Broadening My Opening Repertoire for White

Chess Friends (ty Valeri!),

I've become pretty well versed in the Italian / Giuoco Piano opening.  It's been my standard opening from white for about a year now.  I thought it would be good to expand my knowledge and work on another line as well.  

Does anyone have suggestions on another line for White that would be good for a 1200-1400 player to help expand my knowledge beyond this opening.

Many thanks and few blunders!,

Paragon/Chris

Peoria, IL

Before trying to expand on what to do after 1.e4 e5, maybe you better figure out what to do when Black doesn't play 1...e5.

What happens when Black plays the Sicilian (1...c5)?

What happens when Black plays the French (1...e6)?

What happens when Black play the Caro-Kann (1...c6)?

Do you have any idea what to do?  You can't just play 2.Nf3 and 3.Bc4.  If you do think that 2.Nf3 and 3.Bc4 is viable against the French, or Caro-Kann, or Sicilian, then you haven't truly learned the Italian because anybody that claims to know the Italian should understand why 3.Bc4 is a viable move here.

Try the Queen's gambit.

Seems logical to try your hand at the Evans Gambit (if you haven't already). I was surprised to find 3 pages of variations, but this is typical:

http://www.chess.com/opening/eco/C51_Italian_Game_Evans_Gambit_Morphy_Attack

I would not recommend widening your reprtoire until 2200 or so.

That would mean I won't ever get to widen it. :)

Ok, it won't hurt you, go ahead

By the way, just in case you want the answer to post 2, the reason why 3.Bc4 is viable against 1...e5 but not against other openings, like the Sicilian, is that Black has committed to pushing the e-pawn past the a2-g8 diagonal, weakening it.

Against something like 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6, 3.Bc4 is not good because Black can plug up the diagonal.  f7 is not weakened like it is after 1.e4 e5.

Geometry and Pattern Recognition is more critical than expanding opening repertoires.

So what should you do against each of those?

1...c5 - 2.Nf3 and 3.d4 (fighting for the center).  When Black captures, recapture with the Knight.

1...e6 - Well, first off, 2.Nf3 should not be played here.  It's not terrible, but it defeats the purpose.  The reason for Nf3 would be to promote a d4 push.  But with d4 uncontested, why are we playing Nf3 too quickly, committing to not pushing the f-pawn?  After 1...e6, 2.d4 d5 and now the question on the e-pawn.  It's under attack.  White can Protect it (3.Nc3 or 3.Nd2), Advance it (3.e5 - My preference), or Exchange it (3.exd5)

1...c6 - Again, no fight for d4, play the second central pawn.  2.d4 d5 and once again, the same question.  Protect it (3.Nc3), Advance it (3.e5) or Exchange it (3.exd5).  White does have a fourth option in 3.f3, which isn't very good against 1...e6, but is ok here.  It's to try and make it very hard for Black to develop the Bishop outside the pawn chain, which is the purpose of 1...c6 and a later ...c5, taking 2 moves to play c5 instead of 1 move, like in the French.  So if Black can't get the Bishop out, and he takes 2 moves to move to c5, then what did White lose if he takes 2 moves to go from f2 to f4?  And if Black trades on e4, White retains 2 central pawns!

So again, instead of expanding e4 e5, I would recommend studying the opening concepts of all the other responses by Black to 1.e4, since you will face them.  Don't go outside of 1.e4.  You have enough to learn with 1.e4 as White.

If you are comfortable with the Italian Game and Giuoco Piano.

Than the next line of progression which I believe you should try would be the Ruy Lopez.

Which often feature similar theme's and idea's.

*WARNING*

A word of caution to this tale!

If your positional and tactical knowledge are low you shall fail.

The Ruy Lopez is a complex line which has been used by I believe every single Grand Master.

I have yet to hear of a Grand Master who never used the Ruy Lopez.

The Ruy Lopez can require you to have at least intermediate to advanced positional and tactical understanding.

Your opponents you face may not be high ranked.

The simply fact is when you make a seek on chess.com you never know who you will get.

Which is to say you could end up facing a high ranked player

At which point if you do not have at least an intermediate grasp.

They will crush you very bad and very fast in this sort of line.

However, On the flip side if you face an opponent who is clueless and you know what your doing.

You can crush them very bad and fast in this sort of line lol.

Thanks X_Player_J_X.  If nothing else, it might be a great line to pursue in my blitz play as a pet line.  One challenge I find with Giuoco Piano / Italian is it doens't necessarily lend itself to brief games, and I don't do too well with time pressure.  Thanks for the suggestion.

At a low level, the King's Gambit is also a really fun line and generally can end up with some very sharp and complex positions very quickly.  There is fairly heavy theory with some of the lines, but it is pretty easy to play.  Remember to develop the knight to f3 right away, regardless if they accept or decline.  If they try Fischer's defense (3. d6), then play d4 preparing a g3 against g5.  If they do anything else, Bc4 gets a strong attack going.  Then you can bring out your other knight, other bishop and castle on either side, bringing your heavy pieces to the open f-file.

Obviously, this is a general statement and depending on what your opponent does, move orders shift around as does some strategy, but you can easily catch an unprepared black player pretty swiftly.  

Starting Out: Open Games by GM John Emms (2010) and Starting Out: Ruy Lopez by IM John Shaw (2003) introduce a lot of 1 e4 e5 possibilities.

https://web.archive.org/web/20140626232452/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen134.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627024240/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen53.pdf

Suggestions can be found in:

Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014)

http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html

A Startling Chess Opening Repertoire by Chris Baker

I have not wrote an article on the Ruy Lopez.

However, I have wrote an article of a line which can be played against the Ruy Lopez.

In that article I talked a little about both sides White and Black.

Thus, If you feel like reading lol or don't have a line to play against the Ruy Lopez you can check it out.

http://www.chess.com/blog/X_PLAYER_J_X/frank-marshall-the-legend-3

The line I wrote about is named after a Legendary US player by the name Frank Marshall.

I wrote article 3 articles talking about Frank Marshalls accomplishements/contributions in chess.

1 of which is a line played on the black side of the Ruy Lopez.

If you are interested into learning more about Frank Marshall.

You can check out the 2 below articles.

http://www.chess.com/blog/X_PLAYER_J_X/frank-marshall-the-legend

http://www.chess.com/blog/X_PLAYER_J_X/frank-marshall-the-legend-2

Nevertheless, Those articles can get you started so to speak.

I believe they have reasonable information in them which can help.

@ Post #11

Very nice game Wezzyfish

One thing I would like to add to your post is of another move order which sets a trap.

The diagram above is the main way of getting into the Fischer Defense.

However, I would like to comment on another way of getting into it.

Which can set a sneaky trap for the white player.

I have used the above move order before which has actually tricked some people into losing a rook or getting in a very awkward/bad position lol.

The best move for white in the above position is 3.Nf3 after which black takes the f4 pawn and the line tranposes right back into the Fischer Defense.

Now you might wonder what the trap is?

Well the trap happens at move 3.

The best move for white is 3.Nf3 at which the line tranposes.

However, Some people playing white see the move 2...d6 being played and decide to play 3.fxe5 thinking black will retake with the "d6 pawn"

However, black isn't retaking with the "d6 pawn".

It actually causes white to fall into a trap.

Yeah black is just doing great in that line.

Which is why 3.Nf3 is the recommended move.

Absolutely X_Player_J_X.  I am very familiar with that line and that the knight must come out first.  If you play the KG, 3. Nf3 is SUPER important!  Some people play Bc4 first, but this is wrong in my opinion as black can equalize easily and get an advantage without much work either.  

I actually really like playing against the Fischer defense, as people seem to forget about g3 as a possibility.  The Quaade variation.  

If of course they play g5 before d6, I try to catch them in a nice tactic with Nc3.  

@Wezzyfish

I would like to address 1 thing you mentioned in your second diagram which might be considered a mistake.

The below text is what you said at move 5 on Ne5.

The real reason Fischer played 3...d6 was to stop this knight from using e5.

^^^

To be completely honest, I know why you may get that impression.

However, The reason 3...d6 is played really has nothing to do with the knight.

The mistake you made is very understandable though.

I can't fault you for making such a mistake.

The reason why is because the move 3....d6 actually had a very subtle reason behind it. One which some people might not understand.

Basically the move 3...d6 was a "waiting move".

or actually to put it in Bobby Fischers own words.

"Its a high class waiting move". Bobby Fischer actually said that phrase.

Now the reason it is a high class waiting move is because during the time of Fischer.

Black use to play 2 different mainline responses

They use to play 3...h6 with idea of g5 after

or

They use to play 3...g5 with h6 to follow after

The problem with playing either of the top 2 moves is white gets a chance to see what black is playing and than he plays accordingly!

If black played 3...g5 white often answered with 4.h4 which was considered very good.

If black played 3...h6 white often answered with 4.d4 which was considered very good.

So what Bobby Fischer move 3...d6 does is "wait" to see what move white plays next.

Once white makes his move than black response with either h6 or g5 usually.

Which is why after 3...d6

If white plays 4.Bc4 black responses with 4...h6

If white plays 4.d4 black responses with 4...g5

So bascially the move 3...d6 was a waiting move to force white to show his hand.

Yeah that is the main reason behind the move 3...d6.

I love the Fischer Defense so I play it often.

I am not a big Kings Gambit player.

However, I have faced some before and I always used the Fischer line.

I have heard of 2 other lines which have been created which are said to be the newer/modern way of playing against the Kings Gambit.

I honestly don't know if they refute the Kings Gambit or not.

However, I think they are suppose to be good for black.

I guess you would have to ask a Kings Gambit expert for more details.

The one line is called King's Gambit/Accepted/Cunningham Defense

The other line is called King's Gambit/Accepted/Abbazia Defense

I don't know if they bust the Kings Gambit or not but I heard they are good options for black.

I don't play them though.

However, if you plan on playing the Kings Gambit regularly you probably should figure out what to do against them as well.

Yes, I've faced the Cunningham before and it is tricky.  I've had mixed results.  Basically I took John Shaw's advice on it and played Bc4 and after Bh4+, I go Kf1 and he is pretty safe there, at least for a while. 

I haven't had to play against the Abbazia yet because most people at my level take with the queen and then get chased away and white gets a good position.  I think the break with d5 is key for black in most king's gambit though.  At least it is what gives me the hardest time. 

As for your comments on 3.d6, I hate to disagree with you, but that is exactly what I'm going to do.  The most common line, and one that Fischer played with black one time and lost, was... 1. e4 e5  2. f4 exf4  3. Nf3 g5  4. h4 g4, kicking the knight to e5 and then later after d6, he gets kicked to d3. 

Now the reason behind Ficher's 3. d6 was to not let the knight move to e5.  So once black played 3. g5 and white responded with 4. h4, black goes g4 and the knight now has no squares to run except d4, where he blocks where the d pawn wants to go and gets away from the kingside.  So the knight then gets kicked back to g1, as if he never moved. 

That is why when I see Fischer's defense, I prepare for a Quaade variation, allowing my knight to go to h4. 

Fischer wasn't one to play a "waiting" move.  They all had a reason, and d6 opens up the LSB but also guards e5, which was the key point. Black can not play passive in the KG accepted, as they are already behind in development just by accepting the pawn. 

Fischer never believed in being purely positional or purely tactical.

Fischer faced players who were positional/defensive such as Tigran Petrosian

Fischer faced players who were tactical/aggressive such as Mikhail Tal

Fischer believed a good player should have a mix of both.

Fischer believed in playing the position.

Fischer also believed in playing good moves.

Thus, if he felt the position demanded a waiting move that is what he would play.

The quote I gave was not one I made up.

It was a quote which he literally said:

Fischer called 3...d6 "a high-class waiting move"

I believe he said that quote in his book on his refutation to the Kings Gambit which he said was busted and lost by force.

He did lose a game in the KG against Boris Spassky. It has been rumored that after the game he left literally crying and began trying to find an improvement.

After which he believed 3...d6 was the improvement.

Whites idea in this line is to have a lead in development which is why they give up a pawn.

To be honest, Black can play passive and defensive since he is up 1 extra pawn completely winning.

In the Fischer Defense black is in fact trying to hold on to the 1 extra pawn advantage they have.

Which in turn forces white to prove compensation for the lost pawn.

A nice reference to look at would be wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King's_Gambit,_Fischer_Defense

"Fischer asserted that 3...g5 "is inexact because it gives White drawing chances" after 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Nf6 6.d4 d6 7.Nd3 Nxe4 8.Bxf4 Bg7 9.c3! (improving on Spassky's 9.Nc3) Qe7 10.Qe2 Bf5 11.Nd2, which, according to Fischer, "leads to an ending where Black's extra pawn is neutralized by White's stranglehold on the dark squares, especially [f4]"^.

After 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d6 the most common response is 4.d4. If White now tries to force transpositions to Becker Defense (3...h6) or Classical Defense (3...g5) positions, then White can end up in difficulties. Fischer analyzed 4.d4 g5 5.h4 g4 6.Ng5 f6 7.Nh3 gxh3 8.Qh5+ Kd7 9.Bxf4 Qe8! 10.Qf3 Kd8 "and with King and Queen reversed, Black wins easily'.

Another popular move is 4.Bc4. Fischer recommended 4...h6 in response, which he dubbed the "Berlin Defence Deferred'. Black's third and fourth moves stop the white knight on f3 from moving to the two dangerous squares e5 and g5.

A quite recent idea is 4.d4 g5 5.Nc3. White intends to leave the bishop on f1 for a while, play an improved version of the Hanstein Gambit (3...g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 and later g2–g3), and, after forcing Black's f-pawn to move, develop the queenside with Be3, Qd2, and 0-0-0"

So we are both right :)  

As for the last statement, about 4. d4 g5  5. Nc3.....

That is interesting.  I don't like it personally as g4 kicks the knight either back to g1 or to d2, and either one is weak.  I'd go 5. g3 right away, giving the knight the h4 square.  

I greatly appreciate the detailed and well-concieved posts for you guys.  It will take me a long while to work my way through your suggestions!

Para/CMD