I've been mostly playing the Italian Game nowadays. At my level, I see it all the time so I just decided to play it and analyze it a bit and give me some extra edge. Sounds suspiciously like opening study? Hehe, what can I say. Anyway, the standard move of the Giuco is 1. e4 e5 2. nf3 nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5.
However sometimes they don't play Bc5 but instead Nf6, giving me the choice of playing the Fried liver attack. I've faced this position not a few times, but always chickened out. Sacrificing a piece for the attack so early in the game is "unsound" I think.
But last night, I faced this position again and I thought: "Well, I'll probably lose but at least it would be interesting", besides its now or never right? and so, my first fried liver came into existence:
However sometimes they don't play Bc5 but instead Nf6, giving me the choice of playing the Fried liver attack. I've faced this position not a few times, but always chickened out. Sacrificing a piece for the attack so early in the game is "unsound" I think.
But last night, I faced this position again and I thought: "Well, I'll probably lose but at least it would be interesting", besides its now or never right? and so, my first fried liver came into existence:
At various points of the game, when he was slipping away, I really thought I would lose. Fortunately he committed several inaccuracies allowing me to equalize material with the attack still raging. I won but more importantly I had a change of heart. I think I would like to play this opening a few more times. Not because I won, but for pedagogical reasons.
Initiative? how to attack? calculation exercises? things I read from books, but things I cannot really learn. Not until I experience it myself.
I don't want to be forever playing such blood-and-thunder openings. But for example, what if I shifted to playing a good solid game and at some point I see I'll get two pawns and the attack for a piece . Would I have enough confidence in my abilities to take that chance?
Or how about you see the opponent's pieces all bunched up with the king in the center? How to take advantage? Would a speculative attack work against such a position?
Chess questions like this that will be answered only by the player himself. If the player have not played a sacrificial game, he will decline and find some solid positional move. To such a player, perhaps studying the endgame will bring success. But if the player have played analogous positions many times before, he will calmly sac a piece and conduct the attack.
The two "styles" are valid approaches. But I'm leaning on the later so by playing games like the above, since it provides such large doses of EXP points, I hope will turn me into a death-defying sacrificial player.
Initiative? how to attack? calculation exercises? things I read from books, but things I cannot really learn. Not until I experience it myself.
I don't want to be forever playing such blood-and-thunder openings. But for example, what if I shifted to playing a good solid game and at some point I see I'll get two pawns and the attack for a piece . Would I have enough confidence in my abilities to take that chance?
Or how about you see the opponent's pieces all bunched up with the king in the center? How to take advantage? Would a speculative attack work against such a position?
Chess questions like this that will be answered only by the player himself. If the player have not played a sacrificial game, he will decline and find some solid positional move. To such a player, perhaps studying the endgame will bring success. But if the player have played analogous positions many times before, he will calmly sac a piece and conduct the attack.
The two "styles" are valid approaches. But I'm leaning on the later so by playing games like the above, since it provides such large doses of EXP points, I hope will turn me into a death-defying sacrificial player.
So now, I'm scouring the internet searching for sample games and theory.
Wait, did I just say theory?
Just pretend you didn't read that :->
Nice game, only from move 8 to 11 blacks king is in check...
good luck with your approach concerning learning sacrifices and speculative attacks from experience!
regards,
svensp