EP 498- IM David Vigorito on How to Improve as an Adult & Build a Better Opening Repertoire

Sep 8, 2026

David Vigorito, an International Master, trainer, and acclaimed opening author, discusses building an ambitious 1.e4 repertoire in the engine era. He shares lessons from his dramatic adult improvement, the value of uncomfortable positions, and balancing tournaments with work and family. Plus, a funny Zelda-related story and candid takes on Chess960 and modern professional chess.

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INSIGHT

Modern Engines Rewrite Opening Certainty

Strong engines now expose opening analysis errors that older players accepted as truth.
Vigorito says modern engines are close to objective truth, unlike twenty years ago when tactical lines often needed major revision.

ADVICE

Choose Principled Openings Without Avoiding Theory

Build ambitious repertoires around principled positions rather than avoiding difficult theory with passive systems.
Vigorito designed 1.e4 lines that preserve attacking potential while remaining digestible for serious students.

INSIGHT

Drawish Openings Still Create Practical Chances

Playing a supposedly drawish opening can create practical pressure because opponents may know the theory less deeply than expected.
Berlin preparation often fails when players reach unfamiliar positions and lack practical intuition beyond memorized moves.

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IM David Vigorito is a three-time state champion, renowned opening theoretician and trainer, and the author of many highly regarded books and Chessable courses. His latest course, 1. e4: The Gold Standard, offers an ambitious, principled repertoire against all of Black’s major responses.

In our conversation, we discuss:

How David’s process for researching openings has changed as engines have grown increasingly powerful.
What adult improvers can learn from David’s own unusual chess journey and the huge rating gains he made in his late teens, 20s, and 30s.
Why players should sometimes deliberately play openings and positions that make them uncomfortable.
The challenges of finding opportunities to compete while balancing chess with work and family obligations.

David also shares a funny story about the unexpected chain of events that followed our first interview in 2019, explains some of the ambitious choices in his new 1. e4 repertoire, and shares his strong opinions on Chess960 and some recent trends in professional chess.

It’s always fun to catch up with David, and there is lots of practical chess advice in this one.

0:00 Intro

Thanks to our sponsor Claude.ai

Check them out at Claude.ai/chess

2:30 David’s new 1. e4 course and how engine-era opening research has changed

6:55 Why David recommends ambitious, principled opening lines

15:15 How much opening theory do amateur players actually need?

20:40 Adult improvement: what helped David make huge rating gains

26:00 The New England chess scene and David’s tournament schedule

31:55 A funny story stemming from David’s first Perpetual Chess interview

38:20 Improving by working on your weaknesses

44:00 Following professional chess and David’s dislike of alternative scoring formats

45:40 Why David has no interest in Chess960

Vigorito-Aagaard 2025

https://www.chesshere.com/master-games/1822045?fen=r1bqk2r%2Fpppp1ppp%2F2n2n2%2F1B2p3%2F1b2P3%2F2N2N2%2FPPPP1PPP%2FR1BQK2R+w+KQkq+-+6+5

50:30 What’s next for David

https://www.chessable.com/author/dvigorito/

52:00- Thanks to David for joining me! Be sure to check out his courses on Chessable:

https://www.chessable.com/author/dvigorito/

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https://www.patreon.com/c/perpetualchess

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