01 Jan 07
As white I am 17-1-1, as black I am 14-1-11. I was curious as to why this might be, and if anyone else sees such discrepancies in their games. I have heard that white has a slight advantage, but that only shows up at master-level games. The average rating of my white opponent is 1255 and my average black opponent is 1315. I find that to be a bit of a discrepancy as well, but perhaps that is a normal range?
01 Jan 07
Originally posted by amolv06I often play better with black because with black you tend have more say with the opening. You can learn the Kings Gambit or Ruy Lopez all you want however those plans go out the window if your opponent plays something other than e5.
As white I am 17-1-1, as black I am 14-1-11. I was curious as to why this might be, and if anyone else sees such discrepancies in their games. I have heard that white has a slight advantage, but that only shows up at master-level games. The average rating of my white opponent is 1255 and my average black opponent is 1315. I find that to be a bit of a discrepancy as well, but perhaps that is a normal range?
So you need to look at your black opening repertoire, whether it be the french, sicilian, caro kahn for d4 King's indian defence, benko gambit, Nimzo Indian etc etc If you have sound knowledge of a few good openings I'm sure your results as black will improve.
01 Jan 07
Originally posted by Audaciousbut if the problem is not the opening system ?
I often play better with black because with black you tend have more say with the opening. You can learn the Kings Gambit or Ruy Lopez all you want however those plans go out the window if your opponent plays something other than e5.
So you need to look at your black opening repertoire, whether it be the french, sicilian, caro kahn for d4 King's indian ...[text shortened]... f you have sound knowledge of a few good openings I'm sure your results as black will improve.
perhaps you need to learn how to defense properly in the whole game ...
01 Jan 07
perhaps you need to learn how to defense properly in the whole gameThis is probably also true. I know my game is not up to par with you higher rated players. My whole game in general needs work. However, if defense is the issue as you're implying, would this not be a problem with white as well? I would assume so, but perhaps I am missing something. Could I request you to shed some light if that be the case?
01 Jan 07
1 edit
Originally posted by zintierivDepends really, because if you know a solid opening the chances of you getting mating early on are slim. I prefer playing with black because to a certain extend you can dictate what sort of game it's going to be by your opening choice. So if your a sharp player you may want to go for sicilian najdorf or if you want something a little more solid maybe go for the French.
but if the problem is not the opening system ?
perhaps you need to learn how to defense properly in the whole game ...
If you find an opening that suits your play I'm sure you'll get more wins.
02 Jan 07
Originally posted by amolv06I tend to think that scores for people with your rating tend to have more to do with just random luck than how you played something.
This is true. I didn't notice that the only time-outs I have are with black. Still, though, 17-1-1 as white is still a lot better than whatever my record is with black even without the timeouts.
For example, you may have simply blundered more with black than white - who knows why, these things happen when you lose focus. 😉
Of course, the opening may be a major factor. For example, I score very poorly against 1.d4 - 8-8-2 (W-L-D).
02 Jan 07
Originally posted by amolv06Well, I see the white v. black survey thread has been bumped - why don't you throw your games into the formula to see how your results compare to others on this site?
That is probably true. I guess there is not a big enough sampling of games to really call it a major discrepancy, however from what I've seen it is certainly a statistical anomaly.
Btw: Thanks Gatecrasher for creating that thread and showing the formula. 😉