Hello, I am wondering what openings you personally use as your #1 choice as white. Me, I do not have one quite yet. My opening repitoir (as white) has been recently expanded from 1.e4 (Ruy Lopez, Scotch gambit) to include 1.d4 (Queen Gambit, Colle System) and 1.c4 (english, although I have the least experience in this opening). I think that this gives me a good base to work from as I understand aspects of both tactics and position. I have played both open and closed positions.
Please don't comment about the Kings Gambit as I am well aware of what this is, I am just not interested in playing it at this time.
Basically, out of this list (Lopez, Scotch, Queen Gambit, Colle System, English opening), what is your favourite? What other openings have I failed to mention that begin with 1.e4 d4 or c4 that you use frequently and why do you like it so much?
It might be helpful for me to say that as black I enjoy playing the sicillian and the benoni... yet, as white I want something powerful and complex.
Please post! THANKS! 😀
Originally posted by RahimKThats what I'm going to do... but I just have to decide which one.
Pick one opening for white and stick with it.
Either 1.e4, d4, c4 or Nf3.
To much work playing all 4. Play one and learn it completely before you start playing another one.
What ones do you prefer?
I actually think it's a great idea to experiment with all three of the major openings. 1. d4, 1. e4, and 1. c4 all teach a different side of chess. 1. e4 gave me a good sense of piece activity and tactics. 1. d4 (Queen's Gambit and Indians) helped me to better understand the center as well as positional considerations like weak squares. 1. c4 (the move I play now) has greatly refined my understanding of the initiative as well as the center. The knowledge I've gained from playing c4 allowed me to quickly surpass my previous level. I went from 1800 on ICC to 2000+ after just about two months of playing it (and all against 1800+ opponents). All the knowledge from these varied openings helped me understand chess at a higher level and it eventually all came together to form a more unified and refined conception of chess. c4 brought together many positional ideas and this crystallized knowledge allowed me to see chess more for what it really is.I am certain that if I did not experimented with all these varying styles and positions, I would be stuck at a much lower level of chess development because a great deal of ideas and knowledge would have been hidden from me. So, I recommend that you experiment with all these openings for a few months. Seriously try to understand everything. And after that's done, try to pick the one you think best fits your play and stick with it. (and do not play multiple openings during one period) Specialization will occur, but rushing it will harm your chess development in the long run. Most chess knowledge cannot be truly understood from a book or DVD, it forms through experience. This is why this rapid exposure to vastly different styles is so critical imo.
Also, I recommend you start your journey in this order:
1. e4
1. d4
1. c4
You may succeed even if you vary it, but I think each of these moves relies a bit on understanding you gained from the others. For example, d4 is often (not always) more positional than e4 and e4 is more tactical. However, you can't truly understand positional chess if you lack a good tactical foundation. If you play 1. c4, I think it is essential to have learned the lessons from d4 and e4. c4 is imo the most difficult move to truly understand and play well. When I was ~1600 on ICC and tried it a bit, I was doing very poorly. My chess knowledge was inappropriate for this move. However, by 1800, I was ready and scored better with 1. c4 than any other move. My chess knowledge caught up and I was open to new ideas from 1.c4.
BTW: While 1. c4 is my latest chess adventure and favorite move, I am not completely decided on any first opening move. I will make my final decision for specialization probably by the end of this year.
Originally posted by RahimKI don't agree, you should have a best opening for games you want to win, but in general I think it's better to experiment with several opening systems with the white pieces. Aside from anything else it helps as black to have some feel as to what white is up to. Where I do agree is that it's not a good idea to do this as black, if white knows his or her stuff then you'll be under a lot of pressure and need an opening system you can rely on. The advantage of going first protects you to some extent from problems when white.
Pick one opening for white and stick with it.
Either 1.e4, d4, c4 or Nf3.
To much work playing all 4. Play one and learn it completely before you start playing another one.
Originally posted by ChessJesterI prefer 1.e4 because the games are more exciting for me and more open and tactical.
Thats what I'm going to do... but I just have to decide which one.
What ones do you prefer?
Play what you like but after experimenting, pick one and stick with it for awhile. You can switch later on if people know what you play and bookup on you.
Originally posted by ChessJesteryou forgot the Italian Game after 1. e4
Hello, I am wondering what openings you personally use as your #1 choice as white. Me, I do not have one quite yet. My opening repitoir (as white) has been recently expanded from 1.e4 (Ruy Lopez, Scotch gambit) to include 1.d4 (Queen Gambit, Colle System) and 1.c4 (english, although I have the least experience in this opening). I think that this gives me ...[text shortened]... d the benoni... yet, as white I want something powerful and complex.
Please post! THANKS! 😀
personal favorite...
players who play 1. ... e5 usually want tactical fireworks...
you can divert from this to potentially annoy an oppopnent with this opening...
which is more positionally based
by the way, what line do you favor after 1. ... c5?
just curious
Originally posted by DeepThoughtYou know how much time it would take to play 2 or more opening systems and play them decently?
I don't agree, you should have a best opening for games you want to win, but in general I think it's better to experiment with several opening systems with the white pieces. Aside from anything else it helps as black to have some feel as to what white is up to. Where I do agree is that it's not a good idea to do this as black, if white knows his or her ...[text shortened]... rely on. The advantage of going first protects you to some extent from problems when white.
Learn one opening throughly and then move on and learn the others.
If you had a best opening for games you want to win, why not always play it?
I've read in many books, online sites and they all suggest you learn one properly and then move on if you want to. Like if everyone knows what you play, then you gotta change it up.
A master from our club told me that he went from 2100-2300 but seriously studying one opening for white and mastering it. I've read this over and over again.
Here's one link I still rememeber. Lots of good tips on this site but It's hard to navigate. I don't like how his webpage is set up.
http://www.geocities.com/lifemasteraj/training.html
Play what your comfortable with.
Originally posted by rubberjaw30I never really played the italian game too much, although I probably should.
you forgot the Italian Game after 1. e4
personal favorite...
players who play 1. ... e5 usually want tactical fireworks...
you can divert from this to potentially annoy an oppopnent with this opening...
which is more positionally based
by the way, what line do you favor after 1. ... c5?
just curious
after 1...c5 I pretty much always play the sicillian dragon and have a decent record with it... Although I am still in experimental stages.
For the first 1/2 of my chess life I played 1.e4 and in the latter 1/2 I've been playing 1.d4. Maybe I should go back to 1.e4 and play the italian and the lopez some more, I really switched to 1.d4 for the soul purpouse of developing my understanding of closed positions and to avoid playing against the sicillian which I was unfamiliar with at the time.
Thanks Rahim and exigentsky for those posts, it is really helpful to see what you think. I guess exigentsky is suggesting an approach for someone who has alot of time and patience to fool around with different styles in order to find one that suits that person best and RahimK is suggesting an approach for someone who is looking to develop a style that will allow them to start winning more games faster without delving into the greater intricacies of chess right away.
Either way, it is alot to take in at once and just thinking about all the possibilities of 1.e4 d4 or c4 is making my head hurt. I think I need to focus on one opening right away here... I am thinking that the Ruy Lopez would be a nice one.
Originally posted by DeepThoughtI think "playing a bit of everything" is definitely good for you up to about the 1700/1800 mark, particularly in CC if you are using it to train for OTB. Just choose any old opening, use a database and start to get a feel for the positions you end up in .. when you reach about 1700 you can identify whether you are a grinder or gunslinger. Then you really need to make a choice about how seriously you are going to take your chess .. if you are playing strictly for fun then I would encourage you to just improve your tactics and keep playing a broad selection of openings .. it will keep chess fun as long as you don't mind losing the occasional game due to bad opening preparation. If you want to compete then you will need to choose either e4, d4 or c4 to specialize in depending on which middle game positions you prefer .. be warned though .. it takes quite some determination to play 1. d4 for a decade and it does strip some of the pleasure out of chess IMO.
I don't agree, you should have a best opening for games you want to win, but in general I think it's better to experiment with several opening systems with the white pieces. Aside from anything else it helps as black to have some feel as to what white is up to. Where I do agree is that it's not a good idea to do this as black, if white knows his or her ...[text shortened]... rely on. The advantage of going first protects you to some extent from problems when white.
Originally posted by RahimKSurprise, surprise - I agree with RahimK...sort of.
You know how much time it would take to play 2 or more opening systems and play them decently?
Learn one opening throughly and then move on and learn the others.
If you had a best opening for games you want to win, why not always play it?
I've read in many books, online sites and they all suggest you learn one properly and then move on if you want ...[text shortened]...
http://www.geocities.com/lifemasteraj/training.html
Play what your comfortable with.
I have read what he's talking about with the one opening bit - but most places I hear suggest choosing one and sticking with it for at least 1 year - then varying may be helpful. I think one year sounds about right, but it's pretty conservative. I've been playing the KG since May but there's still a ton I have yet to learn about it - I really need to book up on theory, but new books on the KG are pretty scarce.
Jester, I'd suggest considering the PAWN STRUCTURE of some different openings. For example, with d4 a lot of times you see white with pawns at c4, d4, and e4 or e3. With e4 the pawn structure looks vastly different, generally a pawn on e4 and the d pawn usually waiting on d2 or d3 waiting to break, but with more piece activity. I'd also consider specific openings. The most primary 1.e4 openings you'll see are the Ruy, Scotch, KG, Sicilian - open or closed, French, and Caro-Kann. With d4 you'll most likely see Slav/Semi-Slav, KID, Grunfeld, QG, Benonis, and the Nimzo. Do you mind playing against these or with these?
Of course, you aren't forced to play 1.e4 or 1.d4. It's not too out of the question to look at 1.Nf3, 1.c4, or even 1.b3 or 1.Nc3 - but that's all a different story.
Originally posted by idiomsThis is good advice - CC is the best place to try different openings. Since joining I've played 1.e4 in almost all of my white games, but I have one game with 1.Nf3, two with 1.c4, one with 1.b3, and a few with 1.d4 just to get a feel for those positions.
I think "playing a bit of everything" is definitely good for you up to about the 1700/1800 mark, particularly in CC if you are using it to train for OTB. Just choose any old opening, use a database and start to get a feel for the positions you end up in .. when you reach about 1700 you can identify whether you are a grinder or gunslinger. Then you really need ...[text shortened]... rmination to play 1. d4 for a decade and it does strip some of the pleasure out of chess IMO.