Yes -- I probably should have made it move obvious that I was quoting form a different thread.  I mentioned this line in a Panov thread, saying that I was reaching it from an anti-benoni move order and so I wasn't interested in the earlier deviations, but alumbrado asked about them anyway.  Rather than debate deviations there, I figured that if there was a suggestion for an alternative line for Black, that it could be discussed here (although I'm quite happy with the Caro-Kann line, myself).

alumbrado wrote on 05/11/06 at 15:22:03:


The move order that I have in mind is: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 c5 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4 d5 6.Nc3 Bb4

I guess you might suggest here that I play 4...g6, but now my opinion begins to become similar to that of Smyslov_Fan.

1. d4 Nf6  2. c4 c5  3. e3 may not be very bloodthirsty, but it's perfectly good for White.  If Black goes for the Gruenfeld setup, White plays a Tarrasch Defense with extra tempo.  There have been some recent articles in NIC Yearbook claiming that the extra tempo is not useful, but I find that difficult to believe.  If Black goes for a Tarrasch, you have the Symmetrical Tarrasch.  It's a game of chess, so if this is "boring" then chess is boring.

Wedberg-Agrest, Linkoping 2001, is a Black model.

As to literature, I suppose more or less anything on the QGA. My own modest work does of course cover the ground excellently as well (ahem).

In truth though this will only arise from this move order if White doesn't know what he's doing, since he simply gets a slightly bad version of the QGA.

Oh go on then.....

Tromp 2...e6, Veresov 3...c5, Torre 3...h6 4 Bh4 Nbd7 or the main line with ..c5...b6...Bb7...Be7, Colle 3...c5 4 c3 b6 5 Bd3 Be7 6 Nbd2 Bb7 7 00 Nc6, Colle-Zukertort the same sort of stuff with d5 in, London either the same QID-type set-up or d5/e6/c5/Nf6/Nc6 (or 3..c5 for folk who have ...d5 in already), 2 Bg5 the usual ..c.6...h6..Bf5 stuff, BDG either 3..Nxe4 or 3....e5.

Quote:



Yes. Contrary to popular belief. Semi-Tarrasch is no push over. IQP game resulting from Semi Tarrasch is to my personal liking from the white side. Typical Bishop Vs Knight end game arising out of it can be fascinating. Imho, Someone equipped with Flhor- Capablanca can play Semi Tarrasch confidently from the white side.

The idea of 4...d5 5 Nc3 a6 is that White is more or less obliged to play 6 cxd5 because either bishop moves or 6 a3 allow 6...dxc4 which is a poor version of the QGA for White. If 5...Nc6 then White can play moves to keep the tension like 6 a3 or 6 b3, which one might prefer to avoid. So one is aiming to force White to give Black the IQP, while ...a6 is a useful move in the IQP positions.

The idea of 4...a6 followed by 5...d5 is to avoid the line 4...d5 5 cxd5 exd5 6 Bb5+, which again some people prefer to avoid. Otherwise it comes to the same as 4...d5/5...a6.