Okay, MNb, let´s talk about 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 (puh, this will not become a short post)
I considered to go to the related thread but there they talked about 3.Bf4, 3.Bg5 and such stuff. I want to talk about disadvantages of an early Nf3 in QG mainlines. So I presuppose that white plays 3.c4 after 2...Nf6!/2...e6/2...c6
It´s not in my intention (or even in my ability) to give a complete theoretical survey of the QG, fur this purpose please ask Ruslan or read the 600 pages of ECO D.
I called 2.Nf3 a big theoretical concession to black. Of course the differences of 2.c4 and 2.Nf3 (with c4 to follow) or only small but they might be (or even are)important in GM play or corr. And the difference is of course that after 2.Nf3 black is very very close to equality but after 2.c4 white might keep a little (but clear) edge.
(a) 1.d4 d5 2.c4! e6 3.Nc3! Nf6 is the best known example (and nowadays completely avoided by black on gm level) 4.cxd5! exd5 5.Bg5 +=
QGD Exchange with an early Nf3 is only =/+= or even a clear =
(b) 1.d4 d5 2.c4! e6 3.Nc3! Be7! gives white a choice between 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 with a very small advantage or, more usual these days, 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bf4! with initiative.
After 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nf3 black has 4...c6, 4...c5, 4...Bb4 or, obviously most reliable, 4...dxc4!= with a Vienna after 5.e4/5.Bg5 and a harmless variation of QGA after 5.e3 a6!
(c) 1.d4 d5 2.c4! e6 3.Nc3! c6 and the Marshall/Abrahams 4.e4!+= is the best way to challenge the noteboom (and avoid the stonewall)
After 3.Nf3 c6 there are catalan transpositions or Qc2/Bf4 ideas but they are not equally strong!
(d) 1.d4 d5 2.c4! c6 3.Nc3!? gives black such things as 3...dxc4?! and 3...e5?! but most black players will continue with 3...Nf6 (for 3...e6 see above). Now many white players prefer the meran 4.Nf3 e6 5.e3 to the open slav 4.Nf3 dxc4! and this is why they play 4.e3 and 4...a6 5.Qc2! .
After 2.Nf3 you can´t avoid the open slav (in a theoretical promising way)
These are only the most important variations, there are many more (Slav Exchange,...).
I would even consider (from a white point of view) that:
- 2.c4 Bf5 is better than 2.Nf3 Bf5
- 2.c4 Nc6 is better than 2.Nf3 Nc6 (!)
- 2.c4 c5 is better than 2.Nf3 c5
though even in the second cases black has no full equality
Sorry, sorry, sorry, it´s not my intention to discuss anyone of these variations in detail. Look out what grandmasters play
and what they avoid !
This is of course only the theoretical side of the problem and important on master level. Or for club/tournament patzers like you and me which try to prepare like grandmasters.
As long as we are no professionals time should be a very important factor and in this way 2.Nf3 can prove to be the better choice as it limits black´s possibilities.
And (as we´re no universal players) of course ít´s not in everybody´s style to challenge black´s more dynamic counterattacks in the most principal way (even if it´s a +=).
For this 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 (as advocated by Khalifman in his Kramnik books) is a nice way to avoid nimzoindian, benoni, wolga/benkö ... and hide away with symmetrical english after 1.Nf3 c5/Nf6 2.c4 . Theoretically a strong white 1.d4/2.c4-player should reach an += against benoni/wolga and take on the challenge against the nimzo.
???
*********************************************
At the end one comment to the original problem. The Tarrasch Defense is a very good choice for an active and improving player (up to master level). As Kasparov pointed out not long ago it´s still sound as long as you have not to defend some little inferior endgames against Karpov.
For black I would recommend playing the mainline even in the 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 move order and to use the Schara-Hennig only occasionally as surprise weapon, in the end the latter should be not fully sound (but defendable).
But that´s something I don´t know exactly and so the interesting discussion may continue!