1st Answer: Could you tell me how each one goes. I think I've encountered them, but I'm not too sure about the names.
2nd Answer: I strongly reccommend using QG. I find it is a very good positional opening for white and isn't as chaotic as King Pawn Games.
3rd Answer: That's one variation in the English. Some people still play Four Knights, but... what's wrong with mixing English with KIA?
1st Answer: Could you tell me how each one goes. I think I've encountered them, but I'm not too sure about the names.
2nd Answer: I strongly reccommend using QG. I find it is a very good positional opening for white and isn't as chaotic as King Pawn Games.
3rd Answer: That's one variation in the English. Some people still play Four Knights, but... what's wrong with mixing English with KIA?
The Trompowski looks a lot like the Torre, it basically starts 1 d4 ... 2 Bg5. If you move the knight to Nf3 first, it is a Torre Attack.
The Catalan can be reached from the English; it is a Queen's Gambit + Reti, essentially : c4, d4, Nf3, g3, Bg2.
The Tromp was distressingly popular 5 or 10 years ago, and the Catalan seems to be The Next Big Thing. I wonder if people are generally well prepared to face either of these famous (infamous ?) openings...
As for the English : That variation reminds me too much of the Reti. I mean, is that even the English anymore ? What would you do in that variation that you would not do in the Reti ? (Disclaimer : I do not like the Reti)
First question: If you want to play the Catalan you're going to have to start playing 1.d4 and accepting all of the theory that goes along with that. The Catalan is not an opening system it is a way of playing against the Queen's Gambit Declined. However, if you wanted to play both the Catalan and Trompowsky you could try something like playing 1.d4 and against 1.d5 you could aim for catalan setups against the QGD (although you're going to have to learn seperate systems vs. the QGA and slav stuff) and against 1...Nf6 you could play the Tromp.
Second Question: If you want to play a catalan against 1...d5 you have to play 2.c4 and enter the mainlines.
Third Question: I play the english a lot and playing 2.g3 is a way of avoiding certain mainline setups and maintaining a certain consistency in your repertoire. I still play 2.g3 vs. 1...e5 but I think there are better tries vs. other first moves by black.
Anyway, all are playable and I can recommend some literature/DVDs if you're interested as I have lots of experience with the English and Catalan as I play them both regularly both online and over the board.
First question: If you want to play the Catalan you're going to have to start playing 1.d4 and accepting all of the theory that goes along with that. The Catalan is not an opening system it is a way of playing against the Queen's Gambit Declined. However, if you wanted to play both the Catalan and Trompowsky you could try something like playing 1.d4 and against 1.d5 you could aim for catalan setups against the QGD (although you're going to have to learn seperate systems vs. the QGA and slav stuff) and against 1...Nf6 you could play the Tromp.
Second Question: If you want to play a catalan against 1...d5 you have to play 2.c4 and enter the mainlines.
Third Question: I play the english a lot and playing 2.g3 is a way of avoiding certain mainline setups and maintaining a certain consistency in your repertoire. I still play 2.g3 vs. 1...e5 but I think there are better tries vs. other first moves by black.
Anyway, all are playable and I can recommend some literature/DVDs if you're interested as I have lots of experience with the English and Catalan as I play them both regularly both online and over the board.
Wow - that clears up a lot.
So, the Catalan is designed for Queen's Gambit Declined, and the Trompowski could work against Nf6 ? That is useful to know. The KID is a sore weakness for the Colle...
As for the English, what other variations do you use/recommend ? g3/Bg2 looks too much like the Reti....
I've never played Trompowski or Catalan, so I wouldn't really know what to suggest based on the final position, but I'd say if you've been playing Trompowski and you're comfortable with it, I suggest you don't switch to Catalan.
I've never played Trompowski or Catalan, so I wouldn't really know what to suggest based on the final position, but I'd say if you've been playing Trompowski and you're comfortable with it, I suggest you don't switch to Catalan.
I see - I iwll likely try the Trompowski first, as I already have a book on it in my possesion. I have played a Catalan game, and it is very different than anything I have played before, but until I started losing it was kinda fun. It will likely take a few attempts to settle on either one, I only wanted to avoid walking into something that people are lying in wait to shut down.
So, the Catalan is designed for Queen's Gambit Declined, and the Trompowski could work against Nf6 ? That is useful to know. The KID is a sore weakness for the Colle...
As for the English, what other variations do you use/recommend ? g3/Bg2 looks too much like the Reti....
Yea the Catalan goes like this:
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3
Although when I play the English I play it with this move order:
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d4
Nowadays though I mostly get to it through this move order:
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.g3
As for the Tromp, technically the Tromp is only playable after 1...Nf6 as 1.d4 d5 2.Bg5 is known as the pseudo-trompowsky.
The english is a very complicated opening system, and the reason the 1.c4 2.g3 move order is so popular is that it is very easy to learn and cuts out a lot of the super-theoretical mainlines. I played that move order myself when I first started playing tournament chess, and I got decent positions.
you should play an e4 opening, something along the lines of the italian game. At your level keep the openings as simple as possible.
A lot of people will respond 1. ... e5 to the English. As white I prefer the move order:
1. c4 ..., 2. Nc3 (to prevent or delay ...d5) ..., 3. g3 ..., 4. Bg2
(assuming no unusual response from black requires altering the sequence. An early e3 may be helpful if black pressures the f2 pawn with the bishop.)
1...e5 is the reason I stopped playing 1.c4, I found it very difficult to maintain the initiative.
White does not have the initiative in the above diagram.
Regardless, 1.c4 e5 wasn't really aggressive enough for me as white so I've switched to more mainline 1.d4 openings.
Catalan is an opening that is popular above say the 2450 level (OTB). The advantages you're supposed to be able to get are far too subtle for me, anyway. This is a good opening to really get into when you're a GM playing to pay the bills.
The Tromp is a somewhat irrational opening, as white plays 2.Bg5 intending 3.Bxf6, giving up the bishop pair immediately in return for a doubled pawn. Again, why this would be good is beyond me, but at least this leads to wild chaotic positions much of the time.
I have always done great with 1.d4 d5 2.c4 (and 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4). They're the mainlines for a reason. I have a huge plus score with the queen's gambit.
All this said, you have far too many opening books. In how many of those 200 games did the result really depend on your opening knowledge, and could you show one of them? Because it'd be a really rare thing on your level.
Don't know anything about the English.
Hello ! I am currently studying my first 200 games or so on chess.com, looking to see how I might improve. Obviously, I need to work on tactics and stop dropping pieces. But I am also looking into changing my opening repretoire.
Right now, for black I play Caro-Kann/Slav/Semi-Slav. I am very happy with that.
For white, I studied out of an old Soltis book which combined Colle System, Torre Attack, and Stonewall Attack. It was very poorly organised, and hard to determine when to switch out of the Colle (as there are limits to the Colle, and they are serious ones....) So, I am looking for a change... While I appreciate the "not getting clobbered in the first 10 moves" aspect of the Colle, I often feel cramped. I do not want a wide open king pawn game, but I do not want all of my pieces stuck on one side of the board, either.
Now, I have books on Colle, Torre, and the Trompowski - and I am about to check out a Gary Lane book "Ultimate Colle" from the library. So I am looking into "fixing" the Colle part of my repretoire, while looking for other alternatives. I hear the Catalan is all the rage - 5 years ago it was the Trompowski. I am concerned that everyone will be overbooked/ready for it. I still remember, the last time I tried to play chess, running into a lot of pet lines against the Tromp as I played (or tried to play) the Colle...
So, first question : Catalan or Trompowksi ? Do my concerns have merit ?
Second question : Should I simply start pushing 2 c4 and go into the mainline QGA/QGD ?
Third question : ...and while we are talking about c4, what of the English ? And why does everyone push g3 Bg2 !? That looks too KIA to me. Not the English I remember.....
I thank you in advance for your replies.