Quote:

tafl is correct.  Both 5...a6!? and 5...Bg4?! are answered effectively by 6.d5.

- Lost Highway

An interesting article can be found on ftp://ajec-echecs.net:45000/CCN/ccnews87.pdf about this opening.

SorenJensen,
- Yes, the 3...Qd6 Scandinavian has been discussed in a thread on this forum.

- The best source probably still is Michael Melts' "Scandinavian Defense The Dynamic 3...Qd6", Russel Enterprises 2001. Not a particularly easy read, but impressively detailed.

- Emms' and Plaskett's new Scandinavian books examine the line too, and are more recent but appear rather superficial in comparision.

@ guidedbyvoices

From my memory, the Vlassov article focused mainly or even wholly on the 5 d4/6 ...0-0-0 line you mentioned above, where black's king ends up on d7 on move 11. Moreover it was clear that V. himself acknowledged he was playing a line that was highly dangerous for himself as well as for his opponent ...

In the 3 ...Bg4 line, sadly, I have to agree that 6 d5 should be better for White. Casting around for other Black ideas against 2 Nf3 I took another look at 3 ...Nf6 4 Nc3 Bg4 5 Be3 d5!?. But I suspect 6 h3 Bh5 7 e5 Ne4 8 Ne2 is, though messy, good for White. Has Berdichevsky anything to say about this line?

I’ve also been looking at various other ideas, but will make these the subject of another post …

Michael: its true some original lines can be reached after 1e4 Nc6 2Nf3 d6 3d4 Bg4 4Be3 e6!?  but I still prefer white in the line you mention after 5h3 Bh5 6d5

Checkmate: 1e4 Nc6 2d4 d5 3Nc3 is certainly an important line of the Nimzowitsch but 3...de is by no means blacks only response, each of 3...Nf6, 3...e6, 3..e5 (if 4de d4 5Nd5 then not 5..f5 but 5..Nge7!?) and even 3..a6 are playable.

Soren: will send you a pm about the Vlassov article. I think this section is a better place for Nimzowitsch threads than the daring defences, since most Nimzowitsch games start 1e4 Nc6 rather than 1d4 Nc6. By the way whats Keilhack and Schlenkers coverage of 1e4 Nc6 2Nf3 d5 like?

[quote author=Michael Ayton  link=1118977737/0#6 date=1120553695]

PS  Should this whole thread be in the Daring Defences Forum?

[/quote]


Yes, one wonders.

A while ago I posted this:

3. Chess Publishing covers the Nimzowitsch defence in its Daring defence section. There is a pdf overview which seems to be tinkered with reasonably often, though it seems it was a couple of years now since there was anything on the main page (huzzah, there was a game just recently, albeit in the stodgy line!). Most discussion on the forum, on the other hand, has been on the 1.e4...section. I guess it does not matter one bit, but out of curiosity, is there a preference from the good people of Chess Publishing as to where Nimzowitsch defence topics are discussed, and what was the original idea with placing it in the daring defences. Was it because it was seen as part of a 1...Nc6 reportoire?

(end)

The root of the "problem" is that the header 1.e4 ... is rather vague. So it includes what does not have its own site but excludes less popular openings. 1.e4 Nc6 is daring, 1.e4 Nf6 not. Go figure.

The critical line after 2 ... d5 is the gambit 3 Nc3(!) de 4. d5, a kinda reverse
albins counter gambit. But white is probably slightly better after 3. e5 as well.

CheckMate

[quote author=Michael Ayton  link=1118977737/0#6 date=1120553695]2 …d5 is certainly interesting. I seem to remember Vlassov publishing an article on it on Kasparov’s old website. What do you reckon are the critical lines, guidedbyvoices? Some books suggest 2 …d5 transposes to a Scandinavian, but I think it unlikely Black would reach these positions via 1 …d5.

Also, can anyone tell me what’s wrong with 2 …d6 3 d4 Bg4!?, which is not really covered on ChessPub, nor in NCO? Harding says 4 Bb5 a6 5 Ba4 b5 6 Bb3 is good for White, but is this clearly so? For example:
[/quote]

for my money the critical lines of 1e4 Nc6 2Nf3 d5 variation are where white plays an early Bb5, i would venture to suggest that black is ok against other lines. Bb5 can be played either with or without d4. for instance one line was 1e4 Nc6 2Nf3 d5 3ed Qxd5 4Nc3 Qa5 5d4 Bg4 6Bb5 and now Vlassov has played 0-0-0 7Bc6 bc 8h3 Qh5 9Qd3 Bf3 10gf e5 11Qa6 Kd7(!) the exclamation mark is given by Berdichevsky but I dont agree with it since after the obvious 12de capture (which Berdichevsky doesnt even mention)  it looks to me like white is much better, still Vlassov has played it with success against top GMs so who am i to argue  ;)

Maybe a better line for black is 6...e6 as endorsed by Myers when I think Black may be just about ok eg 7h3 Bh5 8g4 Bg6 9Ne5 Bb4!

An even better line for white may be if he delays playing d4 since the d4 pawn only seems to serve as a target for black in this line,  for example 1e4 Nc6 2Nf3 d5 3ed Qxd5 4Nc3 Qa5 5Bb5 Bd7 (Hort played a6 here against Karpov back in the 70s but please dont do it, Bg4 is also bad now) 60-0 a6 7Bxc6 Bxc6 8d4 0-0-0 9Ne5 Be8 10b4! was Emms-Kristensen 1996 in which Emms scored a crushing victory with his b4 novelty. There are earlier deviations which Black can take however. I would love to see Vlassovs article on this line as he is the main exponent of it, so if anyone knows where an online copy is to be found or even where one can be purchased I would be grateful.

Regarding your 3..Bg4 suggestion Michael it certainly seems that it can lead to some interesting deviations, however can't white just play as in the main line with 4Be3 which will lead back into 3Nf6 lines after Nc3 and Be2 or is blacks idea to play e5 rather than e6 followed by d5?  

its also worth mentioning that after 1e4 Nc6 2Nf3 d6 3d4 Nf6 4Nc3 Bg4 5Be3 e6 6Be2 Be7 7d5 Bxf3 white can respond 8gxf3 (rather than Bxf3) hoping to make use of the semi-open g file after castling queenside.
personally i think that 1e4 Nc6 2Nf3 d5 is underated and more interesting for black than the 2..d6 lines but it might not suit someone so much if you want to play 1e4 Nc6 2d4 e5 as it would if you played 1e4 Nc6 2d4 d5.

Quote:


3...Na5 is certainly a joke, white wins a piece after 4b4.  After 4Nf3 then 4...Ng6 is probably best, black will develop his dark squared bishop on either c5 or b4 depending on whites plan.

its not exactly a new line but i've always felt that after 1e4 Nc6 2Nf3 d6 3d4 Nf6 4Nc4 Bg4 5Be3 e6 6Be2 Be7.. 7d5! gives white the better of things. i know Miles played the black side of it quite successfully a few times but i dont think its to everyones tastes.