Openings

If you want to improve your understanding of the opening stage, I would recommend the following experiment. I did this myself about a year ago and I've been very happy with the results.

Check out the following list of possible opening moves for White and Black respectively.

b3: b5, b6, c5, c6, d5, e5, e6, f5, Nc6, Nf6
b4: c5, c6, d5, e5, e6, f5, Nf6
c3: c5, d5, e5, Nc6, Nf6
c4: b5, b6, c5, c6, d5, e5, e6, f5, g5, g6, Nf6
d4: c5, c6, d5, d6, e6, f5, g6, Nc6, Nf6
e3: b6, c5, d5, d6, e5, f5, g6, Nf6
e4: b6, c5, c6, d5, d6, e5, e6, g6, Nc6, Nf6
f4: b5, b6, c5, d5, e5, e6, f5, g5, g6, h6, Nc6, Nf6, Nh6
g3: c5, c6, d5, d6, e5, e6, f5, g6, h5, Nc6, Nf6
g4: d5, d6, e5, g6, h5
Nf3: c5, d5, e6, f5, g6, Nc6, Nf6

The first item in each line represents a possible first move for White, while each subsequent item on the same line represents a possible response by Black to that same move.

The experiment that I invite you to do (if you are brave and like challenges) is to try all possible openings, repeatedly, for an extended period of time, by using this system.

So, for your next game as White, you would start with b3, for your second game as White, you would start with b4, and so on down to Nf3, after which you would start over with b3 again.

Similarly, when you play Black, you would start with the first response listed, then play the second response listed in your next game, and so on. For instance, against d4, you would respond c5 in your first game, c6 in your second game, d5 in your third game, and so on.

What will happen when you do this? Well, in my case, this is what has happened: