Colle System

I find the opening sequence of the Colle System strangely attractive, almost like an aikido stance. Any hints on how to use it?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I find the opening sequence of the Colle System strangely attractive, almost like an aikido stance. Any hints on how to use it?

"No, it's not! It's dull! Dull, dull, my God it's dull! It's so deadly dull and tedious and stuffy and boring and desperately dull!"

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I find the opening sequence of the Colle System strangely attractive, almost like an aikido stance. Any hints on how to use it?

Yes you should play it in the spirit me thinks, compose yourself, prepare your mind, invoke the spirits of the place and slowly build up to a position crumbling e4 and watch as your opponents position naturally unfurls, almost like watching a fractal regenerate of itself 🙂

Originally posted by Green Paladin
"No, it's not! It's dull! Dull, dull, my God it's dull! It's so deadly dull and tedious and stuffy and boring and desperately dull!"

Good for you, Mr 1916. At least the basic set-up kind of works for me!

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I find the opening sequence of the Colle System strangely attractive, almost like an aikido stance. Any hints on how to use it?

This Colle game will be a bit dry for most people's taste but I was pleased with it. The finishing motif is in most endgame primers ...

Originally posted by Green Paladin
"No, it's not! It's dull! Dull, dull, my God it's dull! It's so deadly dull and tedious and stuffy and boring and desperately dull!"

So, let me see if I understand this... Are you saying it's dull? (I'm not too good at reading between the lines.)

Kidding aside, could you elaborate on why you think it's dull? (I've been mulling over trying out the opening.)

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I find the opening sequence of the Colle System strangely attractive, almost like an aikido stance. Any hints on how to use it?

A good place to look would be Edgard Colle and George Koltanowski's games.
Also google 'david rudel',he wrote some articles(and a book) on the Colle-Zukertort.

toet.

Originally posted by toeternitoe
A good place to look would be Edgard Colle and George Koltanowski's games.
Also google 'david rudel',he wrote some articles(and a book) on the Colle-Zukertort.

toet.

Thanks. Of course, I have looked at some of Colle's games. Unfortunately I tend to learn better from games that contain more mistakes than those played by the very best! Oddly, too, I often profit from advice couched in metaphorical terms (like what robbiecarrobie further on up the page).

So far I have done better with the straight Colle development than with the Colle-Zukertort.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I find the opening sequence of the Colle System strangely attractive, almost like an aikido stance. Any hints on how to use it?

hedgehog is more aikido-like

Originally posted by Mad Rook
So, let me see if I understand this... Are you saying it's dull? (I'm not too good at reading between the lines.)

Kidding aside, could you elaborate on why you think it's dull? (I've been mulling over trying out the opening.)

Are we playing Noughts and Crosses or chess?

This is how to start a game of chess:


On move 5 you're playing the immortal game, not the pusillanimous whimpering that passes for a game of chess in the Colle (System!). 🙂

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
I find the opening sequence of the Colle System strangely attractive, almost like an aikido stance. Any hints on how to use it?

The Colle with e3 and c3 is a Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi Slav Defense with colors reversed. The Colle-Koltanowski (with b3 instead of c3) is a QGD, Tartakower Variation with colors reversed.

Both of those Defenses can be played for a win, and the Semi Slav has some very sharp lines, so I think it is worthwhile to look at games in those defenses to learn things like common tactics and pawn breaks, and also to get a feel for what you could get away with if you had an extra tempo. And for general inspiration, of course.

Many variations of the "regular Colle" and the French Defense transpose, so you may also find some French games of interest. One of the funny things about Gary Lane's The Ultimate Colle is that in many of the games IM Lane remarks that "I have transposed the moves, as this particular game began as a French with 1. e4 e6 etc".

Paul

Originally posted by tonytiger41
hedgehog is more aikido-like

For black, sure.