Looking for a white system

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Goob63

I'm looking for a white system or two that I can use against a variety of black responces. I think I've really messed up here in my learning by checking out wayyyy too many openings. So I'm going to do my best to stick with a few. As black I have the caro/French against e4. D4 I'll have a Slav waiting, and a kings Indian in case I see something weird on whites end. So with that I'm also trying to simplify as white and find a system that works for me such as a colle or KIA or something. I have a kings gambit I'll keep just for shits and giggles. But I'm just looking for opinions or help choosing a system as white, to hopefully use against many black ideas. So I can stop being stupid and looking at damn near every opening.

ThrillerFan

I myself play the Sokolsky (1.b4) as White.  If I can beat and draw masters with it, it can't be that bad!  A lot less theory than 1.d4 or 1.e4.

blueemu

I play KIA / Barcza opening. It helps if you also play KID as Black.

ThrillerFan
blueemu wrote:

I play KIA / Barcza opening. It helps if you also play KID as Black.

Not true!  The KIA and the KID are nothing alike except the first couple of moves.

For example, in the KIA, h4 is played far more often than f4.  In the KID, Black plays for f5, not h5.

The KIA and KID are nothing alike except the first 5 to 7 moves.  It's the biggest old wive's tale in all of chess opening theory.

Goob63

Barcza?

blueemu
Goob63 wrote:

Barcza?

Nf3 followed by g3 (instead of the usual c4).

blueemu
ThrillerFan wrote:
blueemu wrote:

I play KIA / Barcza opening. It helps if you also play KID as Black.

Not true!  The KIA and the KID are nothing alike except the first couple of moves.

For example, in the KIA, h4 is played far more often than f4.  In the KID, Black plays for f5, not h5.

The KIA and KID are nothing alike except the first 5 to 7 moves.  It's the biggest old wive's tale in all of chess opening theory.

I've played the KIA hundreds of times and many of the familiar KID motifs occur in KIA games. The h4 move is common vs Black's e6 set-up. Against an e5 set-up, f4 is much more common.

I'm willing to grant that you know quite a bit about fianchetto openings. Do me the same courtesy, please.

IronSteintz

Consider the London System. The London System is more universal than the Colle and easier to play than the King's Indian Attack. The book Play The London System written by Cyrus Lakdawala gives you a set repertoire (the author specifically recommends which lines to use in the opening) and also tells when to play 1 d4 2 Bf4 and when to play 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 Bf4. 

Goob63
capablanca2014 wrote:

Consider the London System. The London System is more universal than the Colle and easier to play than the King's Indian Attack. The book Play The London System written by Cyrus Lakdawala gives you a set repertoire (the author specifically recommends which lines to use in the opening) and also tells when to play 1 d4 2 Bf4 and when to play 1 d4 2 Nf3 3 Bf4. 

Ill check out the london system again, I tried it out about a year ago so Im slightly familiar with it. I just have trouble reading chess books, hard to read for me. Plus I dont want to waste money on just a small hobby lol

coon74

But bear in mind that the London system performs terribly against 1... g6 Tongue Out (Black will prepare a very powerful e5 thrust by d6 and Nd7), so if you run into it, play the standard 2. c4 for KID / Grunfeld / Benoni instead.

I'd still go for 1. Nf3 2. g3 as advised above, if you don't wish to invest time into learning a lot of variations arising after 1. Nf3 2. c4.

Goob63

what's wrong with the Colle system? Just a Slav in reverse isnt it?

JGambit

I love the kings indian defense and cant stand playing the kings indian attack. In my opinion they could be similar but because you have seen one extra move it changes the way you play. 

most people that play the kings Indian Attack at low levels are garbage players that are trying to be safe with their king.

blueemu
Goob63 wrote:

what's wrong with the Colle system? Just a Slav in reverse isnt it?

I don't play it... it seems (to me, at least) to have a rather inflexible structure and goal.

I like "chameleon" systems, in which you can adapt your structure and goal depending on the counter-system that the opponent uses.

For example, if you start with a typical KIA / Barcza deployment (Nf3, g3, Bg2, O-O, d3, Nbd2), you can continue with a variety of completely different plans, depending on what Black does:

1) e4, e5, Re1, Nf1, h4, Bf4 with a K-side attack

2) e4, Nh4, f4 with a K-side attack

3) e4, c3, d4 with central expansion

4) e4, c3, a4 with Q-side expansion

5) c4 and b4 with Q-side expansion

6) c4, b3, Bb2 (perhaps even followed by Rc1, cxd5, Rc2, Qa1 and Rfc1) with a more classical Reti maneuver.

... and plenty of other set-ups as well. The London System doesn't offer this sort of flexibility and adaptability.

mnhsr

forget systems; focus on best move.

coon74
Harbring3r wrote:

There is probably nothing wrong with Colle, but if you want play it, then i would recommend colle zuckertort(variation with b3), its more active. 

Surely. Otherwise the dark-square bishop is inactive.

The general problem with White mirroring passive Black setups is that the advantage of the first move now works against White - it gives Black a better visibility of White's plan, and he can react to it more vigorously than White would to Black's.

That's why a White repertoire should be designed to seize the initiative in the opening imo.

cornbeefhashvili

My old d4 repertoire used to consist of:

London System vs King's Indian/fianchetto setups

Torre Attack vs e6 setups

Worked for me.

shell_knight

Sharp lines require you to know opening theory.  Systems (and good play in general) require you to understand middlegame concepts.  If you want to adopt a flexible system, then you should understand the multiple different structures that can arise (because your opponent is free to choose any structure).  And although it may seem rather random in the beginning, there are only, maybe a dozen, archetypal structures in all of chess.  (And against your system, only a handful of possibilities).

So instead of an opening book, I'd recommend a book like Soltis' Pawn Structure Chess.  Then supplement it with ideas from different openings with similar structures.

kingsrook11
Goob63 wrote:

As black I have the caro/French against e4.

Sorry, I know its off topic. But, you would be better off choosing one of them.

Omega_Doom

To my mind on your level you don't need to worry about systems much.

shell_knight
repac3161 wrote:
Goob63 wrote:

As black I have the caro/French against e4.

Sorry, I know its off topic. But, you would be better off choosing one of them.

Even worse is slav + KID Laughing

That's impressive even for a professional player.

But remember "I play the KID" can also mean "I play the first few moves and wing it from there."

I'd been playing chess a few months and I "played the sicilian" which meant I played 1...c5 against e4 and then guessed from there.