Lines in your openings that make you go "ugh...."

I know we all have our favorite openings, but sometimes, there are lines that will make us go "ugh, not this one..."

For example, the advance caro was always my "ugh" line, and it made me almost drop it on multiple occasions.

As white, I always was scared to switch to 1. d4, because I was scared of the Kings Indian defense. However, I have found a variation against it that I like (the fianchetto variation)

Just thought it would be fun to see someother peoples "ugh" variations.

I play 1.e4, (know it is not a line) not a fan of the Scandi as I face it so infrequently that I forget what the theory is and then I blunder in good positions, so my record against it sucks.

4.Ngf3 in the Tarrasch Variation:

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 (the main line is 4.exd5).

just add the Be3 gambits or diemer-duhms or just regular blackmar diemer with 3.Nc3 4.f3 against french and caro transpositions

It's the Scotch for me. It's dull to face and the one gambit I want to play hardly ever occurs: The Oxford Gambit. I did get it once but I forgot my preparation and lost. Most the time now, I have the ugh feeling when my opponents play a line that has no gambits that I haven't won with. If you are all interested, checkout the HolyGambitGrail.com and check out Jonathon Schrantz to try to win with every gambit. The site is good for showing everyone while the spreadsheet that Schrantz has is good to keep track of the gambits in case the website doesn't recognize your games

They aren't different openings. Both of those gambits (which shouldn't even have names at all) are more or less guaranteed to transpose into a BDG.

1.d4 d5 2.e4 e6 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.f3 will be an Euwe defence, Weinsbach defence or some other line in that family.

1.d4 d5 2.e4 c6 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.f3 is an O'Kelly or Ziegler defence.

I pretty much hate EVERYTHING as black except 1.d4 and generally do OK against grobs I think

in the scandinavian, which I hate to begin with, I especially don't like to see 2.e5 leading to the sicilian advance, I REALLY hate 3.d4 no matter what i try against it, and even 3.Nc3 Nxd5 4.Nxd5 Qxd5 is annoying as I hate bringing my queen out without minor piece or better support. I quit the Qxd5 variation, and don't want to be forced into it here where nothing is better than to take

as white, I can't stand pirc, modern & owens. I used to despise the french, and some french players are still vexing to play against, but I've finally equalized with 3.Be3!?

i really hated seeing frenchies declining every other gambit I attempted, especially the monte carlo which I quit never getting the chance to play it

as a king's gambit player, I don't like to see 2..d5, the falkbeer counter gambit. I don't play the quade variation which is statistically strongest because I do poorly with queen's knight before king's knight variations.

i did terrible with the 3.Nc3 blackmar diemer gambit main line from the scandivan move order, but going straight to 3.f3, the gedult variation, just clicked and I do just fine with that

did terrible with the f3 pushing maroczy fantasy variation, but confusing it with the 3.Be3 alapin diemer french is the mieses gambit, and just doing what comes natural with that has worked out nicely.

had bad results against sicilians with grand prix, advance, exchange, and wing gambit, but clicked with smith morra

(As black) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 UGH.×€%@&[$♤♡◇♧¥₩$¡¿■□○~☆!!!!!!😭😭😭😭😭

Anything in the Reti Gambit except Accepted.

Try saying that 10 times fast.

As someone who used to play this EXACT system but in the closed sicilian (1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5) I feel your pain so much.

For the moment as White :

1 : on 1) e4 there are at least three unbearable ones :

a : 1) e4 e5 2) Nf3 d5 3) exd5 e4 if we study it surely it should be fine but knowing nothing about it it's not pleasant

b : 1) e4 e5 2) Nf3 Nc6 3) Bb5 f5 " ugh, not this one... "

c : 1) e4 e5 2) Nf3 Nf6 3) Nxe5 d6 4) Nf3 Nxe4 5) d4 d5 in short all to end up we're going to play a kind of French Defense Exchange, just it's over for me 1) e4

2 : on 1) d4 there are many strong openings for Black but except the Gambit Benko and the Semi-Slav Defense, "they're not particularly scary". Nevertheless there are three that can be embarrassing :

a : 1) d4 e5 2) dxe5 Nc6 3) Nf3 Qe7 I've already watched games of strong bots vs strong bots and too often White wins and makes me say it's a bad opening but it's a bad opening for strong bots not for me.

b : 1) d4 d5 2) c4 c5 "it’s always a shock to take c5 so directly"

c : 1) d4 d5 2) c4 e5 3) dxe5 d4 " ugh, not this one... "

I despise when anyone tries to play the Four Knights as White, especially when I play the Petrov, since my usual response of 3. f5 doesn't work. I don't know why people are so committed to being boring.

Same goes for when I play the Grob Gambit and they don't even take the pawn, instead playing 2. c6 or e6 instead.

How do you play 3. ... f5 in the petrov when the knight is on f6? Or am I misinterpreting your message?

Apologies, I was unclear. After e4 e5 nf3 nc6 nc3 I play f5. My point was that in the Petrov I'm pretty much forced into a Four Knights/Giouco Piano, which I don't enjoy.

Very cool line

Exchange French.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 1/2-1/2

Stop playing the French because of the Exchange... I love the classical, but 1 out 10 games someone will actually play something other than 3.exd5