The idea of playing a single formation, with both White and Black, is very attractive, and especially if it helps avoid learning a lot of opening theory. I essentially used this approach myself in the 1980s, playing 1...g6 against everything as Black and mainly 1.Nf3 and 2.g3 as White. Certainly it helps with cutting down on study, but it also has its limitations.
Players who want to develop their chess should really be playing a variety of position types as this helps develop a broad understanding of chess strategy. Of particular value are classical openings such as the Ruy Lopez and Queen's Gambit, though all sorts of other openings can be helpful. Playing a single formation is not unthinkable, and the Egyptian star Amin Basseem managed to combine chess with his medical studies by playing King's Indian formations with White and Black. I think in his case it's a question of him being hugely talented.
What are some universal formations? One of the best known ones is the Zoom formation which features d4, c4, Nf3, g3 and Bg2 as White and the same moves as Black, the book 'ZOOM 001: Zero Hour to the Operation of Opening Models' being devoted to this structure. Another is the Philidor and Old Indian formation, which can also be used with White. Finally there's d4 and e3, which equates to ...e6 and ...d5 as Black, though this leads to a wider variety of positions depending on where the other pieces are developed. This is why I chose this formation as the basis for my Building an Opening Repertoire course.
Vimeo Closing Its Video On Demand
Unfortunately Vimeo is closing its Video On Demand service in November, so I'll no longer be offering any titles through them. Those who have purchased one of my videos on this platform will be able get access to the materials at Tiger Chess by the time Vimeo closes this service. Please send me your receipts which are available here when you are logged onto your Vimeo account.
Sam's Youtube Chanel
My son Sam runs a Youtube channel in which he streams his live games on chess.com. This shows considerably more bravery than I'm able to muster, so please check it out and subscribe. I think he's doing a nice job.
Upcoming Events
This is how things look right now, with nothing in particular planned after November. If I'm invited I'll play in Nova Gorica (Slovenia) in January next year and then Maya (Portugal) in August:
September 25-27: Hull 4NCL
The 4NCL Congresses are always well run, so I'll be playing in this one. Details can be found here.
October 23-25: Scarborough Congress
I've now entered this one and booked my hotel. Details can be found here.
November 2-13: European Youth Championships, Crete
I've been appointed as one of the coaches for this event, which basically rules out the English Senior Championships because the two events only have a day's break between them.
Tiger Chess Themed Training Tournaments are organized on a weekly basis at Lichess, featuring selected opening variations. You can check out what's coming up here.
Have a good weekend.
Nigel
