12 Apr 07
Originally posted by azalin76People will say no. Don't listen to them! The openings are the most important part of the game at any level. Period.
Is it absolutely necessary to learn openings? Is there a point that I will have to learn or roll over and be trampled by people passing me in the ratings?
12 Apr 07
Originally posted by ih8sensEh, I say the middlegame is far more important. I'm remembering our blitz games, the first one I remember feeling good out of the opening before dropping a whole bunch of pieces. In the rest of our games I don't remember feeling as strong out of the opening, but I outplayed you in the middlegame and didn't lose any.
People will say no. Don't listen to them! The openings are the most important part of the game at any level. Period.
12 Apr 07
Originally posted by cmsMasterI did go a little overboard in the way I termed that, but if you get mated in the opening, good luck playing a strong midgame.
Eh, I say the middlegame is far more important. I'm remembering our blitz games, the first one I remember feeling good out of the opening before dropping a whole bunch of pieces. In the rest of our games I don't remember feeling as strong out of the opening, but I outplayed you in the middlegame and didn't lose any.
12 Apr 07
Originally posted by azalin76Don't listen to these other guys. You really don't need to know much.
Learning openings is tedious though. >.<
I doubt I have the memorization skills to remember even one line, lol.
1. Develop your pieces
2. Safeguard your king (usually this means castling)
3. Control the center (occupy with pawns or attack from afar with pieces).
Consider my opening preparation as white...
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 (attack the center, develop) Nc6
3. d4 occupying the center and allowing my bishop increased scope).
or
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 (attacking and supportingd4 ) Nf6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3
follow up by developing the bishops and castling.
or 1. e4 e6
2. d4 (take the whole center) d5
3. Nc3 support your center and develop.
I know more after this but it's because I also play this extensively as black....)
1. e4 g6
2. d4 Bg7
3. Be3 planning to play Qd2 and Bh6 trading off his good dark square bishop
These have many common moves and they all follow the same basic principles.
I also play 1. c4 in which case I have a common setup I usually head for
1. c4
2. g3
3. Bg2
4. Nc3
All these moves are aimed at controlling d5, I then proceed to deploy the rest of my army and castle.
As black
1. e4 e6
2. * d5
1. d4 Nf6 - develop and deny white the e4 square
2. c4 c5 - active play
3. d5 b5 - the benko gambit....
Now the other thing to remember, this is correspondence chess. Feel free to use books for 8-10 moves. It will 1. help you reach a playable middlegame and 2. you will start to memorize lines. Make sure you think about why to play moves so you can figure out how to punish deviations....
12 Apr 07
Originally posted by azalin76If you and your opponent both play the opening and middlegame perfectly, there's only one place left to win the game, the Endgame. You can go up a bishop in the middlegame but that won't mean much unless you can use it to win in the endgame.
Cue someone praising the Endgame.