One of the reasons study of the chess openings is so popular is the simple fact that learning openings is as fun as it is educational. When you study the openings (especially classical ones) you gain ever-expanding insight into the key elements of the chess struggle. Principles and platitudes like “establish a pawn center”, “develop [...]
In the previous article I discussed two important principles in building your opening repertoire. I suggest that you operate from your strengths (which I defined not as your personality or chess-related preferences, but as structures/systems you’ve developed a personal history with) – and secondly I recommended expanding towards main lines as much as you can [...]
This article takes a look at some principles upon which to predicate your choice of openings. The most oft-repeated advice (even by Dvoretsky) is to select openings which suit your temperament and playing style. Thus, a young aggressive player should adopt the Sicilian Dragon, while a more mild-mannered fellow should defend the Ruy Lopez (for [...]