Foodfight's Chess Club: Strategic Repertoire

Foodfight's Chess Club: Strategic Repertoire
Compiled by foodfight

This is a repertoire for beginning players. It emphasizes lines where the number of forcing moves are limited. If you fail to find the best move, often other moves are playable too. The setups are similar in many variations. Even though your chances of winning through an opening surprise are limited, you can still gain an advantage over your opponent. Why? Because you will have more experience with these similar setups.

These are low risk lines. The time you need to learn them initially is less than what is needed for an attacking repertoire. The advantage: You can spend more time studying important things like tactics by using easy to remember setups like this. The drawback: There is not much tactical fighting in these lines, so you may not gain the practical experience you need with tactics.

Consider the GBW Attacking Repertorie if these lines are too quiet for you.

For White: This repertoire is based on 1. d4.
Many of our players will balk at playing anything except 1. e4. If you are that kind of player, check out the Pseudo-Lopez games here:Game Collection: BRCC: 1. e4 Games For White and Black and the Sicilian Alapin games here: Game Collection: ALAPIN VARIATION OF THE SICILIAN

Games 1 - 3: Kings Indian Defense, Fianchetto Variation

Games 4-8 are based on the Catalan Opening. You can find more instructive games here: Game Collection: Chesscake's Catalan Games

Games 4 - 5: Catalan Openings Starting With 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6: Play 3. g3 right away or you might end up in a Queens Indian Defense. The examples provided are closed Catalans where Black does not play dxc4.

Game 6: Closed Catalan Openings Starting With 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf6 4. g3

Games 7 - 8: Open Catalan Openings Starting With 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3. Black will have to work to develop his queen's bishop. Usually, there is a struggle to stop ..c5 by Black. White usually does not have the time to try b3, Bb2.

Game 9: Slav or Semi-Slav: If you get an early c6, it usually does not pay to fianchetto. Instead try a variation where you play Nc3, Nf3 and cxd5 early.

Game 10: Queens Gambit Accepted.

For Black:

Games 11 - 17: Sicilian Kan/Paulsen. If a Sicilian Defense does not suit you, consider playing the Cara Kann (1..c6); checkout PositionalBomber's Caro-Kann tutorial here: Game Collection: PositionalBomber's Caro-Kann tutorial If you insist on playing 1..e5, consider the example games for the Giuoco Piano and the Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz here: Game Collection: BRCC: 1. e4 Games For White and Black

Game 18: Grand Prix Antidote.

Games 19 - 21: Benko Gambit - You can find more details on the Benko Gambit here: Game Collection: BRCC: 1. d4 Games For White and Black

KID, Fianchetto. Push pawn to e4; Get rook off long diagonal
Smejkal vs C McNab, 1982
(E68) King's Indian, Fianchetto, Classical Variation, 8.e4, 34 moves, 1-0
KID, Fianchetto. Push pawn to e4; Get rook off long diagonal
I Stohl vs Movsziszian, 1994
(E67) King's Indian, Fianchetto, 25 moves, 1-0
KID, Fianchetto., Panno. Try to keep Black's knight on a5.
S Matveeva vs N Kiseleva, 2004
(E63) King's Indian, Fianchetto, Panno Variation, 34 moves, 1-0
Closed Catalan: Push the e4 pawn.
Sosonko vs A Westermeier, 1982
(E08) Catalan, Closed, 36 moves, 1-0
Closed Catalan: Push the e4 pawn.
P Haba vs A Zedek, 1991
(E01) Catalan, Closed, 39 moves, 1-0
Catalan Opening: Closed Variation
Krasenkow vs Azmaiparashvili, 1997
(E06) Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3, 62 moves, 1-0
Despite what it says, this is an Open Catalan
Alburt vs E Prandstetter, 1985
(E06) Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3, 54 moves, 1-0
Open Catalan: White gets the initiative in return for the pawn
Khalifman vs A Petrosian, 1987
(E04) Catalan, Open, 5.Nf3, 29 moves, 1-0
Semi-Slav Defense: General
Marshall vs Kupchik, 1926
(D43) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 30 moves, 1-0
Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense. Main Lines
Antunes vs Van Wely, 1995
(D27) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 33 moves, 1-0
Sicilian Defense: Kan. Knight Variation
Spassky vs Tal, 1965
(B43) Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3, 40 moves, 0-1
Sicilian Defense: Kan. Knight Variation
G Botterill vs Tal, 1973
(B43) Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3, 51 moves, 0-1
Sicilian Defense: Kan. Knight Variation
R Reyes vs Portisch, 1968
(B43) Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3, 39 moves, 0-1
Sicilian Defense: Kan. Knight Variation
A Naumann vs K Landa, 2003
(B43) Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3, 29 moves, 1/2-1/2
Sicilian Kan: If your opponent insists on English Attack
P Laihonen vs K Landa, 2003
(B43) Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3, 35 moves, 0-1
Sicilian Defense: Kan. Modern Variation
D Anagnostopoulos vs G Timoshchenko, 1998
(B42) Sicilian, Kan, 32 moves, 0-1
Sicilian Kan: Maroczy Bind
D Canda vs D Flores, 2006
(B41) Sicilian, Kan, 30 moves, 0-1
A very old Sicilian with 2..e6 where White plays an early Bc4.
Lowenthal vs Harrwitz, 1853
(B20) Sicilian, 43 moves, 0-1
Disrupt Grand Prix (early f4) players and blow up the center
O Jackson vs Krasenkow, 2007
(B23) Sicilian, Closed, 30 moves, 0-1
Benko Gambit with 5..a6 6. bxa6
M Vukic vs Benko, 1967
(A58) Benko Gambit, 39 moves, 0-1
Benko Gambit with 5..a6 6. b6
P Wells vs A Chernin, 2000
(A57) Benko Gambit, 31 moves, 0-1
What if you want the Benko Gambit and White plays 3. Nf3.
Reshevsky vs Fischer, 1970
(A32) English, Symmetrical Variation, 30 moves, 0-1

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