How to force queenless or closed/strategic positions with White

Hello,

I'm currently thinking about constructing a small opening repertoire for White which should be based on unforcing lines with clear strategic ideas rather than too much memorization.

Since I only recently started to seriously improve my chess, I feel that my tactical vision is worse than most players' of my rating level (of course I'm working on improving it). I need more time to calculate correctly and often get confused and blunder when I get attacked.

On the other hand I feel like I have a better idea on how to put my pieces, how to pounce on weak squares etc. than the average player of my rating. I see it quite often, that these players would play good moves if they attacked but had no clue about what to do in closed or queenless positions.

Therefore I'm searching for opening lines in which White forces a queenless middlegame or a closed/manouvering position (meaning if Black declines to go for it, he will have to make major concessions).

The opening move doesn't matter. If you know a line like that, feel free to post it here. I am completely OK with getting an equal position with chances for both sides. It shouldn't be completely dry though - meaning there should at least be some slight imbalances to play for.

Thanks in advance!

There is none. There are variations ofcourse like the berlin wall but black can always play something else. 

You are exactly like I was a year ago ( if your blitz rating is significant with your actual level). I was a very positionnal player and used to like queenless closed games mostly because I was affraid of tactical ressources for my opponent that I wouldn't see. I started to play d4 and this still is my main opening move. d4 will often bring you closed positionnal games but as in any opening, there are extremely sharp defences for black. The d4 opening that is the most likely to bring you the game you want at your current level (that I know of and have experinece on) is the Catalan, it goes like this:  1.d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4.g3 c6 5. Qc2

This is the closed Catalan but there also is the open Catalan with black taking on c4 early in the opening but I could play it comfortably as a positionnal player. Look it up, and remember there isn't any miracle opening for any playing style.

Hope this helps ;)

Black can also play the grunfeld, kings indian or slav to avoid your catalan. And even in the catalan there are sharp tactical variations. 

Chess is a game between 2 players and both have their say in what position comes to the board. 

I agree, and I think your problem is not in the opening but in the style of play. You play like you do because of fear. That's not the right approach. Now, I'm not aggressive but almost, I mean I can outplay my opponent on tactical play now and then, that's because I've worked on initiative. Initiative is what you have when you dictate what your opponent's next move is, it's like gaining a tempo. There are lots of direct threats you can do in a game, you just have to look for them. If you find some, your opponent won't be in his comfort zone and you will initiate an attack without even doing it in purpose ! That's what happened to me and made me improve my game from a scared positionnal player (I was talented as a positionnal played though) to someone who can play any kind of game.

Just one thing to do: at every move just think of all direct attacking moves and you will find some ! I don't mean attacking your opponent's queen like beginners do hoping their opponent won't see it, but imagine how your pieces could quickly coordinate and focus fast on a sigle point. This very often take simply attacking you opponent's queen while placing you piece well, if you can gain another tempo behind you will be able to put pressure fast and your opponent won't have many tactics in his favour anyway !

Try it, you will lose games at the beginning but it's fun and will improve your game !

Thank you for your replies. You are right, of course - eventually both tactical as well as strategical skills are required. I'm also working on getting better at tactics and in games that I play for my own enjoyment I don't have a problem with getting sharp positions on the board, even though I have worse results than in more strategical battles.

But when you play for a team, you have to be results-oriented, too, and in such games I try to play to my strengths. Also, I'm of course aware that Black can answer in various ways, but in nearly every opening there are lines which are of more strategical nature and I started this thread to kind of collect lines and ideas to achieve a strategical game.

For example against the Grunfeld there are some endgame lines, or in the Kingsindian there is the Exchange Variation where the queens are traded early (which most Kings-Indian players don't like to happen). I'm looking for a collection specific lines vs various openings to steer into more positional waters.

I like your suggestion of the Catalan, because I like most of the arising positions (having experimented with Reti and English setups a bit), but I have difficulties evaluating the compensation in those lines where you have to gambit the c-Pawn...

Also thanks for your tip to always search for forcing moves/sequences. I tend to neglect that too often - a point I surely have to work on.

as an improving player you should be playing to improve your weaknesses, not to compound them.

You really cannot find an opening which is going to give you want you hope for. What if, for example, your opponent plays the Benko Gambit?

My opinion is you should work on your weak parts of your game rather than trying to get into positions where you are stronger.

If you want to improve you need to improve where you are especially weak.

Can't force it of course.

But if you play an opening where you don't put a pawn in the center for a while then when you do finally advance to the 4th rank they'll be tempted to push instead of capture to claim more space.  Usually at least one file opens though.

e.g. a colle-zukertort but delay the d4 push (can play d3 to make room for development).  Make them guess if c4 or d4 is coming.  Down side being you give equality or a small edge out of the opening and you should be comfortable with various pawn formations that black has the freedom to choose since you delay your presence in the center.

Get the 3-book series on Wojo's Weapons and study them to the letter.  The Catalan is amongst the openings used, but as mentioned prior, you can't force it all the time.  The lines given are all positional in nature, and you avoid the Benoni and Benko.

You can play a reversed Queen's Indian Defense with white pieces, that is to say, play Larsen's Attack, 1) b3.

The theory is relatively small, the opening is SAFE, and if you offer up and succeed in exchanging queen's anytime during the game, you will have exactly what you are seeking.

Sounds Simple to Me.  But what do I know?  

Or you can play 1) e4 or 1) d4, and buy 50 extra opening books to support your still to be developed opening repetoire.  Entirely Your Choice.

P.S.  I already own my 50 opening books.  They now (mostly) collect dust on my bookshelf, except for the 5 or 6 that I actually use.

It's all about opening TRANSPOSITIONS -- either avoid them, be prepared to drown in them, of maybe (just maybe) you can find a balance somewhere in between.

Maybe you can play quiet d4 lines. There are plenty. Some I used are

KID Bg5+ e3 (watch Akobian) or Nge2 Grunfeld Bg5 (watch Akobian) , or Qb3(watch Fischer) 

QGD exchange - it seems lazy but you are sidestepping like 6 setups (watch Karpov but I doubt it matters really) or you can use Qc2/Qb3 against EVERYTHING (watch Walter Brown and Timman) Slav e3 or exchange

 QGA just play Nf3, e3 and Bxc4.

Against Benoni a cool trick I hate is to play g3 and Bg2 and NEVER take on c5. If they take on d4 you can get a sicilian but it's not crazy unless you want it to be

Tarrash I say you go 6.g3. The auto attack on h2 is over and as far as I know Black is waiting for White to do something half the time. (watch Kasparov and Grischuk)

 QID Play 4.a3 and just watch Kasparov and Karpov games. It almost plays itself in the opening

Play 1.d4 2.Nf3 and avoid all e5 gambits and Nimzo. You should get out of the opening and have a good game.

Thx for all of the good advice! Indeed I will try 1.d4 and have a closer look at the following variations (in case there is someone like me out there who's interested). I'm intending to still play objectively good openings to be able to evolve as a player and not just play some system.

QGD: Exchange Variation with later Bg5 vs 3.Nf6 and Bf4 vs 3.Be7

QGA: Quiet setups with 3.Nf3 and e3

Slav: The one I'm still not sure about. At the moment I found nothing more suitable than the exchange with an early Bf4 (admittedly it can get quite dull)

Nimzo: Classical with 4.Qc2

KID: Smyslov/Petrosian line (thx TitanCG for the tip. There are many interesting games from Akobian in this one). I like this one a lot - it should frustrate the typical KID-player because he usually has no attack

Grunfeld: Setups which keep the center with e3

Benko Gambit: Lines that involve pushing to b6 instead of grabbing the a-pawn. Objectively nothing special for White but Black's a-pawn stays weak and White seems to have the clearer plans

Benoni: Since I think this is just good for White I will not shy away from it but experiment  with lines that involve early f4

Albin Counter Gambit: 4.a3 seems to limit counterplay

Dutch: 2.Nc3 lines look interesting

against 1...e6 I go for the French which I play with black, so I at least know something about it

Do you think, this kind of coward chess will help you improving your game?

Learn tactics, instead of avoiding them or quit playing chess maybe...

LOL some people just like slower games. It's not like you can play some opening and avoid tactics completely anyway.

Falcon go spam somewhere else! If you had read what you quoted, you would see that I am working on improving my tactics.

But nonetheless I'd be stupid if I wouldn't try to exploit my average opponents' tendency of being clueless whenever they cannot directly attack the king!

Furthermore I have no intention whatsoever of becoming a professional or something and I simply enjoy strategical games more than a tactical mess in which (at least on my admittedly poor level of play) usually the luckier player has the upper hand.

And of course I'm not quitting a nice hobby just because some random person on the forum doesn't enjoy my way of playing!

Ever tried checkers instead of chess? 

Falcon does have a point though -- playing closed quiet positions without being a half-decent tactician is recipe for disaster. You simply will not always be able to keep the game slow and positional, and even when you do manage to, part of playing a closed game well is knowing when to open it, and that often involves tactical skirmishes.

My advice is to play whatever you want with White, but don't get too caught up in studying opening theory yet. Spending at least half an hour on chesstempo per day, and analyzing your own games, will do a lot more for your chess at your current level. Maybe spend some time refining your endgame too, as games are often decided by endgame technique at club level.

1.c4

Symmetrical english is often closed.

1..e5 play a reverse sicilian, often black will try a grand prix or closed sicilian type setup.

1..Nf6 2.c4

2..d5 is no good, it gives you the centre.

2..g6 3.Nc3 now is blacks last chance to attempt a grunfeld

3..d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4! Nxc3 6.dxc3 is a line I very much like to play, often it follows 6..Qxd1 7.Kxd1. The king has a nice spot on c2 if it wants, or it can come back to the kingside. c3 pawn blunts blacks bishop on the a1-h8 diagonal and also stops any knight adventues towards your qside.

3..Bg7 4.e4! no more grunfeld ideas. 4..d6 5.d4 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.dxe5
Exchange KID, it often follows 7..dxe5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Bg5

Back to 1.c4

1..c6 2.Nc3 d5 (really the only consistent approach) 3.cxd5 cxd4 4.d4 and you have transposed to an exchange slav.

1..e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.d4 and now you can play your favourite exchange line.

Falcon your stupid trolling doesn't bother me at all. If you want to spend more of your lifetime doing so... be my guest!

@BigTy: Thx for your post. People are misunderstanding of what I'm after. I don't try to avoid tactics at all cost. I'm aware that they are an integral part of the game. What I try to avoid are lines, in which my opponents can blindly play for kingside attacks, which (with some exceptions) is pretty much the only strategy they have. For example I like open endgames very much and have fun studying them. And you're right of course, closed positions open up eventually, but if you know the essential pawnbreaks while your opponent is cluelessly moving pieces or (even better) goes for unsound sacrifices because "he finally wants to attack" then the game usually unfolds nicely.

@Assault: Thank you for your suggestion! Indeed I have already played around with transpositional openings like 1.c4 and 1.Nf3 and I will definitely have a look at your suggestions. One line I don't like so much though is the reverse grand prix where my opponents can play their schematic moves and start to attack ^^