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How to develop a more dynamic/aggressive style?

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TheGrind

So I know there are a lot of people who (supposedly) like playing attacking chess.

But my question is if you aren't predisposed to this style of play how can you develop it? In my games I am often afraid to give up material like a pawn. In Silman's book I am able to find the answer if its some pawn sac but I always wonder if I will be able to follow up correctly in a real game.

What also bothers me is that you don't know during a real game whether some pawn or piece sacrifice is totally sound or whether you will actually be able to follow up on it correctly. I just saw some amateur game the other day where somebody played Bxe6 in the Sicilian Najdorf and it was totally correct but they ended up actually losing the game due to incorrect follow up.

So because I am worried about following up a sac incorrectly then I would hesitate playing it in a long game. If its followed up incorrectly then I have just given my opponent a win from being up material.

At the same time, I really do want to develop a more dynamic style of play as it seems to be a style of play where the opponent is more prone to tactical errors and I feel like at the club level its much easier to win that way.

Some people recommend gambits but I don't want to just lose tons of games where I am down 1 pawn for nothing cause my attack or whatever isn't followed up properly....

cyclopps

OP wants aggressivive play without sacrificing a pawn in the opening.

Try castling on opposite wings. o-o vs o-o-o

Here ya go..

Who Dares Wins: Attacking The King On Opposite Sides

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1857446291

GalaxKing

I used to be totally a defensive player for years and years. One day a player said to me, you can't get very far in Chess being totally defensive which for a while I secretly disagreed with. I, too was afraid to play pawn breaks and other tactical moves. Then, over time I realized that he was correct. So I began playing through games of aggressive, tactical players, specifically Kasparov. I learned more than I thought I would, because as it turns out, in order to attack, you need to, at the same time, learn how to hold your position together by a thread. The turning point game for me was Kasparov vs deep blue, where Kasparov sacrificed a rook for a bishop in order to create a pawn storm that couldn't be stopped from promoting.

GalaxKing

But sacrificing the exchange is only one method of aggressive play. You need to be able firstly to play a well timed pawn break, open the position and follow up with some solid moves. I went into this much detail because I used to think exactly the way you do. Another thing. Try playing a few hundred 5 minute games against a slightly stronger computer or online without caring where or what you move. This will help you get past being afraid of making your moves. You have to get beyond being afraid of what will happen. Hope this helps.

baddogno

You have to figure out what's more important, getting better or your rating.  They are not necessarily the same thing.  To get a more dynamic/aggressive style, you have to do a lot of attacking and it may be quite awhile before you figure out what works.  Yep, another gem from Coach Heisman.  Surely you didn't think an idea as profound as that would be mine? Laughing

Dimon2015

Work on developing your confidence. There are special calculation exersizes for that.

TheGrind

By the way--I am not referring to a direct tactical problem where you calculate giving up material and its a clear win. I'm talking about stuff that isn't easy to directly evaluate.

And I don't have a problem with playing standard break moves either. Its giving up material that is the issue.I mean stuff like playing d4-d5 in IQP positions--in fact I actually avoid IQP positions if I am the one with the IQP since I'm not that confident with dynamics.

I'm really interested in the dynamic style though if only I could get better at it. Interesting that Heisman said that by the way--it would be nice if those chesscafe articles were free still.

About the whole rating thing--well OTB I am 1600 and I wouldn't mind trying the attacking style online where it doesn't matter as much....

The funny thing is that I am actually more comfortable with exchange sac than a pawn sac haha. Maybe because at least the # of pieces on the board stays the same haha

bobbymac310

Start playing over and analyzing games by Frank Marshall.

GalaxKing

If you set up your pieces correctly in an isolated qp position, then, when you advance d4-d5, you will actually have the advantage instead of sacking a pawn. There's an excellent book `Chess Structures` by Mauricio Flores Rios, which goes into great detail on isolated set ups and most other pawn structures with illustrated, annotated games. He greatly details typical plans for both black and white sides of all positions. You won't be disappointed. On Android, it's available as a fully functional e book through the Forward Chess app.