whenthe_nightcomes wrote:
Hello! Iam acually struggling to find an opening which is good against 1.e4. I used to play the sicilian but people are well versed in that area... please help me find a good opening
That's a pretty funny question from someone whose ratings suggest he is a better player than 98% of the rest of those here.
If the sicilian isn't working, try the french or pirc. The pirc gets a bad reputation but I don't know why. There are so many ways to play the pirc defense that you can choose one that flows with you.
The french defense is a solid defense but gives you chances to play for a win. There are also many ways to play the french defense, some are solid and positional while others are more fighting. Both aren't too theoritical, just understand the ideas. If you pm me I can help you with both openings.
@2much i PMED u anyone else pls help!
My question remains. With an 1800+ blitz rating, you either already know way more about openings than 97% of the people here or something is very wrong with your rating.
Which is it?
whenthe_nightcomes wrote:
look i just play good chess and 2-3 openings
Looking at your archives, it appears that you mostly win against players rated 400 points below you. You also mostly play unrated games. It's obvious why you do that.
Why not play a normal random selection of players and find out what your real rating should be?
i reached 1800 after a long struggle so taking a break and enjoying some quiet unrated games.. i will play rated from now
Playing against e4 is extremely challenging. I know because I play e4 as white almost exclusively. When people play against my Ruy Lopez they get wrecked.
the thing i fear is the sicilian! As white i have no problems finding a repotorie but as black i struggle to find something against 1 e4
The Sicilian is rather simple. Friend me and come on live, I'll show you a line or two using my new analysis board abilities that comes with my new diamond membership! Wew'
I have struggled to find a defense to 1e4 that I am comfortable with for over 50 years, to no avail. Have given up. I just trot out different schemes and look to play chess.
I mostly use the French and have a good win ratio with it, I suggest you at least give it a try.
There are various ways, depending on your strengths and preferences:
1. The good ol' Philidor/Italian/Ruy Lopez. I actually wouldn't recommend these unless you're booked up on the Ruy Lopez. It's too easy to fall into passive positions as black and people tend to know the solid lines so well,even at beginner level, that you can get stuck in a passive position as black if you don't know the specific lines.
2. French Defense. My favorite opening against e4 as black. Worth learning just to learn how to play against a blocked or semiblocked pawn structure. The main pro as well as con of the French - most of the games will have heavy positional elements. So if you're mainly a tactician and weak in closed positions, you'll have some problems. I seem to do well in these closed, positional games, which require less tactical fireworks and more finesses.
3. Sicilian. I love the Sicilian defense, and I think it's the best tactical response to e4. You gotta know what you're doing as black though - it's not that friendly to - 'just play c5 and hope for the best.'
4. Pirc/Modern - Even GMs don't understand this opening fully, and they freely admit it. I think the Pirc/Modern (especially the Modern) leads to the most complicated of lines, where it's unclear who's winning quite often, and positions are a total mess, breaking all the classical principles as black. that said, I have a pretty good win ratio with it, despite the weird feeling of futzing my way through it as black, since apparently white is just as confused as I am - most players including GM/IMs seem to have the same assessment as black. It's definitely one opening where as black, you intentionally break MANY classical rules - it's very COMMON for me as black to: play a6 super early (not a wasted tempo!), don't castle (ever), play an early Nh6 (looks bizarre, but can be a key move), and let white dominate the center with pawns while you might play d6 e6 and then do a kside or qside pawnstorm. It's def the weirdest 'playable' opening for black, imo.
Hello! Iam acually struggling to find an opening which is good against 1.e4. I used to play the sicilian but people are well versed in that area... please help me find a good opening