In the previous post we looked at a tweet by Grandmaster Susan Polgar about the value of opening study for novice chess players, and the ensuing discussion.
Admittedly, things got a bit crass, fast.
I would like to share some thoughts.
I agree with Grandmaster Polgar, that for novice players (and a lot of us who are beyond novice) to focus a lot on openings is not the right use of one's valuable time; it is better to focus on sound opening principles, improving tactics, learning basic endgames, and developing understanding of strategies, etc.
That might seem a bit odd, coming from someone who maintains a blog focused on a chess opening (and which is approaching its' 4,000th post), but I have always believed that the early sacrifices in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) are an expressway out of a quiet opening and into the tactical complications of the middle game. In fact, many defenders are barely settled in their seats before their brain sends the message What in the world is happening to me??
That said, I think that Grandmaster Polgar made a minor misstep by supporting her argument by pointing out that if a Grandmaster opened a game with various unorthodox moves, would that mean that the novice opponent could beat the GM? (Of course not!)
In fact, if the novice player rattled off the first dozen "best" moves in the Najdorf Sicililan (or any other top level line), the Grandmaster would still win - perhaps not as quickly, but just as inevitably.
Grandmaster vs novice equals crush.
More to Grandmaster Polgar's point, a novice player facing a novice player (or a club player facing a club player) would do best to polish those sound opening principles, middlegame tactics and basic endgames. That is the highway to success.
By the way, I will continue my exploration of the Jerome Gambit, but always with the following tactical debacle in mind: perrypawnpusher - alfil_7, "Piano Piano" tournament, Chess.com, 2021 (0-1, 35). Tactics. Ouch.
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