Hello Lichess friends. I was listing all my favorite openings to use and found something that I'd like to ask about. I was listing openings by the first one, two, or three moves, just enough so I'd recognize them. I noticed, as my chess knowledge has grown, I know the start of a lot of openings and in what situations I like to use them. For example, I have my favorite e4 opening, and d4 opening when I'm white, and depending on black's response I have various openings that I like to go into as white on my second or third move. As black I have a lot of different defenses I like to play depending on the opening I see.
So, there's a lot of different openings floating around in my head that I'd like to use in different situations. The trouble I find is I don't always remember when I want to use what opening. Writing down that list I thought: this would be really helpful for me to get started in the direction I want to go, having this little 'crib sheet' next to me when I start a game.
So, to the general community, and the moderators, do you think I should consider this cheating? Isn't this like the opening book you supply? I've never used it, but I've heard it can be used during games. Is that true?
Having written notes is forbidden by FIDE and USCF.
There are exceptions. Reading a novel while playing, although a bad idea, is normally allowed. Having chess related notes during a game is frowned upon but can be allowed, if the notes are NOT related to the game. This means that reading a KID book while playing a Ruy Lopez may be ok, but reading an endgame manual while playing is cheating, as the positions you are studying may come up in your game.
Having this crib sheet is an obvious cheat and should not be used during games. Some people have gone so far as to accuse people of cheating by looking at past games written in the score book.
Sounds pretty definitive. Thanks for responding to my question.
using "book" knowledge is allowed ONLY in correspondence games. that's probably where you got that from
LDog11, imo best thing you can do is to create that crib sheet, use it verse the computer until you remember all of the variations you like to play then bring it in your memory verse other humans. At the end of the day a majority of openings in chess are just memorization which is why I dislike them so much. It's just whose studied the best/has the best memory to an extent until complete understanding of opening theory, which can go out the window quite easily in speed chess.
LM Lightsss, you're right. I have a regular correspondence partner, and he's the one who told me that.
sirtetris, (from the old video game?) I think that's a great way to go about it. Study, not just how to play the openings but when to play them.
Thanks you guys.
@LDog11 #1
" I know the start of a lot of openings..."
Me too. Most of them i don't really understand. You could try to learn them by heart. But probably it doesn't help. It's a road to nowhere. Perhaps it's the best to concentrate on 2 or 3. Stuff for many years. Uhlmann spent a good part of his life for studying the French. And Carls's lifelong favorite waste of time was 1 c2-c4.
@jonesmh #2
"...reading a KID book while playing a Ruy Lopez may be ok..."
Great. And really fubar. This made my day.
@Makropoulos USCF rules sixth ed. 20B: "For example, a player on move five of a King's Indian Defense would usually be forfeited for reading a book on the King's Indian but given a warning or time penalty for reading one on rook endings."
I would give a warning if reading about the Ruy Lopez but would forfeit if reading about rook endings. I also have the option of allowing the game to continue, and forfeit if only a rook occurred.
