Originally posted by RabbitColdI wish I had some done that aren't from a year ago so I could post them. 😛
Make it stop! 😲:'(
I've got 10-20 in progress now though, so I'll bother you when they finish!!
As far as the London system goes though, I honestly think you're better off just playing the English - less theory, and in my opinion it's better for white.
That's just my opinion though, and I'm ready for a whole bunch of people to tear into it.
Originally posted by RabbitColdWell...there are plenty of antiSicilians for those who don't want to worry about all the deadly variations of the Open (no non-Dragon player really wants to play into one.) There's the Closed Sicilian, Grand Prix Attack, 3. Bb5, and others.
Well, I wanted to play e4...but I just dont like playing against the scandanavian and scilian. The English is an option. I very well might start playing that.
I'll agree with you that the Scandinavian is an annoyance, and the only antiScandinavian I can think of would be the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (2. d4) as 2. e5 is a positional blunder (black will play the queen's bishop out then e6, giving him an improved French Defense...there was something about that in Chess Life this month.) But you really don't see the Scandy too often, and my experiences have shown that most people that use it seem to pretty bad chess players (no offense to the good Scandy players out there, it's just from my personal games) and most of the good ones I've run into seemed to play the Icelandic Gambit.
Originally posted by RabbitColdI don't know about you, but I wouldn't be playing 2... c5 as black...
Wow, I just found out the coolest line. 1. d4 1...d5 2. Bf4 2... c5 3. e4 3...dxe 4. d5
This is called the reversed alpin Counter Gambit. It looks pretty fun to play in an OTB game. This will for sure catch someone off guard.
You would be surprised how many people play it after 2. Bf4. It also is one of the leading tries to take full advantage of whites london (the bishop leaving as early as move 2.) with a quick Qb6. Most lines in the London for black, he usually plays Qb6 at some point or time.
After a particularly boring London game, I was just googling around and came upon this thread. RHP is more popular than I thought. 😉 I know that "boring" is subjective and perhaps the White players really think their opening is interesting. However, I HATE the London and Colle. These have to be the dullest openings I've ever seen. White has no real ambition and hardly even plays chess because it is all so completely stereotypical. The only thing White actually uses his brain for is deciding when to offer the draw. Why even play chess at all if you don't want a battle and to think? Chess isn't for cowards. 😛
On the other hand, both systems are perfectly fine objectively and seem to offer White a tiny edge. It's not really that they are bad openings, just that they are total killjoy. It's like my opponent is trying to make me hate chess. Maybe I don't know enough to appreciate the "subtle nuances" of these openings or the simple positions that they give rise to, but this is how I feel now. I hope it will change. I don't feel this way about any other openings. Even the Petroff is far far more interesting. In fact, I actually enjoy playing against it. There is a real strategic battle even if it is difficult to get anything going.
Ok, my rant is over. Sorry if I offended any zombies.
In the last five years, I've been playing nothing but the London System as white in slow OTB games. I agree it can get a little dull sometimes, but it's been working pretty well for me.
It might be just me, but I think outplaying people in the opening takes way too much preparation and effort. I have much more fun trying to outplay my opponent in the late middlegame or endgame, and the London System is perfect for that.
Originally posted by Heroic MetoolI prefer to outplay my opponent in the opening, middlegame, and endgame.
In the last five years, I've been playing nothing but the London System as white in slow OTB games. I agree it can get a little dull sometimes, but it's been working pretty well for me.
It might be just me, but I think outplaying people in the opening takes way too much preparation and effort. I have much more fun trying to outplay my opponent in the late middlegame or endgame, and the London System is perfect for that.
Originally posted by cmsMasterThat's always nice, but outplaying a strong and well-prepared opponent in the opening OTB requires you to waste an obscene amount of time memorizing moves. I don't think that's fun at all.
I prefer to outplay my opponent in the opening, middlegame, and endgame.