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Date: 11 Oct 2006 14:14:49
From: General Fear
Subject: Newbie: Attack player needs help


My natural instinct in chess is to attack. I want to exploit that
instinct. My goal is to focus on tactics. I also want to study openings
that lend themselves to attack positions.

So I have two questions . . .

What openings are good for the attack player. Speed chess or otherwise.

What good books teach tactics and attack play.

..





 
Date: 12 Oct 2006 08:43:37
From: Inconnux
Subject: Re: Newbie: Attack player needs help

General Fear wrote:
> My natural instinct in chess is to attack. I want to exploit that
> instinct. My goal is to focus on tactics. I also want to study openings
> that lend themselves to attack positions.
>
> So I have two questions . . .
>
> What openings are good for the attack player. Speed chess or otherwise.
>
> What good books teach tactics and attack play.
>
> ..

hello, just my 2 cents worth... I tend to use software instead of
books.
so I'll suggest some of my favorite software

Tactics:
depending on your current ability, I would suggest.

Chess tactics for beginners (convekta)
http://www.wholesalechess.com/chess/chess_software/Chess+Tactics+for+Beginners

CT-Art (convekta)
http://www.wholesalechess.com/chess/chess_software/Chess+Tactics+ART+3.0

Personal Chess Trainer
http://www.personalchesstrainer.com/

Openings:

Encyclopedia of opening blunders
http://www.wholesalechess.com/chess/chess_software/Encyclopedia+of+Opening+Blunders

Bookup Express
http://www.bookup.com/


These are the programs that I have personal experience with and would
recommend

As I said... just my 2 cents worth. :)



 
Date: 11 Oct 2006 16:07:54
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Newbie: Attack player needs help
General Fear wrote:
> Thanks for the reply Ray
>
> You said "Don't play passive moves, look for the sharp lines, and
> you'll get all the
> tactics you can handle "
>
> What does that mean?

Take the test! Are you aggressive or safe?

Look at this position: 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4. What would you play here?

Diagram: http://tinyurl.com/mzbhr

Answers below.

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a) 3.Nd5 Bc5 - aggressive
b) 3.Qb3 Bc5 - semi-aggressive
c) 3.Qc2 ... - passive
d) ... Bxc3 - You noticed he threatened to double your c-pawns, right??

---
likesforests
Become a Chess Expert -- http://likesforests.blogspot.com/



  
Date: 12 Oct 2006 13:13:40
From: Thorsten Knopel
Subject: Re: Newbie: Attack player needs help
Hi,

3. Nd5 you have to avoid to exchange your Knight agaisnt the Bishop.

Therefore Black plays normally 2.Nf6 and then Bb4 or when white plays 3.Nf3 Nc6
and then Bb4


[email protected] wrote:
> General Fear wrote:
>
>>Thanks for the reply Ray
>>
>>You said "Don't play passive moves, look for the sharp lines, and
>>you'll get all the
>> tactics you can handle "
>>
>>What does that mean?
>
>
> Take the test! Are you aggressive or safe?
>
> Look at this position: 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4. What would you play here?
>
> Diagram: http://tinyurl.com/mzbhr
>
> Answers below.
>
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
>
> a) 3.Nd5 Bc5 - aggressive
> b) 3.Qb3 Bc5 - semi-aggressive
> c) 3.Qc2 ... - passive
> d) ... Bxc3 - You noticed he threatened to double your c-pawns, right??
>
> ---
> likesforests
> Become a Chess Expert -- http://likesforests.blogspot.com/
>


 
Date: 11 Oct 2006 15:56:39
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Newbie: Attack player needs help
General Fear wrote:
> My natural instinct in chess is to attack. I want to exploit that
> instinct. My goal is to focus on tactics. I also want to study openings
> that lend themselves to attack positions.

> What openings are good for the attack player. Speed chess or otherwise.

Study the games of an attacking player like Greco or Morphy...
espeically vs NN. These show you how a good player annhialates us
patzers. You'll also get a healthy mix of all phases of the game:
openings, strategy, tactics, and endings.

I use a solitaire method. I play the opening moves I already understand
quickly, eg 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5. I then spend a couple minutes
on each move thereafter.

Eg, "4.Bc4 looks good because it develops a piece and prepares to
castle. 4.h4 at first looks because if 4.h4 gxg4 Black has doubled and
isolated f- and h-pawns which will be easy to pick off, plus his
kingside is shattered... but then I worry about 4.h4 g4!. If 5.Ng5 my
knight is in danger and has no escape squares. If Nd4 or Ne5 it's easy
to push around, If Nh2 or Ng1 it's back where it started."

Then go ahead and play the next couple moves. "4.h4?! g4" I check
chessgames.com and see both 4.Bc4 and 4.h4 are often played. I still
don't see how h4 will work out well for White... I guess I'll know
soon. Nd4 and Ne5 are the only safe moves. Ne5 is best since it attacks
the g-pawn."

And so on, and so forth. You learn the most when when (a) the moves you
guess are bad turn out to be good (according to an opening database,
your chess engine, or the game), (b) the moves you guess are good turn
out to be bad, (c) the didn't even consider a move that is played in
the game (or commonly played).

This is more fun if you buy a book of annotated games, such as
Chernev's Logical Chess, Move by Move or The Most Instructive Chess
Games Ever Played. That way after you analyze a position you see
everything that the better player sees.

---
likesforests
Become a Chess Expert -- http://likesforests.blogspot.com



 
Date: 11 Oct 2006 15:53:50
From: General Fear
Subject: Re: Newbie: Attack player needs help
Thanks for the reply Ray

You said "Don't play passive moves, look for the sharp lines, and
you'll get all the
tactics you can handle "

What does that mean?


Ray Gordon, creator of the "pivot" wrote:
> > My natural instinct in chess is to attack. I want to exploit that
> > instinct. My goal is to focus on tactics. I also want to study openings
> > that lend themselves to attack positions.
> >
> > So I have two questions . . .
> >
> > What openings are good for the attack player. Speed chess or otherwise.
> >
> > What good books teach tactics and attack play.
>
> Think in terms of aggressive rather than "attacking" play in the opening.
>
> 1. e4 is generally best for the tactical player, to learn the classical
> double king pawn games. The Muzio Gambit is a good way to see how
> sacrifices work.
>
> If you want positional aggression, try 1. c4.
>
> Don't play passive moves, look for the sharp lines, and you'll get all the
> tactics you can handle.
>
>
> --
> Money is not "game."
> Looks are not "game."
> Social status or value is not "game."
> Those are the things that game makes unnecessary.
>
> A seduction guru who teaches you that looks, money or status is game is not
> teaching you "game," but how to be an AFC. He uses his students' money to
> get women and laughs that "loser AFCs pay my rent."



 
Date: 11 Oct 2006 17:56:36
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the \pivot\
Subject: Re: Newbie: Attack player needs help
> My natural instinct in chess is to attack. I want to exploit that
> instinct. My goal is to focus on tactics. I also want to study openings
> that lend themselves to attack positions.
>
> So I have two questions . . .
>
> What openings are good for the attack player. Speed chess or otherwise.
>
> What good books teach tactics and attack play.

Think in terms of aggressive rather than "attacking" play in the opening.

1. e4 is generally best for the tactical player, to learn the classical
double king pawn games. The Muzio Gambit is a good way to see how
sacrifices work.

If you want positional aggression, try 1. c4.

Don't play passive moves, look for the sharp lines, and you'll get all the
tactics you can handle.


--
Money is not "game."
Looks are not "game."
Social status or value is not "game."
Those are the things that game makes unnecessary.

A seduction guru who teaches you that looks, money or status is game is not
teaching you "game," but how to be an AFC. He uses his students' money to
get women and laughs that "loser AFCs pay my rent."





 
Date: 11 Oct 2006 21:39:09
From: Ron
Subject: Re: Newbie: Attack player needs help
In article <[email protected] >,
"General Fear" <[email protected] > wrote:

> My natural instinct in chess is to attack. I want to exploit that
> instinct. My goal is to focus on tactics. I also want to study openings
> that lend themselves to attack positions.
>
> So I have two questions . . .
>
> What openings are good for the attack player. Speed chess or otherwise.
>
> What good books teach tactics and attack play.

"The Art of Attack" by Vukovic, is the canonical work on the subject.
But I'd back up a bit.

Read Renaud & Kahn, "The Art of Checkmate" if you haven't already. While
this book focuses on how you can finish of attacks in high style, it's
also a great introduction to romantic chess. Lots of complete games of
old-school attacking style. Great stuff and I guarantee it will get you
wins.

Then play through a bunch of Alekhine's games. Just expose yourself to
them. The Algebraic edition of Alekhine's own book of his games is great
(it doesn't have as many games, but I found that the Dover
two-volumes-in-one set had a fair bit of filler).

Then read Vukovic.

That should keep you busy for a while.

-Ron