What is your favourite opening

There are many openings in chess
My favourite is the lesser known Rosseau Gambit because of the many traps and tricks inside it.
What is yours and why?

@BOBDANIEL09

As time goes by I become a bit more pessimistic to all my openings. . . .either remembering the tough losses or having "that line" where it just doesn't fit the themes of the other lines. That being said I would take the Caro Kann. Its just so solid and the plans seem to flow from any position.

Used to love the King's Indian Defense as black.

Then the theory got much better for white. 🙁

@BigDogg

Bayonet Attack killed it off?

e4 as White.

As Black against e4, I play c6 Caro-Kann; against d4, the Slav Defence (d5 and c6). The two Black systems lead to very similar pawn structures. The break-out move for Black in both systems is going to be c5, lessoning the need to memorise many different variations.

@moonbus said
e4 as White.

As Black against e4, I play c6 Caro-Kann; against d4, the Slav Defence (d5 and c6). The two Black systems lead to very similar pawn structures. The break-out move for Black in both systems is going to be c5, lessoning the need to memorise many different variations.

I tend to avoid e4 as white and vary between the London system and Queens pawn games with occasional forays into the Reti and obscure stuff
As black French against e4 and Kings Indian against d4.
Against other white openings I just wing it!

@bobdaniel09 said
There are many openings in chess
My favourite is the lesser known Rosseau Gambit because of the many traps and tricks inside it.
What is yours and why?

What is yours and why?

The English. Very few players prepare to play against it. 🙂

@mchill

That is very true... it seems the 1700-2100 level is the big sweet spot where you could really do damage with this at tournaments and a lot of players would be uncomfortable. (of course its playable at all levels) Too many transposition tricks and its easy to get lost. I think the e3 lines are even sneakier as a lot of people are ready for the g3 stuff. I was playing a USCF corr game years ago when I was 1880 and the opponent was 1600. . . he played the e3 English and I was lucky to survive. (even with the help of databases!)

1. Nf3 ... (after many years of 1.e4) ..., as Black Petroff's & the Dutch (any variation is fine).

@bobdaniel09 said
There are many openings in chess
My favourite is the lesser known Rosseau Gambit because of the many traps and tricks inside it.
What is yours and why?

Here at RHP... the most successful (after 1.e4, 1.d4, 1.c4, 1.Nf3 ) is the Bird's opening 1.f4
which is a bit weird and I don't know who plays it...

@boggyd said
@BigDogg

Bayonet Attack killed it off?

Yes, that's one.

Also Makagonov, 5.h3. Completely different approach.

The general problem is white has too many good options on how to proceed, because there's little immediate pressure on them.

@bigdogg said
Yes, that's one.

Also Makagonov, 5.h3. Completely different approach.

The general problem is white has too many good options on how to proceed, because there's little immediate pressure on them.

Yeah, it seems like the type of opening where black has to spend a ton of study time on 2-3 rough shape systems, only for white to surprise them with something completely different and give them equally a hard time.

For example if I had to play it OTB as white I'd probably go for 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Bg5 and then if they do the seemingly popular ..Na6 instead of playing a developing move like Nf3 or Qd2 I'd play f4!? which is the type of move that if they haven't prepared properly is really annoying.

Is it safe to say the London System fad from 5 years ago is slowly dying down to more reasonable levels?

I hate closed positions and always respond to 1.d4 with the englund gambit. With every opening there is always a trap I have.
I hate playing against any opening where black moves a pawn 1 square

@BOBDANIEL09

Have you tried 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 ... ? I think the Albin is a bit better than the Englund.