Cowboys

Any advise on handling opponents that follow no line of play? Just random moves. I play the English Botvinnik variation and I often run into opponents who make moves that follow no line. Any ideas on dealing with these cowboys.

@drcyclops said
Any advise on handling opponents that follow no line of play? Just random moves. I play the English Botvinnik variation and I often run into opponents who make moves that follow no line. Any ideas on dealing with these cowboys.

if they are just random moves then you should have no problem
if your opponent is trying to get you out of the book then you just have to think harder

You could play chess instead of just following someone else's moves. Try that and get back to me.

Just play normal moves, they can't do anything against rapid, efficient development.

@drcyclops said
Any advise on handling opponents that follow no line of play? Just random moves. I play the English Botvinnik variation and I often run into opponents who make moves that follow no line. Any ideas on dealing with these cowboys.

That's the problem with learning openings.Opponents don't know what they're supposed to do!
The prof-erred advice above is sound.
Just look for weaknesses in their responses and exploit them.
They aren't cowboys. Just playing the game as they see fit.

What the others have said. There is a reason why their moves are not theory. The moves are not as good. You have to figure out why and show them.

@Phil-A-Dork
Not following anyone's moves. I am playing an English open Botvinnik variation.

If you want a specific variation or line you can create a new game and set up the position.
Your opponent would have to agree to play that way and it would be unrated but at least you would be able to play out the variation you want.

@drcyclops

When I started playing chess as an 8 year old it really used to bug me that my opponents wouldnt let me play the Queen's Gambit ....

@maxtheminnow said
@drcyclops

When I started playing chess as an 8 year old it really used to bug me that my opponents wouldnt let me play the Queen's Gambit ....

I probably started around that age as well,playing against my dad who taught me.
Difference is, I'd never heard of the queens gambit -or anything else for that matter.
I just used to move the bits -and usually lose.
Even now, I wouldn't recognise many openings even if you told me what they were before we started the game!!
I have learned things though,not least from Greenpawn's blogs and I can see when a move just "looks" wrong.Experience I suppose.

@drcyclops
I have no idea what the English Botvinnik variation is let alone how to play it. I just make moves which I think are relevant. Some people just play because chess is a GAME! (Looking forward to comments!)

@homer1simpson said
@drcyclops
I have no idea what the English Botvinnik variation is let alone how to play it. I just make moves which I think are relevant. Some people just play because chess is a GAME! (Looking forward to comments!)

I think most of it's already been said.
You can play any game or sport to whatever level you wish.
If you're happy to just "play the game" that's obviously fine.
What is indisputable , is that to excel at any pastime,sport,skill or academic achievement you have to put in the work.
I do all sorts of things for amusement but I know I'm not going to be great at anything.
I'm too lazy.
For example, when I was young I thought I could learn to play the guitar as good as Carlos Santana or Jimi Hendrix.After a few attempts it was obvious to me it was not going to be that simple.
That was the end of that!!

The Botvinnik system in the English opening comes after the following move order: 1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.e4, this move by White is what initiates what’s known by many chess players as the “Botvinnik System”.

You can not play this against anybody who Plays 1. c4 c5 (symmetrical Variation) which is a reasonable alternative.
Or against someone playing c4 e5 (most common on RHP) and also reasonable)

Then there are those playing 2. g3 e5. Still a reasonable choice (by Winning percentage)


As peo0ple said if you want to Play the Botvinnik, which is quite a niche (having been played by 51 Players during the history of RHP from Scratch) you should offer set games.

Edit I mnissed that only 12 games after the 5. e4 and if black chooses d6 it Looks bleak for White (one of 7 games won 😲)

@venda said
I probably started around that age as well,playing against my dad who taught me.
Difference is, I'd never heard of the queens gambit -or anything else for that matter.
I just used to move the bits -and usually lose.
Even now, I wouldn't recognise many openings even if you told me what they were before we started the game!!
I have learned things though,not least from Greenpawn's blogs and I can see when a move just "looks" wrong.Experience I suppose.

My response was tongue-in-cheek ... the point is it takes 2 to play an opening 🙂

"Any advise on handling opponents that follow no line of play? Just random moves.
I play the English Botvinnik variation..."

1.c4 is not quite designed for quick splats. (Punishing loose opening moves.)

1.e4 and if players mess about then aim things at f7 and whack them.
After 1.c4 the pawn is on a diagonal the f1 Bishop should be for dishing out
retribution for ignoring opening principles. Putting it on g2 is no great threat
either (you have heard of the Dragon Bishop, The Grunfeld, Benoni and KID
Bishops. Fearsome, dangerous and deadly. The g2 Bishop carries no such terrors.)

I can give you a telling stat on that, of just under 5 million RHP games that opened
1.e4 and mated Black in 10 moves or less ( a good indication Black messed about)
that total is 16,413.

The number of games with 1.c4 and Black being mated in 10 or less moves is 187.

By the that reckoning, 16,413 v 187 it appears that Black must really try hard
to get mated in 10 moves or less v 1.c4.

Play 1.c4 by all means but your question answers itself. You are looking for
ways to take a quick advantage of sloppy opening play from a 1.c4 2.g3 set up.

1.c4 should bear fruit in the coming middle game v random opening moves,
however if you do not tactically first or positionally second take advantage
right away of a daft opening move it could turn out to be OK and your opponent
has got away with it.

I think that is what your asking: 'How come my opponents are breaking all the
opening principles, I'm not, and yet I cannot get at them.'

If you must fianchetto your King's Bishop then do it the Morphy way.
Of all the recorded Morphy games (excluding games where he gave odds)
Morphy only put his White King's Bishop on g2 twice!

Once to take a Queen on g2 and the other was this game.
Don't fret and think I am showing the wrong game, trust me
Morphy does have his set-up on the board as White.


Now play on.