Ruy Lopez
Bb5 Sicilian
Taimanov/Kan Sicilian
French Tarrasch
Caro-Kann Exchange
Pirc Classical

Stick to the above as they are mostly positional openings/responses and they are all SOLID. Which means time spent on these openings will never be wasted. They will also give you a good feel for what's important in the opening. Most of your time will be spent on the Ruy.

Study Plan

1. Using an opening book or Fritz opening book go through the above openings.

2. Don't commit the moves to memory but analyse them and try to understand the reasons behind them for yourself. Do this for the main lines till around move 7/8.

3. Start playing lots of Blitz games with these openings (5+5 minimum) and expect to lose the majority (because you're not trying to win - you're trying to understand how the opening works)

4. Analyse those games trying to pinpoint where you/you're opponent went wrong in the opening - check this against the book lines. You'll slowly appreciate why main lines are main lines!

5. As the patterns of the opening form in your mind create your own playbook noting down your stock responses to the main lines and variations. This is a continual processes.

6. Always bear in mind what you and your opponent are aiming to achieve in the opening with regard to - CONTROL OF CENTRE, DEVELOPMENT, KING SAFETY, CREATION OF IMBALANCES (i.e Bxc6 - losing the bishop pair but gaining compensatory pawn structure advantage)

7. Look at complete games of Grandmaster's employing these openings (Ruy - Fischer, French Tarrasch - Karpov etc..) and get a feel for the middlegame plans that these openings lead into - THIS IS CRUCIAL.

8. Study the endgame - particularly the effect pawn structures have in rook, bishops of same colour, bishops of opposite colour, bishop versus knight endgames.

Tips

1. Spend an equal amount of time figuring out how your opponent can effectively deploy his pieces. You might then get ideas that will set him problems in achieving his ideal piece set up = prophylactic opening play

2. Castling early is not necessarily a good thing.

3. Pawn moves cannot be undone and often have a direct bearing on the outcome of the endgame.

4. Get to grips with the concept of dynamics versus statics (i.e if the dynamics don't win in the middlegame the statics will prevail in the endgame!)

5. Study often - but only for a short while and SLOWLY build up your repertoire in DEPTH not BREADTH

Pal Benko is of the opinion that White could still draw by playing 36.h5. Benko indicates the following continuation: 36...Ke6 37.h6 f5+ 38.gxf5+ gxf5+ 39.Kd3 Kd6 40.Kc2 Kc6 41.Kb3 e4 42.fxe4 fxe4 43.Kc3 Kc5 44.a3 b6 45.a4 e3, and the ending will be a draw.

My second thought was 36. h5 f5+ 37. gxf5 gxh5 to get outside passed h-pawns, but then White's queenside attack is fast enough after 38. f4 exf4 39. Kxf4 h4 40. a4 h3 41. Kg3 Ke5 42. a5 Kxf5 43. c5 Ke6 44. c6, etc.

Step 1. Equalise (moves 1-7)
Step 2. Achieve small endgame advantage (moves 8-12) Step 3. Trade pieces and simplify (moves 13-19)
Step 4. Outplay the opponent in the endgame (moves 20-34) Step 5. Objective Zugzwang (moves 35-40) Step 6. Await opponent's resignation>

The position does appear to be drawn after 36.h5, if one follows Benko's suggested continuation.

Benko pointed out the previous analysis of the move 36.h5 had been, 36.h5 Ke6 37.h6 f5+ 38.gxf5+ gxf5+ 39.Kd3 Kd6, with the opinion Black then wins after Kc5. It is at this point, Benko indicates White can draw by playing 40.Kc2, while after 40.Kc3, Black will win by playing 40...Kc5.

The above analysis by Benko is from his Endgame Lab column in the September 2004 issue of Chess Life. Pal closes the article by saying, <"Well, pawn endgames are not as easy as they look".>

<calli> Regarding your question as to whether Black could have improved his play earlier. Benko's article starts with Black to play his 32nd move. As the pawn endgame started with 31.bxc4, the 32nd move appears to be a good place to start the analysis of this pawn endgame.

Benko did note, not Faucher's analysis, the tempting 32...Kb4 33.Kd4 Ka3 looked drawish to him, after 34.c5 Kxa2 35.c6 bxc6 36.Kc5 Kb3 37.Kxc6 Kc4 38.Kd6 Kd4 39.Ke7. Fritz confirms this line is a draw.

Some additional anaylsis was needed for this line, after 32...Kb4 33.Kd4 Ka3 34.c5 Kxa2 35.c6 bxc6 36.Kc5 Kb3 37.Kxc6, Fritz indicated (-.18) (22 ply), but after 37...e5 38.Kd5 f6 39.h4 Kc3 40.h5 Kd2 41.Ke6 Kd3 42.h6 gxh6 43.Kxf6 Kd4 44.Kf5, the position is a clear draw.

Benko concluded that Edward Lasker had missed a draw against his famous opponent.

<"On the opening day, a framed photograph of Capablanca came crashing to the floor at the Manhattan Chess Club, directly next to where the great Cuban sat. For the superstitious this might have betokened something. It would surely have been accepted as an omen.">