Fantastic advice, thank you, and I enjoyed hearing about it on ChessFeels as well. I believe the spaced repetition of Chessable is helpful for memorization but I was definitely overvaluing the utility of memorizing lines for practical play. I can't seem to quit since I have a 1000+ day streak, but I'm using it less and trying to focus on quality rather than quantity (my queue is ridiculous and I've given up ever clearing it). I'm trying what you mention with a Lichess study for each opening and finding it helpful so far.
When you do this process, how do you record the results? (e.g., Do you keep a physical notebook? or a computer file? or just ask, figure it out then move on wo recording?) .... I've been annotating GM games to try to make a line stick: first my own ideas and explanations, then I go thru again looking up what the books say and as step 3 I turn on the computer and add those as comments. If I can find it, I really like collections of annotated GM games in one opening where one person explains all the games [like '200 open games']. These are like gold: scarce but valuable. Thanks for the ideas! -Bill
For question-answer I like to use Notion because it has a toggle list format that makes it easy to review questions while hiding the answers until I want to see them. But the tool isn't that important, you could use a physical notebook, Word file, etc.
I think you forgot to mention the major idea of a7-move - to avoid what Black is doing in the main line Qa5 followed up by Ba6 . Now after Bd2 White is threatening Nb5 discovery attacking a7-rook and therefore Qa5 idea is pointless. All this explained in my bookhttps://www.amazon.com/1-d4-Dynamic-Systems-Grandmaster-Repertoire/dp/1784830461/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=IUVW0GDI49CD&keywords=avrukh+dynamic+systems&qid=1668268335&sprefix=avrukh+dynamic+systems+%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-2
I played the Benko many years until I got bored with it (now I go for the Benoni). The expirience I remember is that strong players (at my level a strong player is a +2000) they just declined the gambit with Qc2 or they half accepted taking on b5 but rejecting a6 with b5-b6. This idea of a6-a7 I never heared about. Thanks for the article.
Fantastic advice, thank you, and I enjoyed hearing about it on ChessFeels as well. I believe the spaced repetition of Chessable is helpful for memorization but I was definitely overvaluing the utility of memorizing lines for practical play. I can't seem to quit since I have a 1000+ day streak, but I'm using it less and trying to focus on quality rather than quantity (my queue is ridiculous and I've given up ever clearing it). I'm trying what you mention with a Lichess study for each opening and finding it helpful so far.
When you do this process, how do you record the results? (e.g., Do you keep a physical notebook? or a computer file? or just ask, figure it out then move on wo recording?) .... I've been annotating GM games to try to make a line stick: first my own ideas and explanations, then I go thru again looking up what the books say and as step 3 I turn on the computer and add those as comments. If I can find it, I really like collections of annotated GM games in one opening where one person explains all the games [like '200 open games']. These are like gold: scarce but valuable. Thanks for the ideas! -Bill
For question-answer I like to use Notion because it has a toggle list format that makes it easy to review questions while hiding the answers until I want to see them. But the tool isn't that important, you could use a physical notebook, Word file, etc.
I think you forgot to mention the major idea of a7-move - to avoid what Black is doing in the main line Qa5 followed up by Ba6 . Now after Bd2 White is threatening Nb5 discovery attacking a7-rook and therefore Qa5 idea is pointless. All this explained in my bookhttps://www.amazon.com/1-d4-Dynamic-Systems-Grandmaster-Repertoire/dp/1784830461/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=IUVW0GDI49CD&keywords=avrukh+dynamic+systems&qid=1668268335&sprefix=avrukh+dynamic+systems+%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-2
Great point, this is an even more specific reason why a7 is important.
I played the Benko many years until I got bored with it (now I go for the Benoni). The expirience I remember is that strong players (at my level a strong player is a +2000) they just declined the gambit with Qc2 or they half accepted taking on b5 but rejecting a6 with b5-b6. This idea of a6-a7 I never heared about. Thanks for the article.