How Do You Like Opponent's Ratings...

I have a very high win rate with the London.

I've been having fun vs the London lately, getting some positions they're not used to.

Step 1) Put a pawn on d6 because London players love to put a knight on e5 and sacrifice it for no reason, then beat you anyway.

Step 2) I expand a bit awkwardly on the queenside with a6, b5 c5 stuff.

Does that actually work?

I wanna see a diagram.

I play a hippo hybrid thing with a knight on f6. Just Nf6, and after BF4, I just play b6, Bb7, d6, g6, etc

I just play the London.

And hope my opponents blocks their c-pawn with the knight and positions awkwardly, and plays e6 before bringing their bishop out so the diagonal isn't easily contested.

Then usually I say to myself, "YOLO, I'm attacking their king" and I win.

I'm trying this vs colle and london at the moment. Just played this game, and it's a pretty reasonable example of how the structure can become weird and the queenside is sort of suspicious for both players.

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is that why ur rating stagnated

on a more serious note, you can't really improve or get differnt positions playing the london. I watched this kid in the Chess Lounge discord play a 3min game, they premoved f6 Kf7 g6 and their opponent literallly played f4, e3, c3, Nd2 

it was gross

ha, if I could handle those positions better, I'd be able to play 1.b4 and win. Alas...

Pretty much the only reason I play the London is to attack their king. Plus, there is that one advantage of them losing on time by falling asleep.

Dude, if you play the london to attack their king, you're better off with the colle, not gonna lie.

I play the London cause it's simple. And one mistake won't end the game.

I gtg cause I'm at my school chess club.

I wouldn't mind mainline London stuff in a 2 hour game OTB, but yeah, for online blitz I find it pretty annoying, not gonna lie (me either).

dude, seriously, the colle is better for attacking. Try zukertort colle or the phoenix attack (david rudel's recommended line)

and you're lucky that your chess club actually meets in some way... my high school chess team has met around THREE times this entire year, and we're supposed to meet weekly. Always something happening on the school coach's side, usually related to his work. Understandable, but annoying.

yes, it was more like a self internal battle, not an accusation that you're a coward (sorry if it seemed that way)

For example, yesterday I broke my previous record of 2246 with a high blitz rating of 2271, and i told all my friends about it and followed it up with "I'm gonna sit on that rating and play on lichess now for my 3min games"

unfortunately that same voice in my head started up again, "if you can't maintain your rating at that level you don't deserve to flex on people with it"

so basically I had to play more games.

That's interesting.

I wonder how much is due to people are willing to try unconventional stuff when they're facing someone 200+ points lower than them though.

I can just outplay children in mainlines, but in higher risk games I'll throw it to hell. Time to play actual chess.

But yeah, goldenbeer has a point. Recently I've been trying this new exchange slav idea with a bishop on f4, just play f3, e3, Bd3, Ne2, g4, h4, etc... as white, of course. I have some nice wins in that line. King goes to f2. 

Lower rated players would not do those kinds of things because it's drilled into them, "don't weaken your kingside", etc.

Probably they would improve if they threw those rules out the window like I did when I got wallopped multiple times when my opponents would just sac an exchange on move 5 and win in under 25 moves with their king in the open.

to anyone who wants a logo