d4 advice please

In April i'll have to play an opponent who'll certainly play 1) d4 2)c4 and 3) Nc3. I like to go for the immediate kill whenever possible, very often too soon though :-( , but do any of you guys have an answer to those lines, pref. a counter attack with very sharp play.?

Try the Chigorin Defence

1. d4 d5
2. c4 Nc6!?

It'll catch him off guard and usually opens up the position making it ripe for attack. I can't give you all of the variations, but if you want a specific one, I'll tell you. Otherwise, just study up on it with an opening book.

I recommend the King's Indian Defence.

The Nimzo Indian is also a good choice although the former has more of an attacking style.

I would only recommend the KID to fairly strong players.

what kind of defence are there?

What about the Gruenfeld? Anyone familiar with it?

I play the King's Indian Defense, and it's very good for the counterattacking, sharp play sort of thing. It's easy to get all your space squeezed out from your control though. Check out my thread about the opening if you're curious how it works. There are quite a few linked games and some discussion as well.

http://www.redhotpawn.com/board/showthread.php?threadid=20624

The basic theme, at least as I understand it and the way I play it, is to play ...e5. Once this is done, the opponent will either push d5 or they won't. If they do, there seems to be some sort of pattern where you play ...Nd4 hoping they will trade it off so you can open your e-file and attack the White center. If White doesn't push d5 you can play ...exd4 and then attack the e-Pawn with your Knights (often one posted on c5, though I don't know how to handle the b4 push) and the open file.

Originally posted by Outpost
What about the Gruenfeld? Anyone familiar with it?

If you havent played it before Grunfeld is very hard and complicated. Maybe you can try Albin Counter Gambit!
d4 d5 c4 e5!?
And Chigorin too can offer good chances if oponent is not so well prepared.

I like the Tarrasch Defense. You normally exchange an Isolated Pawn for good piece play. Kasparov used it alot in his "early" days.

"Meeting 1 d4" by Aagaard has a pretty good outline of the Tarrasch.

the chigorin defence, albin's counter gambit, tarrash defence, budapest gambit, kings indian, the cambridge springs variation.

play the Budapest Gambit, you do need to know the do's and dont's as Black, but it's worth it! Great little opening

I've started playing the Dutch a little and like the attacking chances that it has.

Grunfeld tells White "I mean business!" It is a very sophisticated opening so be aware of this when you start playing... Although, this was my second game using the Grunfeld when I knew nothing about it:

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 Nc6!?
{No, I don't lose a piece here. However, I didn't even consider the ramifications of playing this move before castling.}
7.d5 Na5 8.Qa4+ c6
{The knight on a5 is now protected}
9.e4 O-O 10.dxc6 Nxc6 =
{Black just achieved equality}
11.Bf4?
{Passive... Now every move by Black will threaten something}
11...Qb6
{Threatening the b2 pawn}
12.Rb1
{Defending the b2 pawn
12...Ng4
{Threatening the f2 pawn}
13.Qc2 Nb4
{Threatening the queen}
14.Qe2 Rd8
{Threatening to win just the queen and a bishop}
15.Nd5 Nxd5
( 15...Rxd5 16.exd5 Bf5 17.h3 Nd3+ wraps everything )
16.exd5 Rxd5
{I just won a pawn and my pieces are still very active}
17.h3 Nf6
( 17...Bf5 is crushing as well )
18.g4 Bd7 19.Bg2 Qa5+?
{not the best move}
20.Bd2
( 20.b4 -/+ )
20...Qxa2 21.O-O Bb5 22.Qxe7 Bxf1 23.Rxf1 Rd7 24.Qb4 Rad8 25.Re1 Nd5 26.Qb5 Qxb2 27.Qc4 Bc3 28.Bxc3 Qxc3 29.Qa2 b6 30.Re2 Nf4 31.Rc2 Rd1+ 32.Kh2 Qa1 33.Qc4 Nxg2 34.Kxg2 Qf6 35.g5 Qd6 36.Qc3 Rd3 37.Qe1 Qd5 38.Qe2 a5
0-1

And if I could play the Grunfeld like that without being too familiar with it I believe anyone can do well with this fantastic opening. King's Indian defense, with all due respect, is more comfortable for White to handle while the Grunfeld's "in your face approach" is somehow difficult for some players to handle hoping to have an easy life of positional play...

Of the games I have played here I believe that this one is a fantastic draw

Game 927787

I don't know... Give it a try...

Originally posted by Alopinto
Grunfeld tells White "I mean business!" It is a very sophisticated opening so be aware of this when you start playing... Although, this was my second game using the Grunfeld when I knew nothing about it:

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 Nc6!?
{No, I don't lose a piece here. However, I didn't even consider the ramifications of ...[text shortened]... eve that this one is a fantastic draw

Game 927787

I don't know... Give it a try...