I am going to start a new thread on the Owen under 1.e4 .... (where I think it properly belongs!?)

@MNb No - I just think that in the position after 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 e6, developing the knight (and blocking the route to g2!) is more relevant than gaining space.

If anything, it is an argument that 1.Nf3 is stronger than 1.c4, since after 1.Nf3 b6!? White can play 2.e4(!) and reach Owen's Defence positions rather than English Defence positions, although then after 2...Bb7 he is pretty much obliged to defend the pawn with 3.Nc3, which is perhaps not optimal.

@Michael: I haven't got round to looking at those lines, I'm afraid.  My instinctive preference would be for 6.Qe2 but I am not sure about the subsequent play.  The line you give does look a bit like a good Advance French for White, though.  I really think the bishop is not so good on b7 there - it should be on c8 or d7 to make ...f6 easier!

Really, though, and in the absence of any concrete analysis  my assessment is based on analogy with e.g. the 2.c3 b6 line of the Sicilian, where Black is able to exploit the move order to chop the bishop on d3: 1.e4 c5 2.c3 b6 3.d4 Bb7 4.Bd3 cxd4 5.cxd4 Nc6 6.Nf3 Nb4! (There is a similar line in the English Defence too: 1.c4 b6 2.d4 e6 3.e4 Bb7 4.Bd3 Nc6!? 5.Nf3 Nb4!).

In the line we are discussing here, though, White gets to keep his bishop on the board.  Maybe that is a just a subjective preference on my part ...

Indeed.  But the two defences are distinct, and 4.c4 is almost certainly not the strongest move there - 4.Nf3! += imho

I think that Rev. Owen's use of 1...b6 was instrumental in encouraging a younger generation of English players to play it and so he is indirectly 'implicated' in the popularity and naming of the English Defence.

My understanding was that the moniker Owen Defence referred specifically to 1.e4 b6, where White does not follow up with c2-c4.  The English Defence, on the other hand, occurs after 1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6 or 1.c4 b6.

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To answer your question: we are talking about an opening-system which you will find in the DARING DEFENCES section. The name of the opening: ENGLISH DEFENCE. Craig was brave enough to go into the HORROR-line (my description):

1.d4 e6
2.c4 b6
3.e4 Bb7
4.Bd3 f5
5.ef: Bg2:
6.Qh5 g6
7.fg: Bg7
8.gh: Kf8

9.Bg5 Nf6
10.Qh4 Bh1
11.Nd2 ...

Greetings

SutterCane

Craig,

this is exactly the reason why I play Na6 instead of Nc6.

SutterCane