Relation between Italian and Spanish

Hey Guys, 

My chess journey started around 3 years ago. When I first started playing, I almost exclusively played the Spanish (which yielded some moderate results, but hey, I was just starting out). A year ago I switched to the Italian because the attacking plans seemed more clear to me in this opening. But I got stuck in the Italian, so I decided to go back to the roots and play the Spanish again. Playing the Spanish again, I noticed some similarities between the Spanish and the Italian (which should be pretty obvious, compare: 

with

)

Let us start with contrasting these two openings. Cleary, in the Italian there is massive pressure on f7, whereas in the Spanish this is not the case. Of course, this leads to very different attacking plans (such as most famously the fried liver in the Italian). 

I always thought that the Italian is the more aggressive branch of 1.e4 variations. I was therefore surprised to learn (through chess.com's chess personality test) that, in fact, the Spanish is considered to be the more aggressive opening (the spanish is recommended for player types such as Tal (?!)). 

Do you guys agree with this? As an aggressive, attacking player, do you prefer the Spanish over the Italian (or is it the other way around)? Do you know of some attacking plans that are common to both openings? 

Some of your assumptions aren't entirely accurate... 

The pressure on f7 isn't "massive" in the Italian at all, it's highly prophylactic. The main lines of the Spanish also put pressure on f7. If you say the Italian puts pressure on f7 you can equally say the Spanish puts pressure on c6. 

The fried liver isn't a proper opening at all - it's a theoretical idea. That's why it has such a weird name. The point of the fried liver is black's position seems hopeless yet he can in theory get away. Nobody would actually play it in a real game. 

The 2 knights is aggressive but it's aggressive for black. white gets a pawn and it's black that gets the positional initiative.  

The Spanish is far more aggressive.  In the closed main lines, Whkte plays for d4 to try to blow open the position and go for the Black King.

Yes, a Bishop on c4 does hit f7, but that does not make it an attacking opening.  Playing the pawn to d4 leads to drawish positions often with many pieces traded.  Playing d3, know as the Slow Italian, leads to a very long, positional game more often than not.  It is not much of an attacking line for White.

If Black plays 3...Nf6, the tactics only work if Black is a fool.  After 4.Ng5 (4.d3, leading to the Slow Italian, or 4.d4 are better moves) 4...d5 5.exd5 Na5!, Black has full equality with best play.  All this garbage I see on these forums on the "Fried Liver" is totally useless if Black is not stupid enough to play 5...Nxd5??.

If you are more of the aggressive type, the Spanish is the way to go.

How does one go about being aggressive against the berlin?

White doesn't really get to be aggressive against the Berlin. Nobody said white can be aggressive against every opening black makes. The berlin tames some of white's aggression but at the cost of his own winning chances.   

While the Spanish is far more aggressive than the Italian game, that doesn't mean the Spanish is an aggressive opening itself - it's more like the Italian is one of the least aggressive openings white can choose as a serious test for advantage. The Giuoco Piano it's called after 3. Bc4 - translation from Italian is literally "quiet game". In a way that's the whole reason why the Italian has fallen from elite play - it's quite slow. Even the Spanish is very often played as a slow rather than an aggressive opening - the Spanish torture. However the Italian is still a lot less aggressive.  

Shut up. You only just learned the game and have no idea what you are talking about but act like you do.  

You're the type of person that ruins this place and other online discussion forums for everyone. 

"In a way that's the whole reason why the Italian has fallen from elite play - it's quite slow."

The Italian is played over and over again at the super GM level

It's called you deal with playing a slow, positional game.  There is no opening where you can take the same approach against all variations.  All you can control is the majority.  You will have positional Najdorfs, wild Slavs, dull King's Indians, and whacko Torre Attacks.

One size does not fit all in any opening, and forcing the issue will simply cause you to lose!

You'll occasionally get an aggressive, attacking game in the Italian Game.  All you can do is play the percentages and play openings that lead to what you prefer more frequently, but in no case can you force the issue!

Yes, but only maybe 1/10th as much as the Spanish. 

You can play lines with d3. They keep the position more closed and give you better winning chances, although theoretically, the position is equal. 

According to my database, in 2019-2020 there were 923 Italian games where both players were rated over 2500 FIDE. That's far from falling from elite play!

You get up early in Sunday mornings during winter to get a dozen, it's likely you score. That's I would call a churro attack.