How to get better at chess openings: three early losses from week 29
Week 29 (July 22–25, 2024) was short and lopsided: 12 rapid games, 5 wins and 7 losses, and a small drop from 991 to 980. All the damage was on one side. With Black I went 4–1. With White, the colour I play my "safe" 1.d4 systems with, I won one game out of seven, and that one doesn't really count: in #743 my opponent resigned after 1.d4 d5. The first three games of the week were three losses, all decided by an early blunder, so this week is a good place to ask how to get better at chess openings when you already have a repertoire.
The week in numbers
| Games | 12, all 10-minute rapid |
| Wins / losses / draws | 5 / 7 / 0 |
| Rating | 991 → 980 (−11) |
| Average accuracy | 75.2 % |
| Blunders (Stockfish) | 20 (opponents: 19) |
| Most played openings | Horwitz Defense (2), Accelerated London (2), Queen's Pawn (2) |
| With White / with Black | 1–6 / 4–1 |
The split by game phase is the clearest I've had: 17 of my 34 mistakes and blunders came in the opening, 17 in the middlegame, and none in the endgame. Five of my seven losses are logged as abandoned, including #747, which I left after seven moves. Only two games (#740 and #745) were winning positions I didn't win, fewer than in any recent week. My Black wins were solid: three of the four ended in checkmate.
One small piece of progress: in #740 my opponent played the same early queen attack on my f4 bishop that cost me a piece in week 27 (1.d4 e6 2.Bf4 Qf6). This time I answered 3.e3 and protected it, and by move 14 Stockfish had me at +6.53. Then I threw it away in one move.
The three opening losses
A queen trade that doubled my pawns
Game #738, White against VAMC2022 (978), in my Zukertort Chigorin. Equal, +0.19, with my queen on a4 and bishop on b5 both on the queenside.
My queen had to move, and 12.Qa3 offers a trade with the queen on d6. In Stockfish's line Black accepts, 12...Qxa3 13.bxa3, and my pawns on a2 and a3 are doubled on the a-file, with nothing on b2. (In the game my opponent played 12...Nc4 first.) Stockfish's evaluation went from +0.19 to −1.74. Retreating with 12.Qd1 keeps the structure and the balance. A queen trade isn't free just because it's equal material: it can also decide what your pawns look like for the rest of the game (game on Chess.com).
Attacking the queen while g7 needed a guard
Game #739, Black against raisoh (967). Equal-ish, −0.61, but White's queen on g3 and bishop on h6 were both pointed at my g7 pawn.
8...Nh5 attacks White's queen. But the bishop on e2 simply takes the knight, 9.Bxh5, and the problem on g7 is still there: White now threatens checkmate on the next move. The evaluation jumped from −0.61 to +6.42. Stockfish's 8...Ne8 is ugly and right: from e8 the knight guards g7, the square White's queen and bishop are both aiming at. I abandoned this game after eight moves (game on Chess.com).
The knight move that allowed a royal fork
Game #740, White against Prasshaa (989). I was completely winning, +6.53, with my bishop already on c7 and my king still on e1.
14.Nc4 attacks Black's queen and the bishop on d6, and it uncovers my queen on d1 against that bishop. Three attacks in one move. But it ignores Black's checks. 14...Qc3+ checks my king and attacks my rook on a1 at the same time, a royal fork. The evaluation flipped from +6.53 to −3.98. Stockfish's 14.Qh5+ gives check first: after 14...Ke7 15.Qg6 my attack continues against Black's king. I abandoned this one too (game on Chess.com).
The lesson of the week
None of these three losses needed more opening theory. They needed the same short checklist in the first fifteen moves: what does my opponent threaten after my move, starting with their checks? In #738 I didn't ask what the queen trade did to my pawns. In #739 I didn't see that my knight was the guard of g7. In #740 I counted my own three attacks and not their one check. For me, getting better at chess openings right now means playing my usual setups with that question attached to every move, the way I finally did against 2...Qf6 in #740, until it becomes as automatic as the moves themselves.
All games this week
| Game # | Date | Colour | Opponent (rating) | Result | Opening | Accuracy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 738 | Jul 22 | White | VAMC2022 (978) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Zukertort Chigorin Variation | 71.8 | game |
| 739 | Jul 22 | Black | raisoh (967) | Loss | Kings Pawn Opening | 61.5 | game |
| 740 | Jul 23 | White | Prasshaa (989) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 47.0 | game |
| 741 | Jul 23 | Black | harshbhagwariya (941) | Win | Kings Gambit | 55.6 | game |
| 742 | Jul 23 | Black | ThiagoCS89 (954) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 82.2 | game |
| 743 | Jul 23 | White | raullliu (921) | Win | Queens Pawn Opening | 100.0 | game |
| 744 | Jul 23 | Black | buluttsa (1001) | Win | Three Knights Opening | 86.0 | game |
| 745 | Jul 23 | White | misterjabba (992) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Accelerated London System | 79.5 | game |
| 746 | Jul 24 | White | shults-2 (1006) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening | 81.2 | game |
| 747 | Jul 24 | White | Manoah1996 (1005) | Loss | Queens Pawn Opening Horwitz Defense | 71.7 | game |
| 748 | Jul 25 | Black | ChessEagle2017 (944) | Win | Slav Defense Exchange Variation | 92.2 | game |
| 749 | Jul 25 | White | dbakl (1119) | Loss | Indian Game East Indian London System | 74.3 | game |
Previous: week 28 · Next: week 30 · The series so far: the journey hub · Check your own openings move by move: review your own games like this.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get better at chess openings at around 1000?
In my games the opening problem wasn't theory. Half of my mistakes and blunders this week (17 of 34) came in the opening phase, and the three below were a queen trade that wrecked my pawns, a knight that walked into a mate threat and a move that allowed a royal fork.
Should you trade queens early in the opening?
Only if the trade doesn't cost you something else. In game #738 my 12.Qa3 offered a trade, and in Stockfish's line 12...Qxa3 13.bxa3 my queenside pawns end up doubled on the a-file; its evaluation went from +0.19 to −1.74.
What is a royal fork?
A fork that hits the king, so the opponent must answer the check and lose the other piece. In game #740 my 14.Nc4 allowed 14...Qc3+, checking my king and attacking my rook on a1.