what do you think the most tactical chess opening is?
Halloween Gambit
Queen... Kings Gambit. I cant even type it I hate it so much LOL. Yeh kings gambit is very tactical.
Halloween Gambit mentioned above is jank but tactical even more than the kings gambit but it can be refuted.
In d4 there is the Gruenfeld Defence and Kings Indian both very "tactical" also the Sicilian is extremely tactical as well. Maybe the most common tactical opening played at any level.
Halloween Gambit mentioned above is jank but tactical even more than the kings gambit but it can be refuted.
In d4 there is the Gruenfeld Defence and Kings Indian both very "tactical" also the Sicilian is extremely tactical as well. Maybe the most common tactical opening played at any level.
Also so some are not confused the Sicilian is in e4 not d4.
@hanishburger1st #1
What is your reason for this question ?
You want to play tactical chess yourself ?
I think there is no "most tactical opening", because about each opening has sharp and less sharp opening lines.
Looking at the games of The Magician from Riga, Mikhail Tal can show you a few tactical openings : Modern Benoni, Sicilian defense. But in a match between Mikhail Tal and Jan Timman, the Queen's Gambit accepted was on the board at least once. the QGA can be quite tactical.
King's Gambit can also give tactical lines, but there are also KG positional lines.
You want tactical and complex positions which are ... hard to learn and remember ? Then you might appreciate the Gruenfeld Indian :)
What is your reason for this question ?
You want to play tactical chess yourself ?
I think there is no "most tactical opening", because about each opening has sharp and less sharp opening lines.
Looking at the games of The Magician from Riga, Mikhail Tal can show you a few tactical openings : Modern Benoni, Sicilian defense. But in a match between Mikhail Tal and Jan Timman, the Queen's Gambit accepted was on the board at least once. the QGA can be quite tactical.
King's Gambit can also give tactical lines, but there are also KG positional lines.
You want tactical and complex positions which are ... hard to learn and remember ? Then you might appreciate the Gruenfeld Indian :)
I'm just looking for opening ideas that will make my games more tactical.
@achja
stuff that is horrible in chess = Gruenfeld
stuff that is good in chess = hedgehog or QGD exchange with Ne2 :)
stuff that is horrible in chess = Gruenfeld
stuff that is good in chess = hedgehog or QGD exchange with Ne2 :)
@hanishburger1st #6
One suggestion is to choose a tactical GM which you like their games of.
For example, Tal, Rapport, Jobava, Aronian, Tiger etc.
Then study their games and see which openings they play, and what you like and feel comfortable with yourself.
One problem with the top GMs nowadays is that a lot of them play the somewhat dull (cough) Ruy Lopez Berlin line.
However, there are nice exceptions like e.g. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave playing the Sicilian Najdorf.
http://www.chessgames.com/player/maxime_vachier-lagrave.html
http://chess-db.com/public/pinfo.jsp?id=623539
http://www.pgnmentor.com/files.html#players
You can of course also study the "Classics" besides the current top GMs.
For example, Bobby Fischer used to play Sicilian Najdorf as well.
One suggestion is to choose a tactical GM which you like their games of.
For example, Tal, Rapport, Jobava, Aronian, Tiger etc.
Then study their games and see which openings they play, and what you like and feel comfortable with yourself.
One problem with the top GMs nowadays is that a lot of them play the somewhat dull (cough) Ruy Lopez Berlin line.
However, there are nice exceptions like e.g. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave playing the Sicilian Najdorf.
http://www.chessgames.com/player/maxime_vachier-lagrave.html
http://chess-db.com/public/pinfo.jsp?id=623539
http://www.pgnmentor.com/files.html#players
You can of course also study the "Classics" besides the current top GMs.
For example, Bobby Fischer used to play Sicilian Najdorf as well.
In terms of "opening ideas that will make my games more tactical," here are a few:
1. Play with the king's pawn opening (1. e4)
Although stated prior that any and all opening can, in some way, become tactical. Some are more likely to than others. To maximize your tactical potential in the opening, play the king's pawn opening; which was used exclusively by some of the most aggressive chess players (e.g. Mikhail Tal, Bobby Fischer, Judit Polgar).
Why is the king's pawn more prone to tactical bouts? Simply put, playing 1. e4 not only claims in the center but also opens the door for the development of two pieces (the light-square bishop and queen). Quick development of the light-squared bishop allows for early targeting of the weak f7 pawn (which is defended only once by the king). Other openings such as 1. d4 open doors for fewer pieces (i.e. the dark-squared bishop) and do not allow for the quick targeting of f7. The upside for these openings is that the d4 pawn is protected by the queen from the get-go.
Simply put, 1. e4 is ideal for PIECE PLAY which inevitably leads to tactical struggles. Remember: "1. e4 is best by test."
2. Develop your pieces ACTIVELY
Ask yourself: "Why should I play my light-squared bishop to e2 when I could place it on c4, aiming at the king-side?" Try to not only develop pieces to active, aggressive squares, but also to develop with tempo (initiative). Remember, the purpose of the opening is to develop your pieces with a plan. If your plan is to attack king-side, why wouldn't you place all your pieces there?
3. Do not be afraid to give up a pawn for the initiative and for the aforementioned better placement of pieces.
A pawn is nothing in the great scheme of a chess game (at our level at least). Do not be afraid to give up a pawn in the opening to complete speedy and aggressive development. For example, the devastating Danish gambit:
en.lichess.org/wnCWPtk7
Look at those bishops! Aiming right down the king's throat! Now, wouldn't you say sacking two pawns is worth this pressure?
4. Look for opportunities to castle queen-side
Simply put: games in which both sides castle on opposite wings inevitably turn out to be death races towards the opposing king.
5. Finally, study & look for tactics.
This sounds silly, but don't laugh until you have analyzed some of your own games using the computer. How many tactics did you miss? The tactics are there my friend, it just takes a trained eye to recognize and initiate them. I recommend Lichess' tactics trainer. Also, play slower games so that one every move you can say to yourself "Do I have something here?" I can guarantee you'll be surprised at what pops up; keep your eyes open.
Here's an example opening that demonstrates these ideas:
en.lichess.org/study/PNxIg4Ea
Good luck! Play bold. Play fearless.
1. Play with the king's pawn opening (1. e4)
Although stated prior that any and all opening can, in some way, become tactical. Some are more likely to than others. To maximize your tactical potential in the opening, play the king's pawn opening; which was used exclusively by some of the most aggressive chess players (e.g. Mikhail Tal, Bobby Fischer, Judit Polgar).
Why is the king's pawn more prone to tactical bouts? Simply put, playing 1. e4 not only claims in the center but also opens the door for the development of two pieces (the light-square bishop and queen). Quick development of the light-squared bishop allows for early targeting of the weak f7 pawn (which is defended only once by the king). Other openings such as 1. d4 open doors for fewer pieces (i.e. the dark-squared bishop) and do not allow for the quick targeting of f7. The upside for these openings is that the d4 pawn is protected by the queen from the get-go.
Simply put, 1. e4 is ideal for PIECE PLAY which inevitably leads to tactical struggles. Remember: "1. e4 is best by test."
2. Develop your pieces ACTIVELY
Ask yourself: "Why should I play my light-squared bishop to e2 when I could place it on c4, aiming at the king-side?" Try to not only develop pieces to active, aggressive squares, but also to develop with tempo (initiative). Remember, the purpose of the opening is to develop your pieces with a plan. If your plan is to attack king-side, why wouldn't you place all your pieces there?
3. Do not be afraid to give up a pawn for the initiative and for the aforementioned better placement of pieces.
A pawn is nothing in the great scheme of a chess game (at our level at least). Do not be afraid to give up a pawn in the opening to complete speedy and aggressive development. For example, the devastating Danish gambit:
en.lichess.org/wnCWPtk7
Look at those bishops! Aiming right down the king's throat! Now, wouldn't you say sacking two pawns is worth this pressure?
4. Look for opportunities to castle queen-side
Simply put: games in which both sides castle on opposite wings inevitably turn out to be death races towards the opposing king.
5. Finally, study & look for tactics.
This sounds silly, but don't laugh until you have analyzed some of your own games using the computer. How many tactics did you miss? The tactics are there my friend, it just takes a trained eye to recognize and initiate them. I recommend Lichess' tactics trainer. Also, play slower games so that one every move you can say to yourself "Do I have something here?" I can guarantee you'll be surprised at what pops up; keep your eyes open.
Here's an example opening that demonstrates these ideas:
en.lichess.org/study/PNxIg4Ea
Good luck! Play bold. Play fearless.
Also, I see your tactics training rating is 1861. Good work! Try to make it a goal to reach a rating of 2000 in tactics training. You'll feel more confident in your "trained eye," plus 2000 is a cool number. :-)
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