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Analyzing my Black Openings, What Should I Learn?

Hi Guys!

I'm loving the new Chess Insights Tool, which is maybe the first time I've seen clear, empirical evidence on how to better improve my black/response game.

In particular it identified the following as my worst openings:

W40% D00% L60% *C30: King's Gambit Declined*

W43% D00% L57% *C57: Two Knights*

W50% D00% L50% *C50: Two Knights Defense*

W53% D00% L47% *D06: Queen's Gambit Declined*

W57% D29% L14% *C23: Bishop's Opening*

Thought's on which openings I should improve, or substitute? Which of these went out of style in 1915? ;)

Thanks!
QGD is a good opening I will take a look at some of your games and see if I can help you at all there. Its my favorite opening from both white and black.

As for the Kings Gambit I suggest not declining and not accepting. Play the "falkbeer CG" it is very liberating and lots of places for white to go wrong. I have had excellent experiences with it from black and is pretty easy to play. Its also quite annoying to kings gambit players I have found since it limits their initiative.
Also, check how many games your percentages are based on. If it is based on less than 5 games, the data is useless.
@foursquare #1
Here's some hints :
* Improve on your openings in correspondence chess. In those games you will be able to use an opening book, and have enough time to look up statistics and possibilities, in order to make a choice for the move that you want to play.
Playing slower time control chess games can also help your chess.
Looking at your ratings you are only playing blitz so far.
Play some classical chess as well!
* Your blitz rating is 1700+ which is quite good.
You are already beyond the U1600 blitz level which basically has a high chance to drop pieces and blunder in almost every game.

Furthermore, in general beginning chess players are "forced" to play 1.e4 e5 and 1.d4 d5 with black. The reason for 1.e4 e5 is probably to learn to not hang your pieces in open play tactics. However, other openings have their advantages.
For example, playing the French defense has a big advantage for beginning chess player : It is unlikely to run into any quick Fool's or Legal checkmate with black in the opening (though in the French one needs to be careful about some Greek gift wins for white in some lines).

But even playing style does not really need certain openings.
For example, GM Levon Aronian is an attacking player, but likes to play 1.c4 with white.

Did you try other openings against 1.e4 with black ?
French, Caro-Kann, Sicilian, Modern defense, Pirc, Scandinavian, Alekhine, Nimzovich ... there is a lot of choice.
In blitz it can also be handy to have a few "surprise" off-beat openings line ready to play by you.

* What do you consider your playing style ?
Attacking/tactical or positional/technique based, or all-round ?
Based on your results and your playing style and checking whether you feel comfortable in certain positions/endgames/opening lines, can be the foundation of the choice of your opening.
For example : Gruenfeld Indian will have the need for thorough opening preparation as there are many lines and ideas.
But overall it is basically like this in some of the lines :
White gets a broad center which black can attack.
If white manages to keep the center this can results in a passed d or e pawn. Black however has in some lines a pawn majority on the queenside. This can be a big ace in the endgame (because kings usually go for castling short, making the kings reside far away from the queenside, and some passed pawns run really fast).

Another example :
Both in Scandinavian and Caro-Kann certain positions can occur where black can play on the queenside creating a weak c3 or b2 pawn for black. White can play in the center and kingside. If black manages to stop the center/kingside attack, then black can win the endgame or win in a counter attack.

If you like to attack right away from the start, and still want to play 1.e4 e5 with black, you can look into the somewhat unsound Elephant gambit, Latvian gambit, and also the Traxler gambit, and the Jaenisch/Schliemann line of the Ruy Lopez.

If you don't mind cramped positions and like to defend and counter-attack, for example the Philidor defense, and the Lion are good options.

HTH, good luck, have fun !

@achja -

I took the 'Chess Personality Quiz' (http://www.chesspersonality.com/) and it suggested that I was:

Positional (vs attacking)
Calm (vs emotional)
...
and an even split between
...
Intuitive/Calculating
Agressive/Solid

Given more of a positional/opportunism-based style, which would you recommend?

Ah i see, the same website actually recommended I study:

Black: French Defense (Winawer); Sicilian Defense
White: Nimzo-Indian; English Opening
@foursquare #8
Nice that you did that quiz and drew some new conclusions!

It could also be a good idea to let a few stronger players [1] look at your games, and see what playing style you have and which kind of mistakes you make, and let them suggest you to try a few openings.

Personally speaking I am still looking for the "perfect" opening repertoire for myself. As a mainly attacking/tactical player it is tempting to play Sicilian defense with black, but I noticed that I am also able to play near flawless games with the Caro-Kann as black, by playing simple chess, slow positional. That fact could be useful in otb team matches, where team result is important.
Every now and then I play Nimzo- and Queen's Indian as black, but that could also use some more training for myself.

Another hint :
Thematic tourneys can be very useful. I found out for example that both with white and black I do not do very well with Bogo-Indian. I would need to spend some time on it, learning the specific opening ideas and tricks, if I wanted to add it to my opening repertoire.
And although I almost never play 1.e4 e5 as black by choice, I noticed that I am doing quite well with black and white in some Ruy Lopez thematic tourneys.

---

[1] I mean really stronger players, not just fast trick bullet players with rather low classical/correspondence rating.
foursquare, If you are a more positional players you might like to avoid openings like King Gambit which is very sharp, tactical and attack based. Also maybe avoid openings starting with 1. e4 e5.

Many positional players play the french 1. -e6, Caro-Kann 1. -c6 and even somesicilian lines against e4. Also as white open rather with 1. c4 or 1. d4

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