The Bishops Bounty: The Chess Player's Roadmap: Building a Personalized Opening Repertoire

"The purpose of the opening is to establish a well-organized and mobile army." - Siegbert Tarrasch

From Novice to Master
How to Develop a Winning Chess Opening Repertoire

Developing a strong chess opening repertoire is a crucial step in every player's journey. A well-crafted repertoire not only gives you confidence in the early game but also shapes your overall playing style. This guide is your gateway to understanding how to build, maintain, and expand your personal opening arsenal.
Why is building an opening repertoire important?

Provides a consistent and comfortable starting point for your games

Allows you to focus on middlegame and endgame improvement

Helps you develop a deeper understanding of chess strategy and tactics

Whether you're a beginner looking to establish your first repertoire or an experienced player aiming to refine your choices, this curated collection of resources will guide you through the process. We've gathered insights from grandmasters, practical advice from chess coaches, and tools to help you craft a repertoire that suits your style and strengths.

Let's embark on this journey to create your ideal chess opening repertoire!

Modern Chess Openings 15th edition - 767 Page PDF
Theory of Chess Openings (Russian) - 148 page PDF - This is a book that explains the theory behind various opening defenses & gambits. Mainly for use by a beginner.
Practical Chess Openings - 243 Page PDF - Ruben Fine
Chess openings - 206 Page PDF - Frank Marshall - 1904
Chess openings; ancient and modern - 306 page PDF - Freeborough - 1925

Chess Kids Opening Manual - 110 Page (Ton of openings and their ideas explained)

Repertoire suggestions - IM Andrew Martin - This chess article offers advice on choosing a chess opening repertoire based on your playing style and time commitment. It outlines four possible repertoires: strategic, limited time, unorthodox, and gambit. (Great Article)
Repertoire suggestions - GM Niglel Davies - It offers advice on choosing a chess opening repertoire based on your playing style. (Great Article)

This link leads you to a treasure trove of chess opening resources by IM Silman. With articles ranging from beginner-friendly introductions to in-depth analyses for advanced players, there's something for everyone. You'll find practical advice on choosing an opening repertoire, understanding key ideas, and navigating complex variations.

How To Learn & Study Chess Openings - 22 Min -Gotham Chess - Talk about chess openings and how to study them. I discuss chess openings for beginners
How To Learn A New Chess Opening 📘👀 - 23 Min NM Nelson Lopez - 3-step process to learning a new chess opening. In this video explain the process I use to learn a chess opening for the first time.
How to Choose a Chess Opening | Tactical/Positional Chess Openings Theory Explained | Opening Ideas - 12 Min NM Nelson Lopez - I show you the different types of chess openings that are available, and why you might choose one over another. I talk about setup-based openings (also called positional openings), and theory-based openings (also called tactical openings).
How to Study Openings in 2022 - 17 Min ( GM Kraai breaks down how to best study openings in 2022. For all levels.)
HOW To Understand Chess Openings Instead Of Just Memorizing Them - 10 Min - DR. Can's Chess Clinic - Emphasizes the importance of recognizing patterns and structures to make informed decisions during a game.
GM Tips - Making Decisions In The Opening - 25 Min - GM Josh Friedel - Four examples from the World Open to illustrate how to make good choices in the opening. The positions range from quite standard to more complicated, and the focus is on seeing what your opponent's ideas are. (New 7/7/2024)

Chess Coach IM Andreas Toth

The Amateur's Mind (for want of a better category) #3 A big rant about how to choose opening lines. - 38 Min - A big talk about openings, how to choose them, what to to go for, what to avoid, and most importantly the "WHY?" behind these decisions.
The amateur's mind #4 Some analysis and another big opening talk. - 32 Min - Game analysis, followed by some more talk about openings (with some examples)

IM Kostya Kavutskiy

How to Learn ANY Opening | Part 1: 0-1200 - 12 Min provides advice for players rated 0-1200 on how to learn openings.
How to Learn ANY Opening | Part 2: 1200-1800 - 16 Min provides advice for players rated 1200-1800 on how to learn openings.
How to Learn ANY Opening | Part 3: 1800+ - 13 Min provides advice for players rated 1800+ on how to learn openings.

Don't Memorize Moves! Understand your Openings | Road to 2000 - 52 Min - Shows what can happen when one simply memorizes opening moves without knowing the theoretical ideas behind them. See Anand lose in six moves.
Trends in Opening Prep | Grandmaster's Choice - GM Robert Hungaski - 67 Min - Grandmaster Robert Hungaski talks about modern trends in chess opening preparation. See a prime example of opening preparation of the London System.
Winning Quickly with Basic Principles | Chess Openings Explained - NM Caleb Denby - 59 Min - National Master Caleb Denby highlights games that utilize basic opening principles and demonstrate how to put said principles to work for oneself. No crazy gimmicks, just solid opening chess principles.
Opening Pitfalls - Beginner Breakdown - 2014.12.23 - 47 Min - Matt covers several openings, including the Centre game, Scotch opening & Scotch gambit, and Ruy Lopez. There are traps associated with each; don't fall for them!