John asked:
 
My name is John. I am hoping to get some advice from you about my opening repertoire and perhaps growth in general as a player. I began chess about 7 years ago and play in about 3-4 tournaments a year. My study time is somewhat limited but I have learned to use my time as efficiently as possible and most of the time this means studying tactics over lunch break and going over the mistakes in my old games on the weekend.

I play a hodge-podge repertoire now and I'd like some advice based on the following:
 
1. I study tactics mostly and find planning tough (This probably isn't what you want to hear, but this is what I have found practically at my current rating). I like the closed Sicilian (as white) because the plan is very clear and if I defend when needed, and focus on tactics, the plan will almost carry itself out and if it doesn't...I usually end up with a salvageable endgame.  I'm looking for openings with clear middlegame plans (that an ape could follow and use with limited study time, good tactics, and fair endgame).
 
2. I would not call myself a mad attacker but definitely not a positional guy. In your book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CHESS STRATEGY you recommend e4, the KID, and Sicilian for the attacker as well as the Caro-Kann and Slav for the positional player...is there anything in between these extremes that would form a repertoire of similar ideas?
 
3. I'll take anything at this point! I just don't know which openings match my style (tactical), strengths (solid player with good endgame and tactics for my rating), and limitations (#1 time...my wife is expecting . #2 relatively poor planner...need to be spoon fed here).
 
4. Is the right move to suck it up, forget about the opening, (and regular diet of tactics problems) and reread HOW TO REASSESS YOUR CHESS?
 

Greg asked:

I'm what you might call an old dog trying to learn some new tricks. I learned to play as a teenager forty years ago from friends whose Dad was a good player. They taught me the moves and we played hundreds of games over several years. Ten or so years later, during law school, I played for a short time in a club. I have no idea now what rating I attained – I won some and lost some. The guys who were studying openings while I was studying contracts killed me. As school, work, and family time demands increased, I just stopped going. That was the last I played with any regularity.

Now my twenty-three-year-old daughter is showing some interest in the game.  (I did try when she was younger.) So here I am at fifty-five getting used to the algebraic notation system and trying to revive my game some. Your books have been my chief resource. I initially found that I had too little foundation to make progress with the REASSESS WORKBOOK, so I dropped back to THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CHESS STRATEGY and am now about half way through THE AMATEUR'S MIND. When I complete that, then I think I'll be ready to go back to the workbook with better results.  Anyhow, thanks for those efforts – they're quite different from others I've looked at in the past and may, when all is said and done, give me an appreciation for and some use of positional tactics and strategy.

And yet, if I were to return to club play I think the folks who study openings would still kill me (although I have hopes of a better showing) and I still don't have the time for extended study. My question is this: you recommend playing an opening that you're “comfortable” with, how's a guy to know what that is without studying a bunch of candidates through a lot of games? The Reti system which allows white to guide the game into “familiar” territory regardless of black's initial response seems attractive. But what's a fellow to do with black in hopes of keeping things as (relatively) simple and confined?  Any advice?

Silman replies:

I get a tremendous amount of mail concerning people's opening repertoires. I thought I had put this subject to rest in my previous two “repertoire replies,” HOW TO STUDY THE OPENING and THE EVOLUTION OF YOUR OPENING REPERTOIRE. But, the repertoire questions keep pouring in. So, I'll try one more time since it's obviously important to most players. Before going further, carefully read the articles mentioned above.

* I believe that every player should create and nurture their own repertoire based on their personal strengths and tastes. As your experience with your chosen systems grows, the positions you achieve will almost always be good or, at the very least, acceptable.

 * Since most people's time (and memory!) is limited, simple systems with clear ideas are called for.

* Don't lose sight of one truth: As good or as bad as your openings are, it ultimately comes down to your chess strength. Good results are achieved by good play, so spend the majority of your study time learning positional and tactical basics, with a little endgame knowledge tossed in for balance.

* Having said that, here are some repertoire choices for your consideration. The possibilities are endless, and specific repertoire books can prove very useful.

Possible “quiet” 1.e4 repertoires for White:

Sicilian Defense:

Choice one: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 followed by 3.g3 (plans are easy and effective).

Choice two: 1.e4 c5 2.c3 (an annoying system that many Sicilian players dread).

French Defense:

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 (a solid answer to the French).

Double king-pawn:

Choice one: 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 (few will know how to meet this).

Choice two: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 (safe, easy to learn, and effective).

Caro-Kann:

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 followed by Bf4, Nd2, Ngf3, etc. (takes five minutes to learn, and packs more sting than one might imagine).

Possible “quiet” 1.d4 repertoires for White:

1…Nf6 2.Nf3 intending to meet 2…e6 with 3.Bg5 (the Torre Attack) and 2…g6 with 3.Bf4 (the Boring Variation, a line that can be a deadly weapon in the right hands).

1…d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 (the Colle System).

Possible “quiet” 1.c4 repertoires for White:

I recommend learning the Botvinnik setup as White (click to see Black using this system HERE. I'm also high on Kosten's THE DYNAMIC ENGLISH (click to see reviews by Silman and Watson) because it gives you a complete White repertoire all the pages on the one book.

Possible “crazed” 1.e4 repertoires for White:

Sicilian Defense:

Smith-Morra Gambit via 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3.

French Defense:

1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4!? (the French Wing Gambit is for those that like to toss back a few beers before engaging in chess battle).

Double king-pawn:

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2.

Caro-Kann:

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3.

Possible “crazed” 1.d4 repertoires for White:

1…Nf6 2.Bg5 (the Tromp is a fun line that leads to original positions).

1…d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.f3 (the Blackmar Diemer Gambit).

Possible “quiet” repertoires for Black:

Vs. 1.e4 c6 (fairly easy to learn and extremely effective on the Amateur level).

Vs. 1.d4 Nf6 followed by a King's Indian via 2…g6, 3…Bg7, 4…0-0. The beauty of this is that you can play it against everything but 1.e4.

Alternative: 1…d5 2.c4 e6 followed by 3…Nf6, 4…Be7, 5…0-0. This can be seen in CREATING AN EASY OPENING REPERTOIRE FOR BLACK.

Possible “crazed” repertoires for Black:

Vs. 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 (check out the article, CAN WHITE SUCCESSFULLY AVOID THE DREADED PORTUGUESE ATTACK?).

Vs. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 (the Chigorin is an interesting, sharp, and sound line that can be used successfully against players of any strength).

Remember, this is just a random sampling. There are dozens of openings to choose from that are suited to every kind of style and taste. Just pick what looks good, get a basic book (NCO is a solid one volume for all choice, click here for reviews by Watson and Silman), and play your new systems every chance you get in blitz, tournaments, or against your computer.