Tips for playing a higher rated oppenent

People in my club play much worse and have higher rating. :o I said "for his rating", obviously his play wasn't top-notch and anyway, I guess even 1600 players wouldn't expect that bishop sacrifice. (they wouldn't respond with Nb8 though :P)

forget about Ratings, play the pieces and the position,do Your best,play aggressive do your best and make him think.

Why play agressive?

What looks like a dumb move is more than likely a trap. 

 When I said aggressive I meant don't play passively and waiting to be attacked,  players get afraid of high rated player and play very passive or defensive. I prefer fight from the beginning make a challenge for him and of course I get beaten mostly of the times but with a good fight.

Yes, one of the easiest ways to lose against a high-rated player is to play without an active plan.

Yes, as already written, be careful but not fearful. Higher-rated players do make mistakes. Don't play for traps, don't sacrifice at all costs, but don't hesitate to seize the initiative if you can.

Also, don't play an opening if you don't understand some concepts of it - because either he will get in a minor sideline, or know more moves than you of the mainline, and either way you are on your own to find a plan, so you must be able to do it. For instance : after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 (Alapin), if you didn't see that move before and go on with 3...Nc6 (?) continuing as if nothing strange happened you are on a dangerous slope (White plays 4.d4 and gets a strong center).

And if you have to choose between a little disadvantadge without much counterplay and an adventurous path, always choose the adventurous path. If his rating is well-earned, he will slowly crush you in the first case, when you have chances to swindle your way back in the second. I have been on both sides of the board of this kind of grin-and-win endgames where the strong side has to transform a very tiny advantadge into a win ; believe me, the weaker side always collapse under pressure.

If it looks like a trap, on the other hand....

Yup! Yes it's good practice to go all the way to an end game, bu the problem is most players who get past 1600, don't blunder when their up a full piece or even a pawn. Besides u'll get good practice and when to call it quits.

I strongly disagree with a lot of the comments about playing aggressively and not changing your style.  If I am playing a GM, it is better for me to apply a rope a dope strategy and play as dry as possible rather than playing an aggressive opening like najdorf.  I rather have drawing chances than just straight up losing.  There is a psychological aspect to otb chess.  If the position is drawn and the only way to continue to fight for a win is risky, ok i might play the risky continuation against a 1500, but not against a master.  You should always consider the situation and who you are playing in my opinion.  

Practice a lot of tactics, win or lose it would help.

I guess I have been guilty on both counts, underestimating lower rated players, and overestimating higher rated players. I know we should play the board not the game...but sometimes "the ghost" gets you. Some good advice here might be able to help us deal with these issues. An interesting question would be- Is it better to stay in book with a stronger player?...or leave early? Also, might a closed system be better against the stronger player, as opposed to an Open one?

It all depends on your opponent. If your higher-rated opponent is a tactician, play closed; if he plays one opening very well, try to play something outside of his preparation scope. 

General chess strategy is the same for everyone, even for lower-rated players.

If I offer a beginner a gambit and he takes it, I doubt he would have an easy time defending. If we play a very closed game, he has a much higher possibility of drawing.

i do better when i dont know the persons rating so i dont physce myself out

It doesn't really depend on your opponent so much as yourself. If you are +2300 and you are comfortable playing quiet positions, that may be a viable option. Thing is, I've seen +2700s tear apart 2500 rated fish who tried to sit back and defend countless times. I can only imagine what they'll do to a 2300 guppy. 

Definitely, don't be reckless in your play. If you have a solid repertoire based on the Caro-Kann for instance, don't leave your repertoire to play a super-sharp Najdorf because there's that one line that may catch a strong player out. 

Play within yourself, but close to the wind. And remember that your attitude has a huge impact on how well you play. Believe in yourself! If you see a move that you think is promising, analyse it as deeply as you can, then play it! Don't talk yourself out of that chance because it may lose material.

I also disagree with the suggestion to resign earlier than you normally would. You should resign when you know you are lost, you have no chance to save yourself, and you have learned everything you can from this game. That includes knowing the most efficient way to win. That's true no matter who you are playing against.

Hmm, but the advice may be different for a 1700 vs 2100 and a 2100 vs 2500.

1700 vs 2100, yeah you probably don't want to get a quiet position because you're not mature enough to read a position and be patient for a handful of moves I suspect.

But a 2100 vs 2500 hopefully they know how to slow play a position at that point.  In very sharp positions it's easier for the stronger player to show his skills.  In quiet positions as some have said all the stronger player really does it wait.  If you know these positions and your endgames then that's what I'd trust.

Not that passive play is ok, it's never ok.  Go for activity... as you would in any game.  What I seem to be hearing is try to settle it in the middlegame with wild complications.  If I'm not understanding correctly let me know :)

All this junk about play sharp stuff, blah blah blah is a bunch of bullsh*t.

Don't change your game simply because you are "playing up".  Play to your strengths.  If you are a positional player, and play the English as White and Slav and Caro-Kann as Black, don't just suddenly try to play the Max Lange Attack as White and Modern Benoni and Latvian Gambit as Black simply because it will sharpen the game.  Play what you always play!

If you are playing garbage like 1.e4, 2.Bc4, 3.Qh5 every game, that's your own fault that you are playing coffeehouse chess and you should break such habits immediately, even if your opponent is 800, that's just outright bad chess from the start.  But as long as you play normal moves that follow the proper opening concepts, even though you may only be 1300, don't change anything simply because some 2300 guy comes and sits across from you.

I'm 2100 over the board.  When I sit down to face say, a 1500, I can usually tell who is actually playing their normal game, which I'll usually win, but it takes time to execute, versus those that are playing out of their own game just to sharpen the position (they usually get destroyed in under 20 moves), versus others who play garbage like mentioned above, trying for the scholar's mate, and those I simply say nothing to unless they try to tell me that they had me and should have won, then I'll actually tell them outright that as long as they continue to throw the Bishop and Queen out like that, they'll never get better!

When playing a higher rated player such as a grandmaster, play whatever opening you have the most knowledge in. It does not matter if it is a Caro Khan. or the Center Counter with 1. e4  d5  2. exd5  Qxd5 or the Goring Gambit two pawn sacrifice with 1. e4  e5  2. Nf3 Nc6  3. d4  exd4  4. c3  dxc3 4. Bc4 cxb2 5. Bxb2.

Also, if the higher rated player offers a draw and if the position is not already a pretty dead draw, do not accept but instead try to figure out why the higher rated player believes he has the worse game or a lost game.

Or he believes it's a draw :D

Oh, I think I see what they're saying now.

Basically the advice is that passive play is bad no matter who your opponent is, but it's especially deadly against a much higher rated player.  So it may be tempting to curl up in a ball and play for a draw, but it's a sure way to lose.

If that's the advice, then I agree