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Anonymous_U
As white play Queen's Gambit or English Opening. As Black against White's 1.e4 play the French. It's really good for players like you. Type in superchessguru on youtube. He has excellent French Defense videos there. Against d4, LOTS of openings work. Look at a few and pick out the ones you like.
shepi13
The problem is, you can't just simply say you are playing a Catalan. That only accounts for QGD with 2...e6 and Nimzo-Indian players.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 is one way to reach the Catalan
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 with 5.Nf3 is another way to reach the Catalan
However:
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3, while playable, is a Fianchetto King's Indian or Fianchetto Grunfeld (Black's Choice which), and the theory is SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT than the Catalan.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 steers the game into Benoni lines, where 3.g3 is just bad. 3.d5 or 3.Nf3 (The Anti-Benoni, which is technically now a line of the English) are White's only real options unless he wants a bad game.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 and now 3.g3 is just stupid. You'd need to find a line you prefer to counter the Slav
Also, keep in mind that against QGD players, you may not get a Catalan, but rather a direct transposition to the Tarrasch Defense: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5.
So if you intend to take up the Catalan, be prepared for a lot more studying than just the Catalan. Grandmaster Repertoire 1 and Grandmaster Repertoire 2, roughly 1050 to 1100 pages between them, would give you a complete d4-repertoire with the Catalan as the line of choice against the QGD or Nimzo-Indian.
You can play catalan-type systems against tarrasch or semi-slav type lines with careful move orders, and g3 systems are also playable against the benoni. However, with small move order mistakes such as in your lines from someone who only knows normal catalan move orders the game can quickly go downhill.
ApexKiller
i learned the dragon variation of the sicilian which is very nice!
Hey ApexKiller, I think you should give combatitive, aggressive play a try. It's really fun! As White play e4. If they respond with c5, then play the open Sicilian. If they then play the Najdorf, play the old main line. Learn variations in the old main line. The old main line is the most aggressive variation of the Najdorf. And it's very exciting. If they play the Dragon, then play the Levenfish Variation. Most aggressive in the Dragon. I'll post some links at the end of the comment.
If you're answered with e5, then play the Scotch Gambit. Play the most aggressive lines.
If you're answered with d5, then play the Blackmar Diemer Ryder Gambit. I don't care if it's considered unsound and "refutable". It should not at all matter if you're under 2000, and even at master level, this opening has a very high win percentage for white. The reason I play this is because I'm not in a million years about to go down some boring wimpy Scandinavion Center Counter line. That's not what I'm going to do. I'm going to make it extremely aggressive with the Ryder Gambit. It's very good for your tactics, your attacking skills. And it's very fun to play. Play it in otb! People will be intimidated by you! Especially if you're under 2000. Worry about refutation when you become a master. For now, have fun with it while you can.
As Black play the Sicilian Najdorf against e4. If you liked the Dragon, you will love the Najdorf. It's more exciting so much awesome theory on it. You can make it very aggressive. If they try to play the old main line (which is what you want), play the poisoned pawn variation. If they for some reason don't play the open Sicilian, you're going to need to be booked up on the anti-sicilians. Don't spend too much of your study time on this but gradually take one variation and spend about a half hour a day or 20 minutes and try to learn how to play against any of the anti-sicilians.
Agaionst d4, play the Benko Gambit. This is actually sound (But you shouldn't care about soundness anyways. Nobody is going to convince me that soundess of gambits should matter under 2000, I don't care who it is!) If they play the English Opening, play the moves you would in the Benko Gambit, and there's a chance you can transpose into this from the English! Example: 1.c4 Nf6 2.d4 c5 3.d5 b5.
For 1.f4 (Bird's Opening). Play the From's Gambit. Unfortunately I don't have a video on that by the same YouTube user so on this one you're going to have to be on your own.
All these openings I'm recommending you are very awesome, aggressive, dynamic, fun openings to play. This is how you should play chess at your level and all the way up to at least 1600. I'm around 1400-1500 area strength wise and I'm playing these openings too.
Now remember: This should not be your main study time. Remember to work on middle/endgames, tactics, etc.
These videos I am recommending are by a very aggressive chess player like me:
Sicilian Najdorf (Pay attention for both sides): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfLYXrMoxT0
Blackmar Diemer Gambit:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BakZpcj_Yek
Scotch Gambit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgjnuHeTVsM
For Black:
Sicilian Najdorf (Listed above)
Sicilian Defense (You must have a basic understanding of the Sicilian before getting into hard core theory): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzydxPgPKzs
Benko Gambit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qGlSDA4w6M
Im looking at another aggresive opening called the halloween Gambit whuch kind of fun to play and ideas?
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