I usually play a mainline 1.Nf3 repertoire similar to the Kramnik series (Anti-Grunfeld, QGD, Slav, Symmetrical English, and Maroczy Bind). This positional repertoire suits me fairly well. However, winning the quiet positions in the Slav and Maroczy usually requires better technical / end game skills than my opponent, which is not always the case
I'm looking for suggestions to fill in a few holes in my fiesty "backup" repertoire. These are lines I play in situations where I believe I might have better tactical skills than my opponent or in "must win" games. I'm not looking for a theoretical edge here, just the practical advantages of unorthodox, tactical play with a bare minimum of theory.
Sensible "hacking" lines after 1.Nf3:
1...d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 Kramer's Gambit
1...d5 2.c4 d5 3.b4 Reverse Blumenfeld
1...d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.b3 Gurevich Anti-Slav
1...d5 2.c4 e6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 Blackburn QGD with 0-0-0
1...f5 2.d3 Nf6 3.e4 Anti-Dutch
1...c5 2.e4 d6 (e6, Nc6 ) 3.b4 Sicilian Wing Gambit
1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.g4 Nimzo-English
I'm not worried about the various transpositions to the KID / Modern, since I believe white's edge in my mainline repertoire is already tactical enough. My normal repertoire choice is 1.Nf3 Nf6 (g6) 2.c4 to avoid the grunfeld, benko and NID.
However, 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 is a real headache if you are looking for a sharp game. I can't play 2.d4 since my mainline repertoire is designed to avoid the QID/NID and Grunfeld. Either I need to find some lively gambits in the symmetrical english or chose some offbeat move 2. Is there a favorable line of something unorthodox where Nf6 is sub-optimal?
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.b4 seems a good possibility since I'm playing b4 vs. the Sicilian and the Reti Advance. This would avoid lines of the Orangutan which tend to give black easy play, such as 1.b4 d5 2.Bb2 Qd6 or 1.b4 e5 2.Bb2 Bxb4. Is the Orangutan with an early Nf3 unbalancing enough to play for a win against an opponent who is better than me in a quiet technical game?
Any other repertoire recommendations greatly appreciated!