Many chess improvers love system openings. If you play the London, you can develop in nearly every game the same way. And you know a few plans that are good to play in most positions.
That gives confidence. It makes matters simple.
So it is no surprise that these London lovers are starting to search for system openings for Black. That’s where things get difficult. System openings for black are sketchy at best.
Here is why.
Give up on advantage for easier play.
Playing a system opening with White, you make a trade-off: no fight for the opening advantage but a simple to-play position. You can still follow the three opening principles and get a good grasp of the center.
It’s not the absolute most testing moves, but a nice start to the game.
From slightly worse to really bad
The problem is that when you start with the black pieces, you are already at a slight disadvantage. Your task would be to fight for equality first before thinking about any advantage.
This fight for equality can’t be done in a universal way. It depends on what your opponent with White plays. So when you choose a system opening for black, you are going to be anywhere from slightly worse to much worse or objectively losing, depending on your choice.
Now, you might argue that the engine evaluation doesn’t matter much, especially in Amateur games. I agree with that. But here is the bigger problem:
A black system opening always neglects at least one opening principle.
Because d4 and e4 are so different, you need to give up the center if you want to play the same against both moves. This usually also leads to less logical development. Less logical development then leads to harder plans.
Horrible Results With The Pirc
I am writing this article because I saw it with a student of mine. The difference between his White and Black games was astounding. Because he usually got a cramped position without central control in his black games (Pirc -> Nf6, g6, Bg7, d6, Nbd7 against everything), he lost many games without making very obvious mistakes.
His play wasn’t logical; he struggled to find good squares for his pieces, and the game was over.
When he got decent positions with a solid center instead, he frequently outplayed his opponents. He now plays 1.e4 e5 and 1.d4 d5. Obviously, that is a pretty big change, so he still loses games because his opponents go for quick attacks or silly gambits. But when he gets a decent position, he is very likely to win the game unless he blunders.
Improving universal chess skills
Another big advantage of this classical repertoire is that you learn chess skills that you can apply in many different positions. With system openings, you might get an expert in a specific structure, but the plans and ideas are usually very concrete and not applicable to other positions.
That makes your comfort zone smaller, and changing openings in the future will become harder day by day.
While with system openings for black, you wait for a mistake from your opponent, with a more classical opening, you can outplay your opponents without them having to commit big mistakes. If you are the better player, you most likely get a chance to seize the initiative.
The exceptions
Sometimes, system openings for black can be the right choice. If you:
- Don’t want to improve much
- Like only a specific subset of positions
- Enjoy winning with the same plans
then something like the Pirc can be a decent choice for you. You can try to become a Pirc-Master, study the plans and ideas deeply and might get some nice wins.
But just remember: you’ll be dependent on your opponents. And much of what you learn will only apply to your specific opening.
PS: I don’t mean you should all now play GM openings like the Berlin. Play other 1…e5 openings, Sicilians, Caro-Cann, the French… just anything that remotely fights for the center and gives some logical development (the two last ones are arguably the most difficult ones to play, not recommended for sub-1800).
Against 1.d4, play the Slav, Nimzo, QGA, QGD, Grünfeld…
PPS: This article was initially sent out to my Newsletter list. If you want to get chess improvement advice for free in your inbox, join 17,000+ chess improvers by signing up for Friday Grandmaster Insights here.
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