20 Nov 05
Originally posted by rbmorris[i] If you are looking for a good book on the London Opening, I would suggest "The London System" By Andrew Soltis. The ISBN is: 0-87568-231-6, or alternatively, "A White Opening System" again by Soltis, which combines the Stonewall, Colle and Torre Attack. The ISBN for that one is ISBN: 0-87568-205-7. Either present a complete opening system for white.
I was always told to use the Nimzo Indian Against d4. The nice thing is, it can transpose back into a French sometimes.
20 Nov 05
Originally posted by Santa Drummerwhile there's some reason behind your approach, it's very impractical. like using a screwdriver to hammer a nail, it can be done but is not very efficient. the amount of tactics even in the sharpest games is not that great. you'd be better off training tactics through specific tactical problem sets. you can do dozens or even hundreds of problems in the same time as you'd use into a single otb-game. not to even mention CC-games which might last for months and have, what, maybe 2-3 tactical situations during the game.
no tactics! you need to learn tactics at first which is why i play the giouco piano alot ...
non-sharp games OTH will give you chance to experiment on positional ideas without losing the game due to some tactics in the very beginning. let you learn the hard way why something creates unforeseen threats. (every time you get into a difficult situation, you should tattoo the reason for it in your brain. maybe you let an enemy pawn advance too far, didn't break a pin in time, wasted moves in the opening etc...)
but, if you do like aggressive attacks, then of course you should play such games. you'll probably lose a lot more than in more quiet games, but at least you'll have fun. and that's the point of playing isn't it.
20 Nov 05
2 edits
Thanks for all your advice. It seems to me that I should lean toward double king-pawn openings and go for a more tactical attacking game with pieces. One thing I do not like to play against is the Sicilian Defence, because my opponent will usually know a lot of the theory on their chosen variation. That's why I've chosen to avoid the main line and play 3.Be2 with the idea of c3 and d4. Any suggestions on how to combat it without going into the main lines? I'm also unsure about whether to play the King's Indian Defence or the Grunfeld defence against 1.d4 as I've heard both defences lead to sharp, tactical lines.
Here is the repertoire I've decided on:
As White
Giuoco Piano
3.Be2 with c3 and d4
3.Nc3 against the French Defence and 4.Bd3 (Barry Milner Gambit) against the Winawer Variation.
As Black
Against 1.e4:
Open Lopez
Two Knight's Defence
Aghainst 1.d4:
Grunfeld Defence
P.S. I'm also going to get one of those 1000 Tactics books.
20 Nov 05
Originally posted by lukemcmullanGood idea but you will also need to be ready for people playing you out of the book early eg scandanavian
Thanks for all your advice. It seems to me that I should lean toward double king-pawn openings and go for a more tactical attacking game with pieces. One thing I do not like to play against is the Sicilian Defence, because my opponent will usually know a lot of the theory on their chosen variation. That's why I've chosen to avoid the main line and ...[text shortened]... ainst 1.d4:
Grunfeld Defence
P.S. I'm also going to get one of those 1000 Tactics books.
20 Nov 05
Originally posted by !~TONY~!You're right, of course. My comment was too harsh. I just don't like it, because it's too passive.
The Colle system is fine, calling it unsound is stupid. Unambitious or stodgy might be a better word, but I actually think the Colle and the French are perfect choices for what you are looking for.
20 Nov 05
Originally posted by lukemcmullanMy favourite against e4 is the Petrov (1. e4 e5 2. nf3 nf6). It leads to nice open positions, which I like, and is surprisingly sharp. It has a reputation for being a drawish opening, but at my level I probably have a 70% win ratio. And I'm giving a 2200 player a reasonable game with it. If White declines the pawn, then it usually transposes into the Two Knights.
As Black
Against 1.e4:
Open Lopez
Two Knight's Defence
20 Nov 05
Originally posted by lukemcmullanOne of my recent opponents plays the Colle to avoid studying openings. After my novelty 3...h6, he was on his own and quickly stumbled. By move 9, black's initiative was the critical element in the game.
I can understand where you're coming from, I've read that the Colle System is easy to equalise against.
20 Nov 05
Originally posted by Santa Drummer3...h6 is a useful move against the Colle because it blunts the dark-square bishop ready to explode onto the kingside after the pawn push e4. To this end, it is a good move for containing the potential energy that white stores up in the Colle System.
cant he just keep playing on normal?..
Right?
20 Nov 05
Originally posted by lukemcmullannver thought of that 🙂
3...h6 is a useful move against the Colle because it blunts the dark-square bishop ready to explode onto the kingside after the pawn push e4. To this end, it is a good move for containing the potential energy that white stores up in the Colle System.
Right?
Theres a guy at my school who can only play colle (graded about 680 im 983). So i thought of playing f5 and h5-h4-h3 etc. Good idea?
20 Nov 05
Originally posted by lukemcmullanI think the grunfeld is a terrible idea. Like all other hypermoderns it gives up the center right away. However the grunfeld has soooo much theory behind it as to be completly redicolous. You also cede your opponent a massive center which I find harder to combat than in the other hypermoderns.
Thanks for all your advice. It seems to me that I should lean toward double king-pawn openings and go for a more tactical attacking game with pieces. One thing I do not like to play against is the Sicilian Defence, because my opponent will usually know a lot of the theory on their chosen variation. That's why I've chosen to avoid the main line and ...[text shortened]... ainst 1.d4:
Grunfeld Defence
P.S. I'm also going to get one of those 1000 Tactics books.
I hope you like tactics because two knights defense can be ultra-sharp, however if you like that, go for it.
One option against the sicillian that hasn't been mentioned is the gran prix attack (2.f4). It is a solid opening that is mostly positional but can explode with a key pawn break. I personally find the 2.nf3, 3.d4 lines to be the best so I gave up the gran prix. Research the Yogoslav attack for something that works against the dragon (other scicillians are more natural to play against).
As far as tournament books, I highly recomend the 1953 zurich international by Bronstein. However the majority of the games are d4 kings indians with a smattering of nimzo, roy lopez french and sicillian.
20 Nov 05
3 edits
Originally posted by zebanoWhat do you think I should play instead of the Grunfeld? I was also thinking about a ...Nf6, ...e6, ...c5 setup, which can transpose to a Sicilian Defence setup. I'll also look at basic ideas behind the main line Siclian, I'm a little uncomfortable with 3. Be2 because it makes it a little harder to support the e-pawn.
I think the grunfeld is a terrible idea.
By the way, someone in the chess club in school plays the London System in every game as white, and plays it very well. Would the black defence I mentioned be good for combatting(sp?) the London System, or is there something else I should adopt against him?