Understanding, not memory

Larry Evans on Chess
May 18, 2008
www.sun-sentinel.com

Books on the opening often stifle originality. It’s unhealthy to start by 1 d4 with our mind grooved to play 2 c4 on the next move against almost any reply by black.

Chess requires understanding, not memory. I’m amused when I hear amateurs moan they can’t win because their opponents “know the book” as if it were a scripture of revealed authority.

Modern Chess Openings (now in its 15th revision) records lines that stood the test of time as well as the latest wrinkles. Many masters are monkeys aping each other, and even my own play often suffers from a slavish acceptance of the main variations.

To know the book is one thing. To worship it is another. But there comes a time in chess, as in life, when we must find our own style and examine everything with fresh eyes. We must sweep everything aside until nothing is taken for granted that hasn’t been tested by our own experience.

The purpose of the opening is to reach a playable middle game. The first dozen moves or so are not that crucial, except in serious master play. A knowledge of rapid development and sound general principles while avoiding outright blunders is usually sufficient to escape early disaster.

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