The Draw Disease

Hi everyone.

      I have this curse or something.  Everytime I play in over the board tournaments almost all of my games are draws.  Basically all my games end up in opposite colored bishop endgames, symmetrical pawns, dead equal rook endgames.  What do I do?  This happens when I play people between like 1400 and 2300 and I only win randomly when my opponents mess up in endgame.  I basically never lose though (I haven't lost yet in my last 10 games) and 1/3 of my uscf games are draws. Basically the problem is I don't win enough games and I feel like its holding me back from increasing my uscf rating.  And I know this is not normal because I see people my level (around 2000 uscf) having like half wins and half losses and barely any draws.  

I could use some input!

Thanks!  

Try to avoid it. Play an opening with an asymmetrical pawn structure, In the middlegames where you see: ¨Hey, my opponent got bishop pair, and I got knight and darksquared bishop.¨ You shouldn't trade the knight for the darksquared bishop, since it's then drawn.

Continiue to play, it's possible to win opposite coloured bishops with rooks, Carlsen did show us that in Tata Steel. Just have a plan, it works.

Obviously not really at a level to advise you but logically it would seem playing for more unclear, inbalanced positions. 1/3 draws doesn't sound so bad though.

In your opinion what do you think are more imbalanced openings?  I'd like an explanation of how to avoid  symmetrical openings as it is not clear to me.  

Thanks

Not losing is a talent you shouldn't wish away....

haha.  I am not wishing it away; I would just like to expand and do more you know...

I already play the sicilian and have this problem.  C3 sicilian is a headache as black not because it gives white anything, but because after you pump out the theory it is so drawish.  

Okay Kings Indian...I pretty much believe Kings Indian is a terrible opening .  The classical and Bayonet lines are just smashing black.  

Grunfeld...This is pretty much too hard to understand lol.  

I know I sound like I just rejected all your options, but there is a problem with those.

I play QGD, slav, or Semislav against d4. and Sicilian, french, pirc, and petrov against e4.  I also have some garbage line alternatives to this that I play rarely over the board.  I've also recently experimented with the modern.  With White I play e4, d4, c4, nf3, b3, g3.  Everything, but 1. f4 basically.  

Yo broski, it's not yo opening that you need work on, it's what you do with the position afterwards. I've heard you think out loud when you play, you shy away from tactics, don't actively press for dynamic advantages, and trade pieces off for no apparent reason. 

Your openings are your strong suit, your middlegame sucks bro

Just keep drawing against people that are rated 2300 and your rating will soon go up.

Forgive me for my word choice lol.  I mean rarely losing.   

I'd like to keep drawing masters, but I also prefer winning xd; Also you don't always get paired with them. You'll always have to face lower rated players and drawing them is counterproductive.  Also yeah tactics aren't really a main feature of my games haha got to get them in somehow... 

Well, you have much better rating than me, so maybe i can not give much of advice, but i'll try.

With all of respect, it seems peculiar that you have problems with winning otb with 1400-1800 rated oponents. If i can say something out of experience, they have problems with strange played openings. Just play some not popular moves - d4 Nc3 as white.

Well, take care.

Peculiar is often bad.  For example, the veresov fits this category.  

@redchessman

Well, i think he is strong enough to play good moves against 1400-1800 in opening. Just getting out the book as soon as posible is good way to make troubles for guys with tht kind of rating.

Just keep the pieces on the board. Don't offer exchanges along the open file. In fact games with only open files should be avoided: Play on halfopen files or ''keep'' open files. (For example with 2 bishops or a bishop and a knight.)

Give pressure, mass the pieces and the player rated much lower will croak. Only enter the endgame with an edge. An even endgame is even OK. (Worse players cannot play them well.) I'm surprised about the opposite bishops. Just mind your pieces and don't exchange your last rook of course.

I'm aware that I'm not a great chess player, but I personally believe I have some really good advice for you red.

Well start with black.

Now you said that you have trouble winning with the sicilian. I have your solution. Don't believe me, fine. But i do.

Play the hyperaccelerated dragon vs. players that you think you should beat. The mainline gives black a virtually even midgame(look it up), and black's biggest issue is the famed Maroczy bind, which weaker players will avoid, or have no idea how to deal with the positional nuances associated with this opening choice. Obviously I'm assuming that you have some positional knowledge here, considering you're a 2000 rated player who avoids tactics lol.

Now vs 1.d5, I'm just gonna throw it out there to try the benko. It's a sound gambit. What more could you ask for to pwn a few 1800's? It'll be like christmas I promise.

As for white....one word. Grob.

QGD, slav, french and sicilian are giving you symmetrical pawn structures?

I mean the exchange french ok, but I guess the drawish tendencies mean two things.  You know your endgames better than your opponents and regularly save worse positions and/or the variations you choose involve too little risk.  1400 to 2300 is a big window.  vs players a class or two below you take some risks and make them work for the draw...

Or increase your endgame ability to that of Ulf Andersson and continue to take few risks   (Actually Ulf would accept interesting imbalances, his draws weren't a bunch of symmetrical pawn and opposite bishop stuff).

I am fine if they play main lines sicilians...its mostly c3 sicilian that is annoying.  It gives white absolutely nothing, but its hard for black to win if white isn't an idiot.  The Benko isn't good...there are some lines that score 70% for white (the a4 line).  Actually people haven't played d4 on me in a while.  It's just the c3 sicilian noobs.  every tournament no one is playing the open on me lol.  

You're right on the money! my opening repertoire is like 0 risk as long as I don't play like an idiot.  

Edit: Also yes qgd and slavs...its pretty hard to win with black if white plays for a draw.  

Well, I've heard Ulf would go for interesting ideas... but at the same time take nearly zero risks.  Maybe your ideas aren't challenging enough to bring out the mistakes in players a class under you?  I would actually suggest looking at some Ulf games if no risk is your style and you simply need new ideas.  What I mean is no risk chess doesn't have to mean a symmetrical boring position.

Although it may sound hilarious to suggest studying Ulf Andersson when a person is complaining about too many draws   But I think it has merit.  I believe the book Grandmaster Chess Strategy is more or less a game collection of his.

There are 3 different results. Win - draw - loss.
I dont see why 1/3 of all games being draws would be something special. 
Just look at Anand and imagine how he must feel.