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Mixing up my opening repertoire

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MaartenSmit

Hey everybody! 

After my somewhat disappointing result at the Dutch Junior Championships (3.5/9, TPR 1684) I've decided to mix up my opening repertoire a bit.

Once again, I've played a few terrible games, just like in the Czech Open, and because of my impotence to blame myself for calculating badly, I blame my openings.

 

I'm starting to get a little sick of Sicilians. For the past 2 years it has been pretty much the only opening I've played with both sides (with a little exception when I tried out the French a few times). I used to get away with it, but now, facing 1800-1900 or even higher rated players, every one of them has some sort of sideline (either with black or with white), which I just don't know well enough. 

In the last 2 tournaments (18 games) I've fallen victim to at least 3 opening traps in Sicilian sidelines I simply wasn't prepared for.

 

I also still have trouble facing the English. Apart from an 1100 player at my club, who I beat, I have never even drawn a serious game with black against an English. I have tried reversed Sicilians, Anglo-Dutch defence, the Grünfeld... Nothing seems to work for me.

 

The obvious answer is to stick with one opening and to use it more often in my games, and that's exactly what I plan on doing.

 

I want to start experimenting with new openings, both with white and with black. My repertoire right now is:

 

White: 1.e4

Sicilian: Open

Caro-Kann: Advance variation with 4. g4

Scandinavian: 3. Nc3 and 4. d4

Pirc: Austrian attack

French: Milner-Barry gambit

1...e5: Scotch

Alekhine: 4-pawn attack

Nimzowitch: I honestly have no idea. 2.d4 or something.

 

Black:

1.e4: Sicilian Dragadorf

1.d4: Grünfeld (kingside fianchetto against everything, delay decision of ...d6 or ...d5)

1.c4: ???

1.Nf3: Something KIDish

 

Obviously I have more knowledge up my sleeve than that, I know some lines against the different sidelines.

Anyway, even though I enjoyed playing Sicilians so much, as I said, I'm getting a little sick of it. In 18 games I think I played 11 or 12 Sicilians.

I want to mix it up a little and get an entirely new opening repertoire. 

 

...so why did I make this thread? Well, I was hoping one or some of you could help me in practising my new repertoire by playing some thematic unrated games with me. I'd appreciate it a lot.

MaartenSmit

Okay guys, I'm finally back from being busy and I have one more week of vacation before university starts. I'll send you both some challenges, and we'll see what opening I'd like to play.

Thanks a lot guys!