Whom Should I Study?

I'd like to read about and study from a master that enjoys playing the way I like to. I'm only at a beginner's level, but there are certain patterns that I like to follow, for instance:

The "birdie" opening - So many of you liked the term from my first thread here so I kept it . Some of you helped me with the names of players known to use this opening, but looking for a little more substance.

I LOVE bringing out my Queen - Maybe this makes me an aggressive player, but a safe game bores me to pieces. Is this a terrible thing, and are there other players that enjoy the danger?

I must learn how to use and dominate with my knights and pawns as well. I never give these pieces the credit they deserve, especially the knights. I must come out knowing how to just glance at the board and know how to situate my knights (easier said than done I bet).

While I'm sure there are books that would cover this material at a much more suitable level for me, I'm more interested in exploring the game through a champion that enjoys dominating (let's say "wrecking") with their Queen, knights, and pawns. It would help if the read is enjoyable and less text-book like as well.

Incidentally, I'm a bit shy about playing on-line and I only play against the computer and my son. I think the main reason is I feel the need to think about my moves and not rush through. I might consider playing live if it will improve my game. I'm at intermediate with the computer now (lol, I know big whoop!) Thanks, I look forward to reading your posts!

Oh right, the Birdie Opening! I still love that one... 

I do though have to wonder if that opening is best for you, based upon what you're saying.  I mean, play whatever you feel most comfortable with of course...but I would think that 1 e4 might be more up your alley.  It's easier to develop and whip up attacks that way.

A couple things to bear in mind:

Of course there are players with riskier styles than others, but every successful player has to have some sense that the risk must be at least fairly well justified (or--obviously--they won't be terribly successful in the long run).

I think most good players enjoy "dominating" with whatever is on hand to do the job; having too marked a preference for one piece or another will I think only hamper you over time.

And I don't think that being able to situate your knights at a glance is all that important (unless you're playing bullet of course!).  Fortunately for us, we do get a fairly good-sized chunk of time on our clocks...

I can't really think of a player specifically to emulate with the traits you've enumerated...but it's hard to imagine that you could go wrong with Morphy.  He has attacks galore and a remarkable number of beautiful games.  Of course, his openings are very old-fashioned indeed, but once you get to the middle game things generally start to heat up considerably (although a few of his opponents don't even make it that far...lol).

Well if its agression you want, names that come to mind initially are Tal and Alekhine.

After a little thought, I can add Nezhmetdinov, though his games may be harder to find since I think the Soviet Union tried to keep him under wraps back in the 50's and 60's.

For beginners (which includes everyone who isnt a master, like me) games of players from half a century ago, like the names above, are probably a little better than current players because their games are easier to understand.

Tal's biography is also just a lot of fun to read through, he fills his game collection with good stories.

And as Andy said above Morphy is good too, though I dont know if anyone has ever actually put a game collection together for him.

Here's the one I have:

And I used to have this one (nice to look at, but Lowenthal's notes are generally pretty cumbersome and lame):

Andy, thanks for your reply! I'm completely with you, I MUST be flexible. It was hard for me to pin down characteristics of play to narrow down who I should follow.

Would you say that you favor certain pieces when you play? My son is a decent player, I can say with certainty he favors his knights. I will sacrifice them when I can for a better piece - he rarely gives his up.

Thanks Invisible, I'll have to look into Tal's biography as well as Andy's rec for Morphy

I favor the strongest pieces.   And it's not a sacrifice when you're getting a better piece for it...except from your opponent's point of view (heehee!).

Birdie opening? Like the Lasker-Pelikan?

The reason you won't find a lot of high level players bringing the queen out early is that can be very disastorous against another solid player.

If you do like that style though you may want to look into the Scandinavian opening for black. The whole premise of it is to capture the center pawn with your queen on move 2. Can't get the queen out any earlier than that.

I don't mean to be harsh, but it's very hard to improve if you stick only to unorthadox openings or ignore opening principals.  They are great for cheap shots in blitz (esp. if you are knowledgeable about the middlegames and endgames that arise from these openings) but in reality, there are very sound reasons to start with more classical openings.  You are building a foundation NOW and it's a pain in the butt when your house blows down, and you have to rebuild it.  For aggression, I like Tal, Fischer and Morphy. 

p.s. Don't bring your queen out to early!! Study the engame and middlegame- that's where concreate improvement lies...

I tend to disagree with this.  I think improvement consists of constantly rebuilding your house after it blows down. 

 Possibly. His tactics were a little Byzantine, however, his goals were pretty simple to understand: mate!

Tal Biography

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Games-Mikhail-Tal/dp/1857442024

One of my favorites. And I have many favorites!

Thank you Andy, I think you understood that my goal atm is not to win games but to gain a better understanding through a particular style, which will make learning more enjoyable for me in the long run. Btw I started reading a little bit about Morphy on the internet - fascinating!

Wowzie, I enjoy playing my Queen, it doesn't mean that I enjoy bringing her out early. As far as openings go, e4 proved to be much easier for me than Bird - which is exactly why I'm exploring this opening. I'll be looking into a few other openings as well. While I'm not stuck on the latter, I am enjoying it atm.