Keano wrote on 10/05/06 at 21:21:11:


I overheard Short saying that he regretted never learning the KID as it's so dynamic and offers so many winning chances, but then again he said playing The Two Knight's defence with Black is taking your life in your hands, so who knows.

Personally I consider a good repertoire to consists of both classical and hyper-modern openings, in this way you are better equipped to respond to any type of tournament situation. If that is too much work, you should at least have an understanding of how to play both types of game. Someone mentioned Davies play 1.e4 e5 book, which ostensibly can be considered a classical repertoire, nevertheless it is striking how often the Keres line he recommends against the ruy transposes to positions akin to the Modern Benoni.

The first strategical concept that anyone taking up the QGD as black must learn to cope with is the exchange variation with its primary strategical idea being the minority attack. Here I can heartily recommend retired GM Mathew Sadler's excellent book Queen's Gambit Declined, wherein he outlines Black's various strategies in fighting against the minority attack.      

Last but not least, what does  TMB mean ?

Tops

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 10/05/06 at 03:57:23:

I think that there are two points to be taken into account with this statement. Firstly what exactly would constitute a beginner. If a player would be a beginner imo I wouldnt recommend him any opening or if pressed the QGA (for the open play). Secondly I dont quite agree on the characterisation of the QGD. Very much will depend on the actual use of the QGD by the player. If he analyses his games a lot and compares his play with ideas in literature, then your observation is incorrect. However if he just sticks to the book lines he learnt in the beginning it will prolly become a "lazy" opening.

I have played the minority attack against masters who later said they didn't understand why they lost!  (Ok, there was only one master who admitted to not knowing what was going on, but others have lost without appearing to understand the nature of the attack.)

I recommend 1...d5 to my students, but I don't recommend the Slav (my favorite opening) for several reasons.  The most obvious is that I don't want to create clones, I want to create players who think for themselves.   I often recommend the Tarrasch, the QGA, the Chigorin, and sometimes the Classical TMB.   

I agree that players should learn the classics first.  But in the case of the QGD, the Orthodox variation of the QGD gives white winning chances while only providing Black with drawing chances.  Even a beginner deserves an opening that is dynamic enough to win as Black.

I just wanted to chime in ....

I think 1...d5 is the perfect start for beginners.  Its just so logical and clear.   
Push a center pawn, fight for control of the key central squares, open lines for your pieces, etc.
White attacks 2.c4 and Black defends his center with 2...e6.  Then the knights come out, then the bishop is developed before playing e3 so its not stuck behind the pawn chain, etc, etc.

The QGD is just so perfect from a classical standpoint that I cannot help but think its the easiest to understand for beginners.
Direct central play with standard piece development...no problem.
You also have all those great old games from Steintiz, Lasker, Capa, etc.  The World Championships....the legacy, the rich chess history.

I can still remember the "magic" of Lasker's ...Ne4.  The cunning of that little ...h6 nuance.   
Do you remember the first time you really understood why the minority attack made sense?  I was happy the whole day.

The QGD also sets up the Tarrasch beautifully.   
People still really appreciate Tarrasch's bold 3...c5!?  What a great idea that was back in the 19th century. 
Also, I still think Rubinstein's system (with g3, Na4, etc.) is fantastic reply to Tarrasch and was amazingly creative.
Imagine allowing black to un-isolate the pawn and block your bishop on g2, so you can set up a dark-square bind!   
That was sheer genius and a perfect example of the evolution of opening ideas.

As Sadler said, the QGD really serves as a foundation for almost all of Black's defenses to 1.d4.
Kasparov described it as 'the cornerstone'.

The Tarrasch, the Nimzo, the Slav, Queens Indian, etc.  all make more sense once you've understood why Black players got away from the clear-cut development of the QGD.  Each of the first 7-8 moves can make sense for people who have just learned how to move the pieces and yet the opening is still good enough to be played at the highest levels of chess even today.  What more could you want?

Nietzsche

ps - I tend to stay far, far away from the Catalan when teaching beginners.  It just gets so complicated strategically that I feel like I have to explain everything.  Has anyone else had this experience?    

When anyone new to chess begins to formulate a defense to 1)d4 I always strongly suggest they make the QGD their defense of choice. I belive someone else explained the benifits of learning this opening defense in the above replies.....I could not agree more!

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 07/30/06 at 04:18:34:


From 1982 until 1987 the Benkö helped me to rise from ELO 1300 to 1800. As I wrote before, it helped me to formulate a plan and execute it (big deal, it is so stereotypical). In 1984 a clubmate asked me what to do against 1.d4 (he already, unlike me, had chosen the French). On my advice he also chose the Benkö and guess what happened? Also 100 point up each year. Oh, and we did not rely on endgame theory at all (much too far away at move 10). The only thing we knew was putting our heavy artillery on the open queenside files and try to find good squares for the light pieces. Our dream was to place a knight on d3.
Now I will not say, that this happened only thanks to the Benkö, but obviously it did not hurt either.

Frendo, 

"The average club player" is several notches (about 700 rating points) above a true beginner.  For such a player, let's say around 1500 elo (which used to be the true mean but has drifted upward by nearly 400 points), then yes, let that player experiment with various openings.  That player has already found out a great deal about himself or herself and his/her relationship with chess.  The Benko is just fine for such a player, but I wouldn't expect such a player to rise dramatically just because of learning one opening variation.  Such a player would learn far more just from having a friend such as Bent Larsen!

Enviously, 

SF

I personally think the Benko is one of the worst lines to teach young chess players.  It's heavy on endgame theory, breaks all sorts of rules, and is difficult to play unless the student has experience.  The one plus is that if you want a student to learn an opening by rote, there are few openings that are as forcing.

I often recommend the Tarrasch QGD as Markovich does.  I try not to recommend the Slav because it's one of my pet openings and I often find myself going into too much detail when I am dealing with my favorite lines.

The QGA is strategically simple, but I like teaching the fundamentals of the Classical Orthodox and TMB lines.  I don't tell the students the name of the variations, I just let them find the best moves for themselves.  If they find ...b6, I steer them toward the TMB.   If they find ...c6, I show them the Orthodox and the Cambridge Springs.

Most students don't need to know reams of opening lines, they just need something that is active and gives them chances to play from the very beginning.   

As students get more advanced, I will address their needs on an individual basis.  I have students who successfully play the Tarrasch and Modern Benoni (depending on the move order); I also have students who play the QGA and Cambridge Springs; and some who play QGD TMB lines.  I even have a student who is learning the Chigorin!

This individualised method has one real advantage.  There are teachers in the region who teach one opening only, and it's relatively easy for my students to prepare for them.  My students don't have to worry about some chess coach teaching a one-size-fits-all counter to the systems they learn.