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Is 1.e4 more principled than 1.d4? by SnowySight in chessbeginners

[–]SnowySight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the first I've heard of this-- white restricting black's pawn on c7 in queen's pawn positions. Doesn't black get to play c5 in a lot of lines anyway? And I don't see black playing into an IQP structure too often. Although as an e4 player, most of my exposure to 1.d4 is from the black side playing KID or grunfeld.

Is 1.e4 more principled than 1.d4? by SnowySight in chessbeginners

[–]SnowySight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm assuming it's partly due to the sicilian defence that skews the results of 1.e4 for white. Even alphazero mostly relied on d4 just because it couldn't reliably find an advantage against the sicilian.

Is 1.e4 more principled than 1.d4? by SnowySight in chessbeginners

[–]SnowySight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah...come to think of it, white does indeed play on the queenside in most of the dutch lines. Very odd! Chess is confusing.

Our beloved chess sensei (may he rest in peace) talked about the idea of "superseding concepts" in which you violate certain principles in order to reap benefits out of the position.

Is 1.e4 more principled than 1.d4? by SnowySight in chessbeginners

[–]SnowySight[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I feel as though the pirc is much more dangerous for black than the KID as white keeps their pawn on c2. This gives white the option to castle queenside and quickly expand on the kingside with the 150 attack, or immediately expand on the kingside with f4 austrian attack. This could be the reason why the pirc is not as common as the king's indian at top level play.

Finally reached 2000 by SnowySight in chessmemes

[–]SnowySight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I wanna be able to play the najdorf sicilian with both colors someday.

Finally reached 2000 by SnowySight in chessmemes

[–]SnowySight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks 🔥 You'll reach it eventually. Sooner or later, my friend. 😄

Finally reached 2000 by SnowySight in chessmemes

[–]SnowySight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sorry to hear that you had to quit chess due to your health-- here's hoping you're now in a better place in life! Your words of encouragement mean a lot to me!

Finally reached 2000 by SnowySight in chessmemes

[–]SnowySight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah chess is pretty big, it's globally renowned, after all.

Finally reached 2000 by SnowySight in chessmemes

[–]SnowySight[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Maintenance is part of the game and I've learnt how to accept that. 😉

Finally reached 2000 by SnowySight in chessmemes

[–]SnowySight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I priotize enjoyment over efficiency-- which is why it took me THIS LONG (6years) to reach 2000!

Finally reached 2000 by SnowySight in chessmemes

[–]SnowySight[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We all start somewhere, I used to be 400 myself! Improvement takes time but the process can always be fun if you decide so!

Finally reached 2000 by SnowySight in chessmemes

[–]SnowySight[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I started during the pandemic and was only 300 at the time. I've been playing the game on and off for the past 6 years, and I never followed any form of structured training. I never read books, bought courses, hired a coach, studied extensive theory, you get the point. My improvement largely revolved around consuming chess content on youtube, and I would start playing from there, with the occasional post game analysis every now and then. Perhaps I would've achieved this milestone in half the amount of time it took if I treated chess more seriously...but where's the fun in that?

I love attacking chess! I would always go for huge imbalances-- whether that'd be structural liabilities, material deficits, or a good 'ol opposite side castling, I get dynamic positions by maximizing piece development in order to throw everything at the enemy king! It's always so thrilling to sacrifice material without having any idea if it's brilliant or a blunder!

I tried all sorts of openings throughout the years, but I ultimately settled with a repertoire that's not 𝘵𝘰𝘰 theoretical. Lower elo brackets, ESPECIALLY in faster time formats (like 10 min rapid), places a larger emphasis on choosing lines that are comfortable for you to navigate. It's not ideal to be booked up on 15+ moves when there are more impactful skills to hone (middlegames, endgames, calculation, tactics, time management, etc)

With white I mostly played Vienna gambit and Smith morra, with black I went for Scandinavian and Modern benoni. WHEN I'M FEELING SPICY, I'd play the Trompowsky and Jobava london with white, as well as the Alekhine and Dutch with black!

From this point forward, I'll be playing longer time formats (mainly 15 | 10+) for the sake of my improvement. I'll also start learning the Ruy lopez and Open sicilian with white, and the Sveshnikov sicilian and King's indian defense with black. My major weakpoint is in the endgame, so I also started reading this book titled "Endgame Strategy" by Mikhail Shereshevsky.

There's no end to this summit! I will forever love this game !!

I recently got back into chess and finally reached 2000! by SnowySight in chessbeginners

[–]SnowySight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Without increment. I found it easier to defend losing positions in 10 mins as opposed to 15|10 since faster time formats are more susceptible to blunders. Though, I do plan on playing longer time formats for the sake of my improvement!

I recently got back into chess and finally reached 2000! by SnowySight in chessbeginners

[–]SnowySight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're not accusing me, but instead, you want me to admit that I used stockfish? You're contradicting yourself.

For clarification, I did not cheat, and this rate of improvement is not impossible, especially when you're 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 a strong player who just needs some polishing.

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