I am fully aware that it is not an easy task. There is only one part of my game that needs to improve and then I will be in the mid to upper 1900's IMHO. Currently I am playing on gameknot where my rating is 1834 after 102 games. My winning percentage is 67% and my record is 68/22/11. My average opponents rating is also 1670 and many of the ones I have beaten are good 1800 players.
Originally posted by kmac27Well, just be aware that you will need a lot of patience. Such rapid progress is not likely sustainable and many promising dedicated players eventually plateau significantly before IM level. It is not just a matter of time and a sure thing as you make it seem. IMs comprise less than 1% of chess players. Chess is fun and interesting but focusing too much on rating may make it overly stressful.
I am fully aware that it is not an easy task. There is only one part of my game that needs to improve and then I will be in the mid to upper 1900's IMHO. Currently I am playing on gameknot where my rating is 1834 after 102 games. My winning percentage is 67% and my record is 68/22/11. My average opponents rating is also 1670 and many of the ones I have beaten are good 1800 players.
Originally posted by exigentskyyeah, I know that. but a big part (most) of nimzo-players on our level are playing it in attempt to suck all life from the game. the same thing applies to ruy against e4, which was why I went to d4. (and d4 was more exciting than e4 in that regard irontigran, don't believe the hype).
BTW: Wormwood, I play the Nimzo sometimes and I think it can give really diverse, strategically rich and interesting positions. You may have just chosen some of the more stale variations. In my experience, it is up to both Black and White to produce an exciting game but the opening is usually not to blame so much if it seems too tranquil. Even the QI ...[text shortened]... ies are appreciated. I get a lot of satisfaction outplaying my opponent slowly from a Caro-Kann.
if only the nimzo & ruy players wanted a rich game it would be all good. I just got bored to play out the same dead games. it was more practical to start playing reversed leningrad, where it's very hard for them to stop me from building up tension and attack.
btw, I don't get why caro-kann has such a bad reputation. I haven't played it, but all the theory & games I've seen looks very lively. -maybe the rep comes from karpov and his sort of 'passive' style? I bet he could've made even dragon look quiet. (this is not meant as criticism towards karpov the giant, just an observation on his particular style.)
In my experience having played almost all 1.d4 defences OTB I would say the one that gives me the best results and certainly is aggresive is the......................
Albin Counter Gambit!
I think it all boils down to playing style and taste.
I have heard a lot of people bigging up the KID
Indeed early in my chess playing days I learned the KID a book called "Kasparov on the King's Indian" (Does anyone remember that book?), along with other books on the KID like Gallgher's play the King's Indian. However I found after a couple of seasons playing it that is simply wasn't my style.
The best advice is this:
Most openings mentioned here are good openings that can lead to aggressive chess. Simply study them and play some games in them and see which one suits your style best.
Asking someones opinion is not a great way of getting a straight answer as peoples playing styles are all different incliding your own 😉
I hate slav positions. They are just too uncomftorable for me playing as black. I like dynamic pawn structures not semi fixed ones. You know the difference between the dynamics of a sicilian compared to a caro kann I guess. Sicilian just offers more chance for agressive games. I am going to take up the grunfeld, I've already started studying.
Originally posted by kmac27The Grunfeld is an interesting opening and an aggressive choice. However, unlike the KID or Semi-Slav, it is move order sensitive and you should figure out what to do against 1. Nf3 and 1. c4.
I hate slav positions. They are just too uncomftorable for me playing as black. I like dynamic pawn structures not semi fixed ones. You know the difference between the dynamics of a sicilian compared to a caro kann I guess. Sicilian just offers more chance for agressive games. I am going to take up the grunfeld, I've already started studying.