I'm sure that, after 1 e4 g6 2 d4 Bg7 3 f4, 3 ...d6 is just as good as 3 ...c5. Of course, after 4 Nc3 Black must be prepared to enter 3 Nc3 d6 4 f4 lines, but he's probably happy to do so anyway. More importantly, though, after 4 c3 he must be happy with 3 c3 d6 lines -- according to some, 3 ...Nf6!? is more accurate here.
After 4 Nf3 c5 5 d5 Nf6, isn't it inevitable that Black will avoid a 4 Pawns Attack Benoni? 6 Nc3 blocks the c-pawn and leads to a Schmid Benoni (NCO p. 69/n. 35) which is fine for Black, while 6 Bd3 is met by 6 ...c4.
Black has alternatives to 5 ...Nf6, too: 5 ...e6 is possible, intending a Franco-Benoni setup, while Rossetto once tried the weird 5 ...e5 6 fe (perhaps not best?) Be5!?.
I guess (3 f4 d6) 4 c4 isn't critical -- Black can play either the interesting 4 ...Nc6!? or else ...c5 and ...Nf6, but even after 4 ...c5 he can't be forced into a pure Benoni as ...Ne7 plans are still possible.
Three questions for Glenn or for anyone:
(1) Is 3 f4 d6 4 Nf3 Bg4 a reliable defence, or (as I suspect) dubious? White has a wide choice: 5 Be2, 5 Bc4, 5 Be3, 5 c3 ...
(2) 4 ...Nf6 here seems just as viable as 4 ...c5, since after 5 Bd3 (or 5 Nc3 with an Austrian Attack) c5, 6 d5 allows ...c4. There's also 5 Bd3 0-0 6 0-0 (6 c3 c5 7 dc Nbd7!? 8 cd ed) c5, reaching a 3 Bd3 Pirc, but what about other sixth moves for Black here? -- is 6 ...e5 as good as 6 ...c5, and what of 6 ...Bg4 or 6 ...Nc6?
(3) How should Black meet 5 e5 (instead of 5 Bd3) here? Presumably this isn't critical since 5 ...Nfd7 6 Nc3 c5 is a decent Pirc, but White does have other sixth moves. Also, what of 5 ...Nd5 or 5 ...de?
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