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I had the following two incidents in recent games that illustrate a point:
Tartajubow (2301) - Ed2426 (1446)
Chessworld Challenge
1.d4 d5
2.Nf3 Nf6
3.Bg5 …
I almost always play this (Torre Attack) so of course I’m pretty well “booked up” on it.
3. … h6
This is a new one to me. Black usually plays this after: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bg5. Usual responses here are:
3...c6 4.Nbd2
3...Bf5 4.e3
3...c5 4.e3
3...Ne4 4.Bh4
A quick look at my single book on the Torre didn’t show this move. A check of my databases of about 2.5 million games turned up no games with this sequence. So after only 3 moves we’re on our own. What happened? Black played like a 1400 and lost in 19 moves.
CrazyCajun (2486) - Tartajubow (2272)
Chessworld Challenge
1.e4 c5
I normally play the French but was thinking of trying the Scheveningen Variation so after some preparation decided to give it a try. What better opponent than this high-rated player who’s good enough to show me where I’m going wrong when I botch up an unfamiliar opening?
2.Nf3 d6
3.Bb5+ …
What? I can never remember if this is the Moscow or the Rossolimo. Doesn’t matter though because in either case I’m in unfamiliar territory.
3… Bd7
4.Bxd7+ Qxd7
5.c4 Nc6
6.Nc3 g6
7.d4 Bg7
A very interesting novelty played in Shirov-Kasparov, Erevan Olympiad, 1996. Now White has a hard choice between 8.Be3, which is completely unpretentious because the B normally aims for g5 in this system, and the move he plays. The usual line is 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bg7 9.Nde2
8.d5 Bxc3+
9.bxc3 Na5
10.Nd2
Shirov says that the text looks rather slow, and that for the moment is it not necessary to defend the P. The single game listed in his book continued 10.O-O.
The point is that this ends the analysis I had and after only 10 moves we are on our own. White proceeded to put heavy pressure on my Q-side for the next 14 moves or so, but my defense (barely) held. He then segued into a K-side attack and pressured me for another 20 moves but I grimly held on. He finally offered a draw at move 44.
What’s the moral of the story? No matter how well booked up you are sooner or later you’re going to have to choose your own moves. When that happens you’re going to play to the level of your rating.
No opening is going to help you win more games. The only way that’s going to happen is to improve overall then it won’t really matter what opening you find yourself in, you’ll be able to hold your own. So if you’ve got a book where the author is telling you can win more games by playing any opening or by playing something designed to get your opponent thinking on his own as soon as possible, you’ve been had.
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As for the sicilian I haven't seen d6 played as move 2. My pref is to play d5 in one go (eventually) so usually have e6 instead where the bishop defends the c pawn and e6 supports an eventual c5. Alternatively I play with the accelerated dragon g6 which avoids immediately commiting the centre pawns. I used to like 2 nc6 but the Rossolimo (Bb5) is uncomfortable.
As to thinking on your own, I had a maths teacher running our school chess club years ago who would expected us to play two boards (one white and one black) where the first move for both boards was the same and selected at random (well, by his whim anyway :p ). Very good way to learn to think for yourself in the opening... if 1h5 is weak then you need to both show how to exploit it and try to be creative defending it.
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The Unhappy Chess Player
Once upon a time, there lived a chess player who always played the French as Black.
Then suddenly one summer he realized he was losing too many games. It was terrible! Something had to be done.
So he vowed never to use that defence again and lived happily ever after.
The End
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© Onceupon 2008 
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Once upon a time there was a guy named Odie_Spud who played the Sicilian except when he played 1…e4. Then his opponents often played the King’s Gambit. Old Odie kept getting hammered because he really didn’t care for tactical chess. After he switched to the French Defense Rubinstein Variation a lot of his problems went away. True a lot of games were draws but they didn’t cost as many rating points as losses so Odie’s rating went up and he has lived happily ever since. Odie experienced a similar result when he switched from 1.e4 to 1.d4.
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Don't like tactics and you play 1e4? Welcome to the d4 side 
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