How to create threats? (Rapid, 10min, 1700-2000)

Hello fellow players,

How did you improve your "creating a threat" skills in this game around 1800-2000 rapid level?

I try to move my pieces into active squares during the game, follow basic principals in the opening phase, and I do know some basic endgame techniques (never learnt to get king on the edge with Knight and bishop though) but some how I'm just unable to execute, how to create a decent threat/trap during the game? In the end it feels that I'm most of the time just trying to defend and unable to create counter play, and wondering how my opponents are able to create these threats so well...


I do puzzles, and I think that is on quite good level compared to my rapid rating, so it shouldn't be about tactics in general, but of course I do blunders during the games (currently nice losing streak going on), and so do my opponents.

I've been trying to play some sharp games as black to get more opportunities to create these threats. By default I'm not so into these chaotic games, but I try to get better by playing some of the lines, but they end up to disaster most of the times, yet I try to keep pushing:
e4, e5, Nf3, Nc6, Bc4, Nf6, Ng4, d5, exd5, Na5, Bb5+, c6, dxc6, bxc6
Or
e4, e5, f4, d5, exd5, exf4, Nf3, Nf6, c4, c6, dxc6, Nxc6
Or
Ruy López Opening: Marshall Attack, Modern, Main Line, but in this one I actually have pretty good win ratio.
If playing as white, I generally prefer Ruy López Opening: Morphy Defense, Columbus Variation
I might get nice piece activity on opponent's king side, but the "final" push is just lacking, but on the other hand there's no force mate available. I might be pushing, but I don't see how to continue, and then opponent is getting his/her position better move by move, and my advantage is gone.

If the game gets very symmetrical, then things gets tricky and I really have troubles to create anything, and I have the feeling that I'm the one who collapses in the end. Either I push too hard, or I play too passive and my opponent is able to break through

I would be interested to hear, if you've had similar thoughts during your games and how you got better in this "creating threats" theme. Did you start to look board differently some how, trying to think differently or something else?


-Ismo