ALL Opening Rules

When you play against a strong opponent, an opening preparation exerts strong influence on the final result. That’s why top players use 90-95% of their training time on an opening preparation. Though I don’t recommend you to do the same, it is still very important topic. In modern chess it is definitely one of the main factors of your practical success.

The Remote Chess Academy is preparing a new course for the opening. All the opening rules that you should know are listed below:

1. Opening play

• Develop pieces toward the center.
• Fight for the control over the central squares.
• Develop minor pieces before heavy pieces.
• Develop knights before bishops.
• Move your central pawns.
• Avoid pawn moves on the flanks if it doesn’t help an overall development of your pieces.
• Castle as soon as you can.
• Centralized king hampers development of other pieces and can be attacked by opponent.
• You must finalize your development before starting any other plans. Don’t be too greedy for material. Don’t start a premature attack.
• After you have finalized your development, start an attack.

2. Opening preparation

• Opening preparation is very important. Strong preparation can help you beat a weaker opponent, and it will force a stronger opponent to struggle for a draw.
• Sometimes, you can win a game just because of your excellent opening preparation.

• You need to learn the main strategic ideas/plans of an opening. Then, it’ll be much easier for you to understand specific variations.
• Each opening has some typical tactical ideas/tricks. You must learn them.
• Don’t stop after learning a single opening theory. You need to learn typical pawn structures and plans of a middle game.

• An analysis of classical games (i.e. the best games of top players) in your opening will help you to understand this opening much better.
• Learning different variations within one opening will improve your overall understanding.
• Some strong players “specialize” in a certain opening (i.e. play this opening consistently over many years with good results). For instance, Kasparov and Fischer are specialists in Najdorf variation of Sicilian defense. Learn the games of such “specialists” in your openings.
• An opening is a tool. Use it as long as it serves you well. After that, throw it away.
• Before playing a new opening in tournament games, you must practice it in training games.

3. Opening novelties

• If a certain move hasn’t been played before, it doesn’t mean that it’s bad.
• Some openings are forgotten even though they are not bad at all.
• Opening theory is limited. Every opening contains uncommon variations that are just as good as a streamline approach.
• You can use a “novelty” for your opponent (even though it may be well-known in chess theory).
• In one particular game you may use even a dubious novelty. It is likely that your opponent will not find a proper response. After all, he only has a few minutes for each move!
• A computer engine (Rybka, Fritz, etc.) can suggest to you several novelties from any given position.

4. Your opening Repertoire

• You need to build a well thought-out opening repertoire.
• Use different openings against strong and weak opponents.
• Prepare different openings for situations when you need a win and for those when you are comfortable with a draw.
• You may use dubious/tricky openings occasionally. However, don’t include them in your regular opening repertoire. Sooner or later, they will bring you trouble, and people will learn to catch or recognize them.
• Include classical openings in your opening repertoire. Although they may be not “fashionable”, they will deepen your overall understanding of chess.
• A classical approach: play aggressively with White; play solid lines with Black.
• You may choose your “chess hero” (i.e. a strong player whose style is similar to yours) and imitate his opening repertoire.

If you want to know all the secrets of a professional opening preparation and to get a full opening repertoire on the Grandmaster’s level – you may study the course “The Grandmaster’s Openings Laboratory” (LINK).

I’ve prepared some new opening weapons for you. The lines are easy to learn and thus you can use them right away.

<< Download Your New Opening Weapons >>

Note: if you don’t know how to open a *.pgn file, please read this: LINK

Don’t worry if you haven’t played these openings before. Again, I’ve selected those lines which you can learn in one swoop!

You can use these openings against a  specific opponent. Let’s say you never play first move 1.d4. Still, if you know that your opponent plays King’s Indian defence, then you may go into this line and use “our special weapon.”