I think 3...d5 is being dismissed too quickly here. I've always wondered about the position after 4.dxc5 e6 5.b4 a5 6.e3 axb4 7.cxb4 b6 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Bxd7+ Nbxd7 10.a4 bxc5 11.b5, which isn't exactly a reversed Noteboom. Here Black hasn't gained the bishop pair, but he's up a tempo compared to White's analogous position in the Noteboom, since there Black already has the bishop on b7. I don't know if there's been serious analysis done in this line (it's received some testing in corr. play) - can Black get some play with ...c4 and ...Nc5, for example, to make use of the knight. In any case, I imagine a Benoni player who enjoys getting unbalanced pawn structures might do better here than a white player who only has experience playing a London or Colle structure.

I would go 3...e6 allowing a Torre or London but thats just me.

Markovich wrote on 05/22/09 at 12:10:03:


1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 c6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 dxc4 is =, which is the exact position reversed.

However, I wouldn't try 3...g6, sine black is trying to regain that pawn a tempo down on an equal line when the board is flipped.

3...Qa5 could be followed by ...g6, however.

If Black has the Slav in his Black repertoire, then the simplest solution is 3...cd4 4.cd4 d5 with an equal position. Even if Black doesn't play the Slav, I would recommend this option as the theory of the Exchange Slav is not too detailed, and it offers plenty of scope to play for a win if Black is patient and creative.

Alternatively, 3...cd4 4.cd4 b6!? looks playable and interesting as well, playing in similar fashion to a Queen's Indian.

In the d-Pawn Specials section at ChessPublishing.com, Aaron Summerscale gave 3...d5 as equalising immediately for Black, but didn't provide any supporting evidence. Interestingly, Eric Prié says that after 3...d5 [by transposition], 4.dxc5 is "The only way to try and gain some advantage from the opening." But after 4...e6 5.b4 a5 6.e3 axb4 7.cxb4 b6 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Bxd7+ Nbxd7 10.a4 bxc5 11.b5, the position looks unclear. So 3...d5 seems like a good bet, but I'd still like to know what Black should do against 4.e3/g3/Bf4/Bg5!

With 3...g6, I'd be slightly nervous about 4.dxc5 - can Black recover the pawn or get compensation if White tries to hold on to it?

As for 3...e6, White has 4.e3 (Colle) as well as 4.Bg5 (Torre) when the early c3 shouldn't matter too much. [Although Richard may disagree! ]

Looking at this another way, assuming Black would like to play a Modern Benoni, is there any reason to prefer 2...c5 over 2...e6 (after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3)? If White can force a transposition into ...e6 lines with 3.c3 (or 3.e3 for that matter), then Black might as well play ...e6 on move 2 and avoid the sharp 2...c5 3.d5!? when Black may have problems equalising (e.g. 3...e6 4.Nc3; or 3...b5 4.Bg5).

Thanks for the informative and interesting response.  I think I actually like the transposition to the Torre after 3...g6 4.Bg5 with White committed to c3 instead of c4.  Of course Black is committed to ...c5 but I think this might be the setup that leads to the most active play while still giving equality.

In other posts we've discussed how to enliven things up after other anti-benoni systems.  Anybody have any thoughts on how to counter the tedious 3.c3?  Of course the exchange Slav is possible and I've seen a lot of Queen's Indian setups for Black, but what's the most aggressive and sound way forward for Black?