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mattdw

3/12/2006
05:04:21
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Subject: Sharp openings?

Message:
I was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of the most tactically intense (I'm assuming that's what sharp means) openings for both black and white, I'm not really fussed about winning at the moment just improving, I feel that playing these types of games at the moment might be quite helpful (not to mention more fun!). I don't really have an opening repetoire as such and I don't really want one just yet to be honest, just some ideas to set the games off in a direction that would be most condusive to my tactical development.

At the moment with white I play the Guico Piano with the hope of entering the Fegatello attack (Fried liver) which always seems to result in some interesting play for both sides. I don't really have an specific opening preferences with black at the moment, I just kinda push the pieces around and hope for the best! ;)

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Matt

gambiter

3/12/2006
05:22:05
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e4 c5 Nf3 d6 d4 cxd4 Nxd4 Nf6 Nc3 g6

Message:
The sicilian dragon is a sharp opening as black. It leads to highly tactical positions in whick white attack kingside and black attacks queenside. If this doesn't suit you, you could always just play the Najdorf sicilian. It is very theoretical and if one side makes a little slip it could be the end! The Najdorf is filled with traps! i hope this helps!

Gambiter

mattdw

3/12/2006
06:16:54
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Message:
Thanks! I'll note that one down and try it in blitz today then I'll give it a go in the next game I play as black.

masros

3/12/2006
09:13:54
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Message:
Go for Sicillian Sveshnikov!.Both black and white have equal chances of winning.Dragon is too dangerous for player who do not have enough experiences.Nadjorf also ok but very risky for white.I rarely play it.I also play Guico Piano, unexperience black player will easily outplayed.

masros

3/12/2006
09:15:37
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ccmcacollister

3/12/2006
10:40:23
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Some favs ...

Message:
Polugaevsky Najdorf, Goring Gambit, French Winawer Poisoned Pawn mainline, King's Indian Mar del Plata or Samisch Vars. , Sicilian Dragon was very theoretically volitile with 2 or 3 innovations occurring in the course of your game during the 80's. Don't know if that still applies. (But delightful for corr play, there has been 'mistaken' GM analysis put out there on it, by more that one GM. And on Both sides of it :)
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, Smith-Morra Gambit, KGA, Alekhines Defense, Caro-Kann 2 Knights non-exchange var.(h3 Bh5) , Nimzo-Indian with ...b6 and WT pawn sac on c3 ...
There are some for starters. In general you can look to Tal's games. And if he played it, it's almost certain there is going to be some way it can be made tactically interesting imo. It you play your pawns like Tal, rather than Nimzovich, you'll maximize line opening opportunities (& thus minimize opponents chances to make it untactical).

ionadowman

3/12/2006
11:45:24
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Tal didn't tend to go in for sharp openings...

Message:
...as I recall (though a few were tried against him). Perhaps I ought to rephrase that. The sharp openings he did play were highly theoretical and difficult, like the Naidorf Sicilian (either side), King's Indian (either side), Modern Benoni, Ruy Lopez, Nimzo-Indian... He tended to explore more pugnacious lines in these openings, but deferred the tactical stuff until well into the opening, early middlegame. ('m conscious of generalising, here, hence my 'tended'...). I inferred from mattdw's request that he was looking at openings in which the battle begins almost immediately. In this respect, the Blackmar-Diemer and Smith-Morra Gambits are great suggestions. You could also try the good old King's Gambit (or the related Vienna Gambit), the Scotch/Goring/Danish Gambits (vaguely similar), the Wing (as an alternative to the Smith-Morra against the Sicilian), and the Milner-Barry (against the French defence). As Black, check out the Latvian, the Queen's Pawn Countergambit [aka Elephant Gambit, tho' this is really one line of the QPCG], the Schliemann, or maybe the Alapin Gambit against the Ruy Lopez, and of course the 2 Knights against the Giuoco Piano. This last one of my all-time favorite openings, but too few people play the GP. You might like the Wilkes-Barre [Traxler] line - very sharp! - but there's plenty of others to choose from. Personally, I would never play into the Fried Liver, but it's not a bad idea to do so if you are seeking to improve your defensive technique...
For your purposes mattdw, against QP openings, I would probably recommend the Budapest, or maybe the QGA, rather than the King's, Nimzo- or Queen's Indian defences, much less the Grunfeld or Benoni. I'll make one exception to the latter: the Benko Gambit is a pretty good line: not 'sharp' exactly, but one that gives Black a clear line of play to pursue, for the cost of a pawn.
I've spouted a lot of names here without giving the characteristic moves. I assume you have ways of discovering what you need to know about them, and I do hope this is helpful...
Cheers,
Ion

wolstoncroft1

3/12/2006
16:19:24
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my two cents

Message:
if white knows how to play against the sicilian dragon youll end up without that many tactics,i think white enjoys many more tactical motifs in that one,

For balck i believe hte pirc has a lot of counterattack and can become very sharp, also the two knights fritz variation gets sharp at points too. Max Lang attack for white is sharp, however with any opening the game will only be as sharp as yor opponent makes it.
Withot question the Poison pawn variation of the najdorf sicilian is one of the sharpest games i know.

gfweiss

3/12/2006
17:24:32
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My Nickle

Message:
You're right about the Fried Liver Matt, it's a blast, but comes up so seldom. Most double King's pawn opening games are pretty boring, except maybe the Danish Gambit (if it's accepted). I find that games with a fianchetto tend to be more exciting. i.e. as white: Kings Indian Attack or Nimvovich-Larsen Attack (similar to King's Indian, but on the Queen's side). as black: King's Indian Defense if your oppenent opens Queen's pawn...george

schnarre

3/12/2006
19:21:34
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Hmmmmnnnn.....

Message:
"Sharp" openings for white & black, eh!?

White= Blackmar-Diemer (1. d4 d5, 2. e4) , Sicilian Wing Gambit (1. e4 c5, 2. b4) , Grob (1. g4) , & King's Gambit (1. e4 e5, 2. f4) all come to mind.

Black= Latvian Gambit (1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 f5) ,& Albin Countergambit (1. d4 d5, 2. c4 e5) are ready options.

....my 2 cents worth anyway!

mattdw

3/13/2006
09:48:40
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Message:
Wow! Thanks everyone, it's much appreciated! I've written down all the ones mentioned minus any that got a few negative comments (I was trying to narrow it down a bit!!). I'm going to look into each one properly one by one, play them on blitz as many times as I can then try them out in GK games. Here is the list so far, any further comments to help narrow it down a bit would be appreciated too!:

Black:
*Sicilian:
-Sveshnikov
-Polugaevsky Najdorf
-Najdorf - Poison pawn variation
*French:
-Winawer Poisoned Pawn mainline
*King's Indian:
-King's Indian Mar del Plata
-Samisch Vars
*Alekhines Defense
*Caro-Kann:
- 2 Knights non-exchange var.(h3 Bh5)
*Nimzo-Indian
*Latvian Gambit
*Elephant Gambit
*Schliemann
*(against) Ruy Lopez
-Alapin Gambit
*(against) Guico Piano
-2 knights
*Budapest gambit
*Pirc
*Albin Countergambit

White:
*Goring Gambit
*Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
*Smith-Morra Gambit
*Kings Gambit
*Vienna Gambit
*Danish Gambit
*(against) Sicilian
-Wing Gambit
*(against) French
-Milner-Barry
* Guico Piano
-Wilkes-Barre [Traxler]
-Fried Liver
*Nimvovich-Larsen Attack
*Grob

Thanks again.
Matt

thebrand

3/13/2006
10:34:42
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Let's go Dutch

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You could try the Dutch Defence, as the actress said to the bishop.

1..f5 being, naturally, a sharper immediate reply to a queen's pawn opening than the alternatives. Played successfully by Alekhine and Tartakower, amongst others.

schnarre

3/13/2006
12:33:59
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...

Message:
chessgames.com has a good opening explorer, if you frequent that site!

gfweiss

3/13/2006
13:36:38
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The Grob

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I'd watch out for the Grob in corespondence chess, it's better suited for Blitz. It looked good to me after I read about it and replayed all the sample games I looked at. Trouble was, when I actually tried it in several games (CC) no one moved as black did in my sample games. The "shock" value is lost in CC...geo

appelfflap

3/14/2006
02:53:23
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Message:
same with most of the gambits weiss. (morra, wing eg)
so maybe make a difference between OTB or CC chess.

gfweiss

3/14/2006
20:09:34
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Castle OPPOSITE

Message:
Matt, another way to get a more intense game is to, if possible, set yourself up to castle on the opposite side than your opponent does. This usually leads to separate attacks that can be brutal.

mattdw

3/15/2006
14:10:19
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Thanks! + one last question.

Message:
Thank for the advice! Gfweiss, I'll try that if I can (when it's not clearly a mistake).

One last question...for the moment ;) ...say, for example, I am white and play e4 and my opponent plays e6 to enter the french do I want to go ahead and reply as such to allow the winawer poisoned pawn variation if possible? Or do I only want to enter the lines mentioned for black if I am playing black? (and visa versa for white) Are the openings equally sharp for both sides or is it a case of long term strategic equality being sacrificed for short term tactical opportunities?
Thanks,

Matt

ionadowman

3/15/2006
15:00:56
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Matt...

Message:
...It's a matter of taste, really. There are lines in which both players strive for attack. In my view the both sides of the Winawer offer tactical attacking chances. Do you, as black, want to exchange B for N on c3, or retire the B to a5? The latter is perhaps more dubious, but it has the virtue of excitement! (Don't play 10...Qa5, though. I tried that against sorceress_queen and got stomped on.) The main (exchange) line is almost as much fun, if safer for Black. White attempts to attack on the K-wing and centre, Black down the centre and Q-wing. Roles can reverse, tho'. Bear in mind, tho', that I am far from up to date in the openings! The are tactical lines in the Tarrasch 3.Nd2 line as well, though they are fewer. I've had to face, as Black, this kind of thing OTB: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ngf3 f6 8.Ng5!? fxg5 9.Qh5+ ... With an attack good enough to recover the piece, though whether more could be expected is for White to prove.
I would suggest go with the Winawer, and play both sides. That way you will discover a good deal about the ins and outs of that popular line.

ccmcacollister

3/15/2006
18:03:26
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A ...Ba4 Winawer

Message:
Are you sure you'd want to play the Black side!?
I posted this before in the Fav Games thread, but if you havent seen it, mattdw it is the only example of this var that I have here on GK. Maybe the d-base has more examples, I bet. But the games I've seen usually have BL coming out on the short end, and think it was Fischer that spoke against this B retreat line. May be wrong on that. But it can be tactical.
I've not had much trouble in Corr play ... well I guess really I won them all, vs the Sicilian Wing Gambit. But didnt encounter it more than a few times.

board #4256145

As far as the mainline PP Winawer, I don't know who is considered on top right now, but during my playing peak it was going back and forth a lot with chances for both sides. Basically BL will always be the better unless White can make his k-side pawns become a real threat. Either advanced in the middle game, tying down BL. Or at least secured enough to loom as an endgame threat. There are some sac traps for both sides in various lines. And the winner is probably 'He who knows and executes' , as with any good fighting opening. The WT King has difficulty feeling safe in this line, unless liquidations help that. As there's really no unassailable point for him to seek sanctuary permanently otherwise, as far as I'm aware.

ccmcacollister

3/15/2006
18:20:16
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A 2-Knights Defense

Message:
Here is a 2-Knights Defense played against me in my first GK game. I think it qualifies as quite sharp. This variation is BL's best, imo. And is the only one I play myself as BL. Before coming upon it I used to play ....Bc5 and go "oh no, another boring drawish Giuoco" as soon as I'd see 3.Bc4!? . Now I actually enjoy playing against it though. board #1331083

In this game my Qe2 is a 'calculated blunder' on my part. In otherwords, I thought I could get away with it and did ... but probably shouldnt have. As I found it to be more blundersome than I anticipated, had he followed-up properly. Probably just
o-o there.
Anyway, after that point he does end up going down a pawn. I thought he played pretty well, & reasonably. But if you analyse the game closely you will probably note he let chances go by to really mix-it-up in a great way (perhaps melee' should become a Chess term for such ... being shorter than 'Fox in the hen-house :), sometimes by letting another pawn go. His position was active and had potential to become very, very active. And the game had me on the edge of my seat two or three times.

nottop

3/15/2006
19:54:43
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play the sveshnikov

Message:
If you have the right attitude with this opening you will never have a problem. I don't know exactly how to describe that attitude - my guess would be something like a disregard for material, an awe of piece activity, a happiness to defend or attack and a calculated recklessness towards the future.
If you decide to check out this opening - don't forget to purchase - "svesnikov revealed" - I think the best (one opening) opening book ever written. As far as I can see it is usually white who is hoping to equalize.
check out this opening.

ccmcacollister

3/15/2006
22:04:43
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Another ...Ba4 Winawer

Message:
Here is one with Tal on the Black side, and draws vs Fischer ... I guess it might by playable !? :))
[This game is fully annotated in Fischers classic "My 60 Memorable Games" and played in 1960 at Leipzig Olympic. ]
-> www.chessgames.com

ionadowman

3/16/2006
15:36:00
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The ...Ba5 line in the Winawer...

Message:
...was also played several times in the Botvinnik-Smyslov World champ matches in the 1950's, tho' the Fischer-Tal game, and Fischer's subsequent analysis, for some time afterwards seemed to be 'le dernier cri' in the line. The game is a fantastic effort on both sides, by the way! But I think there has been something of a revival of the line since, though what the current assessment is, I'm not sure. It is a very tactical line, though, and Black does have tactical chances based on Q-side pressure, the advanced Black pawn on c3, or the temporarily loose White pawn on e5. Smoetimes, Black gets to take over the open lines White opens up on the K-wing... Despite getting squashed in my last attempt, I will be using the line again, myself...
Cheers,
Ion

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