I'm a beginner (no games completed here but 1350 on Yahoo chess and 1400 on chess.emrald.net), and I'm looking to improve my game (1800 is my goal for now), namely in the opening. What's the best way to study and learn an opening adequately, or what's a good way for to learn openings in general?
Originally posted by WriterAnathemamy 2 cents: try sticking with very few openings for a while by consistently playing them exclusively.
I'm a beginner (no games completed here but 1350 on Yahoo chess and 1400 on chess.emrald.net), and I'm looking to improve my game (1800 is my goal for now), namely in the opening. What's the best way to study and learn an opening adequately, or what's a good way for to learn openings in general?
I would recommend reading Winning Chess Openings by Yasser Seirawan. Then, play whatever openings that you think you might like based on Seirawwan's explanations. You might also want to buy the newly released MCO-15 by Nick DeFirmian. After a game, look up the appropriate line in MCO and see how your moves differed from "book" and decide whether your move or the "book" move is better.
Try and come up with a few openings that you know quite well, and stick to them, at least as white.
For me that would be the Kings Indian Attack, The Ruy Lopez, The Queens Gambit, and The Ponziani, as white. As black I usually play the Pirc, the Accelerated Dragon, and The Kings Indian Defense.
Originally posted by clandarkfireI think those are too many to learn. I'd go with french as black and the english as white.
Try and come up with a few openings that you know quite well, and stick to them, at least as white.
For me that would be the Kings Indian Attack, The Ruy Lopez, The Queens Gambit, and The Ponziani, as white. As black I usually play the Pirc, the Accelerated Dragon, and The Kings Indian Defense.
Originally posted by lauseyYes, I think that is the best way of going about it. You will need 3 openings, one with White and 2 with Black (one in response to 1.e4 and one in response to 1.d4), but it might also help to pick an opening with White and an opening with Black that relate to each other. For example, try the Queen's Gambit with White and the French with Black, or the English with White and the Sicilian with Black. There are other combinations too. This cuts down on the amount of study you will need to do.
It is a good idea to stick to a particular opening, concentrate on your middle/endgame and study lots of tactics. Memorising lots of openings wouldn't help all that much.
You will naturally pick up various openings as you play more and more games.
A good starter book for openings is "Discovering Chess Openings" by John Emms.
Although it may well be too elementary for you in parts it does provide a solid and simple explanation of the basic principles behind the openings. It explains things like why there is the rule "knights before bishops" and about ideal squares, the centre, devlopment, king safety etc. Then after this book you would be well placed to go about choosing the opening that you like to play and also know enough of the principles to help navigate something unfamiliar.
The opportunity to use databases here on RHP offers a great opportunity to study opening theory...not by simply playing the database moves but trying to work out why these moves are made. The temptation (and the mistake I''ve made myself) is to spend too much time studying openings when the time would be better spent on endings and tactics.
The point is that even if your superior opening play gets you to the middle game with a slight advantage - how are you going to keep this and capitalise on it without good tactics and endgame play.
Originally posted by AttilaTheHornWhat about f3...
Yes, I think that is the best way of going about it. You will need 3 openings, one with White and 2 with Black (one in response to 1.e4 and one in response to 1.d4), but it might also help to pick an opening with White and an opening with Black that relate to each other. For example, try the Queen's Gambit with White and the French with Black, or the E ...[text shortened]... k. There are other combinations too. This cuts down on the amount of study you will need to do.
Originally posted by WriterAnathemaFirst, ignore most of the **** advice some people tend to give.
I'm a beginner (no games completed here but 1350 on Yahoo chess and 1400 on chess.emrald.net), and I'm looking to improve my game (1800 is my goal for now), namely in the opening. What's the best way to study and learn an opening adequately, or what's a good way for to learn openings in general?
Avoid blitz at all costs. Blitz is OK for helping you assess positions and move quickly but nothing more than that. It has its place in helping cope OTB in time trouble but it has no place in helping you learn.
What you need to do is decide what openings you like and suit your style. Do you like open tactical games or closed strategic games? If you don't know you need to find out which best suits your style. So the first thing to do is get a good general opening book and try out a number of different openings. I use Batsford Modern Chess Openings which is a great opening bible but gives little guidance and advice on specifics of why an opening is good or bad. Of course you could just try out different openings using a database such as gamesexplorer here.
Once you have found the sort of openings you like then I would recommend either general books on that opening style or if you feel up to it a few good opening books on your favored openings.
Of course at your level I am not really sure it is openings you should be focusing on and you are likely to get fair better results just sticking to basic opening principles and focusing on improving your tactical play for now. Once you reach 1700 or thereabouts then you can start focusing more on openings (and endings as if you don't know how to win nothing matters).
Originally posted by AttilaTheHornyou can play 1...e6 the French against 1.e4 and 1.d4, it may transpose to many things QGD even to the Sicilian therefore its a very versatile move!😲
Yes, I think that is the best way of going about it. You will need 3 openings, one with White and 2 with Black (one in response to 1.e4 and one in response to 1.d4), but it might also help to pick an opening with White and an opening with Black that relate to each other. For example, try the Queen's Gambit with White and the French with Black, or the E ...[text shortened]... k. There are other combinations too. This cuts down on the amount of study you will need to do.