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Hi,

Glad you like the book! Yes, ...b6 lines were always my favourite when I was younger and that's why I suggested them in the Easy Guide. Even though 4...0-0 and 4...c5 are more popular, a few top GMs play ...b6 against the Rubinstein (Adams and Morozevich have fairly recent games – 2004 – in this line). Also against the Classical the main line still seems to be 4...0-0 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 Qxc3 b6 etc (Kramnik and Leko are still playing this as Black), although more recently Mickey Adams has favoured 4...d5 (as in his Linares games with Topalov and Kasparov - these will be annotated in the latest update).

Best wishes,

John

Hi,

Yes, you're right; 13 Be3 (instead of  13 Nb3) does look dangerous. Black's only consistent way forward is to grab the b-pawn, but things do look dodgy for Black after 14 Na4 Qa3 15 c3!.

So thinking about it again, perhaps Black should consider changing the move order with 11...Nbc6 and if 12 Nb3 then 12...g6. In this line White can still try 12 Be3 but Black seems to be in a better position to grab on b2, although of course there is still some risk!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to the Forum for Nimzo & Benoni systems. This includes the Nimzo-Indian, all Benonis, the Queen's Indian and the Bogo-Indian. This is your chance to chat and voice your opinions on these subjects.

All the best,

GM John Emms.