What is Reddit's opinion of FCO: Fundamental Chess Openings?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Alternatively, you could get a more wide-ranging, but excellent, book like Fundamental Chess Openings, and then pick some openings that appeal to you? I'd worry that the opening 1...d6 can too easily turn into something a bit meh, or a bit stodgy.

I have been in the same boat. The game changer for me was the fco book. Fundamental chess openings. Explains different variants with a sentence or two, generally, per move. I have been able to pick it up and develop a few openings and the proper responses to my opponents move and understand why I am making them. https://www.amazon.com/FCO-Fundamental-Paul-Van-Sterren/dp/1906454132

If you are ok with books, then a one-volume primer like Fundamental Chess Openings gives you the core variations and the ideas and plans, which it sounds like you want?

Then you should definitely get this book. I just finished reading the chapter on the Sicilian, and it was roughly 47 pages long, took me about a month (as I read it carefully and go through all lines with a chess board in front of me). I didn't understand the idea behind the Sicilian at all before, and now I really feel like I know it better than most at my club.

You can always buy books later that go into IM/GM depth, but this one will definitely cover all the basics, transpositions and crucial variations, etc.

Depends a lot on your level.

I'm 1700ish, and the opening book I've got most out of by far is Fundamental Chess Openings by Paul Van de Sterren. It covers pretty much every opening in enough depth to get some sense of what is going on.

Another book that I don't own but looks similar is sam collin's understanding the chess openings.

Books on specific openings can have way more detail is really needed at my level. I only buy them if I find myself wanting more detail than a general book can give. Honestly though, the FCO should last you a while.

A games database is a good thing to have access to as well. Poking around in an opening tree will give you the specifics of which moves are most often played and which moves punish the bad alternatives!

Fundamental Chess Openings does that sort of thing. You can "look inside" on the Amazon page to see if it's the sort of thing you want - there's a section on the Queen's Gambit you can look at.

Personally, I can't recommend this book enough.

https://www.amazon.com/FCO-Fundamental-Paul-Van-Sterren/dp/1906454132

I highly recommend this book.

Have you plowed through this book?