Chessville
logo by
ChessPrints
From the
Chessville
Chess Store
From the
Chessville
Chess Store
Pablo's
Chess
News
Problem
of the
Week
Reference
Center
|
An Opening Repertoire for the
Attacking
Player
by S. Evan Kreider
The purpose of this article is not to teach any openings
(though our site will include such content in the near future), but rather to help the attacking
player decide upon a set of openings which form a consistent and efficient
repertoire, as well as to direct the player to resources from which to learn
these openings. I have selected this particular repertoire based
on the following criteria: a) it is suitable for the aggressive player
(i.e., it maximizes tactical opportunities and attacking (or
counter-attacking) possibilities); b) it is suitable for the amateur player
with a reasonable but limited amount of time and energy to devote to study
(i.e., most if not all amateur players); c) it results in positions which
are good (or at least equal) for White; d) it results in positions which are
equal (or only minimally and reasonably disadvantageous) for Black; e) it
contains various structurally and strategically similar lines, when
possible; f) it is relatively natural and intuitive to play.
[N.B.: I have linked each opening to an interactive board which will open in a new window for you to follow along with the move
list in each description. Simply click on the relevant link, follow
along using the VCR style buttons or by clicking on the moves in the move
list, and then close the window when you are through.]
Given these
criteria, I recommend playing 1. e4 as White. It tends to
lead to open games, attacking possibilities, and tactical opportunities,
which are usually the keys to success for the amateur / non-Master /
hobbyist / club player.
If Black responds symmetrically with 1. …e5, then I
recommend the Vienna Game. Theory suggests that Black can get an equal game
if (s)he knows what (s)he’s doing, but it’s still a sound and reliable
alternative to the dense theory of the Italian or Spanish. It’s also an
especially deadly weapon at the club level, since most club players are not
as familiar with it as they are with the other open games. Also among its
virtues is the fact that (unlike the Italian, Spanish, or Scotch) it allows
you to avoid Petroff’s Defense, Philidor’s Defense, the Latvian Gambit, and
the Elephant Gambit. There are a variety of ways to play the Vienna Game;
however, I recommend the aggressive 3. f4 variation, which is a sort of
improved King’s Gambit, (and which even Judit Polgar has played on a couple
of occasions). After the typical 1. e4 e5, 2. Nc3 Nf6, 3. f4 d5, 4. fxe5
(4. d3 exf4! tends to lead to an advantage for Black) 4. …Nxe4, I like 5.
d3. It’s more sound than the lines with early queen development (5. Qe2 or
5. Qf3), but less common than the main line 5. Nf3. Black may equalize with
extremely accurate play: 5. …Nxc3 (5. …Bb4 is fine for Black but a bit
draw-ish after 6. dxe4 Qh4+, 7. Ke2 Bxc3, 8. bxc3 Bg4+, 9. Nf3 dxe4, 10. Qd4
Bh5), 6. bxc3 d4, 7. Nf3 dxc3, 8. Be2 Nc6, 9. O-O Nd4, 10. Ng5 Bc5, 11. Kh1
O-O, 12. Bh5 Be6 with an unclear but roughly balanced position. A good
book from which to learn the Vienna is IM Gary Lane’s Vienna Game
(Everyman Chess, 2000), which has received good reviews, and contains a good
mix of analysis and explanation. It will also show you how to play
variations of the Vienna other than 3. f4, if you are so inclined, or would
like some variety.
If Black responds with 1. ...e6, then I recommend the
Advance
French. It’s true that if Black really knows what (s)he
is doing, then the Advance variation leads to equality, but even so, it is
very sound, and it offers a lot of possibilities for White to launch
dangerous assaults against the Black king. It also does not require you to
memorize a mountain of theory in order to play it well, compared to the main
line French. A typical line runs: 1. e4 e6, 2. d4 d5, 3. e5 c5, 4. c3
Nc6, 5. Nf3 Nge7 (5. …Qb6, 6. a3 c4, 7. Nbd2 leads to a slight advantage for
White), 6. Bd3 cxd4, 7. cxd4 Nf5, 8. Bxf5 exf5, 9. Nc3 = . GM Tony Kosten’s
The French Advance (Chess Press Opening Guides, 1998) offers an
excellent blend of hard theory with strategic and tactical advice, and
Kosten is an excellent writer in addition.
If Black responds with 1. ...c6, then I recommend
the Advance
Caro-Kann; more specifically, the Short-Nunn attack (White
follows 1. e4 c6, 2. d4 d5, 3. e5 Bf5 with 4. Nf3, 5. Be2, and usually 6.
Be3 or O-O, developing his forces, and then advancing aggressively on the
kingside). I believe this is currently the best approach against the
Caro-Kann, and it has the advantage of being less theory-laden than the
classical approach (3. Nc3 or Nd2). It also leads to some similar pawn
structures as the French Advance, which will maximize your understanding of
the positions which arise from either. IM Byron Jacobs’ The Caro-Kann
Advance (Chess Press Opening Guides, 1997) will teach you the
Short-Nunn, as well as other approaches to the Caro-Kann Advance, including
how to deal with the rarer side-lines which Black might try to surprise you
with; furthermore, as is typical with most (if not all?!) of the Chess Press
Opening Guides series, hard analysis is combined with explication of the
underlying concepts and strategies of the opening.
If Black responds with the Sicilian, then you need to do
some serious thinking. The Sicilian may be the most dangerous of Black’s
responses, and it alone is responsible for turning a lot of players off to
1. e4. However, I am here to tell you that you should not fear! The
Sicilian is just as dangerous for Black as it is for White. In addition,
White has several sound sidelines to choose from which will allow you to
avoid main line Open Sicilian territory. From among them, I recommend the
Sicilian Grand Prix
Attack. Like most of White’s non-main line second-tier Sicilian
systems, it probably will not secure an opening advantage against the Black
player who really knows her / his stuff, but it’s perfectly sound, and leads
to lively, dynamic play, with plenty of attacking opportunities for White.
Another nice thing about the Grand Prix attack is that it can lead to
similar positions and strategies as the 3. f4 Vienna Game, so they
complement each other nicely. A typical line runs: 1. e4 c5, 2. Nc3 Nc6, 3.
f4 g6, 4. Nf3 Bg7, 5. Bb5 (5. Bc4 is not as b) 5. …Nd4, 6. O-O Nxb5, 7.
Nxb5 d5, 8. e5 = . IM Gary Lane’s The Grand Prix Attack
(Batsford, 1997) has received good reviews; I’ve heard that it has recently
gone out of print, but you can still find it through most online chess
stores.
Against the Pirc or the Modern, I recommend the 4. Be3
lines, often referred to as the “150 Attack”
(a.k.a. the “Caveman Attack”). White
typically employs a set-up with pawns on e4 and d4, Nc3, Be3, Qd2, O-O-O,
and commences a kingside attack with the aid of the queen-bishop battery and
a pawn storm. Frankly, there aren’t a lot of books detailing this system,
but John Nunn’s The Ultimate Pirc (Batsford, 1998) gives detailed
analysis and a bit of commentary.
For the most part, Black’s other alternatives provide no
real problems for White. Solid main lines will work well against the
Alekhine, the Nimzowitsch, and the Scandinavian (a.k.a. Center-Counter
Defense). Any standard openings manual or encyclopedia (like MCO or
NCO) can show you what to do, and there will be comparatively little
theory involved. You will be best served by playing carefully and actively,
and watching out for tactical opportunities for both yourself and your
opponent.
Now a Black
repertoire. Against 1. e4, an excellent choice for the
aggressive, tactical player with only a moderate amount of study time is the
…Nf6 Scandinavian. This line of the Scandi (a.k.a., “Center-Counter
Defense”) is not as common at the club level as the …Qxd5 lines, so the
surprise value alone speaks to its advantage. In addition, it’s a sound,
equalizing line with plenty of opportunities for sharp, tactical play. A
typical line begins: 1. e4 d5, 2. exd5 (2. e5 is bad, since after 2. …Bf5,
3. …e6, and 4. …c5, Black is essentially playing a French without the
locked-in bishop) 2. …Nf6, 3. d4 Bg4, 4. Be2 Bxe2+, 5. Qxe2 Qxd5. GM John
Emms' The Scandinavian (Chess Press, 1997) offers detailed coverage
of the …Nf6 lines, as well as the …Qxd5 lines, should you want some variety.
Against 1. d4, I recommend the
Leningrad Dutch. It’s a
sharp counter-attacking system for Black against the otherwise deadly-dull
(from the point of view of the attacking player!) 1. d4 opening. 1. …f5
also has the advantage of being quite playable against White’s non-1. e4 and
non-1.d4 openings choices; for example, 1. c4 f5 and 1. Nf3 f5 often
transpose directly to the Dutch, or at the very least allow the Black player
to create very Dutch-like positions which (s)he will be comfortable
playing. A typical line begins: 1. d4 f5, 2. c4 Nf6, 3. g3 g6, 4. Bg2 Bg7,
5. Nf3 O-O, 6. O-O d6. The Dutch for the Attacking Player by IM
Steffen Pedersen (Batsford, 1996) is a well-received repertoire book which
manages to walk that fine line between theory and explanation, with
sufficient coverage and detail of the relevant lines.
These lines should provide the aggressive chess player
with plenty of opportunities for sound and active play. Enjoy!
Copyright 2002 S. Evan Kreider. Used with
permission.
|
search tips
Advertise
with
Chessville!!
Place Your Ad
in Chessville
or in
The Chessville
Weekly
Advertise to
thousands
of
chess
fans
for
as little
as $25.
Single insert:
$35
x4 insert:
@ $25 each.
Submit your
ad here!
The Chessville
Weekly
The Best Chess
Newsletter
On the Planet!
Subscribe
Today!!
The
Chessville
Weekly
Archives
Discussion
Forum
Chess Links
Chess Rules
Chess Wisdom
Visit the
Chessville
Chess Store
|