Looking at fourth-move options for White in the Owen’s after 3 Bd3 e6, I came to wonder about the following:


4 Qe2!?

Some books imply this is innocuous, but is this so, and what’s the best defence? -- there seems to be no clear consensus on this, and sources often omit critical lines. I’m particularly interested in the relative, and independent, status of:

I  4 …Nf6 5 Nf3 c5 (5 …Be7 is recommended somewhere on ChessPub, but isn’t 6 e5 a problem?) 6 d5!?. Some sources imply this is harmless but what does Black play? Maybe 6 …ed 7 ed Qe7 8 c4 Qe2 9 Ke2 d6, as in Gomez Baillo -- Tempone, Buenos Aires 1993? Black’s plan here seems to be to strongpoint e5 and other dark squares -- is this comfortably equal, or tediously passive?

II  4 …c5 5 d5 and now:

(a) 5 …ed (5 …d6 first has been played, but why not 6 c4?) 6 ed Qe7 7 c4 Qe2 (or 7 …g6 7 Nc3 first) 8 Ne2. Does the knight-capture mean this is worse for Black than (I)?

(b) 5 …Nf6!? 6 c4 b5!?, as played by Minasian.

(c) 5 …g6!?, idea …Bg7 and …Qe7 with dark-square play.

III  4 …d6 with a Hippo -- the choice of Spassky. Maybe the Qe2 allows Black e-file counterplay in some positions, but then 0-0-0 might be easier for White?

IV  4 …g6, with possible transposition to III.

All suggestions gratefully received!


4 Ne2

The ‘authorities’ tend to recommend 4 ...c5 5 c3 Nf6 6 Nd2 d5 7 e5 Ne4, transposing into the game Lazzarato--Goodman, Groningen 1977/8 (where Nd2 was played before Ne2). But is Black really OK here after 8 Ne4 de 9 Bc2, with the medium-term aim of assaulting the pawn on e4? Whether he is or isn’t, what of other non-Hippo plans? Is 5 ...d6 OK here (in the 4 Ne2 move order), and if so how does Black handle the position? And what of other sixth-move options, e.g. 6 ...Nc6 or 6 ...Qc7?