chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing
 
A Simple Chess Opening Repertoire for White
Compiled by Cannon Fodder
--*--

This is a collection of games from Sam Collins's excellent book, "A Simple Chess Opening Repertoire for White," which presents a complete king's pawn repertoire focused around the isolated queen's pawn (IQP) and related lines -- generally where White plays for dark square control and attack in an open position. This is a very good repertoire for ambitious young players because it teaches an important pawn structure that can arise in a wide range of both d-pawn or e-pawn openings, and it therefore creates the basis for assimilating a wide range of opening ideas. Though I am personally interested in some variations in the book more than others, I have long been interested in the IQP structure and have found much of value in the book on the IQP generally -- as I had from Collins's earlier opening repertoire for White titled "An Attacking Repertoire for White" (which also focused on the IQP but with rather less "simple" lines). Ambitious players would do well to also spend some time studying the isolated queen pawn structure. I would especially recommend finding GM Alexandr Baburin's now classic "Winning Pawn Structures"; the book is out of print and often available only at inflated prices, but a number of .pdf copies can readily be found on the web, including at Scribd. I have also found the book "Isolani Strategy" by Alexander Beliavsky, Oleg Stetsko, and Adrian Mikhalchishin of use, though it is also becoming more rare. For those less interested in books, there are a number of online videos and articles that can be of help as well. One useful resources is titled "1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 White Repertoire Webliography," which links to videos and articles on lines very similar to those discussed by Collins in his 1.e4 e5 repertoire.

The weakest part of the repertoire is the French Defense, which is based on ideas developed by Denis Yevseev in Fighting the French: A New Concept (nearly 400 pages of dense analysis on this line). Though playable at the amateur level, there are lots of ways for Black to do well if he knows the theory. I would simplify the repertoire more by recommending the Monte Carlo Exchange French with 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 (you can find good analysis online). This way White can transpose to familiar territory from the Scandinavian as well after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.c4!? with the idea of returning the pawn to 3...c6 (Panov-Botvinnik) or 3...e6 (Monte Carlo Exchange French - Game Collection: French Defense, Monte Carlo Exchange Variation or https://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/...).

You can also simplify more by playing the Hunt or Chase Variation against the Alekhine (1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.c4 Nb6 4.c5!?), which can transpose to the c3 Sicilian (though White has other ideas too -- see the game Mazukewitsch - Kandaurov, Tula 1967, for example). And it would be good to learn the main line Panov-Botvinnik against the Caro-Kann -- though that does not simplify White's task - see http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2....

Game 1 - Introducing the IQP
Ding Liren vs S Lu, 2015 
(D50) Queen's Gambit Declined, 20 moves, 1-0

Game 2
Zvjaginsev vs R Vasquez Schroeder, 2013 
(B01) Scandinavian, 22 moves, 1-0

Game 3
S B Hansen vs V Chuchelov, 2006
(B30) Sicilian, 39 moves, 1-0

5b - Giuoco Piano (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3)
J Hector vs I Sokolov, 2013 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 28 moves, 1/2-1/2

5c
J Hector vs D Semcesen, 2012 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 44 moves, 1/2-1/2

Game 6.
D Smerdon vs A Naumann, 2014
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 29 moves, 1-0

6b - Two Knights (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4)
L Trent vs Kramnik, 2017 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 46 moves, 1/2-1/2

Game 7
J Hector vs Hracek, 2013 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 49 moves, 1-0

8b
T L Petrosian vs Navara, 2007 
(C45) Scotch Game, 47 moves, 0-1

8c
T L Petrosian vs S P Sethuraman, 2006 
(C45) Scotch Game, 70 moves, 1-0

8d
M Pap vs B Vuckovic, 2013
(C45) Scotch Game, 27 moves, 1-0

9a
Nakamura vs Onischuk, 2015 
(C45) Scotch Game, 31 moves, 1-0

9e
J Ye vs Svidler, 2001 
(C45) Scotch Game, 27 moves, 1-0

9f
Nakamura vs M Hebden, 2008 
(C45) Scotch Game, 49 moves, 1-0

10a
E Legaspi vs Barakat Khalid Salim, 1992
(C45) Scotch Game, 15 moves, 1-0

10b
Nakamura vs Fressinet, 2004 
(C45) Scotch Game, 35 moves, 1-0

10c
E Haag vs Lengyel, 1964
(C45) Scotch Game, 32 moves, 1/2-1/2

10f - newer example
G Jones vs N Batsiashvili, 2017
(C45) Scotch Game, 57 moves, 1-0

11b
A Tzermiadianos vs S Iuldachev, 2012 
(C45) Scotch Game, 38 moves, 0-1

Game 13 - Philidor and others (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 and others)
A Sokolov vs Naiditsch, 2015 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 40 moves, 1-0

Game 14 - c3 Sicilian
Naroditsky vs G Oparin, 2014 
(B22) Sicilian, Alapin, 53 moves, 1-0

14b
P Acs vs Saric, 2014
(B22) Sicilian, Alapin, 29 moves, 1/2-1/2

14c
L Vajda vs Shirov, 2012
(B22) Sicilian, Alapin, 52 moves, 1-0

Game 15 - c3 Sicilian
R Mamedov vs Wojtaszek, 2014 
(B22) Sicilian, Alapin, 54 moves, 1-0

Game 21 - c3 Sicilian
Kryvoruchko vs Negi, 2013
(B22) Sicilian, Alapin, 34 moves, 1-0

Game 22 - c3 Sicilian
D Gochelashvili vs O Nechaev, 2014
(B22) Sicilian, Alapin, 27 moves, 1-0

Game 24 - c3 Sicilian
D Howell vs D Gormally, 2014 
(B22) Sicilian, Alapin, 25 moves, 1-0

Game 28 - Caro-Kann
Zvjaginsev vs Jakovenko, 2013
(B10) Caro-Kann, 27 moves, 1/2-1/2

Game 29 - Caro-Kann
Naiditsch vs R J Dive, 2012 
(B10) Caro-Kann, 53 moves, 1-0

Game 31 - French Defense, Tarrasch Variation
A Kislinsky vs R Svane, 2013
(C07) French, Tarrasch, 53 moves, 1-0

32b
S Collins vs S Williams, 2012
(C05) French, Tarrasch, 65 moves, 0-1

33d
Naiditsch vs Pelletier, 2013 
(C10) French, 73 moves, 1-0

Game 34 - French Defense
V Malakhov vs K Mu, 2015
(C04) French, Tarrasch, Guimard Main line, 56 moves, 1-0

Game 35 - Pirc
F Handke vs J Broekmeulen, 2011
(B07) Pirc, 17 moves, 1-0

Game 37
Efimenko vs Kryvoruchko, 2013
(B01) Scandinavian, 48 moves, 1/2-1/2

Game 38
D Pardo Simon vs J Ramirez Garcia, 2012
(B01) Scandinavian, 41 moves, 1-0

39d
H Ni vs A Muzychuk, 2010 
(B01) Scandinavian, 48 moves, 1-0

40b - Alekhine
W Goh vs A J Datu, 2010
(B03) Alekhine's Defense, 41 moves, 1-0

Game 41 - Alekhine Defense
E Inarkiev vs L Brunner, 2012
(B03) Alekhine's Defense, 39 moves, 1-0

41b
Karpov vs Vaganian, 1969
(B03) Alekhine's Defense, 53 moves, 1/2-1/2

40 games

 » View all game collections by Cannon Fodder PGN Download
 » Search entire game collection library
 » Clone this game collection (copy it to your account)
 » FAQ: Help with Game Collections
Home | About | Login | Logout | F.A.Q. | Profile | Preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | New Kibitzing | Chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | Privacy Notice | Contact Us

Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC