I encountered a similar problem a while back. (back when I was still good at chess.) I managed to overcome it by looking positionally unsound openings. There are literally hundreds out there. Eventually, after losing my hat game after game, I decided on the English opening. I found it unique, and a completely opposite my usual play style. To this day I am still suprised by the blunders I find in both mine, and my opponents games when I play the English. Just my two cents, but it seems this problem derives from openings that have been played to death (not a bad thing, mind you), and have book "openings" going all the way to the endgame. I believe it was Kasparov who once described a match where the entire game, start to finish, was by the book. He knew it, his opponent (I forget who at the time) didn't. While his opponent struggled and tormented over every move, Kasparov didn't so much as break a sweat to win the game. So I'd say change up your opening repetoire.
Only a draw. How not to play mistake free chess?
Yeah, changing up your opening repertoire seems like a possible solution. You even said "I'm more tactical than strategic player, and I kind of solved that problem by playing gambits when I'm white. But what to do in situations like this one? "
Have you tried just going for sharper openings as black? Vs d4...I dunno, a grunfeld or something?
I just started looking more at the english opening and I like it, I played it for some time. But as I told in post before, right now, KG, Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, some of Danish gambit, Evans when I was younger... are what I like.
But when you speak of changing openings... I can't remember playing gambits as a black. W8 a min, I NEVER played gambits as a black!! Why didn't I ever try Budapest, Benko, Blumenfeld? I need new topic for this.
Is there any black gambiter here who could illuminate me about this?
I've been playing the Budapest for years. Give it a try, you might like it...
I know all about Budapest, and the rook maneuver, and the tactics. Only I never played it. It's just that I was never a good defender. And I was always reluctant to open up game as black. And to this day now, I close up every time I play black. I just play to safe. I have traumas when I was kid and got first fools mate. That created substantial, lasting damage to the psychological development of a chess player in me. - drops dead -
Are there any playable gambits for black after 1.e4?
Well, yeah, I suppose so, but Black gambits are normally risky. But that does'nt mean you can't have fun.
For a few months now I've been playing the Schliemann against the Spanish, love it.
For years, I've been playing the 2 Knights against Nf3+Bc4. If they try for the Fried liver, I play the Fritz Variation with Nd4. A little offbeat, but good enough to have beaten Bobby Fischer at least once.
Against the Scotch, I play a very early Qh4, good fun
if you are gonna reply d4 with d5 then game becomes positional. If you want to avoid that, try the budapest gambit. If you want to improve on your positional play, watch the IQP videos on chess.com by IM Rensch.
Btw, you can download some free engines Houdini, fire, stockfish etc with free clients Scid/Arena to analyze the game. Btw, 10... Bxc5 was clearly an inaccuracy which Houdini identified easily, but Chessmaster wouldn't have.
This game is perfect example of why I stopped playing chess for some time. No fireworks. I got to the point where I play mistake free chess. And thats it. With weaker players thats just enough. I w8 for them to make first "OH, YOUR OPPONENT BLUNDERED", and pick it up from there. But in this game I did not have that chance. I'm more tactical than strategic player, and I kind of solved that problem by playing gambits when I'm white. But what to do in situations like this one? How to get around strategy and fire up game a little bit?
CM 12 (chess master) did not find many mistakes in this game.
First Nc6 than 0-0, bxc5 not Bxc5, e5 much earlier, c4 before dxc5, Bb8 not Bf8... Besides missing 29.Nd4 and losing a pawn, and end game where we both are with 20 sec left, and I lost on time not very bad of a game.
My question is, how could I make the game more interesting early, what is best way to avoid positional play without entering end game very early, and exchanging pieces.
The tactician knows what to do when there is something to do; whereas the strategian knows what to do when there is nothing to do