Try the Latvian Gambit. It's tricky to pull off, but with careful play, it might give you the game you're looking for...
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Qf6 4.d4 d6 5.Nc4 fxe4 6.Nc3 Qg6 7.f3 exf3 8.Qxf3 Nc6 9.Bd3 Qg4 10.Qe3 Be7...
...and play is about equal.
It's really not blacks decision how the 1.e4 e5 games will turn out, unless he plays some offbeat sideline pretty much forcing whites hand.
With that said, The Ruy is one of the deepest and most exciting openings in chess, keeping almost all the material on the board for 15+ moves, ensuing a very deep profound game where both strategical and tactical ideas will have to be combined in order to overpower the opponent. And if you are hellbent on open, tactical play, there is the Marshall attack.
Kings gambit, hey, there are some very exciting lines for both sides, you said you wanted open and explosive, here we go.
Two knights defence, one of the few respected gambits as black, as the marshall attack mentioned above. White can keep it quiet, but it doesn't give him any attack, and he can do the same against the Sicilian, if he is hellbent on it.
The scotch I've encountered so rarelly, and usually had such an easy time against, that I really can't comment on it.
And then there are some other options for white that doesn't even try for an advantage, nothing to fear.
hi,
indeed when you play 1...e5, you give options to white.
White have many options... so many... so I think that's why you don't like to play it (e5) !!
If you want a good reason to play it, you'll have to study step by step starting by the Ruy Lopez's opening then only the petrov like. (But here on chess.com not many players play the Petrov for some reasons...)
So I suggestion you go through all Spanish varitions they are pretty good for average players.
Go for morphy defense maybe
Have fun !
You embrace the chess of the 19th and 20th century masters. In addition, here is an endorsement by Capablanca.
"I think that the reply 1...c5 to 1.e4 is a mistake. Clearly the best move is 1...e5."
perhaps that's why i don't like 1...e5 so much. if i play the sicilian, i can call the shots to some extent. but when i play 1...e5 i have really no say at all.
perhaps that's why i don't like 1...e5 so much. if i play the sicilian, i can call the shots to some extent. but when i play 1...e5 i have really no say at all.
I dunno, trigs, I feel the opposite. With 1 ..., e5 I feel I choose the lines. To each his own I suppose. I don't think I'll ever play the Sicilian.
While white may have many options at his disposal, black can dictate the type of defense to play. White is forced to know all the variations within their opening while black only needs to know their particular defense. The sicilian is a difficult opening for an amatuer to learn so 1...e5 is better until you get around 2000.
Nicely stated.
Well, if you really don't like 1. ...e5, don't play it. It is true that most of the time the White will be the one who chooses the opening so you need to know quite a lot. You can avoid some of the White's tries with the Petroff but that is a bit dull. I often have fun though accepting various gambits and trying to refute them. Against the Ruy Lopez the Marshall's attack is pretty nice to play if they let you.
I haven't had one Petrov end in a draw, and I'm almost exclusively 1.e4, almost.
This is from the book "Play 1 e4 e5!" by Nigel Davies (my italics):
"The turning point [referring to playing e5 with Black] came when the former Soviet Champion Lev Paskhis once explained to me that an extensive grounding in the Ruy Lopez was essential if you want to develop your game. He added that in Russia it was said that the one failing of Lev Polugaevsky [arguably the top expert on the Sicilian] was that he never received this education."
Many of the world champions were experts on both sides of the Ruy Lopez.
Besides the Ruy, it is also important to get experience in the Open Game in general.
Another line in the Ruy other than the Marshall that leads to open positions you might like is the Schliemann Defence (3...f5!?). These days Carlsen and Radjabov often play it. But I really recommend trying out some of the main lines first because they can teach one so much about chess.
Here are some reasons to play 1...e5 as black, followed by 2...Nc6 if 2.Nf3:
- There is far less theory than the sicilian. Some will argue this point, but really, if you play a mainline sicilian like the Najdorf, Svesh or Dragon, combined with the anti-sicilians, you need to study a lot!
- You are following the basic principles of chess most of the time: knights before bishops, no more than 2 pawn moves in the opening, castle quickly, etc. Not only will playing these principled positions teach you about classical chess, but they are very easy to play as well! Seriously, if you don't remember your opening theory, then chances are that developing a piece toward the centre will be a good move. The same cannot always be said about the Sicilian. I have played 1...e5 for a few months, and 1...c5 for over 2 years, and I must say that my results are generally better with 1...e5 than 1...c5 for this reason! The positions are just so much more logical and easy to play!
-There are plenty of classic games from the old masters (Alekhine, Capablanca, Lasker etc) that occur after 1.e4 e5 for you to study!
- 1...e5 is the reason that 1.e4 is not being played much at top level these days. Black's position is extremely hard to crack after 1...e5!
- You will learn how to play in the centre rather than on the flanks. Your skill in open positions and tactical situations will improve too.
- Playing the ruy lopez from either side will teach you a lot about positional play. Don't worry about the theory, just pick a defence you like and learn it well. There is much less to know than in the sicilian, and it is white who has to know a lot because black has so many different defences!
That is all I can think of for now, but I am sure there are other good reasons.
agree with RR here, i hate the ruy.
which is why i play Bc4 now instead of Bb5: evans gambit and fried liver are the way to go!
play the ruy lopez berlin defense 5. ...Ng4 (fishing pole variation)
well there are sharp open attacking lines against 1...e5 but only if white gives it to you. are you sure you want to go away from the sicilian alltogether? perhaps just trying a new line in the sicilian is what you need. then you already know the antisicilians
well there are sharp open attacking lines against 1...e5 but only if white gives it to you. are you sure you want to go away from the sicilian alltogether? perhaps just trying a new line in the sicilian is what you need. then you already know the antisicilians
well i mostly just play for fun, so sometimes i don't mind giving another opening a chance. i've just never given 1...e5 any serious consideration really.
Many of the world champions were experts on both sides of the Ruy Lopez.
Interesting observation.
I think things are a bit optimistic. I always saw playing 1...e5 as a choice of playing high theory but with the plus of having good even open games if you study well enough. 1...e5 is vastly more theoretical than all of the semi-open games because 1...e5 isn't even an opening while 1...c5 more or less is.
With 1...e5 you need to know all five of the four knights options for white (4.d4, 4.Bb5, 4.g3, 4.a3, belgrade gambit), all three of the Viennas (3.f4, 3.Bc4, 3.g3), the Scotch, king's gambit, Ruy Lopez (very theoretical and unavoidable unless you plan on playing the Latvian), Ponziani and a lot more depending on whether you want to learn the theoretical two knights defence to avoid Evan's gambit and a few more openings.
Ummm I cannot see how 1...c5 could be considered more of an opening than 1...e5. No matter what you play, your opponent is going to have a lot of different lines on the second, third, or fourth move.
You say there are a lot of options for white against 1...e5? Take a look at the sicilian, to play the Najdorf as black you have to know:
- The moscow variation. White has two main set-ups here after 3...Bd7, both of which are theoretical. Black can play other moves, but they have been heavily analyzed too.
- The closed sicilian, where white has like 5 set-ups
- The grandprix, both with 2.Nc3 and 2.f4. Again white has multiple ways to play this.
-The Morra and wing gambits
- The Checkhover variation (3.Qxd4)
- The 2.c3 sicilian which is probably more theoretical than the scotch or Italian/Two knights by now
- Annoying third moves like 3.Bc4, 3.e5, and a bunch of others.
- The Prins variation (5.f3)
- and probably other stuff which I can't remember right now.
Then, once you get passed all of that and get to the Najdorf, or Sveshnikov, or Taimanov, or any decent sicilian, you find that there is way more theory than all of the anti-sicilians combined. Not only that, but many lines are counter-intuitive and razor sharp, and unlike the Ruy Lopez in which understanding can go a long way, you really need to know your stuff. I can think of at least 10 ways that white can play against the Najdorf, many of them quite deep in theory. This doesn't change the fact that it is one of my favourite openings, but I believe that if a club player is to switch from 1...c5 to 1...e5 than he will really lighten his workload. Not only because there is less theory, but because the moves are easier to find over the board.
After about 20 years of playing the French, I have started back with my old 1...e5 and have picked up almost where I left off! You can try to guide the game along your own lines, if you want. I have on occasion played the Bird's Variation of the Lopez: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4. The Two-knights defense in the Italian is pretty intense stuff as well. I play that from both sides.
The worst stuff to face (as for being boring, not so much dangerous) is the 4 Knights and the Bishop's Opening. Zzzzz and when you become inattentive, they bust you!
okay. all you people out there who enjoy playing 1. e4 e5 as black, please give me a reason to play it. i currently play the sicilian because I HATE playing 1...e5 (mostly because i am an e4 player as white and i definitely prefer playing against e5).
however, i know there are good lines for it and i'd like you to try to convince me of some. i enjoy sharp, open, attacking positions mostly.
any suggestions?