Chess Opening Trainer
Dierdre Roussin
Welcome to the Chesstempo opening training tool. The opening trainer allows you create and manage your opening repertoire, and then train against your repertoire using spaced repetition to optimise your learning. The opening training also integrates with our play chess online feature, allowing you to get feedback after each game on where you deviated from your opening repertoire, or extend your repertoire to account for an opponent line from your game not already covered in your repertoire.
I use chessable....iuno what else is out there. Depends on how you use it though, i started setting up my physical board and playing out the variations after i drill them with the online course, think that will help it stick better in my mind.
I know a lot of people get a lot out of the spaced repetition stuff, but I find it really boring and can't stick with it for more than a couple of days (which is probably reflected in my rating, haha).
Personally, I find it a lot easier to remember moves when I really understand the 'why', not just the 'where' and 'when'.
You can also click on "Learn" to watch video courses for each opening. At the end of each video lesson, you're given a quiz, with key positions, to practice what you've learned. (I believe free members are limited to one video lesson per day.)
I'm not even sure the repetition to memorize method really helps in the long run. If your opponent likes to deviate, you're probably going to have to burn way too much time trying to figure out what to play and what to play for.
I found this thread because I was looking for a tool to store and practice all the lines I learn in my favourite youtube video's (*cough* Gotham *cough*). I couldn't find anything satisfying until I heard of this new thing: www.pawndojo.com. It seems a bit rough, but they are doing tiny updates every few days.
2 questions really. I want to learn some openings. I've been advised to create a repertoire of openings. My first question is How? Do I buy a book on openings and record those moves? Do I go to Opening Explorer and just record what explorer says is the most common response?
Also, do you have a recommended software? I'm getting more and more familiar with what is available here @ Chess.com. But there are others, like Lichess and Chesstempo. I don't mind spending some money, but Chessbase's $400 database is out of my league. If they make such an animal I would like to be able to play particular openings against the computer.
When I was first learning openings, my go-to resource was books. I started with Winning Chess Openings, by Yasser Seirawan, which was a gentle introduction to most main openings, discussing only the first 5 moves or so of each opening (suitable for beginners).
I then moved onto a slightly deeper survey of openings, Ideas Behind the Openings by Reuben Fine (algebraic notation). That felt a bit advanced for me in some regards, but it also taught me some useful concepts.
Don't confuse this with Modern Chess Openings, which is mostly a printed database/catalogue of opening lines, with very little instruction at all. This is more for expert-level players and higher - those who don't need instruction or explanations, but merely want an encyclopedic resource.
If books aren't an option (or aren't something you're interested in), you can give YouTube a try. There are many YouTubers who explain openings and the ideas behind them. Some are better than others, so your mileage may vary.
So ..... if your rating is accurate it is more important to understand the ideas in the opening you play, have in mind a middlegame structure you are aiming for and have an idea how to play your side of that structure. It is unusual for normal / average tournament players to get far (e.g. 5 moves) in an approved 'book' opening sequence before one player deviates from the moves both have been trying to memorize. At that point, understanding becomes what is important. So books explaining in words the ideas of the openings are important---IMO thinner is better. After that the way to 'learn an opening' is to play through many, lightly annotated, GM games and get a feel for their tactics, where the pieces go, how to play the endgames that result. Playing it in blitz and analyzing the games is helpful (I find). I also find it helpful to take an unannotated GM game and make my own annotations. First from memory and my own analysis. Next I look it up in an opening book and add those comments and finally I turn on a computed and check everything written.--- Sorry for the long post! -Bill
I want to learn some openings. I've been advised to create a repertoire of openings. My first question is How? Do I buy a book on openings and record those moves? Do I go to Opening Explorer and just record what explorer says is the most common response?
That said, if you want to learn specific openings, you will want to find an annotated game collection on that opening. The "Move by Move" series by Everyman Chess is very good in that regard. To find an opening you like, find a top player whose games you enjoy and adopt their opening. For example, if you like Caruana's Ruy Lopez games, pick up "The Ruy Lopez Move by Move". If you enjoy Ding's Catalan games, pick up "The Catalan Move by Move", etc.
You do not want to try to memorize moves here, but rather get the ideas of the opening. What is each side trying to accomplish? What are tactics you should watch out for? What are the ideal squares for your pieces? What are the pawn breaks and when should you be looking to play them? Etc. In some of the more theoretical lines (e.g. Najdorf, KID, etc) you may have to remember some specific move orders, but you will want to limit that as much as possible.
I do not recommend looking at the Opening Explorer to learn openings for anything other than looking at what masters have played in the position. There are times where the most popular move is one that has been refuted, but was played often in the past.
Other than books (there are far too many options to list without knowing what openings you might be interested in), Chessable is one of the better places to experiment with openings. In addition to their full repertoire courses (which you have to buy), they have free "Short and Sweet" courses that give you an introduction to a given opening. You can play around with those to find ones you like. The other added benefit to Chessable is it has a wide range of tactics and endgames courses (which would be much more useful if you are looking to improve).
I've read the different points of view regarding when to dive into openings. I am certainly not going to be some savant and memorize a book full of openings, and every variation to each move. But I find myself facing humans and computers alike that baffle me with some weird opening and I feel at a loss. I would like to mix up my "training" schedule with some time looking into some different openings.
"I've been advised to create a repertoire of openings. My first question is How?"
A while ago I made youtube series titled "Building Chess Opening Repertoire - Step X" (1,2,3). It documents the best way I could think of for doing this in ChessBase, if you end up going this route.
I've read the different points of view regarding when to dive into openings. I am certainly not going to be some savant and memorize a book full of openings, and every variation to each move. But I find myself facing humans and computers alike that baffle me with some weird opening and I feel at a loss. I would like to mix up my "training" schedule with some time looking into some different openings.
An opening repertoire will not help you against weird openings. There is too much variation, too many weird lines you can face. That's why it's recommended to start with opening principles. Not as a fallback scenario, but as your primary mode. That said, you could certainly investigate certain openings you face regularly.
One more thing. Try to play humans instead of computers. There are reasons to play bots from time to time, but these should be exceptions. The playing experience against humans is far more relevant at this stage.
and use the above to easily update your repertoire with what now transpires a better move/plan?
My naive understanding is that chessable comes with predefined repertoires, which can be great and is good at helping one memorize those, but leaves less room for building repertoire yourself (while I understand you can make your own 'courses'). Please correct me if I am wrong.