Originally posted by exigentsky1.Nf3 doesn't sound French to me.
Well, I tried a few Nf3 KIAs against the French, but I can't find a good strategy. Is the KIA only good against the French if you start with e4? How would you guys play the KIA vs French if you start with Nf3?
French= 1.e4 e6
1.Nf3 e6 and both of you can transpose to almost as many openings as you please.
Originally posted by exigentskyIf you already knew what I posted before: Which system exactly do you have problems against?
Well, I tried a few Nf3 KIAs against the French, but I can't find a good strategy. Is the KIA only good against the French if you start with e4? How would you guys play the KIA vs French if you start with Nf3?
If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask Bowman what to do.
I know that the French is really 1 e4 e6 but I often start Nf3 and do not know any lines except for the KIA well enough to handle the French. So my question is, how to use the KIA starting with Nf3 against the formidable French setup starting with e6.
Of course, if I start with e4, the KIA will decimate the French, but with Nf3, it seems meek. How should I continue after Nf3 when my opponent plays e6 if I intend to use the KIA?
Originally posted by exigentskyYou posted on December 5th (2 days ago, according to my calendar) that you played 1. e4 on ICC, and when your opponent played 1...e6 the KIA "just felt wrong." Now, a whopping 2 days later you proclaim that the KIA will "decimate" 1...e6 after 1. e4. Have you really worked through that much theory in 2 days, are you pulling our collective legs, or are you simply confused?
Of course, if I start with e4, the KIA will decimate the French, but with Nf3, it seems meek. How should I continue after Nf3 when my opponent plays e6 if I intend to use the KIA?[/b]
Actually, that was a typo, the game I included and my post later should have made that clear. The KIA felt wrong to me when my opponent played d6, not e6. However, that does not mean I will never try the KIA against those lines.
Also, since I am still uncertain about the opening, I'm bound to experiment a lot and change my mind a lot. For example, before I thouht starting the KIA with e4 would give me the best results, now I realize that if my opponent plays e5, it is not so great for my KIA. Thus, I often start Nf3 now.
In any case, do you have any suggestions? How should I approach a KIA when I start with Nf3 and my opponent moves to e6?
I did a cursory search of the chesslab database (chesslab.com, free online database). I don't play the KIA, and don't face it often either. By searching recent games between players rated 2000+, it appears that most of them prefer to switch to a Reti opening, by advancing to c4 instead of the typical d3 and e4 in the KIA. This would challenge black's d5 pawn if he in-fact advanced to d5, but it appears that black more often is planning f5 instead, and trying to build an attacking position of his own. I don't use databases to play, but this is Correspondence Chess and it is perfectly OK, and can add hundreds of points to your RHP rating if you aren't currently using books or databases for your opening lines. Try the chesslab database to supplement your KIA book, and see if it helps your study. Also, you can get a fantastic piece of software at chesspositiontrainer.com for free. This is very similar to Bookup in it's features, and will help you get your openings down much more quickly if you are willing to put the time into it. There are other database programs that you can get for free as well, such as SCID, chessbase light, and Chess Assistant Light, if you wish to create a database of your own games for analysis. Google will help you find those. Is this helpful to you?