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| Posted by doctor_knight goclub.org 2/26/2008 20:06:39 play online chess |  Subject: d4 defenseMessage: If it helps, my white repetoire is the Nimzo-Larsen attack and the colle system depending on who I'm playing and how I feel (I especially like the Nimzo-Larsen against less experienced, lower rated, or very aggressive players). My defense against e4 is basically just the caro-kan and sometimes I like to transpose into the french from the advance variation. I've found after trying different things and doing further analysis that I mainly like to control the center (doesn't everybody :D). Mainly I like to put pressure on the center and get a feel for it before working my way to central dominance. I don't really care a whole lot for wild attacking positions though I will certainly play them if I have to. I've found that this kind of controlling the center matches well with the way I do other things like martial arts and wrestling. I hope I explained this well enough. Anyone have any suggestions about what openings might be good for me? What d4 defenses do you think might match with my playing style? thanks |
| Posted by ionadowman goclub.org 2/26/2008 23:22:02 play online chess | Several possibilties... Message: If you prefer more of a pawn presence in the centre, how about a Dutch Defence, aiming for the Stonewall set up (pawns on c6, d5, e6, f5. Botvinnik used to play it - for a while, at least. It's solid in the centre and has aggressive intentions on the K-side. It does have a down side (mainly the hole at e5), but it's not so easy for White to break it down. Another scheme is the Benoni, but with the specific view of playing the Benko Gambit. The line runs: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 Bxa6... Here is Pal Benko's own assessment of his opening (My paraphrasis): 1. Advantage in development, having overtaken White in effectiveness as well as in tempo. White will think twice about playing 6.e4 (though it is a playable line: 6...Bxf1); and Blacks a8-rook already stands on an open file; 2. Black's compact and sufficiently flexible pawn structure. Black will usually fianchetto the K-side bishop and castle, meanwhile considering such possibilities as ...e6, ...f4 and even (after White plays b3) ...c4, making way for a piece to stand at c5, at the same time seizing control of d3; 3. The pawn sac has drawn off a pawn from White's centre, leaving Black with a majority there. White would like to break e4-e5 later on, but given the lack of solid defence for the d5 pawn this won't be so easy to arrange; 4. Black's game is easy to play, with the clear-cut plan ...g6; ...Bg7; ...0-0; ...Qc7/b6/a5; ...Rfb8 with huge pressure on White's Q-side. 5. Black has the initiative, possibly a long-term one. If you prefer positional play to tactical you might well take to this line - that rather rare thing: a positional gambit. Cheers, Ion |
| Posted by fmgaijin goclub.org 2/26/2008 23:31:40 play online chess | If You Like the Colle . . . Message: |
| Posted by spurtus goclub.org 2/27/2008 00:13:12 play online chess | Message: |
| Posted by marinvukusic goclub.org 2/27/2008 02:42:12 play online chess | It is obvious Message: Nimzo-Larsen => Queen's Indian -  en.wikipedia.org
Colle => Semi-Slav ("the triangle") - en.wikipedia.org |
| Posted by djole73 goclub.org 2/27/2008 04:39:07 play online chess | Message: |
| Posted by easy19 goclub.org 2/27/2008 08:25:04 play online chess | I recommend.. Message: I play Nimzo indian.. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 If white plays 4. a3 play the > (Samisch Variation) And if white playes 4. Bg5 then play the > (Leningrad Variation) If white try,s to avoid Nimzo indian with 2. Bg5 (Trompowsky Attack) then play 2...d5 If white just playes the Queens Gambit 1. d4 d5 2. c4 then play Queen's Gambit Accepted and the Semi Slav. then if you white plays 5. e3 then go for the (Meran Variation) I agree with most of the former posters. :) |
| Posted by spurtus goclub.org 2/27/2008 10:01:06 play online chess | Message: |
| Posted by tugger goclub.org 2/29/2008 13:06:40 play online chess | Message: anyhow... dutch... 1. d4 f5 i use the leningrad variation, which involves g6 folled by Bg6 and castling behind, with the long term goal of a kingside pawn rush... you'd be surprised how often this tactic works. |
| Posted by easy19 goclub.org 2/29/2008 14:10:39 play online chess | Message: out of 2.3 miljon matches. So i try to avoid playing it.. |
| Posted by ganstaman goclub.org 2/29/2008 15:50:59 play online chess | Message: out of 2.3 miljon matches. So i try to avoid playing it.. " This kind of advice is given often, but it is, in all honesty, horribly misguided. Take the Schliemann Ruy Lopez, for example. On chessgames.com ( www.chessgames.com ) it has stats of "White wins 43.1%, Black wins 27.4%, Draws 29.4%" and yet Radjabov used it today to draw in the Linares-Morelia tournament (he actually seems to have a dead-even record with it).
So, especially if you aren't on the super-GM level, then don't worry about the stats achieved by strong players with the openings. We can get good positions out of the Dutch down here at our level. If you understand what's going on with it, then your losses won't be a result of the opening. Also, stats don't play the game. You can try, but you won't be able to refute the Dutch Defense. So if you find lines you're comfortable with, you can play them and not be forced to lose. However, I would not recommend the Dutch. marinvukusic seems to make the most sense -- Semi-Slav and/or Queen's Indian (maybe Nimzo-Indian too). They're more solid and more closely related to your other current openings. |
| Posted by the6th_dimension goclub.org 3/01/2008 07:52:15 play online chess | 1.d4 strategy... Message: I'm talking about the Trompowsky Attack.(You play as white) 1.d4,Nf6 2.Bg5 or 1.d4,d5 2.Bg5.The sub variations begin on move 2 as black,but the "real" Tromp.generally involves Bxf6 for whites 3rd move. The tromp. has more bite to it than alot of other irregular systems with subtle defensive maneuvering and a slow buildup attacking style,but it works.I have several books on the Tromp. one of which is by GM Andrew Soltis. MCO-14 on Pg. 497 states that GM Hodgson and Benjamin "have made much use of it,beating not only lesser players,but grandmaster opponents as well".A surprise weapon,I call it! I have used it quite alot when I was active with USCF tournaments,with a fair amount of success.Immediate attempted control of the center it is not,but wing sting it can be! |
| Posted by ganstaman goclub.org 3/01/2008 08:45:59 play online chess | the6th_dimension Message: |
| Posted by ogedei goclub.org 3/01/2008 10:30:03 play online chess | re: the dutch Message: On a side note regarding "unsound" opening choices, I've had a lot of experience with the Black side of the Hanham variation of the Philidor (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7) in both blitz and OTB. I usually got fully playable positions against players below, say, expert level. (Which is fine because that's roughly where I am). I attributed this to a few things, not least of which was the psychological effect that playing a "bad" opening had on my opponents. "Hmmm, Kasparov never played like that so it must be bad. I'll just attack..." Expert level players and above understood the truth (that it's perfectly solid, but lacks chances for counterplay--that is to say that there are only two possible results if White plays reasonably, 1-0 or 1/2-1/2). They'd sit back and reduce me to passivity and eventually break through. I think that the dutch could do something very similar (granted, with far more dynamism and excitement than the Hanham), potentially against players up to the master level if you learn to counter White's most common plans effectively. Plus, it has very clear cut strategic aims for the Black side, meaning that you don't have to memorise reams of theory to prouce high quality chess. And one last thing: if White plays 1.d4 and you reply 1...f5, it's a Dutch (or at the very least, very Dutch-like). There's no way for White to avoid it. If you go for other systems like Slavs or KIDs or QIDs or Benonis or things like that, White can avoid it if he wishes... It's up to you to decide if that's something that matters, though. |
| Posted by the6th_dimension goclub.org 3/01/2008 11:40:06 play online chess | yes.... Message: |
| Posted by easy19 goclub.org 3/02/2008 00:16:02 play online chess | Message: |
| Posted by tugger goclub.org 3/03/2008 09:04:21 play online chess | Message: but maybe as i improve, i might need to find a different defence. if i start getting busted too often, i may well need to follow more conservative options. |
| Posted by ionadowman goclub.org 3/03/2008 11:38:19 play online chess | tugger... Message: Remember when adopting an opening, you are doing so for the time being - really until something better turns up. To illustrate the point - if I may digress a little - I read somewhere that most players of Master level have, at some time or other in their careers, have played the King's Indian Attack. I'm not talking the odd game, here, but as a major item in their opening repertoire. Eventually, they move on to other things, but in the meantime they have developed quite a fund of knowledge about the kind of game that develops from this line. I mentioned earlier that Botvinnik (as World Champion, mark you) played the Dutch for some time, and with success. Eventually he discarded it as being strategically a bit limited, but we have to bear in mind that this was based on his vast experience and knowledge of the game, and of the opening. If one were to adopt the Dutch - or any other opening - again, it is only for the time being. And whilst using it, you build up your understanding of the kind of game that emerges. |
| Posted by doctor_knight goclub.org 3/03/2008 16:02:27 play online chess | the benko gambit Message: Does anyone have anyone have any recomendations about the benko gambit? Any websites, books? Any tips on tricky ways to maneuver the game into a benko gambit? Just anything really. I think that later I might try the queen's indian or slav, but not right now. I might also look at dutch sometime. I used to play the KID, but found I didn't really like the kind of games it gets you. The same with the pirc |
| Posted by ionadowman goclub.org 3/04/2008 02:29:59 play online chess | Benko wrote a book ... Message: If you have access to a machine readable database or other anthologies, you might find any more modern wrinkles the line has to offer both sides. At any rate, in many games, the absence of the extreme Q-wing Black pawns means White's a- and b- pawns come in for a tremendous battering. I haven't looked myself, but it might be an idea just to have a look at what games are in the GK database (actually, I might do that myself). The quality might not be top notch, but that can often mean that certain tactical features come to light that might not be so apparent in Master level games. I have to admit I haven't played the Benko yet on GK, and only one Benko-like game that arose out of a King's Indian Defence. That might change... Cheers, Ion |
| Posted by spurtus goclub.org 3/06/2008 14:39:03 play online chess | Message: When i meet it I know a steady,reasoned head should beat it, but it still fairly annoys me!... and with which pawn to take the exchange!! I do recall being smashed by the tromp OTB, i didnt know it when i met it but was a wonderful game of chess, really like no other. amazing tension in the game and even when I was technically lost the counter play I got against it was about 10 consecutive only move stuff for white, yet he got them and i lost. Classical it is not, but a very good game of chess is the tromp. Spurtus |
| Posted by ccmcacollister goclub.org 3/08/2008 12:53:18 play online chess | MORE about d4, the Tromp, etc. Message: www6conf.org
www6conf.org/online/chess/3915.shtml |
| Posted by the6th_dimension goclub.org 3/21/2008 09:04:47 play online chess | The Tromp.... Message: GM Soltis 132 pg.book on the Tromp,while printed in 1995 I still cherish and use on a regular basis.Without going into details here,it shows many games where black loses between high rated players as well as GM's.As MCO-14 puts it on pg. 497,"GM Hodgson and Benjamin have made much use of it,beating not only lesser players,but grandmaster opponents as well".So,it does go way beyond a "novelty factor",however. |
| Posted by the6th_dimension goclub.org 3/21/2008 09:52:51 play online chess | Oh... Message: In any case,I would trust playing "against" the Tromp.as black before playing the Dutch defense as black,which I consider risky and certainly more risky than the Sicilian. Everthing is relative,however.My successful utilization of an opening or defense against it does not insure success for the next opponent.I can't tell you how many times I responded against 1.e4 with 1....g5 (Basman Defense),and have won against players in excess of 2000 rating.I certainly do not "recommend" the Basman,but if i manage to find out my opponent has not studied this relatively obscure defense,even though it is weak(but only slightly weak),I may use it as a surprise weapon.In blitz,for example I use it quite regularly on a site where my rating has reached approx.2400. |
| Posted by schnarre goclub.org 3/21/2008 22:34:34 play online chess | Hmmnnn.... Message: |
| Posted by the6th_dimension goclub.org 3/22/2008 08:02:41 play online chess | yes,I agree Message: |
| Posted by banerobik goclub.org 3/22/2008 11:36:25 play online chess | Message: |
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