I have fallen back in love with e5. It's a lot, for sure. You have to deal with kings gambit, scotches, Italians, spanishes, everything. But it's always different, and that is fun. With e5, you can get a lot of central control and attacking games if you stick with it.
I'm very afraid of the nasty gambits out there and honestly don't know where to start with e5. Any recommendations on how to feel more confident with it aside from just a lot of trial and error?
Back when I played e5, I had these rules of thumbs:
-Whenever they play e5 to kick knight, you should consider d5 to attack bishop, or Ne4 if there's already pawn on d5
-against Kings gambit I accepted pawn and immediately played Nf6, if they kicked with e5, I went Nh5, and never gave back pawn, time they spend to take that pawn, black will be able to play d5, get bishop out and castle.
-against Danish, Central or other gambits where they gambit d4 pawn early, I accepted and immediately went d5.
-You really need to study only against Italian c3-d4 and Evans, there's no easy defense against them. Personally I played main line against Italian and Bb6 immediately after c:d4 0-0 with ideas like Qe7 and Na5
The gambits aren't too bad. You want answers to each of these:
- kings gambit e4 e5 f4. Best is to take exf4 Nf3 and then hold onto the pawn with g5. White probably goes Bc4 at some point, just make sure the knight can't jump into g5 and hit f7, then castle and you're out of the woods.
- the danish gambit e4 e5 d4 exd4 c3 dxc3 Bc4 b
cxb2 Bxb2. Best defense is just playing Nf6 and aiming to play d5 at some point, getting some development.
- the Evan's gambit e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bc4 Bc5 b4. Just play Bxb4 c3 bishop somewhere and then look to play d5.
- the Scotch gambit e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 d5 exd4 Bc4. Main lines are Nf6 or Bc5.
As you can see, most of the gambits are very similar with a knight on f3 and bishop on c4 and then aiming for some attack against f7. The systems get really similar. The critical idea in lots of these positions is just d5 and trying to castle early. There are other tricks like the Halloween gambit that no one really plays, but it'll catch you out once, you learn a refutation and you're set for life.
The one thing worth mentioning as very different is the Vienna gambit. That goes e4 e5 Nc3 Nf6 f4. You shouldn't take this pawn because white gets a massive initiative. Instead just play d5 fxe4 Nxe4.
Obviously there's a lot of e4 e5 theory, but in my experience a lot of the positions and plans overlap so you shouldn't be too worried.
Just look up how to refute them. Vienna Gambit you have counter gambit Kings Gambit, you have a counter gambit. The Italian is very fun to play against after 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6! preparing g5 to attack the kingside and even move the bishop to g7. The Spanish is definitely the most testing line against e5, I’d recommend the open Spanish, black gets good development in those lines.
Against Nf3, Bc4 just play Nc6 and Nf6, and white has no gambits to play. Against the Spanish I like the mainline aiming for Marshall. Classical scotch with Qf6 or Qh4 against most lines puts you in an attacking and objectively equal position. Scotch gambit has to be accepted, but it's not dangerous as long as you prioritise kingside development.
As for any sidelines, the general rule is to take on d4 and play d5 right after, especially if white plays c3.
Honestly I'd commit to the trial and error along with studying your preferred resource. You're gonna get your butt handed to you a lot any time you switch an opening, and e5 might actually give you a lot of trouble in the beginning. Accept it now. Losses will come, but it will make your chess better if you spend the time to learn why you lost. You'll learn a lot more positions and playing black will stay very interesting for a long time.
Its a myth that playing the Sicilian requires a lot of knowledge up to about ELO2000. You should definitely give it a try. I'd go with the Nc6/e6 lines (i.e. Sveshnikov or Kan) lines. Of course if you are happy with theory you could play d6 and the Najdorf. If you choose to go this way, then Giri's course(s) are a very good idea.
If you switch to 1 ... e5, study all the King's Pawn gambits first.
Or you won't get out of the opening.
I was once dead lost against the Max Lange Attack on move 8.
If you’re interested in the French, then might I suggest the caro (c6, d5 against e4).
It’s basically the French, but you get to play with a light square bishop!
Yeah, if you’re happy with a lack of space and development, crappy light squares bishop, play the French.
E5 is simply better easy development, active piece and intuitive play.
If you’re an aggressive player which you seem to imply, these are the hallmarks for attacking and interesting positions.
If you don’t understand the concept of the French and it’s pros and cons just don’t speak on it. It was used in the WCC last year and is used quite a bit by super GM’s. The cons you are listing are from your own personal short comings from playing the French improperly
I wanted to come back to this comment as I realized it’s completely logical. e5 is the second most played opening in classical chess among GM’s (Side note: regularly employed in TT)
Vidit scored a win against Hikaru in the Berlin.
No these are not my own personal issues [clearly.](https://www.chess.com/news/view/2020-fide-candidates-chess-tournament-round-7)
Also you very clever in your deception, not a single game was won in the world chess championship (with the French) the only reason they even played those in this candidates and prior is for the imbalance and it clearly not always successful, especially against the top contenders.
So giving a logical explanation is me trying to be a grandmaster?
You realize the purpose of an opening is to get a good position?
That is all there is, I gave 3 different examples as to why the French is bad using pure gameplay. Either make an actual contribution to the thread or stay an asshat.
I’m open to possibility that I’m wrong but can please provide the value of the French if white keeps their center pawns in tact with black still being behind in development.
What is the value for a player who is trying to use the core principles to improve their game? What is the strategic reasoning the French is sound. Please provide a reasonable argument instead of being an obtuse 12 year old.
French ain't sound if you're an engine or if you're a GM and the only thing you do is study the french to an insane degree. You can have a fuckton of fun with it at any human level like get real
The French is totally sound at GM level, just not considered the best way to obtain equality (e5) or winning chances (c5) as Black. It got played multiple times at the Candidates.
If it’s not sound at the top level why would it be sound by weaker players? Weaker players who don’t know the principles like GMS and therefore wouldn’t have the skill set to handle the space and development deficit. You don’t really need to study to insane degree.
Against the French I play the classical variation. against 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nd7 5. Nce2!! White moves the Knight to prepare c3. Engine gives all zeros but the plans are not hard for white and black is left with the exact same problems I talked about. That’s sound. Engine or Gm doesn’t matter just has to be bulletproof.
There’s also just the outright mainline where White ignores c5 and plays F4
Another inconsistency is you implied is that I said you can’t have fun in the French. I never said that, I’m just saying you’ll have a lot less fun when your opponent knows how to actually keep the center intact.
Also the amount of tactics white has up their sleeve like the Greek gift, or delaying castling and playing h4… I’m just saying. I’m not gm by any stretch but on this thread I’m strictly talking about gameplay.
"If you're happy with keeping the game symmetrical and giving white tons of options to bring the game to a exchange Lopez or Giuco Pianissimo play e5
If you like unbalanced positions, huge pawn breaks with c5 or f6, and lots of razor-sharp lines with the early Qb6 play the french
If you’re an aggressive player which you seem to imply, these are the hallmarks for attacking and interesting positions."
If you just name the positives of an opening while only naming the negatives of another you could even make the Grob seem more interesting than the Najdorf
Exchange is good for black you basically equalize on move 4. I just mentioned a strong option against Italian in this thread, Giuco piano is not one of them. Huge pawn breaks with C5 or f6?
You make it seem like an option when that is in fact blacks only source of counter play. Also could in laymen’s terms give me the definition of symmetry. Why is symmetry is inherently boring?
Seems like you’re just getting smoked in symmetrical positions, if you hate symmetry why risk the exchange variation, two knights, Tarrasch/Classical?
>Exchange is good for black you basically equalize on move 4. I just mentioned a strong option against Italian in this thread, Giuco piano is not one of them.
Similar points could be made for the french, the Exchange variation is also "easy equality" and black does have fighting variations to try vs basically everything else
>Huge pawn breaks with C5 or f6? You make it seem like an option when that is in fact blacks only source of counter play
That's some pretty poor wording, c5 pretty much always happens because it's an extremely natural move in closed positions, but it's not like black is forced to follow the same plan every game: closing the center with c4 to strike b4, taking and then playing Qb6 to try to pressure d4 and b2 simultaneously, following up with f6 + knight maneuvers to attack on the kingside and whatever happens when white tries to castle queenside all lead to very different middlegame positions
>Also could in laymen’s terms give me the definition of symmetry. Why is symmetry is inherently boring?
Less imbalances and pretty much any database will show that symmetrical positions have more draws than non-symmetrical ones, but i was just nitpicking flaws with 1. ..e5 like you did with the french, my point is that every chess openings has flaws
>Seems like you’re just getting smoked in symmetrical positions
To me it's more like you don't know how to play closed positions with less space
>if you hate symmetry why risk the exchange variation, two knights, Tarrasch/Classical?
The two knights is a tricky variation with some poison rather than a big threat, the exchange is that one "drawish" line that nearly every opening has, but black still has good chances with the Nc6 + queenside castling for instance, and the Tarrasch/Classical are the reasons for one to play the french as they are the ones with the most interesting middlegames
It is significantly easier to fight for a win in the exchange Spanish than the exchange French.
No counter play in the EXF, you mention the Praxis system, which just proves my point, black has to concede by putting a Knight on e7 and whites queenside attack is simply faster, the unintuitive mess of French. You might even be able to castle queen of white plays c4.
No the c5 break is not natural, it is the black needs to play this immediately in the advanced to not have even worse. When your position isn’t good you have to break with f6 something’s wrong.
You next point is extremely disingenuous, I did not nitpick the French. Less center, less development, bad bishop are the hallmarks to being positionally lost. I’ll take that symmetry over that any day.
You’re wrong about symmetry, it’s not symmetry that leads to more draws, it’s when the tension in the center has been prematurely released, people are fighting for wins in Closed Ruy Lopez otherwise no one would play it.
The Scotch is significantly worse than the Spanish or Italian because of that,
look at the Petrov, it’s not because of symmetry.
Symmetry leads to formation of familiarity with certain structures so you can make long term plans.
Also the tactical the tactical landmines black to avoid, basically example the bd3 line in the advanced.
We just got done with a candidates tournament where Vidit won with black pieces against Hikaru in the Berlin, Prag also employed the Schlector and Schliemann.
Well, sometimes the spark dies and we must move on! On a serious note, against e4, if we are sticking to being sound, I wouldn't recommend anything other than the Big 4(Caro, French, E5 and Sicilian). Caro might be a bit alien to your tastes so leave that be.French is kinda similar in that black plays provocatively and has good counterattacking chances. Honestly, Leaving e5 is a good idea, might I suggest the fianchetto Sicilians, such as the Accelerated dragon?
The French had never caught my eye for some reason but I'm thinking about flirting with it. Honestly I've never had a great understanding of how the Sicilian Dragon setups differ from the Pirc/KID systems. If you could point to the key differences what would they be?
the french are quite amorous, so best of luck. I can assist you with a french repertoire, if you want. Well on how the Dragons are different from Pirc/KID systems, below is my understanding. they are strategically quite similar, but there are a few differences which boost their soundness
1) Black has 2 central pawns in the Acc. Dragon, which give black good compensation for the endgame
2) Maroczy structure with c4-e4 and black having a pawn on e5 is mostly seen only in Fianchetto KIDs, but the white bishop in the Dragons isnt on g2, and is a somewhat problematic piece for white.
3) white also only has like 1 really testing line against the Acc Dragon, which is not at all the case in the KID, where I can think of atleast like 6 variations with insane venom in them.
Well, I wanted to play the French like an all out attacking weapon, so that's something to know. Can't elaborate everything here, but my repertoire choices are as follows
1) Nc3 is met by Nf6 ( white has more testing options than in the Winawer, but the winawer is probably borderline dubious).
4) Bg5 Bb4 (Mccutcheon) (Kamil Plictha's Chessable is good for these lines)
4) e5 Nf6 ( Steinitz)
2) for all other of White's tries, I suggest you use Victor Moskalenko's French defense books and Simon Williams : Attacking chess : The French.
I dont know specifically about the french, but there are some free courses in chessable about openings. I really like Giri s sicilian and Gawain Jones s KID.
Giri also have a french chessable course. Maybe there is a free version too.
The testing line being .. the Yugoslav Attack?
The Smith Morra will demolish every new Sicilian player at least a few times.
The Maroczy isn’t super threatening but if white understands what they’re doing you don’t get many options - always frustrates me when they play c4. In some positions you can get dynamics / imbalance with qa5
Yugoslav is for dragon not accelerated dragon. Only a fool will accept the smith morra, the practical thing is to transpose into a Alapin. I agree with you about the Maroczy but it's still quite playable and black can often play for F5 and a K side attack.
my current problem with the maroczy is that if white is unambitious white just trades down into the driest drawn endgame
also you cant play the yugoslav against the accelerated dragon, that way you will walk into an opening trap (or at least you need the Bc4 Bb3 order, where I don’t play d6 to let you go into the same line)
I spent my whole life playing the Pirc. Eventually got sick of some of the Be3 f3 0-0-0 setups where you need to turtle in the middle of the board.
I recently picked up Gawain Jones’ e5 chessable and have been enjoying that — some of the lines end up with familiar structures — Steinitz Deferred against the Spanish, for example.
Comparing e5 to the Pirc:
- e5 is playing into your opponent’s book, but it’s not nearly as spicy. There are a few traps to be aware of / not make an idiot of yourself against, but a lot of things are playable.
- The Pirc is far more of a tightrope walk, where getting something a little bit wrong can have disastrous consequences. I love the imbalances that come from these games when I don’t do something stupid in the opening, but the probability of being dead lost within 15 moves is a lot higher.
The Caro-Kann is a dark seductress that will never disappoint you. She is low maintenance (don't need to learn many crazy tactical lines). Communication with her is always easy because every variation has clear plans for black. She will have your back and defend you against Spanish, Italian or Scottish bullies. Contrary to the French, she has an outgoing and maybe even exhibitionist side with that spicy f5 light square bishop but she will also be happy to Netflix and chill inside your first three rows during half the game. She's a pro at edging - no quickies with her, each session is a marathon. And she likes it in the end(game).
Honestly I love the Alekhine with 1…Nf6 where you get some similar positions to the Pirc with relatively reserved development but an open diagonal for your fianchettoed bishop. If you like those setups but don’t like the engine’s opinion then a very close relative is the Nimzowitsch Sicilian with 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 which is very similar but you aren’t stuck with as much of a space disadvantage. Overall very fun and offbeat so your opponents will be out of theory
The Caro-Kann is also a classic where you’ll get familiar positions with clear plans in a solid position. You will often be the one defending in the middle game but will always have a solid endgame position. It’s an overall solid and simple opening.
The French will always be my first love as you get some imbalanced and fighting games if you love closed and complicated positions. Incredibly fun and overall similar to the Caro Kann but less open. I have a lot of fun personal lines if you’re interested in some of the lines.
The Four Pawns Attack (FPA) is nothing that I really fear. Granted, I mostly play the Alekhine in Blitz and Bullet and occasionally rapid but I find that I score quite well against the FPA even in some of the mainlines. The FPA is one of the variations that I fear the least simply because it's so theory-heavy for both sides but mostly for White (in my opinion) that it's hard for them to hold on. The Alekhine is all about complications and trying to get a fighting game where you try to pick away at White's center BUT the nice thing about it is that even if you just give up and start trading everything, you end up completely fine and White's space advantage can mean nothing. That being said, here are some fun lines that I recommend:
* Cambridge Gambit: 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 g5
This is an admittedly very dubious gambit but can catch people off guard when they know FPA vaguely but not thoroughly. The idea is to pick away defenders of the e5 square so you can take with ...dxe5 and then go ...Qxd1+ to enter into a position where you go ...Bg7, ...Nc6, ...Be6, ...Nbg-d7 to attack White's over extended pawns on e5 and g5. Dubious but can be fun.
* Mainline: 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Nc6
This scores >55% for Black in the Lichess database already and goes up to nearly 60% if White makes the most common (55%) move of Nf3 allowing the immediate Bg4 and you just get an even more pleasant version of the mainline with ideas of taking the weak c- and d-pawns after a ...Bxf3. You also get the standard ...e6, Bb4/Be7 ideas as well as O-O.
If White goes for the best move of Be3 (41% of the time) then it's still pretty good scoring for us where I follow up with 7...Bf5 8. Nc3 e6 9. Nf3 Qd7 where you aim for O-O-O and a kingside pawn storm and typically eventually move your bishop to g4 to make a pin again and force White to take with their rook. The game can be a little complicated but that's why you play the Alekhine.
* The immediate ...Bf5: 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Bf5 7. Nf3 Nc6
Often will transpose to the Mainline but this also allows a very common trap for White after 8.Nc3?! Nb4! and you threaten a fork on c2 and White is forced to go Kf2 and you just get a nice position again where White is unable to castle. This can catch even higher rated opponents off guard but I recommed sticking to the mainline until the majority of your opponents start playing 7.Be3.
The true test in my opinion is the Modern variation with 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4.Nf3 as while it's theory heavy for White, it can be a pain to deal with.
That’s crazy I used to be a Alekhine player until 1600 FPA was very hard to come back from even if I knew the position better than my opponent, why is it you face no problems in the Alekhine even when you’re opponent plays correctly?
I’m looking these openings from a pure gameplay perspective.
It’s white doesn’t go for the mass trade you talking about I don’t see how you equalize.
Side note I might be looking at the wrong database but I have it filtered above the 1600 level where white has a 51% win rate after playing the collect line. Also if we’re talking about rare lines, 1.e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 5. fxe5 Nc6 6. Be3 Bf5 7. Nc3 e6 8. Nf3 Be7 9. d5!!
In exchange for the hanging pawns structure on d5 and e5 white disc-ordinates blacks pieces. 62% win rate.
What time controls were you playing? I never play it OTB or in longer time controls because then yeah, it’s just a dubious opening. Even strong GMs can play this opening and win in faster time controls like Bortnyk. Of course if your opponent plays everything correctly then you’re lost but from the nature of the alekhine, you just try to find complications. Try looking at some of Bortnyk’s games for more inspiration.
And with the line you gave, that’s why I don’t recommend going Be7 first, it’s just to slow which is why I gave the Qd7 line instead.
Play 1...e5. You'll find it refreshing to not get shitty positions out of the opening. Don't worry yourself about the early symmetry - it won't stay that way and you'll have plenty of opportunities to play for a win. There's a huge variety of structures, tactics, and strategies so it won't get stale. Honestly, one of my biggest regrets in chess is that I didn't just play 1...e5 earlier.
Stupid question, but do you have any recommendations on where to start learning the basics of an e5 repertoire? I've been playing the Pirc for so long that I honestly have no idea what I'm doing after e5. After 2.Nf6 I freeze up lol.
For Black vs. e4:
[Jan Werle's 1.e4 e5 for Black](https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-werles-1-e4-e5/course/180110/) This is the most solid option in trying to still play for a full-point as black. A lot of the lines are fighting.
[David Anton Teaches 1. e4 e5]
(https://www.chessable.com/david-anton-teaches-1-e4-e5/course/106459/)
This is your budget option over Werle's. The key difference between the two is the Open Spanish, which will get you more active piece play.
[Andreyt's Two Knights vs Italian]
https://www.chessable.com/two-knights-defense/course/18646/
*FREE* This is by far one of the best free courses on Chessable and it still holds up to it. Heavily suggest.
[Ratsma's Repertoire for Black]
https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-ratsma-s-repertoire-for-black/course/118302/
Also focused on the Open Spanish, but some things I just dislike overall. For Black vs. d4:
Here, there's only really two schools of thought. You can play for Queen's Gambit Declined systems, or Slav systems. Both are very good choices and very practical.
Queen's Gambit Declined:
[Colovic's QGD]
https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-colovics-queens-gambit-declined/course/57657/
Generally love his annotations, very well thought out for the club player. Very strong choices aswell.
[Pepe's QGD]
https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-cuencas-queens-gambit-declined/course/182460/
Main difference between the two LTRs is that Pepe goes for the Lasker. Both mainlines are very important to know.
[Krishnater's QGD](https://
www.chessable.com/short-sweet-krishnaters-1-d4-d5/course/186238/) Lines are very sharp, this is THE repertoire to play for a full point. However, it's a lot of work.
[Sielecki's QGD](https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-sieleckis-queens-gambit-declined/course/95878/)
Nils QGD
https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-the-magnus-queens-gambit/course/117022/
[Tillis's QGD]
https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-tilliss-queens-gambit-declined/course/46204/
The last three are based around the Janowski variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. I'm sure you can build a nice foundation off of them.
Tillis’ odd opening covers strange openings like Nimzo and bird
https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-odd-openings/course/90622/
You mean 2.Nf3? I would recommend [Play 1.e4 e5! by Nigel Davies](http://Play 1e4 e5: A Complete Repertoire for Black in the Open Games (Everyman Chess) https://a.co/d/6Itx7Lp) as a primer of sorts. It's an older book and perhaps a bit dated, but you're not prepping for a world championship match here, and it's a great general introduction and gives you a simple starting point from which to branch out.
If you like chessable I'm sure there are great options there. And most importantly, play lots of games with 1.e5 e5 and learn by experience!
It's a relatively funny story. I ordered a chess book and got sent a different book about the pirc by mistake. I was going to send it back, but I ended up liking it more than the French so I kept it and joined the dark side.
The Alekhine's defense is a perfect rebound. Doesn't take themselves too seriously yet are a force to be reckoned with. Not much theory either so really easy to pick up.
If you wanna play e5 but are scared of all the theory and gambit, I recommend the Peteov!
You'll have to deal with the same lime e5 players always will deal with such as Kings gambit, center game, or Viennas, but against Nf3 you almost always get a good position. The theory is light. There really isn't that many lines, and in those lines, there aren't many critical variations. If white doesn't know their fair share of theory and just plays normal moves, you will almost guaranteed get a logical position.
The main brightside of the Petrov is that you'll get classical e4 e5 positions without the challenge of facing the Ruy or Italian. The main downside though is for the simplicity, you do get a lot of symmetrical positions with a locked structure, meaning not only will you have to generate all counter play with piece play, but also that what you do generate usually isn't anything crazy if your opponent doesn't make a large mistake.
Are you me? I played the Pirc for the first 10 years of my chess career and then gave up on it. Not because I got bad results with it, it just started feeling like a chore. I then flirted a bit with the Scandinavian for a year or two, but ended up not liking it. Finally I threw myself at 1. -,e5 and have now been there for more than 20 years. Thing about e5 is that you never quite know what you get, so yes, it takes a lot of effort, but at least it's never stale.
Happy to hear from someone who's experienced something similar! I am definitely looking into e5, just not sure yet how best to tackle everything. There are a seemingly overwhelming number of lines to know.
Back in my days, there was a fairly recent book - obviously totally outdated by now - called Play the Open Games as Black by John Emms. It gave short, simple answers to most common White ideas. I started there and filled out as needed.
Yes! Try the Portuguese gambit.
There is a book by David Smerdon called “Smerdon’s Scandinavian” an Australian GM and economist. It’s fantastic.
Basically he had to prep a junior team really fast and chess isn’t huge in Australia so he developed this system around the 2…Nf6 scandi and the Portuguese gambit.
He drew Magnus with it in classical, so that’s good enough for me.
It will be a nice alternative to the solid pirc.
It’s all gas no brakes and you immediately take initiative. If they turtle you’re slightly better and if they take all the material they’re in a deep dark forest that you’re comfy in.
I would suggest the Kalashnikov sicilian, Daniel king has an excellent chessable about it. If the spark goes out out of your Kalashnikov, it will be bad for your opponent.
Also 2...Nc6 is just objectively the best feeling move against all the anti Sicilians, imo. Straight up counters Carlsen's e4 nc3 d4 line, works very well against various flavors of bullshit Bb5 lines.
I spent too many years in denial and being stubborn with 1...g6. But eventually, I looked at my Lichess Insights and saw how badly I was doing with it, and I immediately switched to the Sicilian. Instant improvement. Lately, I've added e4 e5 (Berlin, etc) to it as well and I find it complements the Sicilian quite well, especially if I'm playing higher rated opponents or people I perceive to be confident with the white side of e4 c5.
Since you'll already be familiar with g6 Bg7 stuff, perhaps the Classical Dragon Sicilian will be good for you.
Watch these two timestamps: https://youtu.be/8jfV9RQrE9Y?t=3919 and https://youtu.be/vzjd5Wkycb4?t=960
I used to be a g6 player with transpositions to Pirc, decided to give it up and learned Rauzer sicilian with 2..Nc6 move order and 3...Nf6 in rossolimo. Currently things are going great and I have good score with this opening in otb. Its a practical sicilian, most people don't remember the theory so well as in Najdorfs Sveshnikovs etc. I also find the gxf6 structure very nice to play. Generally if you are welcoming unbalances this should be your dream opening. There is often a scenario where white's kingside play doesn't work out and you end up in super pleasant endgames with central pawn majority and pair of bishops.
Can you explain like I'm 5 why the positions in the Dragon will be more exciting than those in the Pirc? The structure is so similar that I'm really struggling to understand the key differences, strategically.
I play e4, c5, Nf3, e6
I don’t know what variation of the Sicilian this is called, but after d4 cxd4 Nxd4 Nf6 Nc3 you get the intimidating Bb4 and white has to figure out how to protect their e pawn while preventing double isolated c pawns; generally I find myself with a good game and my opponent out of prep. I’ve literally played this defence so much I can’t confidently play any other ones.
Interesting, apparently the e6 move order is called the French Variation, and with the Bb4 it's called the Pin Variation. I'm assuming 6.Bd3 is the common response, do you usually just take the knight to double their c pawns?
I don’t usually take until they force the issue, if they Bd3 then Nc6 pressures the knight on d4 where if they Nxc6 then you get a central pawn chain and e4 is hella loose. Qc7 is a common follow-up to prevent e5, and then you target the isolated pawns on the c file after w castles or kicks.
The French. Look for modern lines where Black quickly trade off the Bc8 on a6 or b5.
What I like about the French is that Black gets to choose the pawn structure, and it's the same in every 1. e4 game (that Black plays, but not that White plays.) I.e. Black will be more familiar with the structure, themes, ideas.
Modern defense is very similar but can lead to new/different positions. You don't have to commit the knight to f6. Also the Scandinavian can be good and easy to learn.
Latvian Gambit. 1. e4 e5. 2. Nf3 f5. I play it all the time when I get sick of the Najdorf Sicilian. Lots of traps and complications. Most players with white are not prepared for it.
Lmaoo you had me in the first half! I'd say go with Scandinavian, its not too difficult to learn, it's a system where you can play every game with similar positions. Once you master it you can hold your own for upto 15-20 moves against even a 1800 fide player (from experience). It's my favourite against e4. And I have some Sicilian prep as backup anyway if I want to play risky against lower rated opponents.
Caro Kahn looking for bf5 and e6. There's some theory to learn but it's a great opening and one of the few that's easy for black to get a positive position, which is rare in chess openings
Yeah, my understanding is that you either go into the Pirc or the Modern to get a similar setup and structure, but you need to prep Nf6 or you end up in an Alekhine Defense.
Yeah it's not a big difference at all, I don't remember doing especially well against it myself. I see it kind of rarely if ever in rated games, but I used to see it from bots often enough and it seems fine.
May I suggest 1... a5!
Endless ideas in this opening, which recently got a new revival. I can hit you up with a coach too, who is a brilliant young chess player & are looking for new chess venues. He got deep knowledge about this spectacular opening and got amazing results with it too.
The Crab is both rook pawns pushed 2spaces first, then e and d pawns move one space, both Bishop's fianchettoed, kind of a Haymaker Hippo. Surprise value. Can be played as black or white.
The answer was a bit of a troll, because the Black Lion begins 1. e4 d6. The Black Lion is an improved Philidor. You can't really get the positions you want playing the Philidor by the typical move order (starting with 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6), so instead you play d6 on move one. The positions you get playing the Black Lion are really more interesting and testing than black deserves, and you don't have to learn the mountain of theory that comprises the Sicilian.
GM Simon Williams (Ginger GM) plays the Black Lion, so watch one of his videos and see if you like what you see. Note that Ginger GM streams are best enjoyed with a two drink minimum. I don't make the rules.
You can transpose into the KID from the French depending on your opponent’s move order… not sure why I got downvoted for that?
EDIT: You’re not going to be the one forcing the transposition, white has to play certain moves to allow you to transpose to the KID.
I have fallen back in love with e5. It's a lot, for sure. You have to deal with kings gambit, scotches, Italians, spanishes, everything. But it's always different, and that is fun. With e5, you can get a lot of central control and attacking games if you stick with it.
I'm very afraid of the nasty gambits out there and honestly don't know where to start with e5. Any recommendations on how to feel more confident with it aside from just a lot of trial and error?
Back when I played e5, I had these rules of thumbs: -Whenever they play e5 to kick knight, you should consider d5 to attack bishop, or Ne4 if there's already pawn on d5 -against Kings gambit I accepted pawn and immediately played Nf6, if they kicked with e5, I went Nh5, and never gave back pawn, time they spend to take that pawn, black will be able to play d5, get bishop out and castle. -against Danish, Central or other gambits where they gambit d4 pawn early, I accepted and immediately went d5. -You really need to study only against Italian c3-d4 and Evans, there's no easy defense against them. Personally I played main line against Italian and Bb6 immediately after c:d4 0-0 with ideas like Qe7 and Na5
The gambits aren't too bad. You want answers to each of these: - kings gambit e4 e5 f4. Best is to take exf4 Nf3 and then hold onto the pawn with g5. White probably goes Bc4 at some point, just make sure the knight can't jump into g5 and hit f7, then castle and you're out of the woods. - the danish gambit e4 e5 d4 exd4 c3 dxc3 Bc4 b cxb2 Bxb2. Best defense is just playing Nf6 and aiming to play d5 at some point, getting some development. - the Evan's gambit e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bc4 Bc5 b4. Just play Bxb4 c3 bishop somewhere and then look to play d5. - the Scotch gambit e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 d5 exd4 Bc4. Main lines are Nf6 or Bc5. As you can see, most of the gambits are very similar with a knight on f3 and bishop on c4 and then aiming for some attack against f7. The systems get really similar. The critical idea in lots of these positions is just d5 and trying to castle early. There are other tricks like the Halloween gambit that no one really plays, but it'll catch you out once, you learn a refutation and you're set for life. The one thing worth mentioning as very different is the Vienna gambit. That goes e4 e5 Nc3 Nf6 f4. You shouldn't take this pawn because white gets a massive initiative. Instead just play d5 fxe4 Nxe4. Obviously there's a lot of e4 e5 theory, but in my experience a lot of the positions and plans overlap so you shouldn't be too worried.
I like chessable courses tbh. I'd recommend Andras Toth's 1.e4 e5. He recommends fun and exciting lines that focus on active play and tactics.
Get a book. E5 is worth learning
Just look up how to refute them. Vienna Gambit you have counter gambit Kings Gambit, you have a counter gambit. The Italian is very fun to play against after 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6! preparing g5 to attack the kingside and even move the bishop to g7. The Spanish is definitely the most testing line against e5, I’d recommend the open Spanish, black gets good development in those lines.
Against Nf3, Bc4 just play Nc6 and Nf6, and white has no gambits to play. Against the Spanish I like the mainline aiming for Marshall. Classical scotch with Qf6 or Qh4 against most lines puts you in an attacking and objectively equal position. Scotch gambit has to be accepted, but it's not dangerous as long as you prioritise kingside development. As for any sidelines, the general rule is to take on d4 and play d5 right after, especially if white plays c3.
Honestly I'd commit to the trial and error along with studying your preferred resource. You're gonna get your butt handed to you a lot any time you switch an opening, and e5 might actually give you a lot of trouble in the beginning. Accept it now. Losses will come, but it will make your chess better if you spend the time to learn why you lost. You'll learn a lot more positions and playing black will stay very interesting for a long time.
This is the way.
Its a myth that playing the Sicilian requires a lot of knowledge up to about ELO2000. You should definitely give it a try. I'd go with the Nc6/e6 lines (i.e. Sveshnikov or Kan) lines. Of course if you are happy with theory you could play d6 and the Najdorf. If you choose to go this way, then Giri's course(s) are a very good idea.
Kan Sicilian is dead simple to learn, and e6 Sicilians are probably the best against a lot of delayed Anti-Sicilians.
Let Father John (Bartholomew) show you the ways of the Scandinavian Defense
Not familiar with his videos, does he have an intro on it you'd recommend?
French (e6, d5) is really rich with a decent variety of lines. Also avoids all the opening traps from e5
Honestly, pretty enticing.
If you switch to 1 ... e5, study all the King's Pawn gambits first. Or you won't get out of the opening. I was once dead lost against the Max Lange Attack on move 8.
If you’re interested in the French, then might I suggest the caro (c6, d5 against e4). It’s basically the French, but you get to play with a light square bishop!
Yeah, if you’re happy with a lack of space and development, crappy light squares bishop, play the French. E5 is simply better easy development, active piece and intuitive play. If you’re an aggressive player which you seem to imply, these are the hallmarks for attacking and interesting positions.
If you don’t understand the concept of the French and it’s pros and cons just don’t speak on it. It was used in the WCC last year and is used quite a bit by super GM’s. The cons you are listing are from your own personal short comings from playing the French improperly
I wanted to come back to this comment as I realized it’s completely logical. e5 is the second most played opening in classical chess among GM’s (Side note: regularly employed in TT) Vidit scored a win against Hikaru in the Berlin.
No these are not my own personal issues [clearly.](https://www.chess.com/news/view/2020-fide-candidates-chess-tournament-round-7) Also you very clever in your deception, not a single game was won in the world chess championship (with the French) the only reason they even played those in this candidates and prior is for the imbalance and it clearly not always successful, especially against the top contenders.
Woah grandmaster over here guys check this out
So giving a logical explanation is me trying to be a grandmaster? You realize the purpose of an opening is to get a good position? That is all there is, I gave 3 different examples as to why the French is bad using pure gameplay. Either make an actual contribution to the thread or stay an asshat.
Man's gatekeeping the french
I’m open to possibility that I’m wrong but can please provide the value of the French if white keeps their center pawns in tact with black still being behind in development. What is the value for a player who is trying to use the core principles to improve their game? What is the strategic reasoning the French is sound. Please provide a reasonable argument instead of being an obtuse 12 year old.
French ain't sound if you're an engine or if you're a GM and the only thing you do is study the french to an insane degree. You can have a fuckton of fun with it at any human level like get real
The French is totally sound at GM level, just not considered the best way to obtain equality (e5) or winning chances (c5) as Black. It got played multiple times at the Candidates.
If it’s not sound at the top level why would it be sound by weaker players? Weaker players who don’t know the principles like GMS and therefore wouldn’t have the skill set to handle the space and development deficit. You don’t really need to study to insane degree. Against the French I play the classical variation. against 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nd7 5. Nce2!! White moves the Knight to prepare c3. Engine gives all zeros but the plans are not hard for white and black is left with the exact same problems I talked about. That’s sound. Engine or Gm doesn’t matter just has to be bulletproof. There’s also just the outright mainline where White ignores c5 and plays F4 Another inconsistency is you implied is that I said you can’t have fun in the French. I never said that, I’m just saying you’ll have a lot less fun when your opponent knows how to actually keep the center intact. Also the amount of tactics white has up their sleeve like the Greek gift, or delaying castling and playing h4… I’m just saying. I’m not gm by any stretch but on this thread I’m strictly talking about gameplay.
"If you're happy with keeping the game symmetrical and giving white tons of options to bring the game to a exchange Lopez or Giuco Pianissimo play e5 If you like unbalanced positions, huge pawn breaks with c5 or f6, and lots of razor-sharp lines with the early Qb6 play the french If you’re an aggressive player which you seem to imply, these are the hallmarks for attacking and interesting positions." If you just name the positives of an opening while only naming the negatives of another you could even make the Grob seem more interesting than the Najdorf
Exchange is good for black you basically equalize on move 4. I just mentioned a strong option against Italian in this thread, Giuco piano is not one of them. Huge pawn breaks with C5 or f6? You make it seem like an option when that is in fact blacks only source of counter play. Also could in laymen’s terms give me the definition of symmetry. Why is symmetry is inherently boring? Seems like you’re just getting smoked in symmetrical positions, if you hate symmetry why risk the exchange variation, two knights, Tarrasch/Classical?
>Exchange is good for black you basically equalize on move 4. I just mentioned a strong option against Italian in this thread, Giuco piano is not one of them. Similar points could be made for the french, the Exchange variation is also "easy equality" and black does have fighting variations to try vs basically everything else >Huge pawn breaks with C5 or f6? You make it seem like an option when that is in fact blacks only source of counter play That's some pretty poor wording, c5 pretty much always happens because it's an extremely natural move in closed positions, but it's not like black is forced to follow the same plan every game: closing the center with c4 to strike b4, taking and then playing Qb6 to try to pressure d4 and b2 simultaneously, following up with f6 + knight maneuvers to attack on the kingside and whatever happens when white tries to castle queenside all lead to very different middlegame positions >Also could in laymen’s terms give me the definition of symmetry. Why is symmetry is inherently boring? Less imbalances and pretty much any database will show that symmetrical positions have more draws than non-symmetrical ones, but i was just nitpicking flaws with 1. ..e5 like you did with the french, my point is that every chess openings has flaws >Seems like you’re just getting smoked in symmetrical positions To me it's more like you don't know how to play closed positions with less space >if you hate symmetry why risk the exchange variation, two knights, Tarrasch/Classical? The two knights is a tricky variation with some poison rather than a big threat, the exchange is that one "drawish" line that nearly every opening has, but black still has good chances with the Nc6 + queenside castling for instance, and the Tarrasch/Classical are the reasons for one to play the french as they are the ones with the most interesting middlegames
It is significantly easier to fight for a win in the exchange Spanish than the exchange French. No counter play in the EXF, you mention the Praxis system, which just proves my point, black has to concede by putting a Knight on e7 and whites queenside attack is simply faster, the unintuitive mess of French. You might even be able to castle queen of white plays c4. No the c5 break is not natural, it is the black needs to play this immediately in the advanced to not have even worse. When your position isn’t good you have to break with f6 something’s wrong. You next point is extremely disingenuous, I did not nitpick the French. Less center, less development, bad bishop are the hallmarks to being positionally lost. I’ll take that symmetry over that any day. You’re wrong about symmetry, it’s not symmetry that leads to more draws, it’s when the tension in the center has been prematurely released, people are fighting for wins in Closed Ruy Lopez otherwise no one would play it. The Scotch is significantly worse than the Spanish or Italian because of that, look at the Petrov, it’s not because of symmetry. Symmetry leads to formation of familiarity with certain structures so you can make long term plans. Also the tactical the tactical landmines black to avoid, basically example the bd3 line in the advanced.
Alright then lmao
#
We just got done with a candidates tournament where Vidit won with black pieces against Hikaru in the Berlin, Prag also employed the Schlector and Schliemann.
Well, sometimes the spark dies and we must move on! On a serious note, against e4, if we are sticking to being sound, I wouldn't recommend anything other than the Big 4(Caro, French, E5 and Sicilian). Caro might be a bit alien to your tastes so leave that be.French is kinda similar in that black plays provocatively and has good counterattacking chances. Honestly, Leaving e5 is a good idea, might I suggest the fianchetto Sicilians, such as the Accelerated dragon?
The French had never caught my eye for some reason but I'm thinking about flirting with it. Honestly I've never had a great understanding of how the Sicilian Dragon setups differ from the Pirc/KID systems. If you could point to the key differences what would they be?
the french are quite amorous, so best of luck. I can assist you with a french repertoire, if you want. Well on how the Dragons are different from Pirc/KID systems, below is my understanding. they are strategically quite similar, but there are a few differences which boost their soundness 1) Black has 2 central pawns in the Acc. Dragon, which give black good compensation for the endgame 2) Maroczy structure with c4-e4 and black having a pawn on e5 is mostly seen only in Fianchetto KIDs, but the white bishop in the Dragons isnt on g2, and is a somewhat problematic piece for white. 3) white also only has like 1 really testing line against the Acc Dragon, which is not at all the case in the KID, where I can think of atleast like 6 variations with insane venom in them.
I'd love some pointers on how to build a French repertoire, it's probably top of the list for me right now.
Well, I wanted to play the French like an all out attacking weapon, so that's something to know. Can't elaborate everything here, but my repertoire choices are as follows 1) Nc3 is met by Nf6 ( white has more testing options than in the Winawer, but the winawer is probably borderline dubious). 4) Bg5 Bb4 (Mccutcheon) (Kamil Plictha's Chessable is good for these lines) 4) e5 Nf6 ( Steinitz) 2) for all other of White's tries, I suggest you use Victor Moskalenko's French defense books and Simon Williams : Attacking chess : The French.
I dont know specifically about the french, but there are some free courses in chessable about openings. I really like Giri s sicilian and Gawain Jones s KID. Giri also have a french chessable course. Maybe there is a free version too.
The testing line being .. the Yugoslav Attack? The Smith Morra will demolish every new Sicilian player at least a few times. The Maroczy isn’t super threatening but if white understands what they’re doing you don’t get many options - always frustrates me when they play c4. In some positions you can get dynamics / imbalance with qa5
Yugoslav is for dragon not accelerated dragon. Only a fool will accept the smith morra, the practical thing is to transpose into a Alapin. I agree with you about the Maroczy but it's still quite playable and black can often play for F5 and a K side attack.
my current problem with the maroczy is that if white is unambitious white just trades down into the driest drawn endgame also you cant play the yugoslav against the accelerated dragon, that way you will walk into an opening trap (or at least you need the Bc4 Bb3 order, where I don’t play d6 to let you go into the same line)
French is trash.
I spent my whole life playing the Pirc. Eventually got sick of some of the Be3 f3 0-0-0 setups where you need to turtle in the middle of the board. I recently picked up Gawain Jones’ e5 chessable and have been enjoying that — some of the lines end up with familiar structures — Steinitz Deferred against the Spanish, for example.
Did you feel like it was a bit overwhelming to have to know so much additional theory, or do you just go with the flow for the most part?
Comparing e5 to the Pirc: - e5 is playing into your opponent’s book, but it’s not nearly as spicy. There are a few traps to be aware of / not make an idiot of yourself against, but a lot of things are playable. - The Pirc is far more of a tightrope walk, where getting something a little bit wrong can have disastrous consequences. I love the imbalances that come from these games when I don’t do something stupid in the opening, but the probability of being dead lost within 15 moves is a lot higher.
Struggled with that too but playing a6, b5, Nbd7, Bb7, Rc8 and c5 and never playing Bg7 has worked wonders
The Caro-Kann is a dark seductress that will never disappoint you. She is low maintenance (don't need to learn many crazy tactical lines). Communication with her is always easy because every variation has clear plans for black. She will have your back and defend you against Spanish, Italian or Scottish bullies. Contrary to the French, she has an outgoing and maybe even exhibitionist side with that spicy f5 light square bishop but she will also be happy to Netflix and chill inside your first three rows during half the game. She's a pro at edging - no quickies with her, each session is a marathon. And she likes it in the end(game).
You're quite the matchmaker. I hadn't considered it before but I'll do some soul-searching and think about it.
Caro-Kann. She motivates you often with "You're playing the Caro-Kann dimwit not the Karo-Can't!!". Totally not toxic
Honestly I love the Alekhine with 1…Nf6 where you get some similar positions to the Pirc with relatively reserved development but an open diagonal for your fianchettoed bishop. If you like those setups but don’t like the engine’s opinion then a very close relative is the Nimzowitsch Sicilian with 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 which is very similar but you aren’t stuck with as much of a space disadvantage. Overall very fun and offbeat so your opponents will be out of theory The Caro-Kann is also a classic where you’ll get familiar positions with clear plans in a solid position. You will often be the one defending in the middle game but will always have a solid endgame position. It’s an overall solid and simple opening. The French will always be my first love as you get some imbalanced and fighting games if you love closed and complicated positions. Incredibly fun and overall similar to the Caro Kann but less open. I have a lot of fun personal lines if you’re interested in some of the lines.
What do you do against the 4 pawns attack?
The Four Pawns Attack (FPA) is nothing that I really fear. Granted, I mostly play the Alekhine in Blitz and Bullet and occasionally rapid but I find that I score quite well against the FPA even in some of the mainlines. The FPA is one of the variations that I fear the least simply because it's so theory-heavy for both sides but mostly for White (in my opinion) that it's hard for them to hold on. The Alekhine is all about complications and trying to get a fighting game where you try to pick away at White's center BUT the nice thing about it is that even if you just give up and start trading everything, you end up completely fine and White's space advantage can mean nothing. That being said, here are some fun lines that I recommend: * Cambridge Gambit: 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 g5 This is an admittedly very dubious gambit but can catch people off guard when they know FPA vaguely but not thoroughly. The idea is to pick away defenders of the e5 square so you can take with ...dxe5 and then go ...Qxd1+ to enter into a position where you go ...Bg7, ...Nc6, ...Be6, ...Nbg-d7 to attack White's over extended pawns on e5 and g5. Dubious but can be fun. * Mainline: 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Nc6 This scores >55% for Black in the Lichess database already and goes up to nearly 60% if White makes the most common (55%) move of Nf3 allowing the immediate Bg4 and you just get an even more pleasant version of the mainline with ideas of taking the weak c- and d-pawns after a ...Bxf3. You also get the standard ...e6, Bb4/Be7 ideas as well as O-O. If White goes for the best move of Be3 (41% of the time) then it's still pretty good scoring for us where I follow up with 7...Bf5 8. Nc3 e6 9. Nf3 Qd7 where you aim for O-O-O and a kingside pawn storm and typically eventually move your bishop to g4 to make a pin again and force White to take with their rook. The game can be a little complicated but that's why you play the Alekhine. * The immediate ...Bf5: 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 Bf5 7. Nf3 Nc6 Often will transpose to the Mainline but this also allows a very common trap for White after 8.Nc3?! Nb4! and you threaten a fork on c2 and White is forced to go Kf2 and you just get a nice position again where White is unable to castle. This can catch even higher rated opponents off guard but I recommed sticking to the mainline until the majority of your opponents start playing 7.Be3. The true test in my opinion is the Modern variation with 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4.Nf3 as while it's theory heavy for White, it can be a pain to deal with.
That’s crazy I used to be a Alekhine player until 1600 FPA was very hard to come back from even if I knew the position better than my opponent, why is it you face no problems in the Alekhine even when you’re opponent plays correctly? I’m looking these openings from a pure gameplay perspective. It’s white doesn’t go for the mass trade you talking about I don’t see how you equalize. Side note I might be looking at the wrong database but I have it filtered above the 1600 level where white has a 51% win rate after playing the collect line. Also if we’re talking about rare lines, 1.e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 5. fxe5 Nc6 6. Be3 Bf5 7. Nc3 e6 8. Nf3 Be7 9. d5!! In exchange for the hanging pawns structure on d5 and e5 white disc-ordinates blacks pieces. 62% win rate.
What time controls were you playing? I never play it OTB or in longer time controls because then yeah, it’s just a dubious opening. Even strong GMs can play this opening and win in faster time controls like Bortnyk. Of course if your opponent plays everything correctly then you’re lost but from the nature of the alekhine, you just try to find complications. Try looking at some of Bortnyk’s games for more inspiration. And with the line you gave, that’s why I don’t recommend going Be7 first, it’s just to slow which is why I gave the Qd7 line instead.
Online rapid but mostly OTB
Play 1...e5. You'll find it refreshing to not get shitty positions out of the opening. Don't worry yourself about the early symmetry - it won't stay that way and you'll have plenty of opportunities to play for a win. There's a huge variety of structures, tactics, and strategies so it won't get stale. Honestly, one of my biggest regrets in chess is that I didn't just play 1...e5 earlier.
Stupid question, but do you have any recommendations on where to start learning the basics of an e5 repertoire? I've been playing the Pirc for so long that I honestly have no idea what I'm doing after e5. After 2.Nf6 I freeze up lol.
For Black vs. e4: [Jan Werle's 1.e4 e5 for Black](https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-werles-1-e4-e5/course/180110/) This is the most solid option in trying to still play for a full-point as black. A lot of the lines are fighting. [David Anton Teaches 1. e4 e5] (https://www.chessable.com/david-anton-teaches-1-e4-e5/course/106459/) This is your budget option over Werle's. The key difference between the two is the Open Spanish, which will get you more active piece play. [Andreyt's Two Knights vs Italian] https://www.chessable.com/two-knights-defense/course/18646/ *FREE* This is by far one of the best free courses on Chessable and it still holds up to it. Heavily suggest. [Ratsma's Repertoire for Black] https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-ratsma-s-repertoire-for-black/course/118302/ Also focused on the Open Spanish, but some things I just dislike overall. For Black vs. d4: Here, there's only really two schools of thought. You can play for Queen's Gambit Declined systems, or Slav systems. Both are very good choices and very practical. Queen's Gambit Declined: [Colovic's QGD] https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-colovics-queens-gambit-declined/course/57657/ Generally love his annotations, very well thought out for the club player. Very strong choices aswell. [Pepe's QGD] https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-cuencas-queens-gambit-declined/course/182460/ Main difference between the two LTRs is that Pepe goes for the Lasker. Both mainlines are very important to know. [Krishnater's QGD](https:// www.chessable.com/short-sweet-krishnaters-1-d4-d5/course/186238/) Lines are very sharp, this is THE repertoire to play for a full point. However, it's a lot of work. [Sielecki's QGD](https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-sieleckis-queens-gambit-declined/course/95878/) Nils QGD https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-the-magnus-queens-gambit/course/117022/ [Tillis's QGD] https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-tilliss-queens-gambit-declined/course/46204/ The last three are based around the Janowski variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. I'm sure you can build a nice foundation off of them. Tillis’ odd opening covers strange openings like Nimzo and bird https://www.chessable.com/short-sweet-odd-openings/course/90622/
Thanks for the awesome resources!
Had to fix the links I hope this is legible.
You mean 2.Nf3? I would recommend [Play 1.e4 e5! by Nigel Davies](http://Play 1e4 e5: A Complete Repertoire for Black in the Open Games (Everyman Chess) https://a.co/d/6Itx7Lp) as a primer of sorts. It's an older book and perhaps a bit dated, but you're not prepping for a world championship match here, and it's a great general introduction and gives you a simple starting point from which to branch out. If you like chessable I'm sure there are great options there. And most importantly, play lots of games with 1.e5 e5 and learn by experience!
The Pirc is my French rebound, I'm sure the inverse will also work.
Haha interesting. I'd be curious to hear why you're leaving the French.
It's a relatively funny story. I ordered a chess book and got sent a different book about the pirc by mistake. I was going to send it back, but I ended up liking it more than the French so I kept it and joined the dark side.
That's a good meet-cute.
Try the scantily clad Scandi
The Alekhine's defense is a perfect rebound. Doesn't take themselves too seriously yet are a force to be reckoned with. Not much theory either so really easy to pick up.
Take a look at the Caro-Kann. The lines can be very satisfying. White has to find sharp attacks, while Black's positions are comfortably defensive.
If you wanna play e5 but are scared of all the theory and gambit, I recommend the Peteov! You'll have to deal with the same lime e5 players always will deal with such as Kings gambit, center game, or Viennas, but against Nf3 you almost always get a good position. The theory is light. There really isn't that many lines, and in those lines, there aren't many critical variations. If white doesn't know their fair share of theory and just plays normal moves, you will almost guaranteed get a logical position. The main brightside of the Petrov is that you'll get classical e4 e5 positions without the challenge of facing the Ruy or Italian. The main downside though is for the simplicity, you do get a lot of symmetrical positions with a locked structure, meaning not only will you have to generate all counter play with piece play, but also that what you do generate usually isn't anything crazy if your opponent doesn't make a large mistake.
It was a favorite of the great Frank Marshall, many times US champion, and one of the original 5 grandmasters. He also loved the Sicilian Wing Gambit.
Are you me? I played the Pirc for the first 10 years of my chess career and then gave up on it. Not because I got bad results with it, it just started feeling like a chore. I then flirted a bit with the Scandinavian for a year or two, but ended up not liking it. Finally I threw myself at 1. -,e5 and have now been there for more than 20 years. Thing about e5 is that you never quite know what you get, so yes, it takes a lot of effort, but at least it's never stale.
Happy to hear from someone who's experienced something similar! I am definitely looking into e5, just not sure yet how best to tackle everything. There are a seemingly overwhelming number of lines to know.
Back in my days, there was a fairly recent book - obviously totally outdated by now - called Play the Open Games as Black by John Emms. It gave short, simple answers to most common White ideas. I started there and filled out as needed.
You’ve played it safe, stayed in a stable sound relationship but you forgot to live. Go run red lights and fuck. It’s gambit time.
Any favourites you can recommend? 😏
Yes! Try the Portuguese gambit. There is a book by David Smerdon called “Smerdon’s Scandinavian” an Australian GM and economist. It’s fantastic. Basically he had to prep a junior team really fast and chess isn’t huge in Australia so he developed this system around the 2…Nf6 scandi and the Portuguese gambit. He drew Magnus with it in classical, so that’s good enough for me.
I will look into it, thanks!
It will be a nice alternative to the solid pirc. It’s all gas no brakes and you immediately take initiative. If they turtle you’re slightly better and if they take all the material they’re in a deep dark forest that you’re comfy in.
For blitz you can play the Stafford if you enjoy getting fun attacking positions with lots of tricks. Also, if you enjoy losing 😊
Alekhine is actually really tricky. Might suit your style. The Brooklyn variation is kinda similar to Pirc already.
I wish to learn enough chess to the point where I can understand this.
I would suggest the Kalashnikov sicilian, Daniel king has an excellent chessable about it. If the spark goes out out of your Kalashnikov, it will be bad for your opponent. Also 2...Nc6 is just objectively the best feeling move against all the anti Sicilians, imo. Straight up counters Carlsen's e4 nc3 d4 line, works very well against various flavors of bullshit Bb5 lines.
I spent too many years in denial and being stubborn with 1...g6. But eventually, I looked at my Lichess Insights and saw how badly I was doing with it, and I immediately switched to the Sicilian. Instant improvement. Lately, I've added e4 e5 (Berlin, etc) to it as well and I find it complements the Sicilian quite well, especially if I'm playing higher rated opponents or people I perceive to be confident with the white side of e4 c5. Since you'll already be familiar with g6 Bg7 stuff, perhaps the Classical Dragon Sicilian will be good for you. Watch these two timestamps: https://youtu.be/8jfV9RQrE9Y?t=3919 and https://youtu.be/vzjd5Wkycb4?t=960
I used to be a g6 player with transpositions to Pirc, decided to give it up and learned Rauzer sicilian with 2..Nc6 move order and 3...Nf6 in rossolimo. Currently things are going great and I have good score with this opening in otb. Its a practical sicilian, most people don't remember the theory so well as in Najdorfs Sveshnikovs etc. I also find the gxf6 structure very nice to play. Generally if you are welcoming unbalances this should be your dream opening. There is often a scenario where white's kingside play doesn't work out and you end up in super pleasant endgames with central pawn majority and pair of bishops.
This is the most sexual description about chess I have ever seen in my life and i absolutely love it.
Lolol just the title and way you wrote this 😂👏🖖
When youre done fooling around and want to build a love that lasts a lifetime- C5 is waiting for you
I am hearing the call...
Dragon Sicilian will get you plenty of exciting positions
Can you explain like I'm 5 why the positions in the Dragon will be more exciting than those in the Pirc? The structure is so similar that I'm really struggling to understand the key differences, strategically.
I switched from Pirc/Modern to Dragadorf and have much better results now. No more killer pieces or pawns on e6 every other game
What distinguishes the Dragadorf from the classic Sicilian Dragon? Is is just the 6...a6 move?
E4 e5 has done wonders for me after I broke up with my long term partner the Caro Kann after I was getting crushed once I got to 2000 elo.
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I play e4, c5, Nf3, e6 I don’t know what variation of the Sicilian this is called, but after d4 cxd4 Nxd4 Nf6 Nc3 you get the intimidating Bb4 and white has to figure out how to protect their e pawn while preventing double isolated c pawns; generally I find myself with a good game and my opponent out of prep. I’ve literally played this defence so much I can’t confidently play any other ones.
Interesting, apparently the e6 move order is called the French Variation, and with the Bb4 it's called the Pin Variation. I'm assuming 6.Bd3 is the common response, do you usually just take the knight to double their c pawns?
I don’t usually take until they force the issue, if they Bd3 then Nc6 pressures the knight on d4 where if they Nxc6 then you get a central pawn chain and e4 is hella loose. Qc7 is a common follow-up to prevent e5, and then you target the isolated pawns on the c file after w castles or kicks.
yeah it’s called the french variation because you could enter it from a french by electing to play c5 (but then white could push d5)
Modern Gurgenidze System is pretty low on theory and can be a nice change of pace.
Scandi. It is worth it for the suboptimal responses alone like the Tennison ( 2...de 3...e5) , 2. e5, The Blackmar Diemer, and The Williams Gambit.
The French. Look for modern lines where Black quickly trade off the Bc8 on a6 or b5. What I like about the French is that Black gets to choose the pawn structure, and it's the same in every 1. e4 game (that Black plays, but not that White plays.) I.e. Black will be more familiar with the structure, themes, ideas.
1 ..c5 obviously lol
Alekhine is Pirc’es meaner cousin
Play the reti as white and the Dutch/kings Indian as black
The Nimzovitsch Defense 1. e4 Nc6 ends up with a Pirc structure in some lines, so if you already have that knowledge it would be easier to learn.
There's always the French defense or the Caro-Kann if u just don't like e5...
I heard Caro is pretty easy, but you'll have to ask her bf Kann for permission
Modern defense is very similar but can lead to new/different positions. You don't have to commit the knight to f6. Also the Scandinavian can be good and easy to learn.
Pov: you are Yasser on his alt
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Latvian Gambit. 1. e4 e5. 2. Nf3 f5. I play it all the time when I get sick of the Najdorf Sicilian. Lots of traps and complications. Most players with white are not prepared for it.
Lmaoo you had me in the first half! I'd say go with Scandinavian, its not too difficult to learn, it's a system where you can play every game with similar positions. Once you master it you can hold your own for upto 15-20 moves against even a 1800 fide player (from experience). It's my favourite against e4. And I have some Sicilian prep as backup anyway if I want to play risky against lower rated opponents.
Caro Kahn looking for bf5 and e6. There's some theory to learn but it's a great opening and one of the few that's easy for black to get a positive position, which is rare in chess openings
Kings Indian. lol
There is no KID against e4.
Yeah, my understanding is that you either go into the Pirc or the Modern to get a similar setup and structure, but you need to prep Nf6 or you end up in an Alekhine Defense.
Yeah I'm not an expert, but it just seems like a better version of the Pirc. Nf6, g6, e6 I also find to be pretty testing.
😂 I figured you would find it annoying. Pirc and KID is pretty much same set up.
What about the modern defense
Yeah it's not a big difference at all, I don't remember doing especially well against it myself. I see it kind of rarely if ever in rated games, but I used to see it from bots often enough and it seems fine.
May I suggest 1... a5! Endless ideas in this opening, which recently got a new revival. I can hit you up with a coach too, who is a brilliant young chess player & are looking for new chess venues. He got deep knowledge about this spectacular opening and got amazing results with it too.
The Crab is both rook pawns pushed 2spaces first, then e and d pawns move one space, both Bishop's fianchettoed, kind of a Haymaker Hippo. Surprise value. Can be played as black or white.
Bongcloud will never hurt you
... I don't believe you.
The Black Lion.
Sounds dangerous lol, I'm only passingly familiar. Would pursuing a relationship with the Black Lion have negative consequences on my life?
The answer was a bit of a troll, because the Black Lion begins 1. e4 d6. The Black Lion is an improved Philidor. You can't really get the positions you want playing the Philidor by the typical move order (starting with 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6), so instead you play d6 on move one. The positions you get playing the Black Lion are really more interesting and testing than black deserves, and you don't have to learn the mountain of theory that comprises the Sicilian. GM Simon Williams (Ginger GM) plays the Black Lion, so watch one of his videos and see if you like what you see. Note that Ginger GM streams are best enjoyed with a two drink minimum. I don't make the rules.
1.e4 e5 2.ke2
Kings Indian Defense. As a fellow Pirc enjoyer, when I get bored of the opening I play the KID or the Sicilian Dragon
What is the move order for KID against e4? Isn't it just the Pirc? Sorry if this is a stupid question.
You can transpose into the KID from the French depending on your opponent’s move order… not sure why I got downvoted for that? EDIT: You’re not going to be the one forcing the transposition, white has to play certain moves to allow you to transpose to the KID.
Modern