1. e4 doesn't always guarantee sharp tactical play in much the same manner that 1. d4 doesn't always guarantee quiet positional play. To play chess productively, you have to learn, use and improve both your positional and tactical abilities. There is no opening that will make you "better". Try various openings. Get a feel for the different positions they produce. For theoretical positional understanding, you could read Nimzowitsch's "My System". Everything else you get through experience :)
Improve Positional Play by doing D4???
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And also... If you want to "learn" chess, you should avoid playing blitz. Blitz is based on speed and reaction time, rather than real deep understanding of the position. You simply have no time for that in blitz. Try the long time controls (i.e. 15 or more minutes).
well as far as I see it, improvement on positional play is done by learning positional ideas, not by simply playing a different opening move. However, switching to d4 may increase the chances of getting into closed positions, where positional play would matter more.
Jan 21, 2013
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#5
There is no such fact that d4 is a coming-of-age transition for a chess player. Some players switch ... some don't .
Play what you like and play according to your temperament. You picked e4 for a reason ... there are very few reasons to change that and a million good reasons NOT to :)
At the club levels, changing openings is not going to magically boost your rating ... unless you were playing trash that made you lose in less than 5 moves. Instead, you're going to be wasting time learning copious amounts of new "knowledge" while masking the real source of your problems with the game ... which will inevitably follow you into your new opening like a loyal dog :)
If I was you, I'd rather spend time figuring out why I'm not getting any better playing the openings I do ...
- Are you following good opening guidelines?
- Are you playing slow + serious games and giving your brain a chance to calculate thoroughly, analyze lines and look at the nuances behind each position?
- Are you missing tactical shots regularly (if you are, you'll miss them in your d4 openings as well!)
- Are you just plain uncomfortable with the positions you are reaching with your current opening choices?
You should play the openings that you understand and feel comfortable with. Its a constant weakness of lower rated players that we keep chopping and changing openings without ever really getting to grips with any of them.
Theres no 'best' opening system, look at the unfashionable lines Carlsen plays as White, he doesn't care about getting an advantage in the first dozen moves because he feels confident he can outplay his opponent in the middle or endgame. Also, he avoids any Black opening preparation this way, a major consideration at the highest level.
Is that true I am rated 1450 in blitz always played e4 is it now time to buckle up and play d4 to get better? What would be jolly good opening for white then? Thanks guys