For all members capable of the german language I refer to some very profound work by GM Kindermann on http://chessgate.de/training/training_kindermann/training_kindermann.html

It´s all about the game Khalifman - Bareev 2002 with the move order 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Bd3 Ngf6 6.Qe2 c5 7.Nxf6 Nxf6 8.dxc Bxc5 9.Bd2.

Strategy,

I play the Classical, 4...Be7.  Recent games have made me interested in the MacCutcheon again (4...Bb4), but I trust my old analysis in the Alekhin-Chatard Attack.  It doesn't score well in blitz, but does wonders in longer time controls. 

There are just so many great attacking chances for White that I burn up too much time working out defenses in blitz.  But at longer time controls I'm able to work these out and usually come out of the opening with a relatively safe position for a central pawn that I pocketed earlier. 

It's a hard way to win a game, but if you know of an easy way...  Then again, I like my chess over hard.

Strategy, I don't follow your logic. 

As Black, I like to play the Steinitz Variation.  I think it gives me excellent winning chances and is sharper than the Burn-Rubinstein variations.  But that's another topic.

suitable material to be found:

Dzinzi, Alburt, Perelstheyn: Opening Rep for White.
     Not an expert on this line, but appears this section is pretty good I feel (in contrast to some of the other stuff in the book)

Chesslecture.com
     By kraai maybe? Good material, lucidly presented.

Consulting both sources should suffice up to a fairly high level.

MNb,

I do think of the Rubinstein and Burn in the same breath.  In fact at least one of my books does merge the two into one opening.  I trust your research, but I wonder how many were Rubinstein/Burn move orders.

Dom,

Thanks for the reminder of some good old games!

I don't like to play the Rubinstein as Black, but it seems to be good enough for equality if Black is willing to defend for about 15 moves.

I think it's Black, rather than White, who has to choose the playable lines.  Fairly recently, Black stopped castling Q-side in many top-level games.  I still think the games of Mikhail Gurevitch are extremely instructive for players of either side.  Also, take a look at the few times Shirov played the Black side of the Rubinstein.

Strategy_Rules wrote on 09/19/07 at 11:43:14:


I suspect that the following line is somewhat suspect.

1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. Nc3 dxe
4. Be3 This transposes to a line of the Alapin-Diemer Gambit. 

A) 4..Bb4 5. Qg4 Nf6 6. Qxg7 Rg8 gives some sort of Winawer.

B 4..Nf6 5. f3 Bb4 (5...exf 6. Nf3 gives white attacking chances)

Artur Jussupow published one analysis for the variation in Europe Echecs magazine some months ago (January 2007). One line in the analysis: 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6 Nxf6 7.Bc4 c5 8.Bg5 Tal-Portisch,Bled 1965

I recorded many lines for the Rubinstein system but without clear conclusion..

If a starting line is needed I will give the line:

5.Nf3 (5.g3!? Botvinnik ; 5.Bd3 is a transposition move, but 5.Nf3 keeps options open) Ngf6 6.Nxf6 Nxf6 7.Be3!?

Last move Be3!? leads to an off-beat line. Off-beat but played in some games last year: Ganguly-Roiz,Moscou Aeroflot 2006, Ivanchuk-Drozdovski,Odessa 2006, Fressinet-Vaisser,Besancon 2006 and Sokolov-Vaisser,Besancon 2006  and Timman-Huebner,Remco Heite 2006

Another "old" idea: 7.Ne5 Capablanca-Blanco,LaHavanne 1913 (Daubar)

The "main line" is maybe: 7.Bd3 (7.Bg5 h6! 7.Be3  or 7.Bh4 Alexander Finkel in CBM 108) c5 (7....Be7 or other slow move: 8.Qe2 and long castle to follow is most dangerous plan for White) 8.dxc5 Qa5!?+ (8...Bxc5 9.Bd2!) 9.c3 Qxc5 10.Bg5 Bd7 (10....h6 11.Bh4 Be7 12.Qe2 oo 13.ooo Nd5 14.Qe4 f5 15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Qe5 Qc7 17.Qxc7 Nxc7 18.Bc4 b5 19.Bb3 a5 20.a4 bxa4 21.Bxa4 Bb7 22.Ne5 Plachetka-Manukian,vallee d'Aoste 2006) 11.Qe2 Bd6 (11...Be7 12.Ne5 Spassky-Petrosian,1966 (Suetin)) 12.ooo Bc6 Polgar-Korchnoi,Rotterdam 1990