I do Alekhine against e4, Budapest against d4-c4. If you don't like Budapest, you can try the Grunfield (I dropped it for Budapest). Against English, I just hunker down with the hedgehog formation so nothing there XD
Against Bird's opening, I play From's Gambit, simply because its a gambit
Don't really want to play the French.
Caro-Kann - I don't allow Black's aggressive ideas like 3.e5 c5. Nope! Fantasy Variation! 3.f3! For Black to succeed, he is usually defending the whole game! Defend well, and you might actually win!
The Fantasy Variation typically transposes to French structures.
@ThrillerFan I'm very interested in playing the McCutchen, but I'm concerned that after ...Nf6 white goes for the e5 variation of the classical French.
aka : 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5
Don't really want to play the French.
Caro-Kann - I don't allow Black's aggressive ideas like 3.e5 c5. Nope! Fantasy Variation! 3.f3! For Black to succeed, he is usually defending the whole game! Defend well, and you might actually win!
The Fantasy Variation typically transposes to French structures.
There is a line that transposed. Otherwise, no!
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 and now, aside from offbeat lines, Black has:
A) 3...g6
B) 3...e6 and now 4.Be3 or 4.Nc3. If 4.Nc3, main response is 4...Bb4, but 4...Nf6 will indeed transpose directly to the French Steinitz after 5.e5 Nfd7 6.f4 c5 7.Nf3 Nc6 8.Be3.
C) 3...Qb6, which is supposedly Black's best try these days
D) 3...e5
E) 3...dxe4, which used to be the main line but this tends to favor White.
@ThrillerFan I'm very interested in playing the McCutchen, but I'm concerned that after ...Nf6 white goes for the e5 variation of the classical French.
aka : 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5
Again, go to the link on post 8 and observe the 3rd game from that tournament. It is actually a beautiful game by Black (me). Round 5 was also a French, but not a Steinitz and only a draw after I (black) missed a move in time trouble at the end.
@Gramps4
I would highly recommend the Owen Defense. It's sharp, you get both bishops mobile (which is a problem in the French Defense), and it can be effectively played against both 1. e4 and 1. d4.
Three warnings -
First, don't play b6 immediately, only AFTER playing e6 first. With any luck, they'll think you're looking to play the French Defense (if 1. e4) or a Semi-slav (if 1. d4), and be perplexed after 2. ..b6.
Second, the Owen is VERY SHARP, you are fighting for the center right from the beginning. The idea is to fix and destroy white's pawn at d4, and to force white to either open the long diagonal for your light square bishop, trade light square bishops (which is usually good for black), or impede his own kingside defense (usually with a move like f3 to support the otherwise-weak e4 pawn).
Third, there is no good book study on its various lines, so you'll have to work them out yourself. What little book there is, namely Staunton's suggestion of an early c7-c5 is wrong. The pawn thrust you are preparing for is d7-d5, and you need the c-pawn back to kick out a white knight which might want to occupy b5.
Takes a while to figure out all the lines, but it is solid against everyone I play, who are mostly in the 1800-2000 range rating-wise.
Actually when black plays 1. d4, 2. c4 isn't black's main pawn break f7-f5 in the opening (owen/english defense?)
In the English Defense, yes.
In Owen's Defense, no!
They are not the same opening. Saying Owen's Defense is the same as the English Defense is like saying the Pirc Defense is the same as the King's Indian Defense.
Difference is the White c-pawn.
I favor the Sicilian, some of the lines are ultra sharp.
I favor the Sicilian, some of the lines are ultra sharp.
and some lines aren't, I play the Alapin XD
Unplayable against the “hot garbage” lines you play?? Like do you actually lack so much objectivity to say this @ThrillerFan ?
@ThrillerFan I'm very interested in playing the McCutchen, but I'm concerned that after ...Nf6 white goes for the e5 variation of the classical French.
aka : 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5
I am certain the Classical French would be a lot more popular if you could force white into playing the McCutcheon after 3. Nc3...
The mainline of the Steinitz (4. e5) are not dull in any way, but you will need to be fairly well-prepared here imo
Thank you all for your comments and info. I have been tinkering with the Owens, the Scandinavian and the Budapest Gambit, along with the Petroff and Caro-Kann.
I think the orthodox variation of the king's Indian is sharp and really fun to play
I think the orthodox variation of the king's Indian is sharp and really fun to play
There is no "Orthodox Variation" - That's in the QGD.
Do you mean the Classical Variation (5.Nf3/6.Be2) and specifically the Mar Del Plata (9.Ne1)?
yes I mean Mar Del Plata were black aims for ...f5
Someone once told me the classical Dutch defense is sharp, is that true?
1. d4 e6 2. c4 f5
@Gramps4
I would highly recommend the Owen Defense. It's sharp, you get both bishops mobile (which is a problem in the French Defense), and it can be effectively played against both 1. e4 and 1. d4.
Three warnings -
First, don't play b6 immediately, only AFTER playing e6 first. With any luck, they'll think you're looking to play the French Defense (if 1. e4) or a Semi-slav (if 1. d4), and be perplexed after 2. ..b6.
Second, the Owen is VERY SHARP, you are fighting for the center right from the beginning. The idea is to fix and destroy white's pawn at d4, and to force white to either open the long diagonal for your light square bishop, trade light square bishops (which is usually good for black), or impede his own kingside defense (usually with a move like f3 to support the otherwise-weak e4 pawn).
Third, there is no good book study on its various lines, so you'll have to work them out yourself. What little book there is, namely Staunton's suggestion of an early c7-c5 is wrong. The pawn thrust you are preparing for is d7-d5, and you need the c-pawn back to kick out a white knight which might want to occupy b5.
Takes a while to figure out all the lines, but it is solid against everyone I play, who are mostly in the 1800-2000 range rating-wise.
Here's what I have to say about Owen's Defense!
https://www.chess.com/live#g=4762793508
(Back of hand placed under chin in neck area, palm downward, and FLICK!)
@ThrillerFan - The Owen Defense is not weak, it's just played wrong by most folks who employ it, because they don't properly mind the weakness at b5 (which can be managed). John Owen beat Paul Morphy, Adolf Anderssen, and Wilhelm Steinitz with it. Safe to assume it is sound.
Most importantly, I qualified this with a set of warnings, which your referenced game does not follow. The whole point is that e6 must be played first (before b6), and that c5 must not be played too soon. Your opponent failed to heed both of these.
The idea is to "bait" the e4/d4 pawn center with the look of a French Defense (1. e4 e6), then to transpose into the Owen after 2. d4 b6. Failing to play e6 denied your opponent the ability to fix the d4 pawn (I'd never let you get a pawn to d6), which made the c5 thrust particularly suspect. As Nimzowitsch teaches us, a target must be fixed in place before it can be destroyed!
Try reading the whole post, and then try to UNDERSTAND why each of the warnings are important. I've played this against very strong players, including those at your level in tournament play, and my results are just fine. Certainly better results than I got playing the Sicilian, Petroff's, or the Nimzowitsch defenses, all of which I've tried against 1. ..e4.
Second point, there is no different in principle between a transposed Owen and the English Defense. In both cases, it's the d4 pawn which is your target. Fix it, and that's what the combined action of the b6 and e6 thrusts is designed to do, then develop your light square bishop!
ANY OPENING IS BAD if you don't understand its underlying premises. Despite your opponent's high rating, it is clear that he didn't understand the Owen Defense, and had no hope of playing it effectively.
@Gramps4
I would highly recommend the Owen Defense. It's sharp, you get both bishops mobile (which is a problem in the French Defense), and it can be effectively played against both 1. e4 and 1. d4.
Three warnings -
First, don't play b6 immediately, only AFTER playing e6 first. With any luck, they'll think you're looking to play the French Defense (if 1. e4) or a Semi-slav (if 1. d4), and be perplexed after 2. ..b6.
Second, the Owen is VERY SHARP, you are fighting for the center right from the beginning. The idea is to fix and destroy white's pawn at d4, and to force white to either open the long diagonal for your light square bishop, trade light square bishops (which is usually good for black), or impede his own kingside defense (usually with a move like f3 to support the otherwise-weak e4 pawn).
Third, there is no good book study on its various lines, so you'll have to work them out yourself. What little book there is, namely Staunton's suggestion of an early c7-c5 is wrong. The pawn thrust you are preparing for is d7-d5, and you need the c-pawn back to kick out a white knight which might want to occupy b5.
Takes a while to figure out all the lines, but it is solid against everyone I play, who are mostly in the 1800-2000 range rating-wise.
Owen's Defense is not surprising. It is simply weak, and the strategy you recommend simply results in a bad French for Black. White should answer ...d5 with e5! You run a big risk of being blasted on the Kingside while doing nothing on the Queenside (the difference between the French and Owens).
The early b6-systems only work when White has played c4 (English Defense, Queen's Indian, etc) or e3 (Colle, London, etc). Lines with e4 and d4 with no c4 are a problem for Black. d4 is weaker when c4 has been played.