We’ve all been there.

You play an opening you like.

It may not be a very well-known opening.

Maybe few GMs play this opening.

But you like it.

After all, you have some good results with it.

You have won many good games employing this same opening.

Maybe your opponents were not very strong, but you managed to beat them partly because of this opening.

But then, you play a game against someone stronger.

Against someone who knows what he’s doing.

Either he happens to know this opening well or he has prepared a little surprise especially for you (since everyone knows by now which opening you play).

You see a new move or a new couple of moves that leave you baffled.

You are confused and try to adjust to the new situation on the board.

You may manage to hold the draw or you may end up quickly with an inferior position and you lose.

Either way, your former favorite opening does not look that great and has just lost some of its appeal.

Maybe there is a reason why very few GMs play this opening after all…

This is exactly what happened to me.

I was playing the Scandinavian Defense for years until I was paired to play someone I didn’t know, but who had an Elo rating of around 2100.

He completely destroyed me in the opening and got a much better position in the middlegame.

I was against the ropes and suffered for the next 30 moves and 2 hours.

It was only due to some stubborn defense and a couple of inaccuracies from him that I managed to hold the draw.

But this game made me think long and hard.

I reached the conclusion that the passive positions I was getting out of the Scandinavian were too weak against really good players.

And I decided to drop the Scandinavian and start playing the French Defense.

But this is another story altogether…

So, the real question is this:

Are you happy with your opening?

Do you get positions that you like and are comfortable playing?

Is the opening solid enough to play against good players or is it just suitable for coffeehouse chess?

In other words, does your opening help you win more games?