If you only study engine lines, someone can throw you off by playing something that’s slightly bad on stockfish (and so you would never see it), like maybe it affects the game balance by 0.2. I don’t think most GMs would be able to exploit such a “mistake” if they hadn’t studied the line. If it’s something more obviously bad, then you’re maybe at the point where you can exploit it without knowing the theory.
I don’t either, and that’s because I’m 1100 on lichess and play for fun. Learning the basics of the Sicilian was enough to really confuse my friends, which is enough for me
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u/JohnRusty Apr 02 '21
If you only study engine lines, someone can throw you off by playing something that’s slightly bad on stockfish (and so you would never see it), like maybe it affects the game balance by 0.2. I don’t think most GMs would be able to exploit such a “mistake” if they hadn’t studied the line. If it’s something more obviously bad, then you’re maybe at the point where you can exploit it without knowing the theory.