I can't take it anymore! I need a black e4 defen

Ok, I'm throwing it out to the public here. I'll take the defense (other than the french, pbbbttt) that gets the most votes...

What defense should Paul play to e4?

I've tried alekhine's defense, where I get torn to bits by roughly equal players because I can't catch up on development.

I've tried the sicilian, but there's too many traps and too much theory, and even knowing the theory doesn't help because there's too much variation.

The caro doesn't really suit me, and I think the scandinavian is unsound.

I don't want to face the Roy

1. The Petroff
2. The Pirc
3. The Latvian (?!)
4. Something else???

Originally posted by paultopia
Ok, I'm throwing it out to the public here. I'll take the defense (other than the french, pbbbttt) that gets the most votes...

What defense should Paul play to e4?

I've tried alekhine's defense, where I get torn to bits by roughly equal players because I can't catch up on development.

I've tried the sicilian, but there's too many traps ...[text shortened]... nt to face the Roy

1. The Petroff
2. The Pirc
3. The Latvian (?!)
4. Something else???

I don't the Philidor is Pauls stlye unless he plays the whole Larsen variation with ..g6 and ..Bg7, or the weird 3...f5?!. I would honestly, especially correspondence, recommend the Sicilian Najdorf. I have a book by Davies that is awesome. I am gonna play the Najdorf here for a bit while I nail down all the lines......The Pirc is awesome too, although buy Pirc Alert quick.

Originally posted by !~TONY~!
I don't the Philidor is Pauls stlye unless he plays the whole Larsen variation with ..g6 and ..Bg7, or the weird 3...f5?!. I would honestly, especially correspondence, recommend the Sicilian Najdorf. I have a book by Davies that is awesome. I am gonna play the Najdorf here for a bit while I nail down all the lines......The Pirc is awesome too, although buy Pirc Alert quick.

Originally posted by paultopia
Ok, I'm throwing it out to the public here. I'll take the defense (other than the french, pbbbttt) that gets the most votes...

What defense should Paul play to e4?

I've tried alekhine's defense, where I get torn to bits by roughly equal players because I can't catch up on development.

I've tried the sicilian, but there's too many traps ...[text shortened]... nt to face the Roy

1. The Petroff
2. The Pirc
3. The Latvian (?!)
4. Something else???

Definitely e5 is my favorite response...
against the lopez, which is a fearful attack, i play the archangel defense which is used by all the top english grandmasters...
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 a6
4. Ba4 Nf6
5. 0-0 b5
6.Bb3 Bb7

Black then looks to develop the dark bishop to c5 and places both of his bishops on the queenside with their targets on the castled white king...
Its a very dynamic defense to the Ruy Lopez and requires playing with energy but leads to very explosive games...

against the italian game...
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bc4 Bc5
3.c3 Nf6
4.d4 exd4
5.cxd4 Bb4+
6.Bd2 Bxd2+
7.Nbxd2 0-0

so yeah, i think main lines are pretty good for Black because black only needs to get out of the opening without disadvantage...
and the philidor is just weak...
although i think the caro-kann and the french are two good openings you could also try, of course they are more complicated...
1... c5 is too much theory and traps...
so stick with e5, its pretty damn good

Hmmm... The Nimzowitsch (Nimzovitch) I suppose could work for ya. 1.e4 ...Nc6 (I never know which one is the right way to spell that guy's name). It looks like you can keep it from transposing into the Ruy.


Or maybe the Owens? 1. e4 ...b7. Of the two I like that one. Seems like it would take people out of their comfort zones pretty quickly. Might be a little slow for your style though?

You may want to try a Sicilian (yes, a "Sicilian", don't run away now) that I do, the Sicilian Taimanov. A lot of ppl and books say this is a sucky passive Sicilian, but what do they know? I find the opening is filled with traps that can get amateur players in positional trouble. It's a very subtle opening that somehow translates to wins for me as black. I'm convinced that subtlety is the way to win as black nowadays, not agression. Anyways, here's my list of defenses against particular pawn openings, all of them are actually quite rare and have very little thoery about them, but sound:

Against e4 Sicilian Taimanov, sometimes a Sicilian Kan, or a Sicilian Scheveningan to mix things up. I used to play the Narjdof when I was a kid and heavy into chess, but that was long ago and I quit the game for some time, and I find myself losing when playing it now. So many people know so much about this opening and have studied it so much, that whenever I play a player higher rated then me with either color, I simply get attacked, and lose. Maybe 10 years ago the Narjdof was a good defense, now it's so well known that any experienced player wallops me using it. This is where the Taimanov has it's strenght, I love it when white players treat the Taimanov like a Narjdof and play white Narjdof moves. . .😀

Against d4

-QGD Tartakower, another seldom talked about opening, but the best QGD out there IMHO, fixes the bad bishop problem, although has little attacking chances at first, another subtle opening.

Against c4 (english)

-I rarely see english's nowadays, and I know close to nothing about them, whenever I see an english, I copy my opponents moves. Ie: he plays c4, then I play c5, then he plays Nc3, and I play Nc6. Strangely enough, this seems to work and equals equality for black, and simply frustrates your opponent. I beleive they call this the symmitrical variation, it's not very original, that's for sure, and I am in no way reccomending you copy your opponents move to move during games. 😀

Against f4 (Birds)

Never see it, but when it's played, I respond with c5 and improvise. Just don't give white the open f file, which looking at the bird is what he wants to acheive, and you should do fine. The move c5 challenges the center, but doesn't give white any levers to open that pesky birdie f file.

BTW, the Latvian is more of paul's style. I think the opening is crap, and the stats agree with me, but for paul, it's more to his liking of "but our reasons why, to do or die" chess. . .

Originally posted by Gambitzoid
Definitely e5 is my favorite response...
against the lopez, which is a fearful attack, i play the archangel defense which is used by all the top english grandmasters...
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 a6
4. Ba4 Nf6
5. 0-0 b5
6.Bb3 Bb7

Black then looks to develop the dark bishop to c5 and places both of his bishops on the queenside with their targets ...[text shortened]... omplicated...
1... c5 is too much theory and traps...
so stick with e5, its pretty damn good

Originally posted by paultopia
Ok, I'm throwing it out to the public here. I'll take the defense (other than the french, pbbbttt) that gets the most votes...

What defense should Paul play to e4?

I've tried alekhine's defense, where I get torn to bits by roughly equal players because I can't catch up on development.

I've tried the sicilian, but there's too many traps ...[text shortened]... nt to face the Roy

1. The Petroff
2. The Pirc
3. The Latvian (?!)
4. Something else???

Well you could try center counter gambit 1.e4 d5 2.e.d5 c6 3.e.c6 nc6
In return for the loss of a pawn you get the initiative.Or you could avoid the loss of a pawn and lose 1 tempo with q.d5. Well you seem to prefer wild open games so gambit should be nice for you

The philidor is very slow and does not give enough initiative to black...
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 exd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 Be7
6. Qf3 O-O
7. Nf5 +=

After this game, black is destined to a defensive battle, and paultopia certainly seems to be an attacking player, even more so with an antiquated defense like the philidor

Originally posted by Gambitzoid
The philidor is very slow and does not give enough initiative to black...
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d6
3. d4 exd4
4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 Be7
6. Qf3 O-O
7. Nf5 +=

After this game, black is destined to a defensive battle, and paultopia certainly seems to be an attacking player, even more so with an antiquated defense like the philidor

Try a Berlin

1) e4 e5
2) Nf3 Nc6
3) Bb5 Nf6