How to define one's chess style?

"Building a repertoire ... we will take the idealized situation of someone starting from square one ... The first step is to think about your personal style. Do you prefer open, tactical positions or closed, strategic positions? Does an attack on your king make you nervous, or are you happy so long as you have a counter-attack? Do you prefer main lines, or something slightly offbeat? Next, look at the various openings available, and see which ones fit in with your personal style. ..." - GM John Nunn (1998)

”You don’t have to have a style.” - Ellen DeGeneres

I don't recall Ellen being a chessplayer.

Neither do I.

Mine is to try and find the best moves in every position.  In life and sex and chess.

Playing good moves is all you need to worry about.

Emotions in the moment can,  and seem to be a 'style'. Another aspect of chess would therefore seem to be.. Anger management underground style. I digress. 

Find out if your wired for slow or fast games and take it from there. 

Mine's probably fingerfehlerer.

If your a beginner, young, or low rated.  Your style is:

"Tactical"

"Aggressive"

If you are anyone else.  You understand that you play the board, and try and find the best move you can.

an original thought

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/off-topic/what-is-my-style

When I started playing chess in my early teens, I adored quiet moves and loved to defend weird positions. People would comment on how my attacks were so damn slow, but good. Over time, I've become slightly more aggressive, just as fond of quiet moves. Not every newbie goes "Rawr!" and is an aggressive tactician.

Ones own style by default, translates to ones own personality. From there the growth occurs, you nourish your desires into the game.. If you can. When you realize you cannot, you seek out those who can.

Think I remember there being a test on here with positions and stuff sort of like myers briggs.  Fun if you are in that mood.

 I think that most players that are in search of a "style" for themselves end up playing the "aggressive openings, losing middlegames and endgames" style...

If you insist on a style anyway. try Petrosian style.  There are 100 chess players that will claim they play Tal style for every 1 that claims Petrosian, so you will have the element of surprise on your side .

We used to call those types:  "One semester professors."

You know the type.  Takes 1 class at a community college, and suddenly they are the foremost expert on that subject.

My style is a preference for positions with mutual attacks.

"... you must choose what openings you will be using. This choice depends on your taste and also on the character and style of your game. If you like to attack and you are not afraid of sacrificing and taking risks choose sharp gambit openings. If you prefer a quiet game, then there are relatively calm openings for you. ..." - Journey to the Chess Kingdom by Yuri Averbakh and Mikhail Beilin

"... there is no ‘best’ choice in a (strategic) position... It is not enough to evaluate material, initiative, pawn ­structure and other structural considerations generically – these considerations should be held up against the characteristics of the two players. The style and personality of the com­batants should be included in the decision pro­cess as well. This means that we should give up the assumption that in a given strategic position there is one best way to play which should be chosen by any player in the given position against any opponent sitting on the other side of the board. The assumption that chess is played on a board and against pieces should be aban­doned and replaced by an approach which acknowledges that chess is played between opponents and that the aim is to win the game against this particular opponent ..." - GM Lars Bo Hansen (2005)

http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Foundations-Of-Chess-Strategy-77p3843.htm

http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Foundations_of_Chess_Strategy.pdf

"Thud and Blunder".

And that too...

1600's have a style.  Its called blundering, and mistake prone. 

Luckily, you're a 1700 player.