Selecting Opening

This might sound stupid but does anyone know if there is Opening and preferred defense for it? I realize that it’s impossible to study all openings so I am trying to pick couple for white and couple for black. So for example with what white openings it would not be advised to play Sicilian defense?
Can anyone comment please?

Well the Sicilian defense is a reply to the kings pawn opening. The same move when white has played something else is no longer the sicilian. 1 e4 c5 is the sicilian, while 1 d4 c5 would be the benoni. Dont worry about lines if you are a beginner. Concentrate on controlling the center, getting your pieces out quickly (knights and bishops before queen preferably), castle your king to safety. Avoid moving the same piece twice very early in the game, unless you have a really good reason to.

those just hit about all the main points. as a beginner i would suggest that you learn e4 e5 rather than e4 c5. it is more complicated ( i teach people on here and they found it a daunting task to learn the sicilian) it was hard for them to understand. its easier to get equality with e4 e5. i was a hardcore sicilian player. i just now gave it up. too hard at the higher level. i'm a ruy lopez guy now.

Find an opening for white that you like and start learning it. Of course if you play 1.e4 then you will be interested in learning how to respond to blacks most common replies as well as deciding a line that you like to play and wish to study in more depth.

For black you might want to chose a defence against 1.e4 and 1.d4 and start learning these

So now you will have say 3 or 4 openings that you are studying and if you study the principles behind the moves you should also improve against someone playing unfamiliar lines.

My choice as white: 1.d4 - then queens gambit unless the opponent played 1...Nf6 then I would play 2.Bg5 the trompovsky

As black: against 1.e4 I play 1...d6 and I'm studying The Pirc...against 1.d4 I play 1...Nf6 aiming to go into the Nimzo Indian and I'm already prepared if they want to try a trompovsky.

The other opening I've given some consideration to as black a response to: 1.c4...the English...but I can't give this much study time so for now I just mirror the first few moves then have a think.


The problem is you can easily spend a lot of time studying openings (and there's a lot of books available) when your time might be better spent on tactics, endings and strategy. I've fallen into this trap and I'm sure it slowed down my rate of improvement. I still do some opening study but try to concentrate more on other areas.

So are you saying that pretty much any reply to any first move as long as its controlling center will do?

yes except f5 not a suggested move for a beginner. as white you want to play e4 or d4 you want to get into your enemys territory and gain space! a big thing is take up space and be able to control it.

Thank you all. I was completely puzzled by what to study. I do study tactics and strategy but sometimes I get strange 3rd move that I had no idea what to do. For example I played as black 1.e4, c5 2.Qh5 I had no idea what to do so I played 2.. Ng6 however it just happened to be good move for me. So I have no idea what theory has to say about that, but I will follow you advice. Thanks again.

as a beginner, playing other beginners, you can DEFINITELY play the sicilian, esp something like the dragon. no one's gunna push kingside pawns, much less break out a yugoslavian or something

when i first started getting better in soph year of high school i played the dragon and no one could touch me, just cause its a good position. i find that now the sicilian is more trouble then its worth without learning mass theory so i play the caro-kann (1...c6) against e4.

i would recommend the scotch for white just cause its easy. roy lopez is gunna be too complicated for a beginner

if in the sicilian white plays Bf4 and attacks with the knight to g5 or queen to h5 just play e6 blunts the attack. they waste a tempo.

Originally posted by kmac27
if in the sicilian white plays Bf4 and attacks with the knight to g5 or queen to h5 just play e6 blunts the attack. they waste a tempo.

you must mean Bc4 😛

Bc4 is always a wasted move early in the sicilian cause of ...e6

yea i know but a lot of amateurs play it. theres also an attack white can generate with it. it kind of pins the white bishop to where its at.

Brilliant thread. As a low rated player, I found a lot to work on in this thread. Thanks to the better players who are prepared to share their expertise.

Originally posted by yofidawg
you must mean Bc4 😛

Bc4 is always a wasted move early in the sicilian cause of ...e6

Ok, here's how you counter the 2.Bc4 Sicilian, which -1500's will encounter regularly.

1.e4...c5
2.Bc4?...e6 preparing for ...d5
White's 2nd move shows a lack of understanding of the Sicilian defence in favour of a mis-timed attack on the central d5 square and/or a cheap hack against black's vulnerable f7 square.
Maybe white is planning on following-up with Qf3? or Qh5? but the Bc4 will be kicked-away with gain in tempo or exchanged-off with lead in development for black.
The point is, white doesn't know where the light-square B belongs yet, but it doesn't belong on c4!

3.Nf3
You'll probably find that white is already beginning to run-out of ideas after 2...e6 blocks the cheesey threat against f7, so he may decide to clear/develop for a KS castle.

3...Nf6
Developing with a threat on e4 pawn. Also further controlling the d5 square.

4.Nc3
White defends the e4 pawn.

4...d5
Bang!
White's 2.Bc4 looks really pathetic now. Black has expanded in the center, threatens e4 again & also Bc4.

5.Bb5+
Why not? Removes the B from danger to now be exchanged-off.

5...Bd7
6.Bxd7...N(b)xd7
And Black has a wonderful position.
Maybe white will exchange on d5 then castle KS.
Whatever white plays, black will be able cramp white with a d5-d4 pawn push.

White to play


If anyone wants to discuss any early variations in the Bc4 Sicilian just ask in this thread.

There are thousands of books about chess opening with all its variations.So there is documentation enough.The most openings are sound,the one who knows the most about the strategy of the opening is in advantage.The sicilian is good to play for white.The most exciting strategy against the sicilian is the Morra gambit or the Rossolimo variation,this changes the basic plan for black.
The regular sicilian starts with,1 e4 c5,2 Nf3 Nc6(or d6)3,d4 opening the centre is necessary for white.Bc4 is only good when the bishop can hold the diagonal on through the game.Mostly the bishop goes to e2,
protect the black move Bg4,and make the castling possible.

Originally posted by Bakunian
This might sound stupid but does anyone know if there is Opening and preferred defense for it? I realize that it’s impossible to study all openings so I am trying to pick couple for white and couple for black. So for example with what white openings it would not be advised to play Sicilian defense?
Can anyone comment please?

I think your strategy of picking a couple of opening lines and sticking to them / developing them initially is sound practice BUT I would recommend a different approach.
Some of the guys commenting here are better than me, but I have to say I firmly believe the best way to approach openings is to pick a book which DOESN"T specialise, but explains the general principles and strategy of opening play. You will then better understand WHY openings have developed as they have. It also allows you to know what to do when someone plays a move which takes you off the line you know. This is obviously very common at novice / intermediate level. Then you can start to learn your favourite openings with this in mind. I really do believe that picking an opening and simply trying to learn every possible variation is a flawed approach unless you have first done this. You will only be competent in 30-40% of your openings as white, and probably nearer 20% as black, as you will be relying on your opponent sticking to what YOU know. Learn the basics first, then seek to specialise.
There are some great simple books on opening principles. I found them invaluable. Good luck