openings that destroyed your opponents

i am 2:1 in both carokann mieses gambit and englund hartlaub charlick gambit because they're based on tactics i can wrap my head around and not positional mumbo jumbo.

the english has WINNING STATS in pretty much every line, if not an instant advantage. the more "sound" an opening is, the less aggressive and quiet it is. that's why "accepted" openings are typically 48:48, but the REAL winning is in gambits which typically have an 8% edge in 1600-2000 rated games for solid gambits.

my stats are a couple percent worse, but still winning in this and are significantly better in the gedult BDG via the scandinavian move order

i did very badly with the mainline 3.Nc3 move order as I tend to do in any line that plays Nc3 before Nf3.

gambit haters can rage all they want, but at the amateur level, gambits punish mistakes, and EVERYONE makes mistakes like the GM that got beat by a 1700 in the smith morra

that 1700 player was a bona-fide expert in the Smith morra. I believe he even wrote a book? That GM should never had played it against him.

not MY opponents, but in looking at another member's sicilian line with 6.f3, I saw 5.f3, the prins, has AWESOME stats with black losing in almost every line despite rough equality. I just posted the theory with stats & evals with a pgn DL if anyone's interested

oh... I'm totally crushing 2:1 with the englund gambit hartlaub/charlick variation too. just what this closed game hater needed to handle 1.d4 and get the eff out of the stonewall straightjacket. it's "not sound" at -2, but even at 2000 level, black only has a 5% advantage in the main line. the english has those stats against pretty much everything

the plan is then Nc6/Qe7/0-0-0 and to play h5 against castling and/or discover an attack on white's queen with Bxf7+ (I prefer trading my bishop for Nf3 before checking to "pre-simplify")

i fell in love with the line before I ever played it because I love the bishop pair aiming at 0-0, the OPEN CENTER (!!!!!) and in general, all the pressure, traps and MOBILITY. that, and it doesn't involve fianchettos which I hate but have always been wrongly told are the only option to get rough against 1.d4.

here's my most recent win at 90% accuracy vs 86% (stockfish REALLY punishes accuracy for the gambit! it takes a few moves to dilute)

2:1 with the mieses gambit against the carokann. it's not about an advantage, it's about black not used to Bxf7+ tactics and THINKING he can get away with Nf6 & Bg4 pins.

MOST opponents aren't prepared for the pin break. THIS is my "most perfect" mieses. most opponents don't allow the smothered mate, but do allow me to get the initiative needed to dominate the game. i only started playing it on purpose when my accidental games confusing the f3 pushing maroczy fantasy with the Be3 alapin diemer french. my results were instantly better using tried and true king's gambit tactics. that's probably why my results are so far above average... it plays right into my FAVORITE castle grabbing game plan against players who "never heard of king's gambit"

I love how, not only does the mieses always get accepted where the maroczy fantasy didn't, but also it's the best way to avoid that annoying caro pawn chain. i just click with this line even if i played it before knowing its name

blepppy,I totally agree. I lost a couple of games using it and won lots.