Basqueknight and all,
My Turn! I don't know you at all. I don't know what you look like, I've never sat down with you and chatted about sports, tv, the opposite sex or anything else. I know a bit about what you like in chess, but that's not much. I don't know why you play chess instead of, say, tiddly-winks. I don't know why you like chess. I don't know what you want to get out of chess, and I don't even know your chessic strengths and weaknesses. I do know that you like chess, and you like to read about chess.
I also know a great deal about how chess has often been mis-taught throughout the twentieth century. Emmanuel Lasker and others recommended that people learn chess backwards, from the most basic endgames to the middle game. Well that's great....
if you're a machine! Others recommend that students don't play blitz. Take a look at ICC. Look at all the great, talented players who are playing 3 0 and 1 0 regardless of their age! They play blitz because it's
fun! Remember why you are playing chess, and you will be guided to make the right decisions for yourself.
I hate to break it to you, but I rather doubt that you will become a chess professional, and you should count your lucky stars! 
There are probably fewer than fifty players in the United States who can make their living playing chess tournaments. They do so by travelling from city to city competing for the same small prizes.
I was at one such tournament and went to the bar to order a coffee. I watched while a group of grandmasters were drinking and chatting up the few women who were there. Their opponents would occasionally walk in, order a drink, and start chatting with the same women. That was how the top players knew it was their turn! If that sounds like the life you want to lead, and you have about 30 hours a week to devote to chess, and you have the talent to make that great leap, then go for it! But remember why you play chess. I sometimes wish I had had a chess coach when I was growing up, and perhaps I could have made IM. Then I look at most of the IMs I've met. Some of them are fantastic, well-rounded people, but many of them are driving themselves to an early, uninsured grave, while others have pretty much given up competitive chess. You will find many of these players on the internet having fun, playing blitz. These players know why they play chess!
You've read
Zurich 1953 a couple of times, cool!
Did you know it's sometimes called the "NimzoIndian Tournament" for all the NimzoIndians that were played? Reading through Bronstein's comments, it sounded like most of them had fun while they were playing. Just about everyone there had at least one really cool, memorable game. For me, that's why I play chess.
I played in a tournament recently in which I played two particular games. The early round game was a routine win that I almost forgot before it was over. The only reason it became memorable was that later a couple of people came up to me to congratulate me on playing a perfect game. They told me that I played Fritz' first choice move for something like thirty straight moves. Now that
sounds impressive until you realise that I had considered the position won for those thirty odd moves, and was just following a plan I had come up with relatively early. I played a game in a later round in which I made numerous mistakes. My opponent did too, but the position was fascinating, and the position was too rich to comprehend. Boy it was fun fighting through that game. I ended up losing that game in a time scramble but I will remember it for a very long time. I didn't begin playing chess just to win long technical games. I play chess for the thrill of those supremely complex battles (and hopefully winning them).
I know that you must learn how to win those technical games, but you also
must have fun while you're learning. If that means playing some open Sicilians, go for it! But do it in your casual games. Play as many different types of openings as you can in casual games. Study the classics, learn the classics, but have fun playing the other stuff too.
Don't be bullied into playing only open games if your rating is below "x". That's a pretty sure way to kill your love of chess. Okay, so some pretty darned good teachers such as Topnotch, MNb, HgMan and others are telling you you
have to play open games and master those first. Play what you
like and discover what you like. But if your goal is to become a top player, remember what those teachers have told you.
Study the classics. That doesn't mean that you have to give up the fun stuff. You'll find plenty of fun ideas in the classic open games. Heck, Bronstein once described Tal's style as "easy: He develops his pieces toward the center, then sacrifices them somewhere." Tal's games are a great way to learn some of the principles of the opening.
I've become notorious in my neck of the woods for telling people before the start of the game, "Let's have fun!" I don't wish them good luck, because I don't want them to have good luck. I thought about it, and decided that what I do want for myself and my opponent is to have fun. Here's wishing you good fun in chess! 8)
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The lower rated guys and the open sicilian. (Read 26679 times)
