When my opponent opens with d4, I cringe...

thanks, guys. You've been a big help.

grit

I cringe after whatever move an opponent makes

what about the Grunfeld? it is pretty beautiful, the pleasure being that the apparently strong center of your opponent just collapse after a while...



this was the original grunfeld position
(basically the whole question of the grunfeld is : will white manage to have a strong center?)

and then it can follow like this for instance (the main variation let's say)


this is a false gambit, of course, white does not really take it, cause it would destroy its center.

here are a few examples of grunfeld.

1. what you want with the grunfeld as Black is a quick mobilization of your pieces, and then the center collapses...

but sometimes the center does not collapse, and then YOU collapse.



(awful mistake at the very end! but see the vicious white center?)


2. and sometimes, nothing ever collapse, it lasts forever. (but still, I would say that the grunfeld is rather violent).




(an never ending ending)

3. then you look for alternative strategies.




(black attacks on the unexpected side, with a (dubious?) sacrifice)

4. the open center, with black having the two rooks playing pretty quickly is typical I would say. But sometimes it can go a bit more slowly ...

Originally posted by heinzkat
I cringe after whatever move an opponent makes

Man. I was going to post this. 🙁

DUTCH STONEWALL!

d4 d5 - play classical chess till you are class A/expert player.

I would recommend the Tarrasch defense. (1.d4,d5 2.c4,e6 3.Nc3, c5)

1) Its very simple and easy to learn. (Maybe the simplest of all defenses to d4)
2) It leads to active positions which are good for people who are learning
3) Once you get the hang of it you dont have to worry about move orders/transpositions
4) You can play it against anything but e4 (as a formation if white doesnt cooperate)
5) If white doesnt play c4 (any queen pawn game) black can usually equalize quickly and even get the advantage.
6) It develops good habits. (i.e. playing in the center with c5)
7) There's only really one line that gives white an advantage and its very rare below 2000. If you do some prep work in that line you can feel pretty confident against anybody.
8) I've played it against GMs, IMs and countless people over 2000. I cant remember ever not getting a playable game.
9) If you ever get bored with it there's plenty of gambits that are fun especially in blitz. (i.e. von Hennig-Schara)
10) Kasparov played it.

Originally posted by nimzo5
d4 d5 - play classical chess till you are class A/expert player.

I disagree completely.


Play what your comfortable with. A classical education in chess is not a type
of opening training. Your openings are a choice you make based on personal comfort.
You assess your opponents play, and play a comfortable defense based on your own
study. Not the study of others.

If you like watching Morphy play, then you need to play e4. You need to know what a
Guccio Piano, and a Guccio Pianossimo is. You'll want to know the Ruy Lopez. But that
will be O.K. Why? Because you can just watch Morphy.

"Well I like the Queen's Gambit!" Perfect. Watch Akiba Rubenstein. "I don't like that
stuff, I play the bird". OK, watch Robert James Fischer - He's instructional on how
to use that f pawn!

Don't push yourself into learning super deep openings, just watch good players play
them. Try to understand as much of it as you can. Look at the squares they
purposefully develop there pieces to, and towards. Notice there choice of pawn
structure.

Then emulate, creatively.

To the thread creator, I'd personally recommend looking at Nf6 as my exclusive
response to d4. Learning the Queen's Indian, a poweful weapon against the Queens
pawn openings, is worthwhile. There is good theory on it, from great players, but
its not played out.

I like watching Lev Polugaevsky play it. Here is a favorite of mine.
If you like it to, then search for Lev Polugaevsky and watch his QID games. You'll
be wanting to mess around with it in no time. 😉



Now when you play through Lev's games, you'll see how he plays similarly, through
different defenses. He'll have systems. Alongside the Queens Indian, Lev is a great
Sicilian, and Nimzo-Indian player. Lets watch a great win in the Nimzo-Indian over
Gligoric...in his titled system!



Now if you find Lev boring (no account for taste, really), then you need to find
another player you do like, and watch them respond to d4.



-GIN

I cringe, too...

I personally like to play openings where either 1) I know the lines better than my opponent, 2) there isn't too much theory involved in the first place, or 3) common sense will get you to the middle game.

So, as black, I like to play the Albin (1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5) because I will (generally) know it better than my opponent, and if white plays a delayed QG (1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4), I simply accept the gambit since I don't have to worry about an immediate e2-e4 thrust from white. Any other moves, and again, just use common sense.