an opening book are to give a good overview of the opening, and to explain general plans and ideas. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... If the book contains illustrative games, it is worth playing these over first ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... the average player only needs to know a limited amount about the openings he plays. Providing he understands the main aims of the opening, a few typical plans and a handful of basic variations, that is enough. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
"... Everyman Chess has started a new series aimed at those who want to understand the basics of an opening, i.e., the not-yet-so-strong players. ... I imagine [there] will be a long series based on the premise of bringing the basic ideas of an opening to the reader through plenty of introductory text, game annotations, hints, plans and much more. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2002)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627055734/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen38.pdf
"The way I suggest you study this book is to play through the main games once, relatively quickly, and then start playing the variation in actual games. Playing an opening in real games is of vital importance - without this kind of live practice it is impossible to get a 'feel' for the kind of game it leads to. There is time enough later for involvement with the details, after playing your games it is good to look up the line." - GM Nigel Davies (2005)
"... Review each of your games, identifying opening (and other) mistakes with the goal of not repeatedly making the same mistake. ... It is especially critical not to continually fall into opening traps – or even lines that result in difficult positions ..." - NM Dan Heisman (2007)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627062646/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman81.pdf
Various items of possible interest:
"There is no such thing as a 'best opening.' Each player should choose an opening that attracts him. Some players are looking for a gambit as White, others for Black gambits. Many players that are starting out (or have bad memories) want to avoid mainstream systems, others want dynamic openings, and others want calm positional pathways. It’s all about personal taste and personal need.
For example, if you feel you’re poor at tactics you can choose a quiet positional opening (trying to hide from your weakness and just play chess), or seek more dynamic openings that engender lots of tactics and sacrifices (this might lead to more losses but, over time, will improve your tactical skills and make you stronger)." - IM Jeremy Silman (January 28, 2016)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/opening-questions-and-a-dream-mate
https://www.chess.com/article/view/picking-the-correct-opening-repertoire
http://chess-teacher.com/best-chess-openings/
https://www.chess.com/blog/TigerLilov/build-your-opening-repertoire
https://www.chess.com/blog/CraiggoryC/how-to-build-an-opening-repertoire
The April 2019 issue of Chess lists the top twenty openings compiled from a list of 2514 February games where both players were rated over 2400 Elo. One can not take position on this list too seriously because it is greatly influenced by how the openings are grouped. For example, all the Retis are grouped together, while English is separated into 1...c5, 1...e5, etc. Nevertheless, for what it is worth, some of the list entries are: 170 Retis, 121 King's Indians, 113 Caro-Kanns, 93 declined Queen's Gambits, 89 Nimzo-Indians, 84 Najdorf Sicilians, 84 Slavs, 60 2 Nf3 d6 sideline Sicilians, 58 1...c5 Englishes, 56 Berlin Ruy Lopezes, 55 1...e6 Englishes, 53 1...Nf6 Englishes, 53 1...e5 Englishes, 53 Queen's Indians, 49 3 Nxe5 Petroffs, 46 Giuoco Pianos, 45 Catalans, and 44 2 Nf3 sideline Sicilians.
"... A typical way of choosing an opening repertoire is to copy the openings used by a player one admires. ... However, what is good at world-championship level is not always the best choice at lower levels of play, and it is often a good idea to choose a 'model' who is nearer your own playing strength. ..." - FM Steve Giddins (2008)
https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-perfect-opening-for-the-lazy-student
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9035.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627110453/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen169.pdf
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9029.pdf
https://www.chess.com/article/view/has-the-king-s-indian-attack-been-forgotten
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7277.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627104938/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen159.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627052905/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen175.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627022042/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen153.pdf
"... Once you identify an opening you really like and wish to learn in more depth, then should you pick up a book on a particular opening or variation. Start with ones that explain the opening variations and are not just meant for advanced players. ..." - Dan Heisman (2001)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626180930/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman06.pdf
"... To begin with, only study the main lines ... you can easily fill in the unusual lines later. ..." - GM John Nunn (2006)
"... For inexperienced players, I think the model that bases opening discussions on more or less complete games that are fully annotated, though with a main focus on the opening and early middlegame, is the ideal. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2010)
"... I think people tend to be afraid of the main lines. They think: ... sure, I'm going to take up (say) 5 Bg5 against the Semi-Slav, once I've got time and learned it properly. ... My advice is - don't bother. The more you learn anyway, the more you'll recognize how little you know. ... 5 Bg5 is a good move - get it on the board, get ready to fight, and see what happens.
Sure, there will come a time, whether on move two or move twenty, when your knowledge of theory runs out and you have to decide what to do on your own. ... sometimes you will leave theory first, sometimes your opponent. Nothing will stop this happening. It happens in every well-contested GM game at some point, usually a very significant point. This is a part of the game: an important part, something you have to get better at. ... to improve you have to challenge yourself; ..." - IM John Cox (2006)
"... 'Journey to the Chess Kingdom' ... is primarily intended for children ... Chapter five deals with opening principles, while chapter six provides an overview of the most popular chess openings. Importantly, the emphasis is on giving insights and explaining ideas and principles as opposed to advocating mindless memorization of long lines. ..." - WGM Natalia Pogonina (2014)
https://www.chess.com/blog/Natalia_Pogonina/book-review-quotjourney-to-the-chess-kingdomquot
Typewriter44 said, "What openings do you recommend and play? I have a horrible opening repertoire and want to learn more openings as white and as black."
Get an ECO. Study it. Decide for yourself.
Ciao,
Timothy Scott Puente
By the way, on 1...Nc6 (Nc6 against everything) there is a complete book called "The Dark Knight System" and it's actually one of the best opening books out there. It's $17 on Amazon
Has there been an ECO revision since 2010?
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627063241/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen145.pdf
"... For new players, I cannot recommend books that use [an encyclopedic] type of presentation [of opening theory], because the explanatory prose that elaborates typical plans and ideas is usually absent, thus leaving the student without any clear idea why certain moves are played or even preferred over other apparently equivalent moves. ..." - FM Carsten Hansen (2010)
The table at
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/modern-chess-openings-tables
is (I think) not an actual ECO table, but I think it gives some idea of what it is like to try to use ECO information.
Any, and everything that is considered "aggressive" and or needs to be known at least 30 moves deep. Sicilian Benoni Gruenfeld Ruy Lopez
"... Starting now, I will tell beginners what they what to hear, not what they need to hear. ..." - IMBacon (~2 days ago)
Is there any reason to believe that Typewriter44 wanted to hear what IMBacon posted about 11 hours ago?
There is this old book i have that my grandpa gave to me. It is called Logical Chess, Move by Move, by Irving Chernev. I just remembered that I had it, and it says that the King-Side attack and the Queen's Pawn Opening are great openers, but it is fine to pretty much play any other opening. It was made in 1957, so I don't think they will have any more in bookstores.
... Logical Chess, Move by Move, by Irving Chernev. ... It was made in 1957, so I don't think they will have any more in bookstores.
An algebraic edition was published in 1998.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
What openings do you recommend and play? I have a horrible opening repertoire and want to learn more openings as white and as black
What openings do you recommend and play? I have a horrible opening repertoire and want to learn more openings as white and as black