At our level, it's more a question of how we play rather than what we play. If anyone at our level blames an opening on poor results, I think they need to look for other weaknesses in their play. Of course, we should have some understanding of the openings we play but otherwise other factors are more significant.
Originally posted by plopzillaHi,
Think of switching to the Modern Benoni OTB (sick of Slav positions ;() does anyone here play it at club level with reasonalbe results (even against Bb5 taimanov line) 🙂
Thanks.
May I suggest the Benko instead. Not saying it is any better, just easier to learn the themes..... the Benoni is very high maintenance. Plus it may be questionable against 3. Nc3, whereas Benko starts on move 2.
As a club level 1. d4 player I can say that I have only faced a Modern Benoni twice in ten years OTB but face the Benko several times a season. I get the Budapest or the Old Benoni (1...c5) more often. Just lately however "everybody" seems to be playing the Dutch.
If my experience is anything to go by you may well reap the benefits of being "off trend" if you choose the Benoni.
As black however, playing 1. Nf6 trying for a Nimzo in the 2009/10 season I faced 2. c4 only once in ten games and became embroiled in Colle, Trompovski, London and Baltic Systems.
I have thus been heard to say that any sort of deep opening preparation is unnecessary at club level as the length of the line studied is inversely proportional to the likelihood of it appearing on the board and that in any case all openings are rubbish because they have either already been busted or they are about to be.
In an arena like RHP where players can look at databases and books there may be more point to research so long as it not at the cost of becoming too dependant on the books when you go back to OTB.
I have found most club players have their crafty little systems which they play week in week out, require very little study because they are busy in real life and rarely reflect the fashions of top flight chess which none of us understand anyway.
I quite like playing the move I faced last in the next game with that colour. I find this works quite well as what I looked up in NCO after the game is still relatively fresh in the mind and over time you build a wide variety of experience.
Good post Raggers.
Spot on. The avarage OTB player does not have the time (or the inclination)
to study the opening theory that the top are changing with every tournamet.
So it the wee off beat systems they play.
In the times I went for the Benoni/Benko OTB it was 50% of the time I got 3.d5.
Often it was 3.e3 or 3.Nf3. Now the cocks are going to crow that Black should
now have an easy game but I always want something with tension in it as Black.
Originally posted by greenpawn34Well stated.
Good post Raggers.
Spot on. The avarage OTB player does not have the time (or the inclination)
to study the opening theory that the top are changing with every tournamet.
So it the wee off beat systems they play.
In the times I went for the Benoni/Benko OTB it was 50% of the time I got 3.d5.
Often it was 3.e3 or 3.Nf3. Now the cocks are going ...[text shortened]... hat Black should
now have an easy game but I always want something with tension in it as Black.
I'd like to add that when someone makes the "XXXXX has an easy game" the statement is often rather vacuous, in that it depends of a player's knowledge, technique, and even style as to whether or not the position is easy.
Tal and Petrosian probably had very different ideas of what they considered "an easy game" (World Champion-calibre technique aside), and the rest of us fall somewhere in between!
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Originally posted by RagwortYour post reminded me of the William Lombardy quote I found while googling for info on his new book. Lombardy simply said all openings are sound below master level.
I have thus been heard to say that any sort of deep opening preparation is unnecessary at club level as the length of the line studied is inversely proportional to the likelihood of it appearing on the board and that in any case all openings are rubbish because they have either already been busted or they are about to be.
[/b]
The avarage OTB player does not have the time (or the inclination)What is the 'average' player these days - 1600, 1800, 2000!?
to study the opening theory that the top are changing with every tournamet.
So it the wee off beat systems they play.
In the times I went for the Benoni/Benko OTB it was 50% of the time I got 3.d5.
Often it was 3.e3 or 3.Nf3. Now the cocks are going to crow that Black should
now have an easy game but I always want something with tension in it as Black.[/b]
I suppose my original point was do experiencedOTB Benoni players find their averaGE opponents getting into problems early on because they don't know the theory etc.
Thaks for all your replies so far.