Originally posted by math921.b3!?
I'm having trouble finding an opening that I like as white.
Which would you recommend for a 1400-1500 player:
English Opening
Queens Gambit
Bird Opening
Other (suggest one)
I'm trying to avoid e4 because most people at school prepare for that.
Originally posted by math92Depends on your playing style and taste.
I'm having trouble finding an opening that I like as white.
Which would you recommend for a 1400-1500 player:
English Opening
Queens Gambit
Bird Opening
Other (suggest one)
I'm trying to avoid e4 because most people at school prepare for that.
It's impossible for anyone to truly prepare for 1.e4, as there are too many possibilities. Mixing up your opening is not going to strengthen your game. Anyway, if your really put value in the shock value in a game of chess, explore alternate lines in 1.e4 lines that others at school are prepared for. I know there are Sicilian lines in which there are like eight or nine perfectly acceptable moves at times, and similar situations arise in all the other 1.e4 openings. Going a few moves that they have memorized and then deviating would really shatter their confidence! I say play 1.e4 until you really understand what you are doing--that is, your rating climbs to 1600-1700--and then, if you still want to, explore different openings just to keep the game interesting.
Originally posted by thesonofsaulGood Post!
It's impossible for anyone to truly prepare for 1.e4, as there are too many possibilities. Mixing up your opening is not going to strengthen your game. Anyway, if your really put value in the shock value in a game of chess, explore alternate lines in 1.e4 lines that others at school are prepared for. I know there are Sicilian lines in which there are ...[text shortened]... --and then, if you still want to, explore different openings just to keep the game interesting.
Also, regarding the Sicilian, you can play the closed, Moscow var, or c3 Sicilian to avoid having to do heavy preparation. Of course you'll still have to know what you're doing in these lines, but they are far less demanding of the latest theoretical developments, as compared to say the Najdorf or Sveshnikov, so you can minimize your required study time. I'd focus on one of those variations to try to get familiar with some of it's nuances.
I used to play the exchange var of the Ruy Lopez, almost religiously, until people in my club started playing known drawing lines against me. Theory has changed much since the days of Fischer.
Originally posted by math92If you have very little time available in which to study openings, you might want to try a "paint-by-the-numbers" opening like the London System (1 d4 2 Nf3 3 Bf4) or the King's Indian Attack (1 Nf3 2 d3 3 g3 4 Bg2).
I'm having trouble finding an opening that I like as white.
Which would you recommend for a 1400-1500 player:
English Opening
Queens Gambit
Bird Opening
Other (suggest one)
I'm trying to avoid e4 because most people at school prepare for that.
If you have a moderate amount of time to study openings, then I'd recommend the English Opening.
If you have a lot of time to devote to studying openings, then I suggest opening with 1 e4 and learning the Ruy Lopez and the Open Sicilian (and a "main line" against the French, Caro-Kann, Pirc, etc.).
One approach to is study the games of a player that you like and play the opening that s/he plays.
Originally posted by math92The English is a good choice. Another one that I like is The Kings Indian Attack (A07, A08 ECO)
I'm having trouble finding an opening that I like as white.
Which would you recommend for a 1400-1500 player:
English Opening
Queens Gambit
Bird Opening
Other (suggest one)
I'm trying to avoid e4 because most people at school prepare for that.
When I started playing chess more religiously, I was also having problems with the openings. I adopted the Reti/Pirc/KID/KIA recommended by Sierawan(sic?). Only in the Pirc does one really have to study any opening variations and the nice thing is all these openings pretty much have the same 4 opening moves with either color.
At the same time, I've played this setup so much I can't stand to see it anymore. When you finally get comfortable with your opening, I'd switch to main lines(Najdorf, Queen's Gambit, Ruy, Semi-Slav, etc..). You'll quickly find out why they are the main lines as you'll usually have good pieces and a good plan to follow.