Kingside Attacks

Hello,

I've been playing chess for about a year now, and have noticed over time that I have a definite preference for queenside play.  According to an article I read on this site recently, this isn't typical and many players prefer to target the kingside.  I don't understand this, as prospects when your opponent has castled kingside seem to be limited to certain well known patterns (bishop sacrifices on h7, queen and knight quick mating attacks, queen opposite the king pinning the pawn in front of it etc.) This coupled with the fact that there never seems to be much space on the kingside puts me off, and makes me favour the queenisde where there seems to be a much wider variety of opportunities. 

I can only think of one game where I successfully launched a kingside attack, and that was only because my opponent played very passively and failed to develop.  

Can anyone offer any insight into this?  Could it be because of the openings I play? (1. d4 as white and French Defence against 1. e4)  Thanks.

I can't offer much insight into this problem/preference. I just wanted to say that I feel similarly. My eye for seeing when it is benefitial to attack the Kingside if fine, the problem is that I'm not good at it. The problem could lie with your tactics, I think that's where mine lies. Improve your tactics.

The problem is probably that you do not have enough knowledge of how to do a successful king side attack. 

Situations where it is correct to do a king side attack come up fairly frequently unless you are playing a lot of openings for which only queenside play is appropriate.   

The French Defense does usually result in queenside play but that is only one of the openings you play.

I understand completely because the king itself covers squares on the kingside (assuming kingside castling or no castling by the opponent) whereas the queen can easily switch sides with no obstructions.  If f7 is blocked by a knight and defended by a king and rook while h7 is covered by a knight and in general equal material on a square favors the defender since the attacker initiates the exchange sequences the defender will win material.  An unsuccessful attack can also lead to a favorable endgame for the opponent so carefully judge the position, especially looking at piece activity, pawn structure and center, and the opponent's potential counterplay.  You also shouldn't attack the king for its own sake but rather what you can get out of it.  If you gain a small positional advantage after the attack then that's an advantage you didn't have before so it's good to attack to obtain positional compensation.  

 The drawback to targeting the king via the queenside is you leave your own kingside weak.  

The opponent may have weaknesses on the queenside you can target to ensure a superior endgame.  

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