Openings in Chess

So how do you find an opening you like? There are many opening explorers which store masters chess games and find the most common lines from them. This is very useful when it comes to finding lines you enjoy playing. Playing what you feel like suits you is always the best option.

1. Finding the Opening You Like

Think of it like shopping for shoes — it has to fit you, not just look good on a grandmaster.

a) Start from your preferred playstyle

Ask yourself:

• Do I like open, tactical fights or slow, maneuvering battles?

• Do I prefer attacking or squeezing my opponent?

• Am I more comfortable with memorization or understanding patterns?

Examples:

• Aggressive/Tactical → King’s Gambit, Scotch Game, Sicilian Dragon, Evans Gambit.

• Positional/Strategic → Queen’s Gambit Declined, Ruy López (Closed), Caro–Kann.

• Flexible/Universal → English Opening, Nimzo–Indian, Slav Defense.

b) Pick one opening for each color

• As White: Choose 1 opening vs. 1...e5 and 1 opening vs. 1...c5/1...e6/1...c6, etc.

• As Black: Choose 1 response to 1.e4 and 1 response to 1.d4.

This keeps your study focused instead of learning 12 unrelated systems.

c) Test-drive before committing

• Play it in online blitz/rapid games to see if you feel comfortable.

• Don’t judge based on one bad game — patterns take time.

2. How to Analyze an Opening

You want to build understanding, not just memorize a wall of moves.

Step 1 – Learn the main ideas first

• What is the pawn structure? (It tells you where pieces belong.)

• What is each side’s main plan?

• What are the common traps or tactical motifs?

Example: In the Italian Game, you know that:

• White aims for central control with c3 & d4.

• Black often fights for ...d5 break.

• Knight jumps to g5 are dangerous if Black is careless.

Step 2 – Use model games

Pick 3–5 high-level games in your opening and replay them slowly:

• Ask “Why was this move played?”

• Identify recurring patterns (pawn breaks, piece placements, endgames reached).

• Save the games in a database for reference.

Step 3 – Compare variations

If you’re unsure between two lines:

• Play 5–10 games with each.

• See which one you naturally remember better.

• Drop the one that feels awkward.

Step 4 – Review your own games

• Look at where you or your opponent left theory.

• Check an opening database to see the “normal” moves from there.

• If you blundered in the middlegame, ask if it came from a poor opening setup.

Step 5 – Spot Novelties

A novelty isn’t just a random move — it’s a new move that improves or surprises. When analyzing:

• Look for spots where common moves don’t feel right to you.

• Check engines and databases to see if you’ve stumbled on something rare.

Extra Tips:

• Do not go for tactics only if you see a variation that wins.

• Try not to block your pieces

• Theory is a position that has been played.

• Novelty is something new in an opening that has never been played.

• Gambit is a sacrificial material to grab more development.

• Activity is how many squares you control on the opponent's side.

• Space is the amount of square you control.

Now go explore some openings and enjoy looking at grandmaster games and finding the techniques.