Answers.Body: <p>I don't believe in 'learn this, then learn that.'  Instead, you should be working on improving in general.  Tactics are always good; you'll be learning them your whole life.  In the meantime, learn a few openings.  Not the just the memorization, but the reasons the openings are the way they are.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-14T22:55:10.507Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-05-14T22:55:10.507Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Answers.Body: <p>I believe studying the openings is a good way to go. Now, you don't want to memorize it. Instead find a book or some site that thoroughly analyzes the openings. Why?</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li><p>You will learn of a way to approach a game with the type of style you prefer. Experimenting with different openings you get to learn more.</p></li>
  <li><p>The opening is thoroughly studied and understood. Therefore, when you learn about each move, you will have in-depth knowledge where the 'whys' are completely explained. That way, you learn how much thought goes into each move, what is considered, how strategy is created and executed. When you play games with these openings yourself, you'll get the feel for its strengths and weaknesses.</p></li>
  </ol>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2012-08-03T06:50:59.390Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-08-03T06:50:59.390Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Soulzityr
Answers.Body: <p>Once you have learnt the moves of the game, in my opinion it's time to have some fun and start playing lots of games, gain some experience and catch the chess 'bug'! </p>
  
  <p>A good way to do this would be to search online for your local chess club and go along a few times.</p>
  
  <p>Once you have the 'bug', then you have more motivation for serious study later. In my opinion, in the early days, the best way to learn is to play lots of games, preferably against stronger players.</p>
  
  <p>Try to be ego-less, you are likely to lose a lot of the time!</p>
  
  <p>Keep a chess notebook with the score of the game and another page for notes where you record a single thing that you can learn from the played game. If there isn't anything obvious to you, see if you can get a stronger player to go through your game with you and suggest things that you could work on.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2012-07-27T12:03:51.817Z
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Answers.LastEditDate: 2020-03-03T16:26:23.030Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: AndyM
Answers.Body: <p>After learning fundamentals, learning "book" openings is a good way to add structure to your game. You have to start somewhere, and the opening is a good place to start.</p>
  
  <p>JR Capablanca based his game on "fundamentals" and was ignorant of opening variations (for a Grandmaster), but he was a world champion.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-08-03T01:05:58.580Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-08-03T01:05:58.580Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tom Au
Answers.Body: <p>Traditionally speaking, yes, after the fundamentals rules of chess have been learned, moving onto openings makes the most sense. </p>
  
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Answers.Text: @blunders, for the discussion here, it's a mistake to compare the returns of a "single good opening" against the returns of a "single good tactic." Improving one's tactical play doesn't mean learning/memorizing some individual tactics, it means improving one's overall tactical awareness, calculating ability, etc. Tactical know-how is needed with _every single move_ in a game, and that is why improving in that realm is generally much more useful for beginning players than is opening theory.
Answers.UserDisplayName: ETD
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Answers.Text: @Ed Dean: Yes, I know... but given the other player is on equal ground, learning one better opening in my opinion is more important than one better tactic. Curious, did you comment on my answer to get me back to the Chess.SE site... :-)
Answers.UserDisplayName: blunders
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Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-14T19:02:59.457Z
Answers.Text: I often hear that even after the fundamentals, one should spend a considerable amount of time on tactics before openings.
Answers.UserDisplayName: xaisoft
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-14T19:08:35.120Z
Answers.Text: That's I believe based on the assumption you'd be playing great or equal players, though if playing players below your skill level, a single good opening master would give greater returns than a single good tactic, right?
Answers.UserDisplayName: blunders
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Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-14T19:01:31.930Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-05-14T19:01:31.930Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: blunders
Answers.Body: <p>Moving from fundamentals to memorization of openings is probably not recommended. I would instead recommend learning the fundamentals of openings (controlling the center, developing minor pieces, don't bring out the queen too early (usually), pawn structure), and then, as you say in your comment, focusing on tactics practice.</p>
  
  <p>If your goal is to play fast games, then studying openings is certainly going to help you increase the speed out of the gates. </p>
  
  <p>If your goal is to improve your slow game, which is probably a good idea for most beginners: my recommendation is to consider each opening move as carefully as you would a move later in the game. Many openings are as tactically tricky as the middle game, so it pays to be careful.</p>
  
  <p>Just my opinion. Obviously, there is a point where learning some openings will be helpful. </p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2012-07-27T18:21:40.270Z
Answers.Text: @Andrew, and then promptly forgetting or if you do remember it, the line is only played against you exceptionally rarely.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Robert Kaucher
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Answers.CreationDate: 2012-07-27T18:50:15.313Z
Answers.Text: @RobertKaucher, haha good point.  If you study games in the opening you're interested in, that helps far more than sitting with your engine-of-choice for hours on end IMHO.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Andrew
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-15T01:35:58.307Z
Answers.Text: +1, I think the most common studying mistake that lower rated players make is spending too much time on memorizing.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Andrew
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Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-14T20:20:17.263Z
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Eve Freeman
Body: <p>After learning the fundamentals, should one start learning openings or should there be something else in between?</p>
  
Tags: <opening><learning>
Title: Should a beginner move from fundamentals to opening theory?
ThreadText: # Should a beginner move from fundamentals to opening theory?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2012-05-14)
  
  After learning the fundamentals, should one start learning openings or should there be something else in between?
  
  **Tags:** opening, learning
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 6 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2012-05-14. Score: 14 | Accepted answer
  
  Moving from fundamentals to memorization of openings is probably not recommended. I would instead recommend learning the fundamentals of openings (controlling the center, developing minor pieces, don't bring out the queen too early (usually), pawn structure), and then, as you say in your comment, focusing on tactics practice.
  
  If your goal is to play fast games, then studying openings is certainly going to help you increase the speed out of the gates.
  
  If your goal is to improve your slow game, which is probably a good idea for most beginners: my recommendation is to consider each opening move as carefully as you would a move later in the game. Many openings are as tactically tricky as the middle game, so it pays to be careful.
  
  Just my opinion. Obviously, there is a point where learning some openings will be helpful.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_9**: +1, I think the most common studying mistake that lower rated players make is spending too much time on memorizing.  
  > **username_8**: @username_9, and then promptly forgetting or if you do remember it, the line is only played against you exceptionally rarely.  
  > **username_9**: @RobertKaucher, haha good point.  If you study games in the opening you're interested in, that helps far more than sitting with your engine-of-choice for hours on end IMHO.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2012-05-14. Score: 8
  
  I don't believe in 'learn this, then learn that.' Instead, you should be working on improving in general. Tactics are always good; you'll be learning them your whole life. In the meantime, learn a few openings. Not the just the memorization, but the reasons the openings are the way they are.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2012-08-03. Score: 4
  
  I believe studying the openings is a good way to go. Now, you don't want to memorize it. Instead find a book or some site that thoroughly analyzes the openings. Why?
  
  1. You will learn of a way to approach a game with the type of style you prefer. Experimenting with different openings you get to learn more.
  2. The opening is thoroughly studied and understood. Therefore, when you learn about each move, you will have in-depth knowledge where the 'whys' are completely explained. That way, you learn how much thought goes into each move, what is considered, how strategy is created and executed. When you play games with these openings yourself, you'll get the feel for its strengths and weaknesses.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2012-07-27. Score: 4
  
  Once you have learnt the moves of the game, in my opinion it's time to have some fun and start playing lots of games, gain some experience and catch the chess 'bug'!
  
  A good way to do this would be to search online for your local chess club and go along a few times.
  
  Once you have the 'bug', then you have more motivation for serious study later. In my opinion, in the early days, the best way to learn is to play lots of games, preferably against stronger players.
  
  Try to be ego-less, you are likely to lose a lot of the time!
  
  Keep a chess notebook with the score of the game and another page for notes where you record a single thing that you can learn from the played game. If there isn't anything obvious to you, see if you can get a stronger player to go through your game with you and suggest things that you could work on.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2012-08-03. Score: 1
  
  After learning fundamentals, learning "book" openings is a good way to add structure to your game. You have to start somewhere, and the opening is a good place to start.
  
  JR Capablanca based his game on "fundamentals" and was ignorant of opening variations (for a Grandmaster), but he was a world champion.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2012-05-14. Score: 1
  
  Traditionally speaking, yes, after the fundamentals rules of chess have been learned, moving onto openings makes the most sense.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: I often hear that even after the fundamentals, one should spend a considerable amount of time on tactics before openings.  
  > **username_5**: That's I believe based on the assumption you'd be playing great or equal players, though if playing players below your skill level, a single good opening master would give greater returns than a single good tactic, right?  
  > **username_6**: @username_5, for the discussion here, it's a mistake to compare the returns of a "single good opening" against the returns of a "single good tactic." Improving one's tactical play doesn't mean learning/memorizing some individual tactics, it means improving one's overall tactical awareness, calculating ability, etc. Tactical know-how is needed with _every single move_ in a game, and that is why improving in that realm is generally much more useful for beginning players than is opening theory.  
  > **username_5**: @Ed Dean: Yes, I know... but given the other player is on equal ground, learning one better opening in my opinion is more important than one better tactic. Curious, did you comment on my answer to get me back to the Chess.SE site... :-)  
  
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