Stop Memorising Every Chessable Variation: A Smarter Way to Study Chess Openings

If you have ever opened a Chessable course and thought, “How am I ever going to remember all of this?”, you are not alone.

If you're wondering how to study a Chessable course without getting overwhelmed, the answer isn't to memorise every variation. A much better approach is to learn how to filter, understand and prioritise the opening theory that actually matters for your chess.

Chessable has transformed the way many chess players study openings. 

With spaced repetition, MoveTrainer and comprehensive repertoires created by strong players, you can access an enormous amount of opening theory and build a highly detailed chess repertoire.

But there is a problem.

Many players use Chessable with the wrong objective.

They try to memorise everything.

They learn hundreds of variations, repeat thousands of moves with MoveTrainer, and spend hours trying to remember the engine's preferred response to almost every possible move.

Then something strange happens.

They become better at memorising opening moves—but not necessarily much better at playing chess.

As a chess coach, I regularly see improving players spend far too much time studying opening variations and far too little time working on tactics, calculation, endgames and analysing their own games.

The opening matters.

But opening study should support your chess improvement, not replace it. ♟️

So how should you actually study a Chessable course?

And perhaps more importantly:

How much opening theory do you really need to know?

Let's look at a smarter and more practical approach.

1. The Biggest Mistake: Thinking You Need to Memorise Everything

One of the biggest misconceptions about strong chess players is that they remember every opening variation they have ever studied.

They don't.

Strong players certainly know a huge amount of chess theory, particularly in their main openings. But they also know how to prioritise information.

They focus their attention on:

• Main lines
• Critical variations
• Positions they are likely to reach
• Frequently played responses
• Important tactical ideas
• Typical middlegame plans
• Lines that are relevant to their own repertoire

The rest may simply be understood rather than memorised in detail.

Studying an opening is not the same as memorising an opening

Suppose you buy a Chessable course containing 2,000, 3,000 or even 5,000 moves.

Do you really need to memorise all of them?

No.

The course is a resource.

Your repertoire is a selection from that resource.

Think of a Chessable course as a large library.

You don't need to memorise the entire library.

You need to know which books are relevant to you.

2. Why Chessable Courses Are So Large

A comprehensive Chessable course may contain a huge amount of information.

You might find:

• Main theoretical lines
• Critical variations
• Rare sidelines
• Engine recommendations
• Alternative move orders
• Tactical sequences
• Defensive resources
• Unusual positions
• Lines that are rarely played at your level

This isn't necessarily a weakness of Chessable.

In fact, it is one of its strengths.

A comprehensive course is designed to give you access to a large amount of knowledge.

The problem begins when you assume that everything in the course deserves the same amount of study time.

It doesn't.

A variation that is extremely important at elite level may be almost irrelevant to a club player.

Your opening preparation should therefore depend on:

• Your rating
• Your opponents
• Your repertoire
• Your tournament goals
• The positions you actually encounter

This is why simply following a course from beginning to end isn't always the most efficient way to study chess openings.

3. The Most Important Point: Openings Should Not Be Your Priority

This is where many chess improvers get things backwards.

They spend enormous amounts of time studying openings and then wonder why their rating isn't improving.

But ask yourself an honest question:

What actually causes you to lose games?

Is it really because you forgot the 17th move of a Sicilian variation?

Or is it because you:

• Missed a simple tactic?
• Blundered a piece?
• Miscalculated a combination?
• Failed to recognise an opponent's threat?
• Couldn't find a plan in the middlegame?
• Misplayed an endgame?
• Ran out of time?
• Played too quickly?
• Didn't analyse your previous mistakes?

For many amateur and club players, these problems have a much greater impact on results than knowing another ten moves of opening theory.

This doesn't mean openings are unimportant.

It means that opening knowledge has to be placed in the right context.

If you're working on your overall chess development, it is worth taking a broader view of the improvement process rather than focusing exclusively on openings. You can also read From Beginner to Intermediate: The Honest, Practical Guide to Getting Better at Chess for a wider look at the skills that contribute to chess improvement.

A simple example

Imagine you have one hour available for chess training.

You could spend:

60 minutes memorising opening variations.

Or you could spend:

• 15 minutes on tactics
• 15 minutes analysing a game
• 15 minutes on endgames or strategy
• 15 minutes on opening preparation

For many players, the second approach will provide a much better balance.

Of course, the ideal training split depends on your level and weaknesses.

But the principle is simple:

Your opening repertoire should support your chess improvement—not replace it.

 

4. What Strong Players Actually Try to Remember

Strong players don't necessarily try to remember every move.

They try to remember the important information.

For an opening variation, this could include:

• The main move
• The critical alternative
• The strategic idea
• Typical pawn breaks
• Good and bad piece placements
• Tactical motifs
• Typical middlegame plans
• Important theoretical positions

This is much more useful than blindly memorising a long sequence.

Imagine that you know a variation 15 moves deep.

Your opponent plays something different on move eight.

If your preparation depends entirely on remembering the exact sequence, you may suddenly have no idea what to do.

But if you understand the position, you can adapt.

That's the real purpose of opening preparation.

5. Build a Human Chess Opening Repertoire

A good opening repertoire should be practical, not simply theoretically complete.

One useful way to organise a Chessable course is to divide the material into three categories.

A. Core Repertoire

This is the material you want to know well.

It should contain:

• Main lines
• Critical theoretical variations
• Common responses
• Positions you frequently encounter
• Your preferred setups
• Important tactical sequences

This is where MoveTrainer can be extremely useful.

You want these lines to become familiar enough that you can recall them quickly during a game.

B. Secondary Repertoire

These are variations you should recognise but don't necessarily need to memorise deeply.

For example:

• Less common sidelines
• Alternative move orders
• Solid but non-critical variations
• Positions where understanding is more important than exact memorisation

For these lines, knowing the idea and typical plan may be enough.

You might remember the first few moves and then rely on your understanding of the position.

C. Temporary Preparation

This is particularly useful before an important tournament game.

Suppose you know your opponent regularly plays a particular variation.

You might study that line much more deeply for a few days.

That's perfectly reasonable.

But don't automatically turn every piece of opponent-specific preparation into permanent repertoire material.

After the game, ask yourself:

“Is this something I am likely to face again?”

If not, there is no reason to spend the next six months reviewing it.

6. How to Use Chessable MoveTrainer Without Overloading Yourself

MoveTrainer is one of Chessable's most useful features.

But it can also become a trap.

If you add every possible variation to your training schedule, your daily workload can become enormous.

Eventually, opening study starts feeling like homework.

A better strategy is to use MoveTrainer primarily for your core repertoire.

Use it for:

• Main lines
• Critical variations
• Common responses
• Important tactical positions
• Lines you actually play

Don't feel obligated to memorise every obscure branch.

Your goal isn't:

“I must complete the entire Chessable course.”

Your goal should be:

“I want to remember the opening knowledge that will actually help me play better chess.”

That's a completely different mindset.

7. Understanding Beats Memorisation

Imagine you are playing the French Defence.

You have memorised a particular sequence for White.

Then Black plays a move you didn't expect.

What happens?

If you only memorised the moves, you may freeze.

But if you understand the position, you can ask:

• What is Black threatening?
• Which pawn break does Black want?
• Which pieces are badly placed?
• Where should my king go?
• Which side of the board should I attack?
• What happens if I exchange this piece?
• Which move improves my worst-placed piece?

Suddenly you have something much more powerful than memorisation.

You have chess understanding.

This is why opening study should always be connected to the middlegame.

Don't just ask:

“What is the best move?”

Ask:

“Why is this move good?”

And then ask another question:

“What kind of position will I get after I play it?”

That last question is often ignored by players who focus too heavily on opening theory.

8. What to Do When Your Opponent Leaves Your Preparation

This is inevitable.

At some point, your opponent will play a move that isn't in your Chessable course.

Don't panic.

Being out of book doesn't mean that you are worse.

In fact, this is where you should start playing chess rather than trying to remember theory.

Use a simple checklist:

1. What is my opponent threatening?

Always start here.

2. Is my king safe?

If not, deal with that first.

3. What has changed?

Every move changes the position.

Try to understand what your opponent's last move actually achieved.

4. What is my worst-placed piece?

Improving your least active piece is often a good practical decision.

5. What pawn breaks are available?

Pawn breaks frequently determine the direction of the middlegame.

6. What is my plan?

You don't need a 20-move calculation.

You need a reasonable next step.

This ability to think independently is ultimately more valuable than memorising another ten moves.

9. Don't Let Blitz Games Control Your Repertoire

Another common mistake is allowing online blitz games to dictate your opening preparation.

You play blitz.

Someone surprises you with a strange move.

You lose.

Immediately you think:

“I need to study this!”

Maybe.

But maybe not.

One unusual blitz game doesn't automatically mean that you need to add a new variation to your repertoire.

Instead:

1. Review the game.
2. Find where things went wrong.
3. Check whether your opening was actually the problem.
4. Identify the key idea.
5. Decide whether the variation is relevant.

Sometimes the lesson isn't:

“I need to learn more opening theory.”

Sometimes the lesson is:

“I didn't understand the position.”

Or:

“I missed a tactical shot.”

Or:

“I played too quickly.”

Those are much more useful discoveries.

10. How Much Time Should You Spend Studying Openings?

There is no universal percentage that works for every player.

A beginner will have different needs from a 2000-rated tournament player.

A player preparing for an important tournament will also have different priorities from someone playing casual online games.

However, for many club players, opening study should be one part of the overall training programme rather than the entire programme.

For example, if you have five hours per week available for chess, you might consider something like:

1 hour – Openings

Review your core repertoire and important variations.

1.5 hours – Tactics and calculation

Solve positions seriously rather than guessing moves.

1 hour – Game analysis

Analyse your own games and identify recurring mistakes.

1 hour – Endgames and strategy

Study fundamental positions and practical plans.

30 minutes – Master games or additional study

Study how stronger players handle the types of positions you are trying to play.

This is only an example.

Your own training split should reflect your weaknesses.

But if you are spending four hours a week on openings and almost no time analysing your games, it may be worth reconsidering your priorities.

11. The 80/20 Principle for Chess Opening Study

The 80/20 principle can be useful when thinking about opening preparation.

A relatively small amount of opening knowledge may cover a large proportion of the positions you actually encounter.

The exact numbers will vary depending on the opening, rating level and database you use.

So don't treat percentages as rigid rules.

Instead, use the underlying principle:

You don't need to know everything. You need to know what matters.

If you regularly play the same opening, identify:

• The main move order
• The most common responses
• The critical theoretical line
• The most dangerous practical sidelines
• The typical middlegame plans

Then concentrate your effort there.

This is much more efficient than trying to memorise everything equally.

12. Don't Confuse Opening Knowledge With Chess Strength

This is one of the most important lessons for improving players.

You can find players online with enormous opening repertoires who still struggle to calculate a simple tactical sequence.

You can also find players with relatively modest theoretical knowledge who are extremely difficult to beat because they:

• Calculate accurately
• Spot tactical opportunities
• Understand pawn structures
• Make good practical decisions
• Know fundamental endgames
• Analyse their mistakes
• Manage their time effectively

Opening knowledge is useful.

But it is only one piece of the puzzle.

The best opening repertoire in the world won't save you if you consistently hang pieces in the middlegame.

And knowing the first 15 moves perfectly doesn't teach you how to convert an advantage in a rook ending.

That's why a balanced training approach is so important.

13. What Should You Study Instead of Another Opening Variation?

This is perhaps the question many chess players don't want to hear.

If you already know your main openings reasonably well, don't automatically buy another opening course.

Instead, ask yourself whether your training time would be better spent on the areas that decide games after the opening.

Tactics

Can you consistently spot forks, pins, skewers, discovered attacks and mating patterns?

Calculation

Can you calculate accurately without moving the pieces?

Endgames

Do you know the fundamental king-and-pawn endings?

Can you convert basic rook endings?

Middlegame Strategy

Do you understand pawn structures and typical plans?

Game Analysis

Do you understand why you lose your games?

These areas can often provide a much greater return on training time than memorising another obscure opening branch.

If you enjoy learning practical opening principles, Easy Opening Strategies to Win More Games is also worth reading. The key idea is that you don't always need an enormous theoretical repertoire to get good positions—you need to understand what you're trying to achieve.

14. When Opening Study Should Become a Priority

Of course, there are situations where opening preparation should receive more attention.

For example:

• You are preparing for an important tournament.
• You regularly reach bad positions straight out of the opening.
• You are changing your repertoire.
• You are facing a specific opponent.
• You are playing a particularly theoretical opening.
• You have identified a recurring opening problem in your games.

In these situations, deeper opening study makes sense.

The key is that it should have a purpose.

Don't study openings simply because Chessable has another variation waiting for you.

Study because you have identified something you need to improve.

15. A Simple Chessable Training Routine

Here is a practical routine you can start using immediately.

Step 1: Explore

Go through the course without trying to memorise everything.

Understand the structure of the opening.

Step 2: Select

Choose the lines that are genuinely relevant to your repertoire.

Ignore the temptation to learn everything.

Step 3: Understand

For every important variation, identify the plans, tactical ideas and typical middlegame.

Step 4: Memorise

Use MoveTrainer for the core variations.

Step 5: Play

Play actual games using your repertoire.

Step 6: Analyse

Check what happened.

Did you forget theory?

Or did you simply misunderstand the position?

Step 7: Update

Only add new material when your games show that it is necessary.

This creates a living repertoire rather than a giant collection of variations.

16. Before You Memorise Another Variation, Ask Yourself These Questions

Use this checklist before adding new opening material to your repertoire.

• Is this line common at my level? If yes, it deserves more attention.
• Is it theoretically critical? If it is an important theoretical test, study it more deeply.
• Am I likely to face it? Elite-level popularity doesn't automatically mean club-level relevance.
• Do I understand the resulting position? If not, don't rely exclusively on memorisation.
• Does the opening suit my style? A theoretically excellent line may not be the most practical choice for you.
• Would my training time be better spent elsewhere? This is perhaps the most important question.

If your tactics need work, your calculation is inconsistent and you regularly lose endgames, another opening variation may not be the best investment of your time.

17. Should You Study Chess Openings Every Day?

Not necessarily.

If you enjoy openings, there is nothing wrong with studying them every day.

But enjoyment and effectiveness are two different things.

A player can spend hours studying opening theory because it feels productive.

Why?

Because memorising moves gives you a clear feeling of progress.

You complete a chapter.

You get more lines correct.

Your MoveTrainer percentage goes up.

It feels satisfying.

But chess improvement isn't measured by how many opening moves you can remember.

It is measured by how well you play the game.

So don't confuse easy-to-measure progress with real chess improvement.

18. If You Need More Than Opening Theory

Once you have a reasonable opening repertoire, the next challenge is learning how to play the positions you reach.

This means developing skills such as:

• Calculation
• Tactical awareness
• Positional understanding
• Planning
• Endgame technique
• Practical decision-making
• Game analysis

If you want a more structured approach to developing these broader chess skills, Remote Chess Academy offers chess training resources that go beyond opening preparation.

The important point is not to collect more courses simply for the sake of having more material.

Instead, choose training that addresses a genuine weakness in your game.

One course that you actually study and apply can be far more valuable than ten courses sitting unfinished.

19. The Golden Rule of Chessable

If you remember only one thing from this article, make it this:

A Chessable course can be enormous. Your actual repertoire doesn't have to be.

Your job is not to memorise the course.

Your job is to extract what you need from it.

Build a compact core repertoire.

Understand the positions.

Use spaced repetition intelligently.

Play games.

Analyse those games.

Then adjust your repertoire based on real experience.

And most importantly, make sure opening study doesn't steal all the time you should be spending on the rest of your chess.

Conclusion: Study Openings Smarter, Not Harder

Chessable is an incredibly powerful tool.

But like any powerful tool, it depends on how you use it.

Don't allow a huge opening course to convince you that you need to memorise thousands of moves.

You don't.

Focus on the lines that matter.

Understand the ideas behind the moves.

Use MoveTrainer for your core repertoire.

Treat rare variations as secondary information.

Prepare deeply when you have a specific reason to do so.

And above all, remember that opening study is only one part of becoming a stronger chess player.

If you have limited training time, don't spend all of it learning another Sicilian variation while ignoring tactics, calculation, middlegames and endgames.

The opening is the beginning of the game.

It is not the whole game.

Your goal should be to use your opening knowledge to reach a position you understand—and then use your actual chess skills to outplay your opponent. 🧠♟️

Study less blindly. Understand more. Play more. Analyse more.

That's how a Chessable course becomes a useful training tool rather than an endless memorisation project.

Ready to Take Your Chess Training Further?

If you already have a reasonable opening repertoire and want to improve the skills that decide games after the opening, explore Remote Chess Academy's chess training resources.

Use Chessable to build useful opening knowledge—but make sure the rest of your training develops the chess skills you need to actually win the games that knowledge helps you reach. 🚀

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Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product or course through one of these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support the creation of free chess content.

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