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4. Bxc6). Actually, I would not expect to be able to play that opening more than one time in ten games as White. Black is likely to take me into a Sicilian, Caro-Kann, French, Philidor, or Petrov before I even make it to 3.Bb5 and even then I could be faced with the Berlin (3Nf6 or the Schliemann (3f5).

There isn't time to become an expert on all these openings as well as your favorite, and you shouldn't try. Instead, take the initiative back and find A LESSOR-KNOWN LINE within those other possibilities and GAIN A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE TYPICAL THEMES.

This approach has the fantastic effect of dramatically reducing your study workload and increasing your playing experience on each opening! How? Well, in my case whenever some plays the Sicilian against me, I always play 2.Nc3. The plan for White is simple: a king-side attack and White's early moves are almost always the same (g3, Bg2, d3, f4, Nf3, 0-0 followed by a king-side pawn advance). I never have to study or play any other kind of Sicilian game. And, as I play it so often (probably 30% of my White games) my experience in the opening grows very quickly. Nowadays, when I push my pawn to e4, I am hoping for Black to play the Sicilian. Quite a turnaround from the old days!

I have a considerable chess library with a great many openings books, but a telling sign is that I don't own a single book covering the Nc3 Sicilian. My reference material on this opening comes from a few pages of the excellent book "Mastering the Opening" by Byron Jacobs, which discusses some openings in general and strategic terms. I also use several other chess openings in my repertoire from this slim volume.

Don't be the bookish student who flips from one opening to next in search of the Holy Grail of openings. The way to navigate the dark waters of opening theory is in the knowledge that a little understanding beats a lot of theory hands down!

You will also have some free time to spend on improving the aspects of your chess game that really count: the middle and end games. Good luck!

Learn more about this author, David Taylor.
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