Attack or react

Since I'm fairly new to the game and it's strategies, I was wondering how people play? Do you usually attack and therefore try to gain the upper hand, or do you prefer to react to your opponents attacks? Is the one better then the other?

When I play, at my newbie level that is, I usually just react to my opponent andit feels like this is a big reason I loose in such a spectacular way

So, what is your way of playing?

Generally, you always want your moves to do as much (As many things) as possible.  But there will also be times when you need to react to what your opponent is doing.  Its normal for beginner/newbies to react to what their opponent is doing. 

There's a saying in chess that "only the attacker wins."

Obviously this is something of an oversimplification, but at a certain point you have to take charge of the game if you want to win. This is especially true because attack is easier than defense. Learning how to be aggressive and creative in attack will win you a lot of games at your level, and you can start figuring out defense later, as it becomes an issue. 

Opening Principles:

1. Control the center squares – d4-e4-d5-e5
2. Develop your minor pieces toward the center – piece activity is the key
3. Castle
4. Connect your rooks

Tactics...tactics...tactics...

The objective of development is about improving the value of your pieces by increasing the importance of their roles. Well-developed pieces have more fire-power than undeveloped pieces and they do more in helping you gain control.

Now we will look at 5 practical things you can do to help you achieve your development objective.

They are:

1. Give priority to your least active pieces.

• Which piece needs to be developed (which piece is the least active)
• Where should it go (where can its role be maximized)

2. Exchange your least active pieces for your opponent’s active pieces.
3. Restrict the development of your opponent’s pieces.
4. Neutralize your opponent’s best piece.
5. Secure strong squares for your pieces.

Don’t help your opponent develop.

There are 2 common mistakes whereby you will simply be helping your opponent to develop:

1. Making a weak threat that can easily be blocked
2. Making an exchange that helps your opponent to develop a piece

Pre Move Checklist:

1. Make sure all your pieces are safe.
2. Look for forcing moves: Checks, captures, threats. You want to look at ALL forcing moves (even the bad ones) as this will force you look at, and see the entire board.
3. If there are no forcing moves, you then want to remove any of your opponent’s pieces from your side of the board.
4. If your opponent doesn’t have any of his pieces on your side of the board, then you want to improve the position of your least active piece.
5. After each move by your opponent, ask yourself: "What is my opponent trying to do?"

I like the thought process here, but I think the answer is "a bit a both." 

Certainly, one can't win be only reacting to the opponent's ideas - that is an easy way to lose. However, one can't blindly play uncoordinated premature attacks (like one-move threats) and hope to win against decent opponents either. With that said, there needs to be a balance of your ideas versus your opponent's ideas. You should always have some "plans" or ideas, even if it is as simple as "I'll develop this piece to a better square." Always play "your ideas" and when you think your opponent is about to launch a plan of their own (could be an attack, but there are many other plans too), then you should balance by shifting priorities from your ideas to address how to combat what the opponent is trying to do (prophylaxis). 

Basically, one should not be "too defensive/passive" because you will never snag the initiative and never play out any of your threatening possibilities. However, one should not be "too self-focused" either, you do have an opponent after all; you sometimes need to pause your plans to prevent theirs from working. 

The question is when to "pause" your immediate plan and when to attack? This is a much tougher question to answer. In fact the answer may not be objective, it may even include chess personality and preference; even GMs don't always agree. Obviously, every chess position will entail different "plans" to go with them - but deciding what to do is often the type of debate chess players get into. 

IMBacon posts some good advice and post #5 might be good examples of "plans" you could try in a game. The important thing (especially at beginner level) is to try to follow through with whatever "plan(s)" you come up with; too often players start one operation, then get distracted by an opponent idea, then never return to "continue" their "paused" idea. Sure, you may be executing the "wrong" plan for the situation - but at least you can learn from that game. It is difficult to learn anything from your games if "your play" is non-existent and your opponent is pulling the strings.

Try to keep "the initiative" when you can, but don't fall into "hope chess" - hoping that your opponent may "miss" one of your threats. These ideas I mentioned you may have heard before (and perhaps some ideas are new to you), but this is essentially what chess is about. At face value, playing your own plans out sounds simple (and it is). Of course, truly mastering these subtle variables to factor in is much more difficult and why chess is often perceived as a difficult game to become "good at." 

Luckily, like anything else: chess is actually fairly simple is you give it some time and patience. Maybe becoming a GM is not so simple, but playing chess in general can be. Remember, if you have fun, you won; you probably won't be playing GMs too often. Most of the time you will play chess against friends and players rated around your level. 

I guess what I am saying is basically that you should try to play your plans, but be wary of your opponent's ideas too; and of course perhaps most important is to try to have fun. Ironically, players often play best when they are having fun or have slight nervousness; the moment that chess not longer becomes fun is probably the moment when your play will become worse. 

Good luck and have fun

Thank you three for yur comments, especially KeSetoKaiba for your extensive answer and IMBacon for your detailed answer and play analysis...I willheed your advices!!