Hammer’s My First Opening Repertoire for Black Nov 18, 2024 + PGN

Achieve Positional Harmony In The Opening
With These Simple “Hammertime” Rules

One of them cuts in half the amount of opening theory you must learn, avoids the most dangerous attacks by White, and paves the way to a repeatable setup with Black. Here it is.

When the chance arises, capture White’s e4-pawn with your d-pawn!

They might push it on the first move or the ninth — doesn’t matter. What matters is you snuff out their increasing central control right away.

With …dxe4, you avoid the cramping effects of e4-e5 and
“accidents” on d5, freeing you to develop your pieces

Suddenly, that nasty e5-advance — which cramps Black’s position — is off the board. The tense standoff between the pawns? Gone. And so is any lurking risk of dropping stuff.

Now you’re free! So you bring everyone into the game in quick succession. Then you enter the middlegame, with your pawns and pieces in perfect sync.

Yes, opening a chess game and setting up for mid-game success can be this simple — if you observe these rules laid out here by Grandmaster Jon Ludvig Hammer.

Hammer won the Norwegian championship 3 times. He also reached a peak rating of 2705. But perhaps his biggest flex was as a top analyst, who helped Magnus Carlsen win the title in 2013 and 2014.

As a Chessable author, Hammer’s repertoires continue to amass 5-star reviews. Thanks to his layer-by-layer explanation of every move.

Today, he brings you Hammer’s My First Opening Repertoire for Black.

This newbie-friendly repertoire meets nearly all of White’s first moves with a simple set of rules. Just like the one above. So that you always have a clear path to a playable, pleasant middlegame.

Here’s How Hammer’s Repertoire Works

White starts. You let them wonder.

Because your answer will always be 1…e6. This simple nudge shields your king from diagonal attacks. Which in turn frees you to focus on development.

1…e6 opens up the diagonal for the bishop, prepares
…d7-d5, and shields the king from early attacks

Next, Hammer has you follow up with the French Defense against 1.e4.

French Defense vs 1e4:
Every piece plays their role!

And against 1.d4, he teaches you the Queen’s Gambit Declined (QGD).

QGD vs 1.d4:
The same setup against 1.e4 gives
you a harmonious position

See how both openings offer you a safe king, clear lines of sight for your bishops, and a clear path to the center for your rooks?

Guess what — Hammer adopts the same setup against White’s sidelines!

1…e6 vs. Sidelines:
Yes, the same plan works! And even better,
you maintain your pawn in the center

With the way these openings overlap, learning one strengthens your knowledge of the other. So every minute you spend drilling the repertoire brings twice the benefit!

And the best part?

Hammer narrows down your opening strategy to a few rules. So you can consistently reach your dream positions… minus the information overload.

Discover:

💯 Your universal plan for development, which semi-automates your first 5 to 7 moves. It removes the guesswork and helps you ease into the game. So by the time the board heats up, you’re already locked in!

💯 Why your queenside knight belongs on d7. It’s the key to setting your pawns in motion and securing valuable space.

💯 When to continue with …b6 and …Bb7. Not only solving Black’s notorious ‘problem’ bishop, but also taking over the long diagonal.

💯 When to recapture with pawns versus pieces… ensuring you’re not messing up your long-term chances for short-lived threats.

💯 The art of being “greedy.” In the French Defense, White will tempt you with their b-pawn. Chapter 2 shows you how to call their bluff and win material risk-free.