Problems with :Sicilian Defence - Chess Forums - Page 3

chesster3145

Dec 10, 2016

0

#41

I think that the difference between attributes and style rears its head here. "Attributes" is just a more accurate word, and I use it on general priniciples: Why use a word that not only reinforces bad habits, but isn't even very accurate?

This whole argument about "style" and move selection was made purely for its own sake.

Regarding ZiadMsoliman's query, it depends on his rating. Anything up to 1300 and he can simply follow opening principles and be perfectly fine. But if he wants to use an actual opening I have only one suggestion: educated trial and error. We can all look through his games and try to suggest openings, but it's up to him to figure it out.

kindaspongey

Dec 10, 2016

0

#42

General-Mayhem wrote:

"... '.....when players go on about their "style" (e.g. "I'm an intuitive positional grinder escape artist" or some such garbage).....'

Given that the OP clearly wasn't doing this, I'd think it's obvious for anyone with even a very modest level of intelligence that I wasn't referring to him."

Does the phrase, "go on about style", strike you as vague or specific? Does an example clearly indicate what else is and isn't included? Didn't post #29 also have an assertion with regard to weak players and style?

kindaspongey

Dec 10, 2016

0

#43

chesster3145 wrote:

"... 'Attributes' is just a more accurate word, and I use it on general priniciples: Why use a word that not only reinforces bad habits, but isn't even very accurate?"

Is it generally accepted that the use of the word, "style", must create accuracy and bad-habit dangers?

"It is generally accepted that one should try to choose openings which fit in with one's style" - FM Steve Giddins (2003)

kindaspongey

Dec 10, 2016

0

#44

chesster3145 wrote:

"... This whole argument about 'style' and move selection was made purely for its own sake. ..."

Your post #21 began with "OP: ...".

kindaspongey

Dec 10, 2016

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#45

chesster3145 wrote:

"... if he wants to use an actual opening I have only one suggestion: educated trial and error. We can all look through his games and try to suggest openings, but it's up to him to figure it out."

Was John Nunn describing some of the "educated trial and error" process?

"... The first step is to think about your personal style. Do you prefer open, tactical positions or closed, strategic positions? Does an attack on your king make you nervous, or are you happy so long as you have a counter-attack? Do you prefer main lines, or something slightly offbeat? Next, look at the various openings available, and see which ones fit in with your personal style. ..." - GM John Nunn (1998)

FractalDante

Dec 10, 2016

0

#46

Diakonia wrote:

Until youre a titled player, the only style you have is blundering.

Yup.

kindaspongey

Dec 10, 2016

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#47

"It is generally accepted that one should try to choose openings which fit in with one's style" - FM Steve Giddins (2003)

monkeywithgun

Dec 10, 2016

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#48

Even masters blunder. They just do it much more rarely, and a lesser player might not even see it as a blunder. They blunder on a higher plane than the rest of us. They know when they do, and some have admitted as much in their annotations.

As for 'style', I see that as a reflection of the personality of the player. Some have a defensive style, some have an aggressive style. Some love to attack and go for a mate, some like to win a pawn and try to nurse it through an endgame. Some feel comfortable in open positions, some in closed, etc.

All players have a 'style' in this sense. Even software can be programmed with a style.

chesster3145

Dec 10, 2016

0

#49

@kindaspongey:

I would say that Nunn was describing the educated trial and error process. Put simply, you do your research on a few different openings, trying to find one or two that you like the positions from. Sometimes you discover that it didn't go as well as you thought. My only argument is that we should start from the kinds of positions that we like, are relatively good at, and want to play. That can be called a style. But style constantly changes and evolves, and cannot be forced. It is the product of a purely natural process.

SAGM001

Dec 10, 2016

0

#50

Focus on other parts of the game too :/

General-Mayhem

Dec 10, 2016

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#51

kindaspongey wrote:

Does the phrase, "go on about style", strike you as vague or specific? Does an example clearly indicate what else is and isn't included? Didn't post #29 also have an assertion with regard to weak players and style?

Let's agree to disagree, rather digressing any further from the OP's question/thread topic. The debate on how to interpret my first post is a little boring, anyway.

Have a nice day!

CookedQueen

Dec 10, 2016

0

#52

I agree partly but sometimes its better to avoid the sicilian defence, only gives you a huge disadvantage

ZiadMsoliman

Dec 10, 2016

0

#53

kindaspongey wrote:

"Building a repertoire ... we will take the idealized situation of someone starting from square one ... The first step is to think about your personal style. Do you prefer open, tactical positions or closed, strategic positions? Does an attack on your king make you nervous, or are you happy so long as you have a counter-attack? Do you prefer main lines, or something slightly offbeat? Next, look at the various openings available, and see which ones fit in with your personal style. For example, when choosing an opening with Black against 1 e4, you might make some notes along the following lines: ... 1...c6: Solid positions, strategic, safe king. 1...e6: Closed positions, strategic. 1...e5: Fairly solid, but can lead to almost any type of position, depending on the follow-up. Petroff the most solid option. ..." - GM John Nunn (1998)

The Most Comfortable opening with white is Queens Gambit, Declined or Accepted, I really love this opening and i enjoy it, i don't get nervous if anything happens actually, but the thing is my style is offensive if am not in danger, i love tactics, i hate exchanging everything off the board and play with pawns, i think i like strategic, my reply to d4 is is d5, and mostly colle system varaiation and am comfortable with it, thank you for your reply, i'll use these questions to check out my opening. but the thing is the opening doesn't show the vast variation of that opening do you get me?

ZiadMsoliman

Dec 10, 2016

0

#54

zac_howland wrote:

Blitz:

stats as white: 497 (54.6%) 378 (41.5%) 35 (3.8%)

stats as black:423 (46.9%) 431 (47.8%) 47 (5.2%)

Rapid:

stats as white: 279 (52.2%) 230 (43.1%) 25 (4.7%)

stats as black :277 (53.1%) 223 (42.7%) 22 (4.2%)

I assume that you prefer a more positional game, since you stated you prefer 1. d4 as white (not that I'm playing into that misconception, but given the rest of your context, it seems you do). Under that assumption, the Sicilian, especially the Open Sicilian, is not likely the system for you as black. It has a tendency to get tactical very quickly. If you want a more positional reply to 1. e4, e5 followed by Nc6 is likely your best bet. The lines you will most likely run into are the Spanish (Ruy Lopez) and Italian (Giuoco Piano) games, so you will want to familiarize yourself with the strategies behind them (both are usually positional in nature, but have a slightly different focus).

Thank you Sir, for your suggestion, I will definitely check this variation.

ZiadMsoliman

Dec 10, 2016

0

#55

zenomorphy wrote:

Ziad, I admire your well mannered and polite nature. You don't see "Sir" much in an OP response I'm sure you're wondering, ...who pulled the Fire Alarm, LOL! Happens Ziad .

As a new player, I think monkeywithgun's suggestion of the Alapin (1.e4 c5, 2.c3) against the Sicilian is a excellent idea, saving you a ton of time & voluminous, Sicilian opening/theory study (for now). It can be a very powerful weapon for White (with one Opening and variations to learn)!

The following videos from GM Gregory Kaidanov are a fine start, but use the search button (there's a ton of material on chess.com alone on the Alapin). Enjoy!

A Guide for White: Avoiding the Sicilian - Alapin Part 1 & 2!

https://www.chess.com/video/player/a-guide-for-white-avoiding-the-sicilian---alapin-part-1

https://www.chess.com/video/player/a-guide-for-white-avoiding-the-sicilian---alapin-part-2

Also:

GM Roman Dzindzichashvili

(you can also watch (see links in below) Part 3 & 4 for entertainment purposes, like The Wing Gambit (1.e4 c5, 2. b4, GM Roman calls it the "worst opening for White" against 1. ...c5, lol) and IM Esserman's favorite, The Smith-Morra Gambit (1.e4 c5, 2.d4 cxd, 3.c3)

The 'Anti' Sicilians - Part 1: 2... d-Pawn Moves!

https://www.chess.com/video/player/the-anti-sicilians---part-1-the-alapin-12

The 'Anti' Sicilians - Part 2: 2... Nf6 & Others!

https://www.chess.com/video/player/the-anti-sicilians---part-2-the-alapin-2

IM Danny Rench:

Chess Openings: How to Play the Anti-Sicilian - The Alapin!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWo-g7gwCOw

FM Alisa Melekhina:

How to Win in the c3 Sicilian in 21 moves or less - FM Alisa Melekhina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vaTT8jcDf4

GM Ron Henley

c3 Sicilian - Crushing Black with the c3 Sicilian by GM Ron Henley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ZxjXViu8c

Also, I own GM Evgeny Sveshnikov's The Complete c3 Sicilian (The Alapin Variation by it's Greatest Expert), which is a tome (just looked, ...574 pages) ! GM Sveshnikov was a former trainer of Anatoly Karpov! He sported a 70% result (according to the bio on the back of the book) in over 600 games! There are innumerable, incredibly well-annotated games, a list of "opening catastrophies" to be avoided or exploited and cool Exercises inside. You can pick it up at Amazon.com. It's published by NEW IN CHESS and is the go-to reference book on the Alapin, for many players. I can assure you, if you get through it (unlike me so far ), in merely this one Anti-Sicilian variant, you'll be known for it!

Good luck!

Really can't thank you enough for this links, I'll check them out and i'll try to get my hands on This Book Defiantly and also the variations, Really thankful for your reply, and i actually know the alapin variation it's my second most used variation, am happy with it, just need some hard work and i'll be good hopefully.

ZiadMsoliman

Dec 10, 2016

0

#56

SAGM001 wrote:

Focus on other parts of the game too :/

Am working on my Black Openings and Ending games too.

ZiadMsoliman

Dec 10, 2016

0

#57

kindaspongey wrote:

For someone seeking help with choosing openings, I usually bring up Openings for Amateurs by Pete Tamburro (2014).

http://kenilworthian.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-pete-tamburros-openings-for.html

I believe that it is possible to see a fair portion of the beginning of Tamburro's book by going to the Mongoose Press site.

https://www.mongoosepress.com/excerpts/OpeningsForAmateurs%20sample.pdf

Perhaps ZiadMsoliman would also want to look at Discovering Chess Openings by GM John Emms (2006).

"If you find an opening here that appeals to you and you wish to find out more about it, the next step would be to obtain an introductory text devoted entirely to that subject." - GM John Emms (2006)

https://web.archive.org/web/20140627114655/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen91.pdf

"Each player should choose an opening that attracts him. Some players are looking for a gambit as White, others for Black gambits. Many players that are starting out (or have bad memories) want to avoid mainstream systems, others want dynamic openings, and others want calm positional pathways. It’s all about personal taste and personal need.

For example, if you feel you’re poor at tactics you can choose a quiet positional opening (trying to hide from your weakness and just play chess), or seek more dynamic openings that engender lots of tactics and sacrifices (this might lead to more losses but, over time, will improve your tactical skills and make you stronger)." - IM Jeremy Silman (January 28, 2016)

Also, perhaps look at:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/picking-the-correct-opening-repertoire

http://chess-teacher.com/best-chess-openings/

https://www.chess.com/blog/TigerLilov/build-your-opening-repertoire

https://www.chess.com/blog/CraiggoryC/how-to-build-an-opening-repertoire

https://www.chess.com/article/view/learning-an-opening-to-memorize-or-understand

https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-perfect-opening-for-the-lazy-student

Almost Finished with the Forums, they were helpful, Thank you Sir again!.

kindaspongey

Dec 10, 2016

0

#58

chesster3145 wrote:

... the kinds of positions that we like, are relatively good at, and want to play. That can be called a style.

Is it perhaps a generally accepted practice to use the word, "style", in that sort of way?

"It is generally accepted that one should try to choose openings which fit in with one's style" - FM Steve Giddins (2003)

But style constantly changes and evolves, and cannot be forced. It is the product of a purely natural process.

Who said anything about forcing style or producing style from an unnatural source?

kindaspongey

Dec 10, 2016

0

#59

SAGM001 wrote:

Focus on other parts of the game too :/

Did anyone advocate putting a focus on only one part?

kindaspongey

Dec 10, 2016

0

#60

General-Mayhem wrote:

... Let's agree to disagree, rather digressing any further from the OP's question/thread topic. The debate on how to interpret my first post is a little boring, anyway.

Have a nice day!

I hope you will give the matter more thought. How often do we see this pattern?

Part one: Someone starts a thread, seeking help with opening selection, adding some sort of attempt to describe his or her style.

Part two: One or more posts appear with various sorts of negative commentary about the word, "style".

Part three: Lots of unproductive noise.