Opening against D4 ❓ Please help me!

Sort:
Avatar of crazedrat1000

Once you realize how transpositional chess really is, the idea of playing just one set of lines starts to break down. For example - let's say I play the 2 knights sicilian (which I do). Well, there are many odd pseudo-sicilian lines in it. Ways you can avoid a regular sicilian that are quite good. But one sicilian you can't really avoid is the Sveshnikov. Now, the two knights occurs in about 8% of games. So it's not seen frequently enough for you to get good at it by just playing the 2 knights every so often. If you play 1. e4, you see a sicilian much more often, in about a third of games. But really, to learn how to deal with the Sveshnikov well, you need to have played the Sveshnikov as black. That'll make you understand the ideas, not just a specific concrete line. So to play the Van Geet 2 knights sicilian well, you need to have played other lines. 
Here's another example... you can transpose a Blackmar Diemer into a Blackburn french. I could spend prolonged time learning the Blackmar Diemer refutation... only to forget it because it's seen so infrequently. Or I could play the Blackburn as an off weapon. Combined with the exchange, the only other line I need is the advanced french. Well, advanced french is a pawn structure that occurs in all kinds of places. I've seen people transpose the caro-kann into a bad advanced french, and then win the game after 60 moves. It can also happen in the Alapin. Now when someone plays the gambit against me, or some weird caro-kann, I'm prepared. 
I can think of many other examples but my point is the idea of sticking to just one repertoire I think is not quite the right way to approach things. It's better to have one main repertoire, but then a variety of other loosely related lines you play occasionally. Another example, the nimzo larsen leads to the same nimzo pawn structures as the e6 b6 dutch I've been playing. So by learning the nimzo larsen as an off weapon I can get very focused practice in that pawn structure. I don't have to know every sideline to play it, 80% of games will just wind up one of 4 positions.
I think this approach just leads to you growing more as a player over time. It's probably why, when you watch high rated players play, they have so many different lines they'll play from one game to the next.

Avatar of The-Cream

Go for Nf6 and the rest will naturally happen.

Avatar of ThrillerFan
crazedrat1000 wrote:

Once you realize how transpositional chess really is, the idea of playing just one set of lines starts to break down. For example - let's say I play the 2 knights sicilian (which I do). Well, there are many odd pseudo-sicilian lines in it. Ways you can avoid a regular sicilian that are quite good. But one sicilian you can't really avoid is the Sveshnikov. Now, the two knights occurs in about 8% of games. So it's not seen frequently enough for you to get good at it by just playing the 2 knights every so often. If you play 1. e4, you see a sicilian much more often, in about a third of games. But really, to learn how to deal with the Sveshnikov well, you need to have played the Sveshnikov as black. That'll make you understand the ideas, not just a specific concrete line. So to play the Van Geet 2 knights sicilian well, you need to have played other lines. 
Here's another example... you can transpose a Blackmar Diemer into a Blackburn french. I could spend prolonged time learning the Blackmar Diemer refutation... only to forget it because it's seen so infrequently. Or I could play the Blackburn as an off weapon. Combined with the exchange, the only other line I need is the advanced french. Well, advanced french is a pawn structure that occurs in all kinds of places. I've seen people transpose the caro-kann into a bad advanced french, and then win the game after 60 moves. It can also happen in the Alapin. Now when someone plays the gambit against me, or some weird caro-kann, I'm prepared. 
I can think of many other examples but my point is the idea of sticking to just one repertoire I think is not quite the right way to approach things. It's better to have one main repertoire, but then a variety of other loosely related lines you play occasionally. Another example, the nimzo larsen leads to the same nimzo pawn structures as the e6 b6 dutch I've been playing. So by learning the nimzo larsen as an off weapon I can get very focused practice in that pawn structure. I don't have to know every sideline to play it, 80% of games will be just wind up one of 4 positions.
I think this approach just leads to you growing more as a player over time. It's probably why, when you watch high rated players play, they have so many different lines they'll play from one game to the next.

To add on to this, other examples where if you play X, you need to know Y as well:

Petroff -- Exchange French

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d3 (5.Nc3 and 5.d4 are more common, but doesn't mean you never face 5.d3) Nf6 6.d4 d5.

Veresov -- French/Caro-Kann/Pirc

1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 e6, 1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 c6, 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d6, etc. The whole point of 2.Nc3 is to play e4. The Veresov is a last resort if e4 is prevented.

The same holds true for the Jobava Attack.

Caro-Kann -- Queen's Gambit Declined

1 e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5

Exact same awn structure in reverse, as in White in the exchange Caro has the same as Black in the Exchange QGD and vice versa. The Exchange QGD is the Carlsbad pawn structure. The Exchange Caro is as well with colors reversed.

Sniper -- Accelerated Dragon Maroczy Bind

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.c4 c5 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Be3 followed by 7.Nc3.

Mexican Defense -- Nimzo-Indian Defense

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qc2 is the Zurich Variation of the Nimzo-Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 Nc6 5.Nf3)

So you can't just say "I am going to play the Jobava" and not understand other structures. I actually see players just playing the movs robotically, showing ZERO understanding of what they play. The reason for the Jobava Attack or the Barry Attack is the Black has weakened his h2-b8 diagonal with ...d5 as the diagonal can no longer be blocked by a pawn on d6. With the ability to still play ...d6, the one-trick pony of Bf4/Nb5 is useless. You cannot force Black to put his knight on a bad square (a6). Black can just play ...d6 after something stupid like 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Bf4?! Be7 (I like 3...Bb4) 4.Nb5 d6!

So the next time you randomly say "I am going to play the Morra Gambit", know that there may very well be transpositions that you must know, like the Alapin in this case, or in some cases, other openings you must know as forcing the moves robotically even when Black didn't play the moves required to make it useful, like the Jobava Attack, just give you an inferior position.

Some openings are more transpositional than others. The Veresov or Jobava requires the French, Caro, Pirc, Modern while the Morra just requires the Alapin, etc.

Avatar of MRMLKT

Yoo guyssss

Avatar of MRMLKT

Dutch

Avatar of SigmaStriker6740

E5

Avatar of Coach_Ali

KID is best for starters. Otherwise use simple triangle system e6.c6.d5.

The correct way is to first find which positions you like most open close dynamic static. Then decide accordingly

Avatar of HAMIDIBOURK

I recommend downloading this app; it has all the openings. Chess prep

Avatar of COMMANDER_ROOK

TRY ENGLUND GAMBIT WATCH GOTHAMCHESS VIDEO WHERE SHOWS HOT TO PLAY IT

Avatar of RussianMr

Surrender Opening With 1.d4. It is MY FAVOURITE OPENING AND IS THE ONLY OPENING RESPONSE TO 1.D4 EVEN BETTER THAN AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE.

Avatar of DrSpudnik

QGD or QID, depending on their move order. I start with 1...e6 and then 2...Nf6. If 3.Nc3 is played, I play d5. If Nf3, I play b6. I don't care if Alpha Zero says the QID is crap. I'm not playing against a computer. I think.

Avatar of smiley_face10

I like to play the Classical Dutch defense. It's an aggressive opening but it's very rarely played so your opponent likely won't know any theory on it.

Avatar of iamdumbthethird
COMMANDER_ROOK wrote:

TRY ENGLUND GAMBIT WATCH GOTHAMCHESS VIDEO WHERE SHOWS HOT TO PLAY IT

Even though I play it in bullet as a 1600, I really don’t recommend it. Almost everyone around 1300+ knows the refutation, and even if they don’t, almost nobody ever falls for the trap.

Avatar of Blunder-Panda27
mental-central-dialog wrote:

nimzo indian

Any of the indian-benoni structures are good

Avatar of ThrillerFan
COMMANDER_ROOK wrote:

TRY ENGLUND GAMBIT WATCH GOTHAMCHESS VIDEO WHERE SHOWS HOT TO PLAY IT

Don't listen to this fool. The Englund Gambit is hot garbage!

There are a lot of sound defenses to d4. No reason to play trash!

QGD, QGA, Slav, Semi-Slav, KID, NID/QID, Mexican, Dutch, Grunfeld, no reason to play the Englund.

Avatar of DrSpudnik

I once memorized the antidote to the Englund Gambit, because someone I was likely to be paired against played it as his main defense to d4. Waste of time that was. He moved away about a year later. But the opening is trash that depends on your opponent not knowing it.

Avatar of El_Tuaya

I'll tell you later

Avatar of pfren
JayThe10th wrote:
pfren wrote:

You are playing just bullet. What makes you thing that the opening plays any role to the "game"?

The opening is important in any time control including bullet, but it is true that the opening probably matters least in that time control. I'd still say you should play the kings indian.

At your level, you shouldn't bother much about the opening under ANY time control.

But you do bother obviously, and this shows in your rating.