Annoyingly, the Grunfeld has been giving me a lot of trouble. What's most bothersome about that is that when I used to play OTB tournaments in my previous chess life, it was my primary defense to d4! But in Online chess here, I've been getting my hat handed to me on both sides of it. I've pretty much abandoned it from the Black side, and no matter what variation I try as White, I'm ending up poorly -- all draws and losses. In none of the other dozen or so openings I've played have I had such a mystifying loss of competence.
Which Opening Gives You Grief?
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Jul 30, 2009
0
#23
Well, the omission of d4 makes that a pretty different opening altogether; it looks like it'll transpose to the Russian variation if you play d4. Anyway,I have a better anti-Grunfeld system than that up my sleeve, if I need it. But as a longtime player of the Black side, I always felt the Exchange variation was the most testing continuation, so I'm sticking to my guns. It just annoys me that I've read the better part of 3 books on the Grunfeld, probably more than any other opening, and I'm still stinking it up!
Jul 30, 2009
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#24
In tournament play I tend to play worst (statistically and in terms of comfort) against the English, although I've recently picked up a few lines which should be adequate to force transposition into something less... boring.
I'm never too happy when I face the Kings gambit. I have a very adequate system against it and haven't lost in tournament or correspondence time controls since I started competing OTB... but it's still annoying because your opponent is stating on move two that he intends to directly play for cheapo's for the rest of the game ... Again, can't complain because I haven't lost to it and my opponents have rarely even saved draws!
Any d4 opening makes me nervous..
As of the this summer where I've beening hanging around 1950-2000, the opening I don't like playing against is the Sicilian. It's not that I find it particularly hard or anything. I do pretty well against it, and I've played it and played against it dozens and dozens and dozens of times. It's just for some reason, I find it really boring to play against the Sicilian as White because I feel like everyone and their mom is trying to emulate Fischer and Kasparov with their tournament repertoire.
I just find myself falling asleep and bored when my opponent throws a Najdorf or Scvnengieneingnian or whatever it's called my way. I really don't know how to explain it. It's kind of like how Fischer said out of all the defenses to 1. e4, the one that he just didn't like seeing was the French. I mean, he's Mr. 1. e4 and probably has the ability of crushing the French down to a science, but yeah, it's weird.
"Mr. 1. e4 and probably has the ability of crushing the French down to a science, but yeah, it's weird."
Fischer was (comparitively) terrible against the french 0.o.
The ruy lopez bothers me. But not so much that it causes sleepless nights and premature gray hair.
Right now it's the Slav because EVERYONE plays it over the board, there is a boatload of theory, and I haven't decided what lines I like best against it.
e4 when im playing black I have no respones to it besides the alkenline defense. also when i face the enlish opening or reti
oi, the french as black or white, either just dont seem to work out for me at all in any way possible, probably its how i lose the fastest.
I keep having problems as White against the French.
A lot of you out there are having trouble against the French. As I said before, white or black, I always seem to lose a pawn in that opening.
Take solace in the fact some guy named Bobby Fischer didn't excel by his
standards at the French either.
Aug 20, 2009
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#34
The openings I hate playing against would have to be both the london and the torre attack. I still haven't come up with satisfactory lines against either one.
My opening nemesis tends to be the Scandinavian. It seems like such a stupid opening, but it gives me headaches every time.
Update: My problem line is no longer the slav complex as I have decided upon some good lines. Now it is the old indian setup, so solid and passive and hard to squeeze. Damn the old indian.
I hate everything about the Benoni.
Definitely Sicillian. too much theory for my brain!
The Dutch...
Three big ones for me.
I used to hate the Grunfeld until I started playing it myself and found out how to manage the Bishop better.
The alapin anti sicilian catches me out every time: I have an awful record against it.
I hate the Slav. I can't stand either going the pawn down or getting into a symmetrical position which bores me into making mistakes.