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GM_Eviltoe
I’d like to know what do you think about my chess strategy.

I’m currently around 1200 elo. So far, what I’ve been thinking is, I learn one white opening, and two black opening.

As white I’ve been slowly building my strategy around the English opening, as it’s not a very common opening and is quite good at throwing off players of this level who are not very experienced in its theory. As I get to start, I don’t think I need to know play other white openings at the moment.

For black, I play the accelerated Dragon Sicilian, or the regular Dragon Sicilian depending on how white respond against e4.

And the other is the Dutch opening against d4, which is also not a common opening at this level although it’s not great at higher elo. For the moment it’s fine though, and I’m planing to learn to play the Nimzo Indian at some point when I get to 1400-1500 elo.

But on good days, I regularly play 1500-1800 elo games according to review so my plan in the near future is to get to know my openings even better to make less bad games and be more consistent till I reach 1400-1500.

Do you have any thoughts, comments or advice ?
ChessMasteryOfficial

My advice (as a chess coach and 2100+ player):

Learn and apply the most important principles of chess.
Always blunder-check your moves.
Solve tactics in the right way.
Analyze your games.
Study games of strong players.
Learn how to be more psychologically resilient.
Work on your time management skills.
Get a coach if you can.

Compadre_J

Very Solid Strategy GM Eviltoe.

I give you an upvote because it’s a very solid Big Picture Plan!

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The only advice I want to add is mostly fruit for thought.

I think you should consider adding in an opening with the move e6 against these sort of 1.e4 players.

The reason why is because of the chess level you are at.

Your in the 1,200 ranking range which is what I call the danger zone.

I call it the danger zone because the 1,200 ranking range is a magnet to what I call the Fried Liver Attacking Fanatics. Your playing the Sicilian so they can’t really do a Fried Liver attack on you, but the problem is these chess players are obsessed and will try to attack you anyway.

The Sicilian Dragon & Acceleration Dragon don’t really have pawn on e6.

These people are going to play Bc4 & Ng5 stuff to attack f7.

The move e6 helps blunt the Bishop so they can’t team up on your f7 pawn.

The Sicilian Kan or Sicilian Schevengain are some alternative Sicilian lines which do have the move e6 in them.

Lets say your playing game and your opponent does something like below:

A move like e6 would be helpful.

Now keep in mind, you may not face a lot of players that do the above or below stuff.

I’m just mentioning it so you can sort of think about it.

I had friend who played Sicilian Dragon all the way to 1,900 before he changed to different line.

The problem is you can’t really play Sicilian Dragon if your opponent is doing the above nonsense. Part of being strong player is countering what your opponents do.

Again, you might not face a lot of people doing the above.

I am just giving you heads up because when I was 1,200.

It was a plague of Fried Liver fanatics.

Obviously, chess is a lot different vs. when I was a beginner.

The point I am making is just to help give you warning/heads up.

I recommend at least 1 line with e6 under your sleeve.

————————————

A while back, I saw player in 1,400 rated level complaining about the Jobava London Fanatics.

They are doing a wild Fried Liver Attack on Queen side with the Jobava London opening.

I don’t know why they are doing this because it seems to be something worth thinking about.

———————————————

My recommendation would be to add a c6 line against these sort of 1.d4 players when you reach 1,400 or so.

In your case, your playing the Dutch.

You didn’t mention what variation your playing.

The Stone Wall Dutch does often play c6 so that could be option for you.

blueemu

That "Jobava Fried Liver" isn't worth worrying about.

Black has a few perfectly reasonable replies.

Here's one:

james598grose

Hello,
Opening Strategy Feedback
Your focused approach to learning openings is excellent! Mastering a few openings deeply is better than superficially knowing many.
Strengths:
English Opening (White): Uncommon and effective at your level
Dragon Sicilian (Black): Aggressive and complex, suitable for counterplay
Dutch Opening (Black): Uncommon and useful for surprise value
Advice:
Continue to deepen your knowledge of these openings
Practice regularly to reinforce your understanding
Gradually introduce new openings (like Nimzo Indian) as you progress
Analyze your games to identify areas for improvement
Consistency is key: Focus on making better moves and reducing mistakes. Your rating will follow naturally.
Keep up the good work, and you'll reach your goals!

MarkMoore150705

just don't blunder nervous

Mazetoskylo
MarkMoore150705 wrote:

just don't blunder

This.

You are making very serious mistakes/blunders, and that alone makes knowledge of any opening irrelevant.

Here is the last game you won.

How come one plays that horrible knight move at the edge of the board leaving a rook en prise? Easy to tell: You have played your first 14 moves in just one minute.

Just forget about your ambitious "chess strategy" and sophisticated opening repertoire, and concentrate on the basics: Simple tactics, blunder checking, and playing it safe.

RussBell

Improving Your Chess - Resources for Beginners and Beyond.....

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/improving-your-chess-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

Chess Openings Resources for Beginners and Beyond…

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/openings-resources-for-beginners-and-beyond

magipi
GM_Eviltoe wrote:
I’m currently around 1200 elo.

It's time to stop posting in the Beginners section, isn't it?