Yes, and I just can’t stick to one it seems… mood rules all.
English Vs Reti
My reasoning for playing so many openings is threefold: I’ll never get bored, I’ll improve way faster in the longterm, and since I primarily play blitz it won’t affect me in the short term.
Here’s my repertoire:
As White: I co-main King’s Pawn and Queen’s Pawn, but I also play the English, Reti, and Hungarian.
In Open Game: I main the c3 Ruy Lopez, but I also play the d3 Ruy Lopez, a4 Ruy Lopez, Giuoco Pianissimo, and Evan’s Gambit.
In Sicilian: I main the Open, but I also play the Closed, Delayed Alapin, Kramnik, Rossolimo, and Chekhover.
In Caro-Kann: I play the 3. Nf3 Breyer gambit line, but I also play the 3. Nf3 Breyer endgame line, Tal, Short, Mainline, Two Knights, and Accelerated Panov Toikannen Gambit.
In French: I play the Boleslavsky Steinitz and Advance Winawer. I know many more lines but this is all I play consistently.
Declined Nimzowitsch, Four Pawns Mainline Alekhine’s, Leonhardt Gambit Scandinavian, and just take the center against anything else.
In Queen’s Pawn, my repertoire is much more straightforward. I pretty much just play mainlines. I play for Botvinnik Semi-Slav against 1… d5 and develop naturally if my opponent doesn’t play into it. I play for Mainline Noa Nimzo -Indian against 2… e6 and develop naturally if my opponent doesn’t play into it. I play for Orthodox KID or Russian Grunfeld against 2… g6 and develop naturally if my opponent doesn’t play into it. Taimanov against the Modern Benoni, win against the Old Benoni, return the pawn in the Benko, Fianchetto in the Dutch, and win against the Englund.
I’m realizing the sheer size of the wall of text I’ve just created, my apologies.
tl;dr I have extensive prep in multiple variations of multiple openings in both e4 and d4 because I have ADD and way too much free time.
Anybody else playing more than one opening as white, and if so, why?
Truth be told, my opening choices are based on reversed colours….
I mostly stick to my opening repertoire of one main opening for each situation I could face, but I also know a lot of different openings and variations and will sometimes play those (mostly in unrated) for practice, variety and exposing myself to new patterns.
It also helps that when I first started playing chess, I used to play 1. e4 and now play 1. d4 so this gives me a bit of variety and experience in each main way of starting the game.
As for English (1. c4) or Reti (1. Nf3), I probably play 1. c4 more often, but have used both here or there (as well as other moves on move 1).
Anybody else playing more than one opening as white, and if so, why?
I am primarily a 1.e4 player, but I play Blackmar-Diemer Gambit transpositions against the Scandi, Caro and French (when it's allowed).
So I can actually start with either 1.d4 or 1.e4 and get the same positions every time without learning any new theory. My 1.d4 repertoire is a subset of my 1.e4 repertoire.
I can also start with 1.Nc3 which will likely transpose after 2.d4 and 3.e4.
In long matches against the same player I often alternate between the 3 first moves to increase the likelihood of them getting caught in a trap or getting tricked into an opening they don't normally play.
I like to play 1.Nf3 and then decide from there.
I have some favorites that I lean toward more often than others, but for the most part, I like to see what kind of defensive stance Black wants to take, then I decide from that point what kind of imbalance I want to play for from there.
It doesn't always work out in my favor, but it definitely keeps White interesting.
I play 1.Nf3 almost always. I might play 1.c4 but only normally when I am tilted so that I put myself in positions where I must think for myself and not have opening theory to fall back on
Well, i switch back and forth between openings after a year or a few months but mostly I have played e4 for the most part but my repertoire is still evolving because....you guessed it. I suck. I have also tried d4 for around a few months and had played queen's Gambit and trompowsky and then tried my luck at the Catalan.
reti is cring asf
Reti is often used as a transpositional opening - it's good for players who like the option of switching between different openings, depending on what Black does. Or for players who want a more hypermodern flavor, compared to more traditional openings.
Glancing at a few of your games, I see that you're one of the players who would rather play the same White opening every game if possible (you seem to like 1.d4 and 2.c4 against nearly everything). There's nothing wrong with that approach (it's completely valid), but it's a different mentality from a Reti player's mentality.
reti is cring asf
Reti is often used as a transpositional opening - it's good for players who like the option of switching between different openings, depending on what Black does. Or for players who want a more hypermodern flavor, compared to more traditional openings.
Glancing at a few of your games, I see that you're one of the players who would rather play the same White opening every game if possible (you seem to like 1.d4 and 2.c4 against nearly everything). There's nothing wrong with that approach (it's completely valid), but it's a different mentality from a Reti player's mentality.
I do switch theory occassionally, but I probably do not have the flexibility of natural Reti players. I did switch from slav to semi slav to grunfeld, and do occassionally switch some lines in French around, and sometimes play the English instead (currently changing what I'm gonna play against the English because I suck at e4 positions).
But the reti is more of a positional flexible opening (and I play too positionally at times).
Once I remember, my friend told me that he religiously played d4 Queen's Gambit from the very beginning because he was scared of all the pins occuring in open games.
I dont really know i play the english because i dont blunder in the arising positions and the positions i get are somehow advantageous.
Stocked up on some botvinnik theory and decided to try it out.
I feel like the reti is a transpositional opening, But the english is more of a independent opening.
I decided to give the english a try after playing against a guy on lichess and got crushed by the english with a weird line with Nb5, And later on he gone Ng5 and Bf4 and yeah, He just over pinned me.
I dont really know i play the english because i dont blunder in the arising positions and the positions i get are somehow advantageous.
Stocked up on some botvinnik theory and decided to try it out.
I’ve had success with the Botvinnik System against black’s fianchetto set-up such as a KID or QID. White shuts down the scope of the bishop(s), locks the centre and creates counter play on the file(s).
With the Reti, I normally aim for a Reversed Grunfeld/Catalan but a few lines are drawish because I am missing out on the Botvinnik System but taking away an early e5 has it conveniences as well.
Some trade offs.
By this logic, I have got pretty competent at the open siccilian as white.
600 Games with 64% winrate is no joke.
Anybody else playing more than one opening as white, and if so, why?
Truth be told, my opening choices are based on reversed colours….