ErictheRed wrote on 02/25/14 at 01:17:14:


I love the Starting Out book. But I only use it for non-1.e4 e5 lines. I mainly play the Evans Gambit or against the Two Knights Defense in double KP games. As black it is the Two Knights (Ulvestad vs 4.Ng5)/Berlin Wall against 1.e4 and the Tchigorin against 1.d4 - black gets his pieces out very fast.

The double KP suggestions in the Starting Out: 1.e4 are too quiet for my tastes, but are pretty solid. However, I tend to misplay quiet positional games, especially when there is no 'contact point' (i.e. playing against a hedgehog or hippo).

You already received very good advices.

Regarding your 2 major questions, I fully agree with Aziridine, Petroff and Tarrasch will give you open games, without too much theory. With the Tarrasch, it's also very convenient to meet 1.c4 and 1.Nf3, probably more so than the Leningrad.

For the Sicilian, I would rather play 2.c3 for now. Youl'll have an isolated pawn almost always after 2...d5 and also sometimes after 2....Nf6. If you want consistency, you should be ready to transpose to a French advance after 2...e6.

For the French, I think the exchange variation is fully playable, but I would prefer the French advance (espescially if you play 2.c3 against the Sicilian). It will give you a feeling for pawn chains and closed centre that you'll get in no other opening you're playing. A little bit of variety is nice if you want to improve.

Whatever you choose, good luck with your chess!

Isolated_Pawn wrote on 02/25/14 at 00:01:01:

Then definitely go for the Petroff over the Sveshnikov (too much theory), and the Tarrasch over the Leningrad (the positions you get are not really "open").

Few openings are so poor that you genuinely have to throw them away some day, at least as long as you're playing main lines.  The trick is to pick openings that are rich and broad, and that you can vary your approach with over the years.  You will get bored with playing the same thing over and over, at least in some openings. 

The Scotch Four Knights is probably fine; you can mix in the Spanish Four Knights and Belgrade Gambit for variety at times.  Later if you decide to play the pure Scotch or the pure Spanish, you will already know what to do when Black plays 2...d6, 2...f5, or 2...Nf6, for instance.  So it leaves you with room to grow should you want to.   

Play the Open Sicilian, don't fear it, just be prepared to study a fascinating opening a little bit.  Maybe start with Tim Taylor's book, which generally avoids the most theoretical lines but still offers chances for advantage.  Also there is Nigel Davies' older book based on 6.g3; some lines might need some updating eventually, but the 6.g3 approach is quite underestimated and perfectly good.  Basically, you just want to pick some somewhat less popular (but still good lines that have been played by the world's best players) and specialize in them.

Obviously the Panov-Botvinnik attack is fine.

I would recommend NOT playing the Exchange French with 4.c4.  It just offers White so little--why should it give him an advantage, anyway?  You free Black's light-squared bishop and head for an isolated pawn position too early, i.e. before Black has had to make any kind of concession.  If you really insist on playing this way, you should start with 4.Nf3 and play 4...Bd6 5.c4 for instance, when the bishop isn't on the best square for IQP structures (supposedly).  White still has next to nothing, however.  This is the weakest part of your repertoire, and you will not likely be able to play this successfully all the way up to 2000.  Not that you can't play it on occasion, but if it's all you ever play you'll be extremely easy to prepare for and you're putting essentially no pressure on Black.

We have a thread in the French section; take a look at it to get some ideas.   

Maybe pick up some kind of "complete 1.e4 repertoire book" to give you an idea of what to do against the various sidelines like Alekhine's, the Scandinavian, etc.  I don't have a particular one to recommend.  Andrew Greet wrote a pretty good one only on sidelines, but it may be too big/overkill for now.  Just something like John Emms' Attacking with 1.e4 or Sam Collins' book or Neil McDonald's Starting Out: 1.e4.   

Versus 1.e4, play the Sicilian Defense if you want to.  Don't waste your time with another opening, you'll never be "ready" for the Sicilian later, just start playing it now.  I played it when I was unrated, and when I was rated 928 (my first provisional rating), and when I was rated 1100...all the way up until now (with a few side excursions like the French, Alekhine, and Caro over the many years).   

Do NOT play the Sveshnikov, however.  For all of your openings, play openings that are straightforward, that develop pieces rapidly and logically to the center, and that don't lead to insane messes or anti-positional holes in the middle of your position.  I know that someone is going to come along now and talk about how great the Sveshnikov is, how it isn't really anti-positional, blah blah, but the truth is: it is.  It's also completely sound for mysterious and dynamic reasons, but you've got a huge hole on d5, doubled f-pawns, and the position is such a mess that any slip could be fatal.   

Instead play the Dragon, or the Accelerated Dragon, or the Scheveningen, or the Classical, possibly another one.  You could do FAR worse than just buying Craig Pritchett's Starting Out: Sicilian Scheveningen book and one other to deal with sidelines.  Something smaller for the sidelines again, like Meeting 1.e4 or the older Beating the Anti-Sicilians.   

Do not play the Dutch, either, for the same reasons you should not play the Sveshnikov.  You aren't ready to break all the rules yet.  If you like the Tarrasch, play the Tarrasch!  Get a smaller (digestible) book like Meeting 1.d4 and you're basically set all the way up until 2000.