Memorizing openings passes the cost-benefit test because it's low-benefit but it's even lower cost. (My blog post about this was the most controversial thing I've ever written about chess; I suspect that, though they don't admit it, many people consider memorizing opening moves to be a form of cheating, and they got mad to see me writing about it positively).
I have to agree 100% here with learning openings as an adult (mid 40s) is easier than ever. I find it to be the easiest thing to learn in chess. I recently stumbled onto a video that explains what you are talking about here and I believe dovetails nicely into learning a smaller amount at a time. I’ll post it here for those interested. https://youtu.be/bSDprg24pEA?si=QaU8xg41mvcnOiK9
Indeed, learning an opening by heart (after having assimilated the main strategic principles of an opening) is complicated/difficult for an adult for all the reasons mentioned. Spaced repetition is probably one of the least bad solutions. Anki, cardboard cards, chessable, whatever. Your Blanck slate drill idea is worth exploring. The construction of what is to be learned also deserves careful thought, so as not to lose focus : learning the theory moves according to databases, learning the most frequently encountered moves (according to the Lichess opening tool), learning the best Stockfish responses, learning the moves that lead to positions on which you feel comfortable. So it's not easy to sort out if you don't want to be overwhelmed by the influx of variants. The depth of the variation also remains to be defined (5 moves? 10 moves? all the theory retained by the databases?) Finally, I think it's essential to practice all this almost daily without it becoming an obsession! In addition, it's probably a good idea to practice variations on a computer up to the 10-15th move. Online blitz, why not, but the aim is to learn an opening rather than to win the game, and this can skew the result (the ideal being to stop the game at the opening exit).
While I don't want to learn lines, I salute the bit of reality of learning of the figure...
first exposure concept.. and memory fading.. Perahps notions of perception and memory storare versus the bigger challenge and cognitive task of accessing memory and appropriately acting on it in the foresight chess problem (well maybe that does not apply to learned lines, but I am saluting the bit of fact sharing in the larger context of chess learning from the board things),
the retrieval aspect is part of the consolidation of memory and ability to generate (and imagine with usefulness, existing stuff first having been exposed to in shorter memory and conscious parsing context. I would not know where to find supporting evidence to such a point of view, but it does not come from my most wild guessing mind regions. So kudos for that bit of factual information about learning.
Memorizing openings passes the cost-benefit test because it's low-benefit but it's even lower cost. (My blog post about this was the most controversial thing I've ever written about chess; I suspect that, though they don't admit it, many people consider memorizing opening moves to be a form of cheating, and they got mad to see me writing about it positively).
"it's low-benefit but it's even lower cost."
Exactly!!
OK Nate. I’m gonna try your method. 10 minutes a day to keep up with my Chessable opening reviews. I’ll let you know how it goes. :)
Let me know!
I have to agree 100% here with learning openings as an adult (mid 40s) is easier than ever. I find it to be the easiest thing to learn in chess. I recently stumbled onto a video that explains what you are talking about here and I believe dovetails nicely into learning a smaller amount at a time. I’ll post it here for those interested. https://youtu.be/bSDprg24pEA?si=QaU8xg41mvcnOiK9
Nice one. Thank you. I get a bit annoyed when I forget ones which I knew 30 years ago 😂
If you had been doing spaced repetition this whole time you'd remember everything for the cost of like an hour total ;)
I wish :)
openingtrainer.com is a super great way to learn openings. The gamified aspect makes it fun and easy to crank through a bunch of opening training.
Thanks for the link, kiwiPete. This looks like a really good resource.
Indeed, learning an opening by heart (after having assimilated the main strategic principles of an opening) is complicated/difficult for an adult for all the reasons mentioned. Spaced repetition is probably one of the least bad solutions. Anki, cardboard cards, chessable, whatever. Your Blanck slate drill idea is worth exploring. The construction of what is to be learned also deserves careful thought, so as not to lose focus : learning the theory moves according to databases, learning the most frequently encountered moves (according to the Lichess opening tool), learning the best Stockfish responses, learning the moves that lead to positions on which you feel comfortable. So it's not easy to sort out if you don't want to be overwhelmed by the influx of variants. The depth of the variation also remains to be defined (5 moves? 10 moves? all the theory retained by the databases?) Finally, I think it's essential to practice all this almost daily without it becoming an obsession! In addition, it's probably a good idea to practice variations on a computer up to the 10-15th move. Online blitz, why not, but the aim is to learn an opening rather than to win the game, and this can skew the result (the ideal being to stop the game at the opening exit).
While I don't want to learn lines, I salute the bit of reality of learning of the figure...
first exposure concept.. and memory fading.. Perahps notions of perception and memory storare versus the bigger challenge and cognitive task of accessing memory and appropriately acting on it in the foresight chess problem (well maybe that does not apply to learned lines, but I am saluting the bit of fact sharing in the larger context of chess learning from the board things),
the retrieval aspect is part of the consolidation of memory and ability to generate (and imagine with usefulness, existing stuff first having been exposed to in shorter memory and conscious parsing context. I would not know where to find supporting evidence to such a point of view, but it does not come from my most wild guessing mind regions. So kudos for that bit of factual information about learning.