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Switching my Openings with White (No more Italian)

tpr

There is nothing wrong with the Italian.
The way you play it with Nc3 is not wrong, but most top grandmasters prefer c3 to prepare d4.
The Vienna is OK, but certainly not better.
The Catalan is very difficult to play, besides black has other defenses.

There is nothing wrong with the Italian. The way you play it with Nc3 is not wrong, but most top grandmasters prefer c3 to prepare d4. The Vienna is OK, but certainly not better. The Catalan is very difficult to play, besides black has other defenses.
DimBro

@tpr said ^

There is nothing wrong with the Italian.
The way you play it with Nc3 is not wrong, but most top grandmasters prefer c3 to prepare d4.
The Vienna is OK, but certainly not better.
The Catalan is very difficult to play, besides black has other defenses.

okay thank you for the suggestion, i will contemplate it.

@tpr said [^](/forum/redirect/post/Az6iyDdP) > There is nothing wrong with the Italian. > The way you play it with Nc3 is not wrong, but most top grandmasters prefer c3 to prepare d4. > The Vienna is OK, but certainly not better. > The Catalan is very difficult to play, besides black has other defenses. okay thank you for the suggestion, i will contemplate it.
JJDwigs

I would also recommended to dig a bit deeper in the c3/d3 or maybe even c3/d4 lines (not an expert on the italian) and stick to your opening, as you probably know quite a bit about it and if it still does not feel good to you after some months, then consider switching it. Generally speaking it's better to build on what you know to not spend too much time on opening prep but rather go for tactics, mid- and endgame training. Learned that the hard way :D
If you want to change your opening I would suggest looking into the Ruy Lopez exchange variation, less to learn than with the Catalan for sure.

In 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 you will have a strategic advantage due to the doubled c-pawns in the endgame, and many will play suboptimal from this point with black.

Most sharp is 3. ... Bg5 4. h3 h5, so you should examine those lines carefully.

Another line having some tricks is 3. ... Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4
5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 and instead of going for 7. ... Nbd4 trading of the knights and going for the famous Spanish draw, I have had some games online where black would play 7. ... Nd6, where you should check the lines with 8. Bg5, which often leads to quick wins, whereas 8. exd6 gives the advantage back to black.

I would also recommended to dig a bit deeper in the c3/d3 or maybe even c3/d4 lines (not an expert on the italian) and stick to your opening, as you probably know quite a bit about it and if it still does not feel good to you after some months, then consider switching it. Generally speaking it's better to build on what you know to not spend too much time on opening prep but rather go for tactics, mid- and endgame training. Learned that the hard way :D If you want to change your opening I would suggest looking into the Ruy Lopez exchange variation, less to learn than with the Catalan for sure. In 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 you will have a strategic advantage due to the doubled c-pawns in the endgame, and many will play suboptimal from this point with black. Most sharp is 3. ... Bg5 4. h3 h5, so you should examine those lines carefully. Another line having some tricks is 3. ... Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 and instead of going for 7. ... Nbd4 trading of the knights and going for the famous Spanish draw, I have had some games online where black would play 7. ... Nd6, where you should check the lines with 8. Bg5, which often leads to quick wins, whereas 8. exd6 gives the advantage back to black.
sicnarfe4

Try the KIA (King's Indian Attack) It can take people out of their prep, especially in the French Defense. That's one of the reasons why I am 2500 blitz and have 2100 uscf

Try the KIA (King's Indian Attack) It can take people out of their prep, especially in the French Defense. That's one of the reasons why I am 2500 blitz and have 2100 uscf