Chess 101: Learning a New Opening

No matter what level player you are, from beginner to master, learning a new opening is always a fun and challenging experience. Certain openings will fit your playing style, and others most certainly will not. However, without learning them at least a little, it is hard to say which ones you will like!

Pick an opening and stay with it a while.

With learning a new chess opening comes learning new ideas. There is no way to master these ideas in a day or two, so play the opening for a while! Just like we fall off bikes before we learn to balance, you will lose chess games before you win them. Take your time, learn the ideas, and see if the move order works for you. Each chess opening will theme around certain squares, so be sure you understand which squares to fight for before giving up on the opening. Remember, without losing, there would be no winning.

Watch video lectures, Read books and Watch GM games.

I personally find that watching quality video lectures on openings helps me to understand them much better than going over lines in a book. However, some people would much rather go move by move on an actual chess board from positions they find in the pages of chess books, which is also great! Whichever method you choose to use (or both), always remember to watch the chess Grandmasters play the same opening you are utilizing. Suffice it to say, they understand them a bit more than you do, so seeing what they do in positions that arise from the move order can be very beneficial, indeed!

Practice new chess openings in S-L-O-W games.

Yes, everyone loves to blitz out games. It is fun, it is painless, and of course, more games can be played in the same amount of time as one long game. HOWEVER, in playing fast chess, good chess and learning chess are sacrificed. If you are an Internet player, I recommend trying new openings in no less than 30 0 (30 minutes for each side), and 60 0 is even better. After the basic ideas and a few tricks and traps are learned and understood, then you can practice them in a few blitz games, because you are familiar with the positions. Looking at things for a long time causes us to remember them better than if we just glance at them, for obvious reasons. Chess is a thinking game, not a reaction-time game. Slow down, think, and learn the opening well. And most of all: have fun! Take your losses with pride and your wins with manners. Chess isn't known as The Gentleman's Game for nothing, ya' know!