My 1.d4 Opening Repertoire Mnemonic Memory System (& the Semi-Slav ...

We are often told by the experts that memorizing chess moves is not the way to go. They are probably right if you are aiming to go professional and break into the top tier of chess. To do that, you would already have spent many years engrossed in the game.

Also, chess is certainly not a game of mere memory; a great deal of creative energy and vision is required, to say nothing of psychological warfare.

All this I acknowledge and celebrate.

However, for the #pubchessbluffer - a casual player who prefers to play with a beer in his hand amid the bustle of a busy pub, bar, cafe, or any other public space, and who has returned to the game after a long period of neglecting it (in favour of mahjong, by the way), the madness of making a mnemonic memory method to cut a corner or two - and to browbeat one's opponent by making casual passing reference to it (whether or not the machinery actually functions or can be perfectly retained in an addled noddle) - has its advantages, and helps to pass the time.

So it was that in 2019 I created a chess opening mnemonic memory system for the 1.d4 opening repertoire for the White chess player.

The system is based on John Watson's book, A Strategic Chess Opening Repertoire for White.

I have by no means mastered the system yet, but, as the Duke of Gloucester said of his illegitimate son,

"there was good sport at his making" (King Lear, I: i: 23-24)

In this video I explain how I created my saucy system, and offer a couple of examples of how it works:

I'd love to get some feedback, so let me know your thoughts in the comments, positive, negative or whatever! Do you use any sort of memory technique? What is the role of memory in chess for you?

David Hurley
#PubChessBluffer

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My 1.d4 Opening Repertoire Mnemonic Memory System (& the Semi-Slav Magi!)