Not everybody has time to cram dozens of lines for every reply an opponent might make. For those players there are system openings: you play the same reliable set-up against almost anything and know straight away where each piece goes.
It saves effort and nerves: understanding of typical plans does the work instead of memory. Ideal if you play rarely but want to get through the opening with confidence. Every system below can be played through on the board so you remember its shape.
A system opening is not a refusal to think but a way of saving effort for the middlegame. Learn the typical plans of your scheme (where the pawn break goes, where the knight goes, how the bishop presses) and you will get through the opening confidently against any opponent, with no need to look up theory.
The London System with White: the single set-up d4-Bf4-e3-Bd3-c3-Nbd2 works against almost any reply, and the plans could hardly be clearer. It is the easiest one to begin with.
Not if you know the plans. The same London System and the Catalan give real pressure and a real attack - they simply arise through understanding of the scheme rather than through memorised forcing lines.
Ideally: you save time in the opening by playing a familiar set-up on autopilot and spend it on the tactics in the middlegame, where the game is decided.
If you are just starting out, have a look at the rules of chess and how to set the board up.
Pairings are computed by bbpPairings, an open-source engine implementing the Dutch system by FIDE rules: score groups, floats on an odd field, colour alternation. Free to use.
Vibe Chess runs chess meetups - networking evenings in cities across Russia: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and more. For companies we run corporate chess tournaments, and every city and format is gathered on the home page.
Open the Vibe Chess app - it has the schedule of meetups and chess events across the cities, the registration and your own tournaments.
