I originally sent this question via email to GM Kosten. Any one else wishing to contribute is more than welcome. Here it is:

Dear GM Kosten,

I purchased your book, "The Dynamic English" and I'm also
a subscriber to Chesspublishing.com.

I have a few questions about a particular 2-move sequence
that troubles me in the English.

In your book (Chapter 4 The Three Knights System: 4...Bb4),
you give the following variation:

1 c4 e5 2 g3 Nf6 3 Bg2 Nc6 4 Nc3 Bb4 5 Nd5! Bc5 6 e3 0-0
7 Ne2

and then as a subvariation, there is a continuation

7... Re8 8 0-0 Nxd5 ("as ever, tactical tries tend to
rebound against Black") 8 cxd5 Nb4?! 10 d4!

and I can certainly see that this variation is to White's
advantage.

However, what if Black decides to play ...Nxd5 followed by
...Nb4 earlier?

For example, the game Watson-Enkhbat, U.S. Championship,
Seattle, 2003 went this way:

1 c4 e5 2 g3 Nf6 3 Bg2 Nc6 4 Nc3 Bb4 5 Nd5! Bc5 6 e3 Nxd5

(not covered in your book, but there is a game at your
website with that move, Christiansen-Charbonneau, Richmond,
Canada, 2002. However, in that game, Charbonneau played
7...Ne7, instead of 7...Nb4)

7 cxd5 Nb4 8 d4 exd4 9 exd4 Be7

and I can't say that I'm a big fan of the doubled d-pawns.

In a game of mine, Black played the ...Nxd5, ...Nb4 later than
in the Watson-Enkhbat game, but earlier than mentioned in your
book. It went like this:

1 c4 e5 2 g3 Nf6 3 Bg2 Nc6 4 Nc3 Bb4 5 Nd5 Bc5 6 e3 0-0
7 Ne2 Nxd5

(again, the move is not mentioned in the book,
but there is a game at your website, Balashov-Najer, Elista,
2000, that continued that way. Again, Black chose to play
8...Ne7, instead of 8...Nb4)

8 cxd5 Nb4

and here I played the meek 9 d3 which gave me a passive game.

9 d4 seems appropriate here but, as in the Watson game,
White would end up with doubled d-pawns: 9... exd4 10 exd4

What is your opinion of the early ...Nd5, ...Nb4, and what
would you recommend against it? Is White to be satisfied with
the doubled d-pawns?

Thanks in advance.

Baldomero Garcia
Chula Vista, California