In Keep It Simple 1 e4 repertoire book that came out in 2018 the author used the Exchange against the French. There were some complaints about his choice. In his Keep It Simple 1 e4 2.0 that just came out he switched to the Tarrasch.
Aggressive Openings against 1. e4?
Sort:
Speaking of the French, Winawer French is a great opening
Jan 8, 2023
0
#44
ThrillerFan wrote:
TheUltraTrap wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
LegionarySoldier wrote:
now that is an ignorant moose
Hmmm.....1300 calls out a 2100.
Let's see, based on your following post, you are calling out specifically that you claim the French is not aggressive. This will prove your utter ignorance!
This is all theory here. Now White has 24.Qd4 and 24.Qe4. There is no sitting back here, and Black's Queen is even on the second rank.
Get better at chess before making bu**sh** calls at us stronger players!
Some lines are agressive, like the one you are showing, but most are not
Again you are wrong.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 (aggressively going after d4 and not giving White time to castle) 6.a3 Nh6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nf5 etc.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nf6 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Nxd7 8.O-O Be7 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.Nb3 Nce4
Again, playing very aggressively, Black will go after the White King as White's development is super-slow and Black has the long term weakness on d5 if this goes to an endgame.
The McCutchen is an aggressive defense.
The Steinitz leads to a blood bath with kings often castled on opposite wings (Black short, White long).
You lowly 1500s and below get the misconception that the French is a positional defense because of all the lowly imbeciles that play the exchange variation because the are too scared to play anything else.
And even the exchange is not a positional game. There are some really nasty tactics. But it usually leads to an early trade down, and you don't get a positional game. You get an endgame! Typically minor piece!
So again, to all you imbeciles that think the French is not an aggressive defense, let me tell you, as someone that has played the French for 27 years, YOU ARE WRONG!
I guess we are not thinking of the word "agressive" the same way. If you mean that, then yes, french is a very aggressive opening. HOWEVER, it is very positional as well as many lines focus on undermining an overextended white center
TheTreadmill wrote:
I used the chess.com master games database, which shows a 48% draw rate after 3...exd5. It makes sense that U1500s would have fewer draws than masters, so it depends on how you filter. anyways I still firmly believe that the exchange french is much more drawish than other variations, and is even one of the most drawish openings in general, and the database backs me up on that.
The other day I was looking into the stats of the Alapin sicilian and chess.com explorer also showed significantly different %s compared to both my local DB and other online DBs. Just one resource may not be indicative, it also takes more granular study than top level %s to infer conclusions on practical play for a major line.
A symmetrical pawn structure also is not sufficient to make a game drawish.
Personally I'd be much more inclined to call drawish a theoretical opening with lots of forced lines such as the Dragon. There ( unless current theoretical status is flakey / not watching dragon theory), excluding theoretical novelties, which don't come easy, a strong player who's booked up will have workout their lines to great lengths, most of the end-positions in their repertoire will likely be drawish and they're likely to play these positions well.
GM Aronian said he plays the Marshall Attack in the Ruy Lopez when he wants a draw.
ChessPawn921 wrote:
What aggressive openings and gambits are there against e4? D4 too, but e4 is more common, and thus more important.
1. e4 aggressive openings in order from least complex to most complex:
Portuguese Modern Scandinavian is one of the best Scandinavian variations if you don't want to play a Mieses-Kotrc.
Latvian is great if they don't know the refutation and playable if they do know the refutation.
Petrov is a great uncommon DKPO with little theory and plentiful gambits.
Nimzowitsch is an improved Scandinavian if accepted and an alternate move order French/DKPO if declined.
1. d4 aggressive openings in order of least complex to most complex:
Englund Gambit is not good, but can net you some early wins at U1200.
Budapest Gambit is a good opening with very simple middlegame ideas.
Pterodactyl Modern is great and strikes at the center immediately.
Benoni (through the Nimzo move order) is pretty good and the ideas are rather simple.
Benko Gambit is good, but rather complex if it's declined or half-accepted and you have to learn a lot of theory to know all of it fully.
Tarrasch is great but incredibly complex, with new theory being developed even still.
ThrillerFan wrote:
There are 2 aggressive defenses to 1.e4, the Sicilian and the French, and there are 2 more positional defenses to 1.e4, namely 1...e5 and the Caro-Kann.
All other defenses to 1.e4 are inferior to those four!
Those four are definitely the best, but I would make an argument for the validity of the Pirc and Modern.
Ethan_Brollier wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
There are 2 aggressive defenses to 1.e4, the Sicilian and the French, and there are 2 more positional defenses to 1.e4, namely 1...e5 and the Caro-Kann.
All other defenses to 1.e4 are inferior to those four!
Those four are definitely the best, but I would make an argument for the validity of the Pirc and Modern.
The Modern is enticing to me because I like the idea of condensing my black repertoire down to one book. There is a new book on 1....g6 by Russell Enterprises coming out soon. In the contents page I could see the beginnings of lines. So I went to a database and took a further look at those lines, assuming what the lines might tend to become as moves progressed, and what I saw in some of it - complexity and results - has scared me away I think. Still wondering about it.
"This book, the first one dedicated to the Modern Gurgenidze in many years, consists of 10 theoretical Chapters and 31 sample games. Jaan carefully explains how Black’s plans may change depending on White’s move order, when exactly we should play ...c7-c6 followed by ...d7-d5 (Chapters 1-5) and when we would be better off with ...d7-d6 and ...e7-e5 (Chapters 6-10). You will be treated to Jaan’s insights on Hippo, Dutch, English, King’s Indian and even 1.b3, all through the eyes of Gurgenidze system." – Grandmaster Alex Shabalov in his Foreword.
Jan 8, 2023
0
#50
TheUltraTrap wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
TheUltraTrap wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
LegionarySoldier wrote:
now that is an ignorant moose
Hmmm.....1300 calls out a 2100.
Let's see, based on your following post, you are calling out specifically that you claim the French is not aggressive. This will prove your utter ignorance!
This is all theory here. Now White has 24.Qd4 and 24.Qe4. There is no sitting back here, and Black's Queen is even on the second rank.
Get better at chess before making bu**sh** calls at us stronger players!
Some lines are agressive, like the one you are showing, but most are not
Again you are wrong.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 (aggressively going after d4 and not giving White time to castle) 6.a3 Nh6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nf5 etc.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nf6 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Nxd7 8.O-O Be7 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.Nb3 Nce4
Again, playing very aggressively, Black will go after the White King as White's development is super-slow and Black has the long term weakness on d5 if this goes to an endgame.
The McCutchen is an aggressive defense.
The Steinitz leads to a blood bath with kings often castled on opposite wings (Black short, White long).
You lowly 1500s and below get the misconception that the French is a positional defense because of all the lowly imbeciles that play the exchange variation because the are too scared to play anything else.
And even the exchange is not a positional game. There are some really nasty tactics. But it usually leads to an early trade down, and you don't get a positional game. You get an endgame! Typically minor piece!
So again, to all you imbeciles that think the French is not an aggressive defense, let me tell you, as someone that has played the French for 27 years, YOU ARE WRONG!
I guess we are not thinking of the word "agressive" the same way. If you mean that, then yes, french is a very aggressive opening. HOWEVER, it is very positional as well as many lines focus on undermining an overextended white center
Aggressive and Tactical are NOT synonymous, nor are they mutually exclusive!
UnsidesteppableChess wrote:
Ethan_Brollier wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
There are 2 aggressive defenses to 1.e4, the Sicilian and the French, and there are 2 more positional defenses to 1.e4, namely 1...e5 and the Caro-Kann.
All other defenses to 1.e4 are inferior to those four!
Those four are definitely the best, but I would make an argument for the validity of the Pirc and Modern.
The Modern is enticing to me because I like the idea of condensing my black repertoire down to one book. There is a new book on 1....g6 by Russell Enterprises coming out soon. In the contents page I could see the beginnings of lines. So I went to a database and took a further look at those lines, assuming what the lines might tend to become as moves progressed, and what I saw in some of it - complexity and results - has scared me away I think. Still wondering about it.
"This book, the first one dedicated to the Modern Gurgenidze in many years, consists of 10 theoretical Chapters and 31 sample games. Jaan carefully explains how Black’s plans may change depending on White’s move order, when exactly we should play ...c7-c6 followed by ...d7-d5 (Chapters 1-5) and when we would be better off with ...d7-d6 and ...e7-e5 (Chapters 6-10). You will be treated to Jaan’s insights on Hippo, Dutch, English, King’s Indian and even 1.b3, all through the eyes of Gurgenidze system." – Grandmaster Alex Shabalov in his Foreword.
I had a similar philosophy for a few months last year when I was 1250-1450ish. I only played one move against everything: 1... Nf6 Indian/Alekhine/Symmetrical Reti; 1... g6 Modern against everything; 1... c5 Sicilian/Old Benoni/Symmetrical English, although I quickly stopped using this one as I dislike Sicilian as Black and Old Benoni is an antiquated move order. Eventually though I realized that what I really like is variety, and so I just play pretty much everything now (except QG as both, Sicilian as Black, Caro-Kann as Black, and Italian as White)
Jan 8, 2023
0
#53
The Sicilian gives you the ability to be very aggressive, particularly along the half open C-file and the queenside. Other than that a gambit would probably be your best bet, but I'm more hesitant to play gambits with the black pieces.
Jan 8, 2023
0
#54
ThrillerFan wrote:
TheUltraTrap wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
TheUltraTrap wrote:
ThrillerFan wrote:
LegionarySoldier wrote:
now that is an ignorant moose
Hmmm.....1300 calls out a 2100.
Let's see, based on your following post, you are calling out specifically that you claim the French is not aggressive. This will prove your utter ignorance!
This is all theory here. Now White has 24.Qd4 and 24.Qe4. There is no sitting back here, and Black's Queen is even on the second rank.
Get better at chess before making bu**sh** calls at us stronger players!
Some lines are agressive, like the one you are showing, but most are not
Again you are wrong.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 (aggressively going after d4 and not giving White time to castle) 6.a3 Nh6 7.b4 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nf5 etc.
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 exd5 5.Ngf3 Nf6 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Nxd7 8.O-O Be7 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.Nb3 Nce4
Again, playing very aggressively, Black will go after the White King as White's development is super-slow and Black has the long term weakness on d5 if this goes to an endgame.
The McCutchen is an aggressive defense.
The Steinitz leads to a blood bath with kings often castled on opposite wings (Black short, White long).
You lowly 1500s and below get the misconception that the French is a positional defense because of all the lowly imbeciles that play the exchange variation because the are too scared to play anything else.
And even the exchange is not a positional game. There are some really nasty tactics. But it usually leads to an early trade down, and you don't get a positional game. You get an endgame! Typically minor piece!
So again, to all you imbeciles that think the French is not an aggressive defense, let me tell you, as someone that has played the French for 27 years, YOU ARE WRONG!
I guess we are not thinking of the word "agressive" the same way. If you mean that, then yes, french is a very aggressive opening. HOWEVER, it is very positional as well as many lines focus on undermining an overextended white center
Aggressive and Tactical are NOT synonymous, nor are they mutually exclusive!
Yeah agree. I was thinking about tactical
Jan 8, 2023
0
#56
ChessPawn921 wrote:
I am asking for both.
Well then, both adjectives should be in your subject line!
And there are plenty of tactics in the French, but not as many as the Sicilian
Basically, if you put tactical on the left, positional on the right, aggressive on the top, and defensive on the bottom, and then trash in the middle, you've got:
Sicilian French
Anything Else
1...e5 Caro-Kann
"reverse King's gambits"! Rousseau, luccini, jaenish/schlieman, and I forgot he other, but NOT the latvian
Jan 9, 2023
0
#58
ThrillerFan wrote:
ChessPawn921 wrote:
I am asking for both.
Well then, both adjectives should be in your subject line!
And there are plenty of tactics in the French, but not as many as the Sicilian
Basically, if you put tactical on the left, positional on the right, aggressive on the top, and defensive on the bottom, and then trash in the middle, you've got:
Sicilian French
Anything Else
1...e5 Caro-Kann
Modern defenses are inferior but wouldn't call it trash as they have a lot of practical value. Similar for scandi, not a fan of both though, I tent to prioritize objectively good openings over practical value
Jan 9, 2023
0
#59
idk what youre all talking about but i still think queens gambit is best
I used the chess.com master games database, which shows a 48% draw rate after 3...exd5. It makes sense that U1500s would have fewer draws than masters, so it depends on how you filter. anyways I still firmly believe that the exchange french is much more drawish than other variations, and is even one of the most drawish openings in general, and the database backs me up on that.