Menalque v Llama

[LlamaFluff]

Pick your color... my first moves are below

Spoiler:

If white: 1. Nf3

If black... respond to 1. e4 with c6
respond to 1. d4, c4 or Nf3 with Nf6

If you are doing something else I want to know first.

[LlamaFluff]

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5

I would consider anything outside of using a chess engine fair game (opening book, database, etc allowed)

[LlamaFluff]

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 Bg4

Pretty much anything that doesnt have analysis attached to it im fine (even just setting up a board and playing a few lines to see what works)... unless there is a clock anything but bringing in an engine is fair game to me. Both white knights out here like this is already a bit atypical though, probably at least 60% of games white goes 2. d4 followed by e5.

[LlamaFluff]

To make it clear... setting up a board with a position and trying to play out more of a 10+ move line im fine with just to check on things like a sacrifice/gambit would play out. Depending on complexity of situation I stop trusting myself around 5 moves.

[LlamaFluff]

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 Bg4 4. h3 Bh5

Sure, that makes sense to me. I’ll play out lines depending on the position. If I think I have winning chances I sometimes like to try and play out several variations to make sure I’m winning in all of them before doing anything rash. And yeah, this is the approach I learned against the Caro Kann from watching some of Aman Hambleton’s videos on YouTube. I prefer it to the advance variation as it seems to lead to more open positions (which, as a Caro Kann player, I’m assuming aren’t your favourite )

I think my least favorite are the Bayonet lines that try to force me to play f6 early. I get enough of these (usually play Caro-Kann, sometimes play French), but they can transpose into things I can logically play but can fake enough.

[LlamaFluff]

Just because now I got bored... pulling up chess.com results after 1. e4 c6 the win percent for White/Draw/Black depending on white 2nd move (and #games). Granted I do daily tournaments more so usually have a few body bag games in first rounds.

d4 (349) - 35/19/46
Nf3 (102) - 22/17/62
Nc3 (37) - 30/8/62
Bc4 (25) - 4/0/96
c4 (24) - 25/38/38

[LlamaFluff]

Bayonet are the early g4/h4 lines that usually pushes bishop back to h7 (Bg4 + no bishop exchange lines are similar)

Those stats were just my games. But usually tournaments for me is 6 players first round where I should be winning three and then there is a tossup and against a better player scenarios so I should get a decent bump to win percent playing my favorite lines

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 Bg4 4. h3 Bh5 5. d3 e6

[LlamaFluff]

bump

[LlamaFluff]

bump?

[LlamaFluff]

No worries, I only check every day or so 1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 Bg4 4. h3 Bh5 5. d3 e6 6. g4 Bg6

[LlamaFluff]

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 Bg4 4. h3 Bh5 5. d3 e6 6. g4 Bg6 7. Qe2 Bb4