By doing my own research, I found that the Schliemann Defense might be interesting. It's aggressive without too much theory (happens on move three).
I found two books on it:
The Schliemann Defence: Move by Move by Junior Tay
Gambiteer II: A Hard-hitting Chess Opening Repertoire for Black by Nigel Davies
The second one mainly covers the Schliemann Defense and the Albin Counter-Gambit, which I already play, so that's great. However, it is probably too advanced for me.
Is it a good idea?
Yeah! Great option... You can also read chess all in one book also!
Do you mean Gambiteer II?
If so, yes, I don't have the courage to read two books on this subject.
I am afraid that it is beyond my current reach, though.
The Morphy Defense (3...a6) seems to be the standard stuff, but there is a lot to learn if you are going to play it particularly effectively, and there's also the Exchange Variation, which is really a bother. Still, I had a book ages ago (1986) called "Spanish Without...a6." It's all the move 3 ideas which are less used but still playable. I used to play the Bird Variation 3...Nd4, but I wouldn't recommend that one. The classical line Bc5 isn't bad, nor are the Schliemann/Jaenisch lines (f5) or the now popular Berlin Defense (Nf6).
On the whole, I would advise against the sidelines and to battle it out in the Morphy, maybe using the Open Variation (3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4) though even here 5...d3 will need addressing. Learning more about chess is a long-term pursuit that involves playing what are considered main lines. They're main lines for a reason: they're good. The short-term goal of getting up to speed and competitive among serious players is understandable, but in the longer run less helpful.
The Morphy Defense (3...a6) seems to be the standard stuff, but there is a lot to learn if you are going to play it particularly effectively, and there's also the Exchange Variation, which is really a bother. Still, I had a book ages ago (1986) called "Spanish Without...a6." It's all the move 3 ideas which are less used but still playable. I used to play the Bird Variation 3...Nd4, but I wouldn't recommend that one. The classical line Bc5 isn't bad, nor are the Schliemann/Jaenisch lines (f5) or the now popular Berlin Defense (Nf6).
On the whole, I would advise against the sidelines and to battle it out in the Morphy, maybe using the Open Variation (3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4) though even here 5...d3 will need addressing. Learning more about chess is a long-term pursuit that involves playing what are considered main lines. They're main lines for a reason: they're good. The short-term goal of getting up to speed and competitive among serious players is understandable, but in the longer run less helpful.
I don't want to rush; in fact, I prefer to stay low for a while and experiment.
I just thought that it would be wiser to concentrate on one thing at a time. But I might be wrong. Do you think I should just buy the book Starting Out: The Ruy Lopez, aiming for a complete understanding of open games, and accept being crushed in the process?
The "starting out" series are always good books to get acquainted with various openings, even if they aren't made for complete "Beginners". You may want to elaborate exactly what you mean by "Beginner" in this regard, as trying to learn a new opening repertoire does NOT make you a "beginner.". The move by move books can be very iffy, depending on who is writing them. John Nunn's ' move by move' books are very tedious to read, often getitng bogged down in complete mazes of variations (making them impossible to use if you are on a physical chess board, unless you have EXTREMELY good visualization skills of moving pieces in your head).
That being said, if you're trying to hold a draw against difficult opposition, the Berlin Defense to the Ruy Lopez is still unmatched, but you can also play the main line open or closed variations also, if you're trying to complicate things for a win. I think the Berlin Defense is why so many high ranked Grandmasters switched back to the Italian game--more pieces on the board-more chances to keep pressure on the opponent.
"Do you think I should just buy the book Starting Out: The Ruy Lopez, aiming for a complete understanding of open games, and accept being crushed in the process?
Well, getting crushed is mainly due to easily avoidable mistakes like dropping pieces or walking into forks or skewers. Everybody loses games and that's part of the learning process. As you learn to play better, you'll have fewer losses and more confidence. But if you answer e4 with e5 (which I suggest you do), you'll see things like the Danish Gambit, King's Gambit, Scotch Game, Italian Game, Ponziani, Vienna...and so on, aside from the Ruy. Have fun!
"Do you think I should just buy the book Starting Out: The Ruy Lopez, aiming for a complete understanding of open games, and accept being crushed in the process?
Well, getting crushed is mainly due to easily avoidable mistakes like dropping pieces or walking into forks or skewers. Everybody loses games and that's part of the learning process. As you learn to play better, you'll have fewer losses and more confidence. But if you answer e4 with e5 (which I suggest you do), you'll see things like the Danish Gambit, King's Gambit, Scotch Game, Italian Game, Ponziani, Vienna...and so on, aside from the Ruy. Have fun!
Yeah, you're probably right, also considering what @Falkentyne said.
It's just that, coming from Moret’s repertoire where pretty much everything was covered, I thought I had to do the same. I’ve been too hasty.
So the idea is to get a general understanding and then discovering through practice. Got it, thanks, I wouldn't have figured it out by myself.
Hi all, I am currently switching my opening repertoire to open games. I come from Vincent Moret's opening books, which are great, but I've had enough of the Scandinavian Defense. I already know the Italian (I play it) and the first five moves of the Scotch thanks to BlitzStream.
So I thought, "Well, I just have to learn the Spanish and that's it," but after looking into it, I realized it's just too much theory for my level.
As a result, I need a practical defense against it. Do you know a beginner-friendly book that covers this?
I have ordered First Steps: 1. e4 e5 and Starting Out: Open Games. I'm not sure if I need Starting Out: The Scotch Game—I'll decide after assimilating the first two.
If you have other book recommendations or advice, it would be greatly appreciated!