user3909: I am a novice at chess. I am around 1400-1600 chess rating. I have struggled to find any sound aggressive openings for black against E4. As white I play the Scotch Gambit which I have great success with.
Can anyone recommend any sound openings for black that are aggressive and could you explain the theory behind it also? I prefer openings that don't need a lot of lines to remember. 

user3822: I would concentrate on maintaining a strong center. e4 Match it with e5. THe different moves in the the beginning should be a move to control the center. Pawn moves or knight moves. Develop knights before bishops. Don;t get your queen out too early. Ther;s a lot of players that think that they can dominate the board with their queen. Instead of developing they're having to move their queen because it's under attack. Castle early. #1in the game is kingsafety.

user7500: Alekhine's Defense (1. e4 Nf6) is a very agressive way to play for the win. It's not uncommon to see a line that draws less than 5-10% of the time.

user9255: I've been playing the Alekhine for a while now, and unless white plays it safe, you can get a very agressive game. The idea is for you to develop your pieces quickly while white wastes its time sending pawns up front. I personally enjoy playing lines with my light squares bishop on f5. Then (especially in fast paced games) you can often get a nice fork with your knight on c2. 
As for the scandinavian, I believe it's quite bad if you want to get active pieces (which is usually necessary for agressive play). The only way you'll get a sharp game out of this opening is if you manage to play a gambit (icelandic or scandinavian). But you'll rarely get a chance to actually play that. 
In the end, I believe that you can turn any opening into an agressive opening. You just have to play agressively. The question then turns into: How do I play agressively? Here are some ways of doing that: try to open lanes for your rooks (sometimes at the cost of a pawn. Keep your pieces active. Try to set up outposts for your knights. Keep your bishops on open diagonals. 
Lastly, if you want to make sure you get a very sharp game with agressions from both sides. Just castle on the opposite side! No matter what opening you choose.

user3872: The Sicilian defense is probably your best choice, since you want aggressive play. However, there is a lot theory and lines but probably knowledge of a few lines and some plans is good enough for your level. 
I play the scotch gambit as white as well. I play e5 however, which has a lot of aggressive lines too.

user2494: Give me something sound but aggressive.
Give me the moves, too, but I don't want to learn lots of lines.
You'll save maybe years of study time after you figure out that all you need to get out of the opening is a playable middlegame (most often attributed to Teichmann).
You're not a 1400 player because you're bad at openings, you're a 1400 player because you're bad at tactics. You can play an opening perfectly, then drop a rook to a two-move combination, you lose. In fact, you can wheel your entire openings library up to the board and play with open books, and it won't help you a bit. Your opponent will step out, and make you think for yourself, and even you reach the magic +=, you're on your own.
Openings literature, and whatever anyone gives you on Stack Exchange, is a map into the middlegame forest, where you wander lost unless you know the path to the other side of the forest (the endgame). You can't play a proper middlegame unless you can recognize a favorable or unfavorable ending on the horizon, because how are you supposed to know whether to complicate or simplify? If all you really need from an opening is a playable middlegame -- one with rough equality in center control, development, and king safety -- then it's a matter of judging the positional imbalances better than your opponent does, while being better at tactics.
If you want a recommendation for Black, consider this: If I gave you the White pieces and  two moves in a row to the start the game, which would those be?
Was it e2-e4 plus d2-d4? Very good. So go ahead and do that as Black with the QP Countergambit: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5. It's not popular, so other people will say 'oh don't do that, it sucks, play the Najdorf', but they're obeying grandmaster fashion more than having listened to thousands of club level players go through this same thing. If White plays well against that, he'll wind up with a space advantage at the end of the opening, but White's going to emerge from the opening with a little something, no matter what you do. If you start with the e- and d-pawns two squares forward, you're giving yourself a shot at the center and you don't have to make any more pawn moves to complete your development.

user258: 1400-1600? Just responding e5 will get you aggressive, open games more often than not. The chances that you'll actually wind up defending the kind of theoretical, slightly inferior cramped positions that result from best play in the open game are very low. Your opponent will probably just trot out pieces and allow you to equalize or even seize the advantage pretty easily if you know what you're doing.
The suggestion of the Scandinavian is also not bad. I don't like the Sicilian at this level because it will probably just degenerate into some kind of irregular closed Sicilian that's fine for Black but hardly "aggressive."
Honestly, worrying in detail about the "style" of opening you should be playing at this level is a symptom of misplaced priorities. Games at this level are won by 2- and 3- move tactical shots. That's another reason to favour e5, it leads quickly into the kind of games where these shots are most prevalent, without a lot of byways.

user3895: SICILIANS. Most of variations in Sicilian defense are double-edged. The problem is I'm not sure if 1400-1600 is good level to play Najdorf or Dragon for example. Well, you can try. The problem is, your oponents are likely to not know theory very well. Would you have enough understanding to take adventage of not too accurate moves?
One "funny" variation I used to play is 1. e4 - c5 2. Nf3 - e6 3. d4 - cd4. 4. Nd4 - Nf6. 5. Nc3 - Bb4 This variation is rather BAD for black. But white has to know theory, otherwise you can easily equalize or even get adventage.
More solid (and times more complex) is Taimanov. A great book by John Emms was written on this topic. I would suggest this one.
Considering your opponent are <1800 and I have faced players over 2000/2100 not knowing anything about above variations I would suggest you having a look at one of many of 1. e4 - c5 2. Nf3 - e6. Take a look what fits your style.
You would be surprised how many people don't know anything about Sicilians with e6! Wish you good luck with your reppertoire!

user7611: If you want an aggressive opening which constantly attacks at the white king I would recommend Latvian Gambit. p.s. In the Scandinavian it is not necessary to capture on d5 with the queen; you can play the Icelandic Gambit and many other cool gambits after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6?! which leads to many interesting lines.

user3890: Against a king pawn opening, one of the most straightforward and aggressive ways to defend is the Scandinavian. If you don't want much theory, I would suggest the Bronstein (also called Pytel-Wade) variation:
[Title "Scandinavian, Bronstein variation"]
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 {This is the move that characterizes the Bronstein variation among the rest.} 4.d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 a6 {This is the usual position you'll find when playing Qd6. Simple development, nothing fancy.} 6. g3 Bg4 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. O-O O-O-O

This is an easy opening to play, without much (if any) theory, as black's plan is very easy: Bg4, Nc6, O-O-O and go crazy against almost any development scheme that white adopts. Definitely a line worth consideration, albeit a risky one. As white possesses as much counterplay as black, plus more development (as his dark-squared bishop doesn't need any pawn moves to get out of the first rank).
If you wish a more challenging option for white and not let him get his way so easily, you may try a variation of the Sicilian of your choice. To get the initial grasp of the Sicilian, I recommend the Taimanov variation, which is not extremely theoretical but needs some studying:
[Title "Sicilian, Taimanov"]
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 {This move order avoids studying the Rossolimo variation, which is a little annoying variation in my opinion.}

However, if you are looking for something crazy, the Pin variation (which I do not recommend for serious play, but you asked for an aggressive opening without too much theory...) is a very aggressive one, and there is only one line that's worth mentioning (which is really not much in means of theory volume). Despite this, this line is almost a refutation of the variation, so you may try to gamble your way out if white doesn't know what he's doing or die a horrible and painful way. Here you have an outline of the variation:
[Title "Sicilian, Pin variation"]
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 {This is the starting position of the variation. Not many people know the correct continuation for white, and this plays in your favor. However, against correct play this line is probably just losing.} 6. e5 Nd5 7. Bd2 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Be7 9. Qg4 O-O {Yes, here black's best option is to simply sacrifice the exchange. If white accepts, black has unquestionable influence over the dark squares, but he is still not in extremely good shape.} 10. Bh6 g6 11. h4! {This is the main tabiya of the variation. The discovery of this move has "doomed" the whole pinning the Nc3.} Qa5 {The only reasonable move is to look out for counterplay.} 12. Qg3 d6 13. Nb5 Nc6 14. h5 Nxe5 15. f4! {Here theory begins to get blurry, but this move unquestionably hands white the initiative and a very very dangerous attack.}

Conclusion:

I recommend you try the Scandinavian and aim for messing things up in the early stages of the game. It is always fun playing for mating attacks and on these lines you'll certainly have many chances to do so.
If you are a gambler and like risks and do not mind playing (almost-surely-)flawed lines, try the Pin variation. You will get a taste of what playing the Sicilian is, and maybe upgrade your repertoire to the Taimanov or other in the future.


user924: White is one move ahead, and attacking. You can't be aggressive yet, or you'll just lose!
You have two choices: either you try to contain white, and when that is done and the position is equal, then you try to become active yourself. Or, you let him expand, but make sure you'll have your own trumps as well. The first way will lead to more or less symmetric positions, the second way is only possible if you make the position as asymmetric as possible: then he can have his trumps, and you can have yours.
The most famous asymmetric way of playing against 1.e4 is the Sicilian.
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pp2pppp/3p4/8/3NP3/8/PPP2PPP/RNBQKB1R b KQkq - 0 4"]

Example Sicilian after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4.
If white goes for this (he has plenty other options that are very strong too, black has other 2nd moves with the same idea), then he played 3.d4 to open the center, he'll have extra space, open diagonals for his bishops and great chances of an attack -- but you'll have your trumps too. You have 2 pawns vs 1 in the center, can move a rook to the c-file, and you have no weaknesses. You're very far away from having your own attack, but if white expands too much... BOOM. Not easy to play, but white has no way to simply control the game from here, he needs to attack.
Another way is the Pirc / Modern, characterized by putting a bishop on g7. With Nf6 in it's a Pirc, without it's a Modern. E.g.,
[FEN "rnbqk2r/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/8/3PPP2/2N2N2/PPP3PP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 2 5"]

Again a very asymmetric position, white and black are doing very different things. But white has much more space, and he's looking for an attack. Black is thinking that he will be able to defend, and then, white will have thrown too many pawns ahead, leaving behind all kind of empty space... again, counter attack coming up, if black survives.
So those are ways to play for the counter attack; counter attack is only possible if you manage to weather the attack first.
Otherwise, forget about attacking for now, and try to get an equal position.

3909: <p>I am a novice at chess. I am around 1400-1600 chess rating. I have struggled to find any sound aggressive openings for black against E4. As white I play the Scotch Gambit which I have great success with.</p>

<p>Can anyone recommend any sound openings for black that are aggressive and could you explain the theory behind it also? I prefer openings that don't need a lot of lines to remember. </p>
 3822: <p>I would concentrate on maintaining a strong center. e4 Match it with e5. THe different moves in the the beginning should be a move to control the center. Pawn moves or knight moves. Develop knights before bishops. Don;t get your queen out too early. Ther;s a lot of players that think that they can dominate the board with their queen. Instead of developing they're having to move their queen because it's under attack. Castle early. #1in the game is kingsafety.</p>
 7500: <p>Alekhine's Defense (1. e4 Nf6) is a very agressive way to play for the win. It's not uncommon to see a line that draws less than 5-10% of the time.</p>
 9255: <p>I've been playing the Alekhine for a while now, and unless white plays it safe, you can get a very agressive game. The idea is for you to develop your pieces quickly while white wastes its time sending pawns up front. I personally enjoy playing lines with my light squares bishop on f5. Then (especially in fast paced games) you can often get a nice fork with your knight on c2. </p>

<p>As for the scandinavian, I believe it's quite bad if you want to get active pieces (which is usually necessary for agressive play). The only way you'll get a sharp game out of this opening is if you manage to play a gambit (icelandic or scandinavian). But you'll rarely get a chance to actually play that. </p>

<p>In the end, I believe that you can turn any opening into an agressive opening. You just have to play agressively. The question then turns into: How do I play agressively? Here are some ways of doing that: try to open lanes for your rooks (sometimes at the cost of a pawn. Keep your pieces active. Try to set up outposts for your knights. Keep your bishops on open diagonals. </p>

<p>Lastly, if you want to make sure you get a very sharp game with agressions from both sides. Just castle on the opposite side! No matter what opening you choose.</p>
 3872: <p>The Sicilian defense is probably your best choice, since you want aggressive play. However, there is a lot theory and lines but probably knowledge of a few lines and some plans is good enough for your level. 
I play the scotch gambit as white as well. I play e5 however, which has a lot of aggressive lines too.</p>
 2494: <p>Give me something sound but aggressive.
Give me the moves, too, but I don't want to learn lots of lines.</p>
<p>You'll save maybe years of study time after you figure out that all you need to get out of the opening is a playable middlegame (most often attributed to Teichmann).</p>
<p>You're not a 1400 player because you're bad at openings, you're a 1400 player because you're bad at tactics. You can play an opening perfectly, then drop a rook to a two-move combination, you lose. In fact, you can wheel your entire openings library up to the board and play with open books, and it won't help you a bit. Your opponent will step out, and make you think for yourself, and even you reach the magic +=, you're on your own.</p>
<p>Openings literature, and whatever anyone gives you on Stack Exchange, is a map into the middlegame forest, where you wander lost unless you know the path to the other side of the forest (the endgame). You can't play a proper middlegame unless you can recognize a favorable or unfavorable ending on the horizon, because how are you supposed to know whether to complicate or simplify? If all you really need from an opening is a playable middlegame -- one with rough equality in center control, development, and king safety -- then it's a matter of judging the positional imbalances better than your opponent does, while being better at tactics.</p>
<p>If you want a recommendation for Black, consider this: If I gave you the White pieces and  two moves in a row to the start the game, which would those be?</p>
<p>Was it e2-e4 plus d2-d4? Very good. So go ahead and do that as Black with the QP Countergambit: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5. It's not popular, so other people will say 'oh don't do that, it sucks, play the Najdorf', but they're obeying grandmaster fashion more than having listened to thousands of club level players go through this same thing. If White plays well against that, he'll wind up with a space advantage at the end of the opening, but White's going to emerge from the opening with a little something, no matter what you do. If you start with the e- and d-pawns two squares forward, you're giving yourself a shot at the center and you don't have to make any more pawn moves to complete your development.</p>
 258: <p>1400-1600? Just responding e5 will get you aggressive, open games more often than not. The chances that you'll actually wind up defending the kind of theoretical, slightly inferior cramped positions that result from best play in the open game are very low. Your opponent will probably just trot out pieces and allow you to equalize or even seize the advantage pretty easily if you know what you're doing.</p>

<p>The suggestion of the Scandinavian is also not bad. I don't like the Sicilian at this level because it will probably just degenerate into some kind of irregular closed Sicilian that's fine for Black but hardly "aggressive."</p>

<p>Honestly, worrying in detail about the "style" of opening you should be playing at this level is a symptom of misplaced priorities. Games at this level are won by 2- and 3- move tactical shots. That's another reason to favour e5, it leads quickly into the kind of games where these shots are most prevalent, without a lot of byways.</p>
 3895: <p>SICILIANS. Most of variations in Sicilian defense are double-edged. The problem is I'm not sure if 1400-1600 is good level to play Najdorf or Dragon for example. Well, you can try. The problem is, your oponents are likely to not know theory very well. Would you have enough understanding to take adventage of not too accurate moves?</p>

<p>One "funny" variation I used to play is <code>1. e4 - c5 2. Nf3 - e6 3. d4 - cd4. 4. Nd4 - Nf6. 5. Nc3 - Bb4</code> This variation is rather BAD for black. But white has to know theory, otherwise you can easily equalize or even get adventage.</p>

<p>More solid (and times more complex) is Taimanov. A great book by John Emms was written on this topic. I would suggest this one.</p>

<p>Considering your opponent are &lt;1800 and I have faced players over 2000/2100 not knowing anything about above variations I would suggest you having a look at one of many of <code>1. e4 - c5 2. Nf3 - e6</code>. Take a look what fits your style.</p>

<p>You would be surprised how many people don't know anything about Sicilians with <code>e6</code>! Wish you good luck with your reppertoire!</p>
 7611: <p>If you want an aggressive opening which constantly attacks at the white king I would recommend Latvian Gambit. p.s. In the Scandinavian it is not necessary to capture on d5 with the queen; you can play the Icelandic Gambit and many other cool gambits after 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6?! which leads to many interesting lines.</p>
 3890: <p>Against a king pawn opening, one of the most straightforward and aggressive ways to defend is the Scandinavian. If you don't want much theory, I would suggest the Bronstein (also called Pytel-Wade) variation:</p>

<pre><code>[Title "Scandinavian, Bronstein variation"]
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 {This is the move that characterizes the Bronstein variation among the rest.} 4.d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 a6 {This is the usual position you'll find when playing Qd6. Simple development, nothing fancy.} 6. g3 Bg4 7. Bg2 Nc6 8. O-O O-O-O
</code></pre>

<p>This is an easy opening to play, without much (if any) theory, as black's plan is very easy: <code>Bg4</code>, <code>Nc6</code>, <code>O-O-O</code> and go crazy against almost any development scheme that white adopts. Definitely a line worth consideration, albeit a risky one. As white possesses as much counterplay as black, plus more development (as his dark-squared bishop doesn't need any pawn moves to get out of the first rank).</p>

<p>If you wish a more challenging option for white and not let him get his way so easily, you may try a variation of the Sicilian of your choice. To get the initial grasp of the Sicilian, I recommend the Taimanov variation, which is not extremely theoretical but needs some studying:</p>

<pre><code>[Title "Sicilian, Taimanov"]
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 {This move order avoids studying the Rossolimo variation, which is a little annoying variation in my opinion.}
</code></pre>

<p>However, if you are looking for something crazy, the Pin variation (which I do <em>not</em> recommend for serious play, but you asked for an aggressive opening without too much theory...) is a very aggressive one, and there is only one line that's worth mentioning (which is really not much in means of theory volume). Despite this, this line is almost a refutation of the variation, so you may try to gamble your way out if white doesn't know what he's doing or die a horrible and painful way. Here you have an outline of the variation:</p>

<pre><code>[Title "Sicilian, Pin variation"]
[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 {This is the starting position of the variation. Not many people know the correct continuation for white, and this plays in your favor. However, against correct play this line is probably just losing.} 6. e5 Nd5 7. Bd2 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Be7 9. Qg4 O-O {Yes, here black's best option is to simply sacrifice the exchange. If white accepts, black has unquestionable influence over the dark squares, but he is still not in extremely good shape.} 10. Bh6 g6 11. h4! {This is the main tabiya of the variation. The discovery of this move has "doomed" the whole pinning the Nc3.} Qa5 {The only reasonable move is to look out for counterplay.} 12. Qg3 d6 13. Nb5 Nc6 14. h5 Nxe5 15. f4! {Here theory begins to get blurry, but this move unquestionably hands white the initiative and a very very dangerous attack.}
</code></pre>

<p><strong>Conclusion:</strong></p>

<ul>
<li>I recommend you try the Scandinavian and aim for messing things up in the early stages of the game. It is always fun playing for mating attacks and on these lines you'll certainly have many chances to do so.</li>
<li>If you are a gambler and like risks and do not mind playing (almost-surely-)flawed lines, try the Pin variation. You will get a taste of what playing the Sicilian is, and maybe upgrade your repertoire to the Taimanov or other in the future.</li>
</ul>
 924: <p>White is one move ahead, and attacking. You <em>can't</em> be aggressive yet, or you'll just lose!</p>

<p>You have two choices: either you try to contain white, and when that is done and the position is equal, then you try to become active yourself. Or, you let him expand, but make sure you'll have your own trumps as well. The first way will lead to more or less symmetric positions, the second way is only possible if you make the position as asymmetric as possible: then he can have his trumps, and you can have yours.</p>

<p>The most famous asymmetric way of playing against 1.e4 is the <strong>Sicilian</strong>.</p>

<pre><code>[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pp2pppp/3p4/8/3NP3/8/PPP2PPP/RNBQKB1R b KQkq - 0 4"]
</code></pre>

<p>Example Sicilian after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4.</p>

<p><em>If</em> white goes for this (he has plenty other options that are very strong too, black has other 2nd moves with the same idea), then he played 3.d4 to open the center, he'll have extra space, open diagonals for his bishops and great chances of an attack -- but you'll have your trumps too. You have 2 pawns vs 1 in the center, can move a rook to the c-file, and you have no weaknesses. You're <em>very far away</em> from having your own attack, but if white expands too much... BOOM. Not easy to play, but white has no way to simply control the game from here, he needs to attack.</p>

<p>Another way is the Pirc / Modern, characterized by putting a bishop on g7. With Nf6 in it's a Pirc, without it's a Modern. E.g.,</p>

<pre><code>[FEN "rnbqk2r/ppp1ppbp/3p1np1/8/3PPP2/2N2N2/PPP3PP/R1BQKB1R b KQkq - 2 5"]
</code></pre>

<p>Again a very asymmetric position, white and black are doing very different things. But white has much more space, and he's looking for an attack. Black is thinking that he will be able to defend, and <em>then</em>, white will have thrown too many pawns ahead, leaving behind all kind of empty space... again, counter attack coming up, <em>if</em> black survives.</p>

<p>So those are ways to play for the counter attack; counter attack is only possible if you manage to weather the attack first.</p>

<p>Otherwise, forget about attacking for now, and try to get an equal position.</p>
