Interesting to see when checking last night that Watson is in fact so honest to say that the reader might ultimately want to investigate 5 Bd3 after 4.. o-o.

I think you can tell that you've got a minor problem when black is seemingly making moves like 5.. c6 work (see the latest chess pub update.....).

Maybe this doesn't belong in this thread, but here are a couple of things I found myself wondering, in case someone wants to enlighten me.

1.  Quality Chess cite a reader on their blog who, aside from writing things like "the Saemisch, Wow!", enthuses about White playing Qf3 and g4 in the Nimzo.  Is that referring to the variation 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Nge2 Ba6 6. a3 Be7 7. Nf4 d5 8. cxd5 Bxf1 9. Kxf1 exd5 10. g4 (or first Qf3), associated with a classic Botvinnik-Smyslov game?

2.  Regarding the Nge2 Modern Benoni, does Schandorff seem to evince any serious differences of theoretical opinion with, say, the Informant monograph done by Gelfand and Kapengut some time ago?

Konstriktor wrote on 12/31/12 at 12:05:53:

Konstriktor, I share your journey as a "reformed" 1.e4 player myself.     I've also gotten some good positions in the Bg5 lines against the KID/Benoni as I mentioned in my comments on the OP but I was thinking Samisch versus KID would be thematically consistent with some of the other repertoire choices.

The 9.e5 Semi-Slav line leads to some interesting positions after Schandorff's suggested improvement for Black of 14...Qb6 which I have only begun to study (I've had Watson's book for much longer.)  Here is a training game (to test the variation) that ended in a draw - but I'm sure there are many improvements to be found!



Perhaps we should start a thread in the Slav section if people want to explore this line further?

Bill

I played e4 for 10 years. Then I got two kids, less time to study chess and openings.
I switched to Kostens c4/g3 "Dynamic English". Only 100 pages and less sharp positions.

My youngest daugther is now 4 and she finally sleeps through the whole night most of the time.
So daddy has gotten some extra time and energy to study chess...

The c4/g3 systems are nice but I do not find some of the positions that inspiring. Although e4 still tempts me because of all the experience I've build up with it, I also like to start something new.
So therefore d4/c4.

Interesting subject. I've got the three books (2x Schandorff, 1x Watson) too and I am working on my d4 repertoire after 10 years of e4 and 2 years of c4/g3.

Schandorffs Nimzo choice probably leads to equality. I think you should read Schandorffs Nimzo Chapter conclusion. "Equal, but easier to play for white"

@WSS Any experience with Schandorffs two in one hit vs the Semi-Slav Botvinnik/Moscow. As in the 9. e5 vs Moscow and 9. Bg3 Botvinnik.
I only had the positions in Blitz with mixed results.

As for the Samisch KID. I use the 6. Bg5 variation. You can get pretty good positions and you can use it too vs the Benoni.

WSS wrote on 12/30/12 at 15:12:28:

The latter. I advocate 4.e3, 5.Bd3, 6.Nf3, but that's rellatively easy in corr. chess. I was mainly thinking of stuff like this: "White always retains a small positional initiative". Let me put it this way: what Schandorff provides is by far not enough for such a conclusion.

Quote:

Refreshing indeed. I appreciate that much better.

MartinC wrote on 12/30/12 at 16:52:03:


I suspect you are both right on that point.  Watson points out (refreshingly honestly) in several places that his lines don't always lead to an advantage.  Instead he is aiming for strategic positions with clear ideas and good play.

Against the original premise of this thread of selecting the "best" lines from the two repertoires, the authors don't give us much choice against the Nimzo since they adopt a similar approach.  Thinking more broadly there is certainly a case to be made for going outside the repertoires and adopting a 4.Qc2 line (as I couldn't help myself doing with the Tarrasch.)  There are a number of good resources (including DVDs) available.

Bill

Maybe the autors chose e3+Nge2 not because is the most promising line as White but because of the amount of theory needed to put it in a single chapter of their books... I don't know.