3 ms·

Chess Opening Moves

14 points by tsudot 13y ago

tsudot 13y ago
I was reading about the Sicilian Defence, which got me deep into another variation - The Yugoslav Attack[1] Video [2] I'm curious to understand if chess masters have all of this committed to memory, and thats something one needs to excel at Chess. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Defence,_Dragon_Variation,_Yugoslav_Attack,_9.Bc4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Defence,_Dragon_Variat... [2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgYY4c7ijy8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgYY4c7ijy8
- rohwer 13y ago
  Yes, we have this in memory. And at the highest level, extremely important. The more important lesson is to analyze the opening position for the plans and thematic patterns at crucial junctures. Then, with critical positions memorized, you can usually work through the necessary moves at the board.
  - dfc 13y ago
    You are ranked >= FIDE Master?
    - TylerE 13y ago
      There is a Paul Rowher with a peak FIDE ELO of 2235, FWIW, would you indicate a CM rank
nanijoe 13y ago
The majority of the opening part of a Chess game is spent trying to force your opponent into a variation of an opening that you are most comfortable with. To be a good Chess player, you would need to be at least aware of most of the main lines, and then really master a few.
- TylerE 13y ago
  Hardly. I know quite a few 2000-2200 rated players that don't know many openings...but are very strong tactically and at endgames.
- Codhisattva 13y ago
  Much depends on the level of play you are at. Beginners flounder through weak openings while intermediate players know the main lines of the popular and strong ones. There's really not a "master" for openings. After the first dozen moves or so you'll have your first exchange and the beginning of the middle game.
S4M 13y ago
What's this blog spam doing on HN? It just lists couple of opening, doesn't say the reason they are listed. The wikipedia article is more informative: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_openings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_openings And also, they don't put the Benoni defense which is my favorite opening :-)
hislaziness 13y ago
Knowing your openings goes a long way in getting an upperhand in chess. Knowing the openings and end games can give you a lot of edge. Have a look at this http://www.gautamnarula.com/how-to-get-good-at-chess-fast/ http://www.gautamnarula.com/how-to-get-good-at-chess-fast/ the guy explains how to get good at chess.
- TylerE 13y ago
  That page says the exact opposite: "One of the biggest mistakes players make is to devote massive amounts of time to openings. This is because openings tend to be very concrete, and beginners think that simply memorizing an opening will give them an unassailable advantage over their opponents6. Don’t bother spending any time studying openings outside of analyzing your games. Just make sure you know the basic opening principles."
  - Codhisattva 13y ago
    That's inane advice. Knowing several opening lines is always an advantage. It's how a beginner becomes an intermediate player.
    - TylerE 13y ago
      Beg/Ints don't PLAY the book openings anyway so you're out of book by the 4th or 5th move 99% of the time. There are some lines that are useful to know (Avoid various <10 move mates, mostly), but beyond that basic principles will get you to 1800-2000, IF you have the tactics and calculation skills. Plenty of examples in the high ranks too - notably Magnus Carlsen (World #1) spends very little time on openings compared to most 2600+ GMs.
      - Codhisattva 13y ago
        Hog wash. Knowing the SCO took me from 800 to 1600.
        13y ago

14 points by tsudot 13y ago

I was reading about the Sicilian Defence, which got me deep into another variation - The Yugoslav Attack[1] Video [2] I'm curious to understand if chess masters have all of this committed to memory, and thats something one needs to excel at Chess. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Defence,_Dragon_Variation,_Yugoslav_Attack,_9.Bc4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Defence,_Dragon_Variat... [2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgYY4c7ijy8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgYY4c7ijy8

rohwer 13y ago
Yes, we have this in memory. And at the highest level, extremely important. The more important lesson is to analyze the opening position for the plans and thematic patterns at crucial junctures. Then, with critical positions memorized, you can usually work through the necessary moves at the board.
- dfc 13y ago
  You are ranked >= FIDE Master?
  - TylerE 13y ago
    There is a Paul Rowher with a peak FIDE ELO of 2235, FWIW, would you indicate a CM rank

nanijoe 13y ago

The majority of the opening part of a Chess game is spent trying to force your opponent into a variation of an opening that you are most comfortable with. To be a good Chess player, you would need to be at least aware of most of the main lines, and then really master a few.

TylerE 13y ago
Hardly. I know quite a few 2000-2200 rated players that don't know many openings...but are very strong tactically and at endgames.
Codhisattva 13y ago
Much depends on the level of play you are at. Beginners flounder through weak openings while intermediate players know the main lines of the popular and strong ones. There's really not a "master" for openings. After the first dozen moves or so you'll have your first exchange and the beginning of the middle game.

S4M 13y ago

What's this blog spam doing on HN? It just lists couple of opening, doesn't say the reason they are listed. The wikipedia article is more informative: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_openings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_openings And also, they don't put the Benoni defense which is my favorite opening :-)

hislaziness 13y ago

Knowing your openings goes a long way in getting an upperhand in chess. Knowing the openings and end games can give you a lot of edge. Have a look at this http://www.gautamnarula.com/how-to-get-good-at-chess-fast/ http://www.gautamnarula.com/how-to-get-good-at-chess-fast/ the guy explains how to get good at chess.

TylerE 13y ago
That page says the exact opposite: "One of the biggest mistakes players make is to devote massive amounts of time to openings. This is because openings tend to be very concrete, and beginners think that simply memorizing an opening will give them an unassailable advantage over their opponents6. Don’t bother spending any time studying openings outside of analyzing your games. Just make sure you know the basic opening principles."
- Codhisattva 13y ago
  That's inane advice. Knowing several opening lines is always an advantage. It's how a beginner becomes an intermediate player.
  - TylerE 13y ago
    Beg/Ints don't PLAY the book openings anyway so you're out of book by the 4th or 5th move 99% of the time. There are some lines that are useful to know (Avoid various <10 move mates, mostly), but beyond that basic principles will get you to 1800-2000, IF you have the tactics and calculation skills. Plenty of examples in the high ranks too - notably Magnus Carlsen (World #1) spends very little time on openings compared to most 2600+ GMs.
    - Codhisattva 13y ago
      Hog wash. Knowing the SCO took me from 800 to 1600.
      - 13y ago