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 Commons Misconceptions About Opening TheoryIn general,alot of players still learning the game or are for example, rated between 1000 and 1800 rating levels seem to be always wondering what the best opening is or bickering in the forums about what opening defense is better than others,looking at the various statistics or various theory lines in the books.The same players think that this will improve their game if they use the best lines they can pick out of a book or database.This can be true,but even more times it does NOT improve their game play.You can look at all the best openings,lines,stats you want,and you may play like a GM for the first 10 moves or so,but what about after that?What happens if I throw a move at you that takes the game out of opening book from move 4 or 5?Or what happens after the book move #10 when you are now out of anything you can copy from a database?See,many players have a rating that never seems to go up much year after year.Or if it does go up,it peaks out at say 1500-1600.Are these opening lines with the highest win statistics improving your play?If so,then why aren't you moving up to 1800 or 1900 from 1500 or 1600?What i'm trying to say here is that you must find ways to improve your own tactical strength and go back to the rudiments of chess before even looking at any Opening lines.Forget the opening lines!Understand the game first!Do you know how to control the center of the board?Are you aware of the difference between doubled pawns in the opening or on the a and h files,or in the endgame?Are you aware of the "true"point value change of a piece depending upon the position?No,a knight is not always worth 3 points as the "books"will tell you.Its value in master and GM understanding changes frequently and will make the difference if you need to retreat that knight or exchange it.A Knight might have a full value of 3 points,but if it is froze for a while on the h file,its true value may be decreased to approx 2.8 points instead of 3.Why?For one reason,its "mobility"has just been cut in half!It can't move to a the "i"file,now can it?So its true value on the board is decreased.This and a thousand other things must be learned before you worry about opening theory and the best Ruy Lopez line ect ect.Otherwise,you can open with the best lines MCO has to offer,but its not going to help much by mid game,without knowing exactly how to follow through.Ever hear of pinwheeling your piece off of a center pawn?Why not?Again,forget the opening theories,and concentrate on the more important aspects of your basics first. Let me give 2 examples of misconceptions about opening theories with the 2 unrated games I played against an almost 1800 rated player.Check them out in my past game history... JStevens1 was my opponent in both recent games.I purposely played what is considered some of the WORSE and WEAKEST possible openings for both black and white.One game was a Basman Defense 1.e4,g5(I was black) and my other game even WEAKER....the Sodium Attack(I was white) 1.Na3? followed by my 2nd move 2.Nh3? Now in either game the opening databases and "statistics"show this to be bad,especially my Sodium Attack game.Even placing the knights on the end files decreases their value. Hmmmmm...I won both games in the end and fairly quickly I may add!Well where is all this opening game theory now?This is my point.If a player like me can open with such weak moves or move 1.a4 and 2.h4 regardless of what black does in the opening and still win(like I do) what is this best opening "stuff' doing for you?Nothing! I hope I made my point clear here.As soon as an opening moves out of book,many player are sort of lost.Another game I played: The trompowski against a 2100 + player proves my point.Check it out:drhpatron game. I moved the game out of book quickly as a Tromp game can easily do,and he told me himself that he was "lost"after move 7 or 8.I won the game fairly quickly.Now again,the Trompowski is considered a weaker opening as compared to a good Ruy Lopez or Sicilian game,but it doesen't matter even to a 2100 opponent,if some of his underlying move tactics are flawed. I hope this helped alittle!I'm not here to teach how to improve those tactical strengths of yours,but just to point out a few things about opening theories. |
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words_of_wisdom I forgot who said that it's easier to win form an equal or better position, but I say the statement rings true. There is nothing worse than losing material or position in during the first few moves of the game and playing catch up throughout the rest of it. Of course if a 2400 player is going to take us out of an opening we are familiar with and jump right into tactical play or out play us tactically once we are past the opening book, we will lose. But does that mean we should forsake opening theories? I don't think so. I think the point is to not rely on opening theory to win games. Tactics win games. Opening theories aid in one not having to play catch-up after the first couple of moves and sterring the game in a direction we want to play. |
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tactical_abyss 05-Jun-09, 07:45 |
Deleted by tactical_abyss on 05-Jun-09, 07:57.
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As to forsaking opening theories...of course not.Opening lines are very important!What I truly meant by stating in my first post,"forget about opening lines" was that strengthening your tactics,game play,knowledge,mid game positional strategy and a host of other things is much more important and should be learned first before having a "misconception" that some opening line will improve your winning chances.It may "steer" you in the right direction,but what good is steering you in the right direction if you skipped the "driver theory" class,go through an intersection,crash and burn a few blocks away(out of book)??? See,most likely your opponent will most likely be doing the same thing,following 18 book moves into a Ruy Lopez game,so its just copying moves,its not even playing the real game yet,your playing someone elses game from 100 years ago!Forget my rating for the moment and think...will you know what to do(quickly)if I DO change ANY of those opening moves on my side,even if that theory most probably suggests that by doing this it is certainly a ? move or a ?! move ??? I always tell players still learning.... Play against any chess computer or software program that you own and totally "disconnect" the opening book,set the playing strength of the program down to approx.your playing level. NOW see how your play is against a program that DOES NOT use the opening book and plays random.So now what?Can't use the opening book line now,eh?You might even want to force the computer to initiate more way out random openings and even handicap a pawn or major piece.Are you prepared to overcome this WEAKER computer opening play since it did not follow the "tried and proven" better opening lines?So, try this!If you are still losing,then you must question your abilities of tactical play.Set the program down a notch or two and play it again,maybe the same position or a new game...Still losing to a program on your strength level that making wild,weaker out of book moves?So then,my original statement rings true... "misconceptions about opening theory"...especially in a case where ANY player of ANY rating level,not just a 2400 player like me could do this to you at any time and still win against you! At the present,I'm playing Harpov who is rated higher than me.If I was to open a game with 1.Na3 and 2.Nh3 or not as bad as that and vary a move or two out of a a better book line,by now he would have cut me up like a thousand harpoons coming at me all at once!So,can you do this to me?Sure!It dosen't take a 2400-2500 player to take advantage of my varied opening weaker moves during or right after the opening line itself(or within out of book opening)like a Trompowski game will do many times.practice your tactical play and find out where your weakness is and improve on it.Sometimes it boils down to simple things like knowing if you should exchange that Bishop for your Knight in a closed game.Bishops many times have a slightly higher theoretical value in the endgame because they can traverse greater distances on the board and a pair of Bishops with both colors is generally preferred over a pair of knights in the endgame.The point here is that,I have been beaten by 1700 players who finally knew HOW to take advantage of my weak opening play. As to "pinwheeling"your piece"off of a center pawn.I don't have the time,to get into alot of detail here,but controlling the center of the board is well known by most players.How to advance and further utilize that advantage once you have that control,is another matter entirely.Controlling the center squares of d4,d5,e4,e5 by either side is very important.Many times it is the pawns which are doing this.As mid game approaches,many times some of those squares are still occupied by your own pawns.the term "pinwheeling"simply means that you aim at "pivoting" a major piece around a center pawn(Knight is usually best)while it is defended by that center pawn.This can have surprise devastating effects on your opponent. It can cause him to retreat during your advance,or if he captures your Knight with another major piece,it could place him in more jeopardy when you recapture with another pawn from your pawn chain formation and then advance to either d5,d6 or move your pawn up to attacking an adjacent enemy piece or fork attack if he has two major pieces on adjacent files. Its actually a "tactic"that takes further advantage of central control by using the center pawn as a "swing" for your other major pieces to slingshot around it!Its really a common sense thing here,not some GM thinking technique,but many player still learning,miss this alot.Always look to see if you can do this,and if so,many times it will advance your pawns or other major pieces into enemy territory,for an advantage. Perhaps if i have time one day,I will post a diagram illustrating this issue. |
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