d4 can lead you to the blackmar-diemer and this is certainly fun and
probably more tactical than e4 will ever be ! And yes , maybe at
grandmaster level this opening is not a good idea but since I never
play grandmasters I don't care !!!



On Sun, 22 Jun 2003 01:39:03 +1200, "Blue Knight"
wrote:

Not that I'm a strong player, but as I understand it, it comes down to the
types of positions a person likes to play. I believe that "in general" 1.e4
leads to open positions and the games tend to be very tactical. On the
other hand, 1.d4 generally leads to closed positions.

Blue Knight.

I prefer 1.d4 partly because the opponents I normally play (1700-2100)
play much better against 1.e4 than 1.d4. Most of them have at least
one system they know well against 1.e4 and which give them some sort
of active play like the Dragon, the Svesnikov or the Petroff.

The same players are more uncertain against 1.d4. It is much more
difficult to create early activity against 1.d4 and players below
IM/GM level are generally much weaker in slightly passive positions
than in active positions.

Openings like the King Indian or the Queen gambit are very comfortable
for white. And I normally get a lot of those.

Grunfeld and Nimzo indian are among the best defences against 1.d4 but
they are normally avoided by intermediate players. Nimzo because black
do not like to part with the bishop too early and Grunfeld because
black need to know a lot of theoretical variations.

"Why do some people play 1. d4 or 1.c4 ???"



I play 1.c4 because after 1.e4, White`s game is in its final throes.

Attacking the Q-side is just as effective as attacking the K-side if you
know the openings better than your opponent... and just as interesting.

RSHaas

In article ,
(tiger) wrote:

d4 can lead you to the blackmar-diemer and this is certainly fun and
probably more tactical than e4 will ever be ! And yes , maybe at
grandmaster level this opening is not a good idea but since I never
play grandmasters I don't care !!!



True, but you'd better be ready for the French and a potentially closed
position after 1. d4 d5 2. e4 e6

--Harold Buck


"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

Subject: Why do some people play 1. d4 or 1.c4 ???
From: Harold Buck
Date: 2003-09-16 6:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Personally, I never play 1.e4 because I don't like making a mistake in the
opening.