How To Play Aggressive Chess (Guide)

Of the nine known playing styles in chess, aggressive seems the least mastered by players. This is mainly because aggressive is probably the most instinctive of all styles and it requires fast-paced thinking to constantly seek to promote threatening moves.

Apart from that, the concern about the positional aspect is definitely left aside, which makes it a playing style only suited for a few.

How To Play Aggressive Chess?

As every single chess game begins with an opening, an aggressive player would definitely start with a Rosentreter opening, a variation of the famous King’s Gambit. This opening begins with an e4, e5, f4, exf4, Nf3, g5, and d4 line, already displaying the attacking intent.

If you’re looking for a little more fun, you may also go for the Godiva variation, which variates with an e4, c5, Nf3, Nc6, d4, cxd4, Nxd5, and Qb6. Apart from being a highly offensive opening, it is largely used — especially by the most experienced players, in combination with the Sicilian Najdorf.

Opening Strategies

Other alternatives for aggressive openings are the Bird opening, a less popular opening, the Blackmar-Diemer opening, which instantly gambits a central pawn, and the Englund gambit.

The latter is considered to be the riskiest one since the objective is to destroy the position of the white pieces for the sake of a single pawn. Gambits have a lot more to do with openings, especially because they are strategies that aim to weaken the opponent’s game in the early stages of the match.

Middlegame Strategies

As for the middlegame strategies, there normally is a large difference from the aggressiveness seen in openings. While the openings have a series of gambits, the middlegame is more about strategies that promote better results depending on the opening a player chooses.

For instance, the use of rooks, the care with the bishops, keeping an eye out for open squares which could favor the opponent’s strategy, ensuring that trades are favorable, and even minding the disposition of the pawns.

Once the opening part of the match is over, players are mostly deciding if they keep their aggressive strategies up or not move by move. It’s perfectly normal to see a highly aggressive opening followed by a conservative middlegame and even a return to the more aggressive style in the endgame.

During the middlegame, it is also common to see a bit more movement from the king in the attempt of gaining ground, securing open squares, and even aiding with the checkmate moves.

An Aggressive Endgame

Endgames are almost always aggressive and sometimes by both players. Surely, it’s much more common to see one of the players cornering the other with moves aimed at the king, but desperation has proven to be one of the most challenging aspects, as it commonly leads easy victories to fatal losses.

So, if you’re looking for aggressive ways to play chess, start with an opening that causes the most possible damage to your opponent’s pieces and keep forcing forward during the middle and end games as well.