A Closer Look at Openings
I wasn't really sure at first about considering this article as part of the "Discipline" series, but I guess the mere fact that I am not practicing what I will soon be talking about just shows the need for "discipline" in this area of my games.
What I observed in most of my games, whether won or lost, is the lack of understanding of how my opening moves affected the development of the game. I think this can be attributed partly to the superficial understanding I have of the openings I use. This in turn can be traced to the haphazard way I employ opening moves. In a number of games that begin simultaneously, usually in a tournament in cc, I would usually employ about half as many openings as the number of games I play as white, which would usually mean three or more opening types, six in total considering my response as black. Plus the fact that I would use another set of totaly different openings if I happen to start another set of tournament games, some of which I don't even recognize the idea behind it. I am beginning to realize I won't get very far in developing my understanding and skill in the game if I continue to do this. Then add to that the lack of discipline to analyze the games as it progress, and you have a recipe for disaster, or at least getting by without getting much out of a game, which in turn makes it a lot less fun (as in any sport, lack of development of skill is one sure way to make it boring).
So on this aspect of the game, I would start making changes in such a way that I would employ a minimal set of openings, perhaps two each for white and black, a total of four, for a certain duration of time enough for me to have a deeper understanding of its pros and cons. I imagine it would be easier for white, since I can dictate more or less the opening, but it would be a bit of a trick for black since I would have to prepare and research more in anticipation of white's opening.
In addition, I would try to understand each game better by taking down notes and observations as the game progress. And this could mean making changes on my game habits, in particular, playing less games but paying more attention to it. And yet, I feel that I would be getting
more, and perhaps having more fun, by doing this rather than playing games haphazardly.
A minimal set of opening repertoire would also have an added advantage: it would provide direction for any research and study I would do to better understand the openings I would be using.
Finally, this is the first in this series where I dealt directly with the game itself, as opposed to analyzing and understanding the environment of the game, particularly as it applies to correspondence chess. It has both been a challenge and a refreshing change for me. And hopefully, the start of another something fun and wonderful.
Part 6 here
Start of series here
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