Yes it is a valuable contribution. I happily absorbed it!

In the 6.d4 variation, perhaps 6...Nxd4 is more accurate, if 6...exd4 white has the extra option of 7.Nb5 which might give a tiny edge.

In the 6.g4 (?!) variation, after 6...h5 7.gxh5 black is positionally better! I don't know what Rg1 is doing for white in these positions. I think a better idea is Bg2, maybe even followed by O-O, as in certain King's Gambit positions.

I also prefer 7...Nxf5 although 7...Bxf5 might be okay: 8.Nh4 Be6 9.Ne4 (9.Bg2!?) 9...Qd7 10.Ng5 Bg4!? (10...O-O-O 11.Nxe6 Qxe6 12.Bg2 again possibly with O-O!?) 11.f3 Bf5 12.Nxf5 Nxf5 and I don't know what is happening but as black I would want my bishop!

So 7...Nxf5 8.Bg2 and now:
(a) 8...Ncd4 is still playable. 9.Nxd4 Nxd4 10.Be4!? (10.Ne4).
(b) 8...d5 9.O-O!? and black's center is a little sensitive with Re1 coming.
(c) 8...Be7 (solid but not part of any plan) 9.Ne4 maybe with Ne4-g3.
(d) 8...Be6?! 9.Ng5 Bg8 (9...Qd7 10.Nd5) 10.h4.
(e) 8...Nh4?! 9.Nxh4 Qxh4 10.Nd5 Qd8 11.h4 Be7 12.Bg5.

I do not claim much for white here, I am just trying to suggest white moves that make sense to me, instead of Rg1?! ideas.

TN wrote on 01/29/15 at 06:19:50:

I was waiting for some feedback before I wanted to show proof of my statement that the idea is ok for full equality. Too often I have the feeling that I am the only one sharing information and others just happily absorb. I expect from a forum that more than one person contributes in a thread. I notice lately that there has been less and less theoretical discussions anymore on this forum. That is not good for the existence of this forum but maybe just unavoidable. I wrote last year on my Dutch blog already an article that maybe free chess content is not something normal as it was in the beginning of the internet: http://schaken-brabo.blogspot.be/2014/10/gratis.html

Well enough complaining, time to look at the position.

an ordinary chessplayer wrote on 01/24/15 at 03:47:52:


My compatriot Tanguy found an astonishing new idea in the mainline which I believe is enough for full equality for black.

So instead of taking back on f5 immediately with the bishop, black plays first Nge7. 
There are no other official games yet with this idea so it is pretty much virgin territory. It is an excellent choice for the tournament player if he did some homework in advance.

I don't remember anymore Brabo; some idea with an early exf5 and d3-d4 put me off of 2...d6, but it's been at least five years since I looked at it.

Not having looked at this in years, I remember thinking that 2...Nc6!? was Black's best move, not playing ...d6 so quickly and using the fact that an early exf5 can be met with ...d7-d5! 

Critical must be 1.Nf3 f5 2.d3 Nc6 3.d4, but it's hard for me to believe that Black is in any serious trouble--I could be wrong, though.  Anyway I'd investigate 2...Nc6 if I were playing this way as Black, as I do think that White has good chances of an advantage after 2...d6.

an ordinary chessplayer wrote on 01/02/15 at 02:32:16:

4..., c5 is recommended in the recent book of Malaniuk: http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1374899483/0
I believe whites most challenging answer starts with 5. g3 
If 5... Nf6 then 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Bh3
If 5... Nc6 then 6.Nh4 fxe4 7.dxe4

I chose very recently for 4... Nc6 and got very quickly a promising position for black.

An interesting thread! I've been an ardent 1. Nf3 player for some years now and the d3 line is something I've toyed around with after seeing people get hacked up in main line Leningrads. I'm a bit surprised by some of the comments that Black should just be ok without a worry. Maybe a playable position is achievable and d3 isnt the most active move on appearances but its very logical and dangerous immediately trying to open things up. I don't want to give too much away but I have a few thoughts about 2. ... Nc6 which seems the most ambitious move.

After 2. ... Nc6 it seems 3. e4 just isn't very good - I was unaware of Kindermann's suggestion 3. d4 and prepared it a year or two ago for a match using material from SOS and a game I found on CB of my opponents. He slow played a line that's supposed to be inferior for Black to sucker me in before uncorking a novelty he'd had lined up for a while. I can't remember exactly which move was the novelty but I'm happy sharing what I can remember of the game seeing as I dont intend to ever play 3. e4 again...  3. e4 e5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. exf5 d5 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bxf5 9. Bg5 It looks to me like Black has got a vastly improved version of the lines with d6 and in particular is doing well due to 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Qf6 gf 12. Rc1 Bg6 13. Nxd5 0-0-0! 14. Nxc7 Kb8 and good luck trying to defend this position with White...

However although I think Kindermann is a little overly pessimistic about Black's position and White must find some good moves 3. d4 is still challenging.  3. ... e6 was my initial idea upon and at first I thought Black was just ok but now I think this was too hasty. 

A/ 4. d5 looks artificial and after 4. ... exd5 5. Qxd5 Nf6! 6. Qxf5 d5 7. Qd3, a position mentioned earlier in the thread, Black seems to have good compensation. I strongly disagree that it's difficult to get an advantage with Black against the BDG and I'll happily take on anyone willing to give me a pawn on move 2 for nebulous compensation, but not with my queen on the stupid d3/d6  

B/ 4. c4 seems very natural, going into a kind of Nimzo/Queen's/Bogo indian position with certain pros and cons. As White has played d3-d4  and Black has f5 in which is generally useful to fight for e4, the key square in these positions, and Nc6 it seems souped up for Black. However although the move Nc6 is 'free of charge' it may not be well placed and open to a quick d5. 

I haven't looked in detail at 4. ... Qe7 but I really dont understand such a move. Against d5 and planless play by White it does look an appealing and creative attempt that I'd not seen before but if White just ignores it and carries on with Nc3 and g3 what is the queen doing here? I would rather have natural harmony amongst my pieces when available than go into a strange position for the sake of it. Moving the queen to a square where it blocks the bishop going to b4 and fighting for e4 cannot be right to me... 

4. ... Nf6 seems like a much better move, particularly as 5. d5 Bb4+ doesn't work so the first danger is over for Black. After 5. Nc3 Bb4 the position is still complex with chances for both sides and I think that Black isn't doing badly but White surely isn't out of resources trying for the advantage either. 

For me its a simple pragmatic choice, there are a lot of decent Black openings which lead to equal or very close to equal positions with perfect play and this is unavoidable but there is still lots of fight and this is just like any of those. If I have to choose between playing this which is similar to a lot of other d4/Nf3/c4 indian positions that I get frequently and have experience in and having to learn the whole of the Leningrad Dutch and then succesfuly remember all the theory for the one game I get in it whenever the moon happens to be blue I'll take the former. Maybe there's something stronger than both these lines for White anyway...