Need helpful advice

[mikewitek]

Just wondering if anybody can help me here I'm searching for a good plan of attack while playing with black no matter what the other player (which is playing white) does Thanks!

[savin]

Mike,

There is no way to totally control your opponent. But what you can do is steer the opening to positions you are coimfortable with. You will need one line to deal with your opponent playing e4. Pick what you like. There are three basic ways to go here. e5, e6 or c5. c5 (Sicilian) gives black a little more ability to dictate. e6 is not bad as well (French). e5 allows white to perhaps take you where you don't want to go. The normal line these days is c5.

If white plays d4 I would play Nf6. If white tries to get you into an English you can also play Nf6 and try and steeer back to a queens gamit. If White play Nf3 -- play Nf6.

This is just an example. The key is to work out what you like and what replies to white's opening moves limits the number of openings you have to deal with.

Of course you could go with the flow and drive off of the known lines early. This is not a stupid idea for players rated under 1600. If you are rated under 1600 and playing an opponent under 1600 and you think they know they openings better than you do go off line quickly. Moves like an early g6 or a6 are not all that bad in many lines and will drive the opponent out of the book in many cases.

Having said all this, my advice to chess players I have tutored is to first work out what makes you most comfortable, what makes you enjoy the game etc. Do you like wide open tactical games? Do you like closed startegic games where you often get to a point where you have no idea what the next move should be, but neither does the opponent.

Once you decide what you like polay the openings nad see which becomes a game you like the most often. once you know the opening better you will get a sense how to steer the game towards what you like.

[gambit007]

I have heard of a very useful plan of attack, best played as black, which invariably leaves your opponent dazed and confused, no matter his opening. A light tap on the head with a cricket bat always works wonders, especially if your unsuspecting opponent is lost in thought contemplating his first move, or even better, is still setting up the board. Needless to say, this tactic is most effective on OTB play. Savin's advice might be better for correspondence.......

[mikewitek]

I've heard of it also but can think of the name