An attack on the king has to be positionally justified--you can't just attack out of nowhere.
To get to 1800+, 2000+ or whatever you need to get rid of /improve your weakest link which is different for different people --something Dan Heisman has said many times. If you don't have a feel for the initiative for example, then perhaps you can look at Tal games.
I'll do that LavaRook, look at Tal games. Do YOU use lots of sac plays? (being near 2000 yourself)
That's all I've been studying to do - "improving your position". It just seems games are dull and often go down to just a few pieces, sort of end of the end game. Then whomever 'lucks' into a good pin or fork or has the jump to promote a pawn, wins. A few days ago I learned the Greco Gambit and it was and is very exciting, although it doesn't happen much. So I thought maybe I should learn a handful of 'sac' plays. Then I saw the Fried Liver Attack - I think even Bobby Fischer tried to use it but it went awry and of course being who he was, he still was able to abandon it when he saw it wasn't working out, and still turn it into a great game.
Okay, I like the walking the 'tightrope' that Kenpo talked about. I AM constantly looking for attacking plays, not passively playing, as I like to gain or keep the intiative. Guess I am going through the typical growing pains of a 1400 player, looking to get to 1700.
Thanks all.
Knowing how to attack and play with the initiative is a very important skill. You shouldn't skip it in your development.
Besides it's fun, and it's easier to play crazy when you're at 1400 than when you're 1700 or up.
Thanks Anthony, I DO look at my games with computer analysis, but should pay more attention to mistakes. Am studying now a few sac type plays and can see it's helping. Have pretty much learned the Fried Liver Attack, know pretty well the Greco Gambit now (Bxh7) and a friend showed me the full Danish, so will work on it next. Any other popular attacking/sac opening or plays anyone would recommend? Laurent?
I've been learning traditional positional play. Games are long and someone said, a bit boring. Should one be learning also the old style of Tal sacrifice attacks? To achieve 1800+, does one need to develop a great many sac type plays? I guess I'm also asking, should I just continue with my current learning, positional solid development play, or also start learning some Tal type sac plays, which are certainly more exciting, and the games are often over under 25 moves.