I agree completely with last poster. If white choses 6 Be2 (on Bd3 just 0-0, dxc4, Nd7-b6) i prefer playing 6...Ne4!? which unbalances the game nicely. I think black is at least equal there.

Hi,
I took the time to reply to this because it reminded me of when i began playing chess. I am in college now, but when i was in 7th grade i asked my mother to get me chessmaster 7000 for christmas. That was the best gift ever. I loved that program, specially when it would talk to me about a position, it would talk about theory etc. An interesting feature was the games from Josh Waitzkin. He mentions this line in there and he says that he went over this with his friend Maurice Ashley (GM). I do not know what the best line for black is but i remember feeling annoyed at the Bb4+ move. I think that if black continues with ne7 it would be to play Bf5 if i play Bd3. therefore white should play Be2 and Nf3 instead of Bd3 and Nge2.

Haven't we discussed this in several other threads earlier?

I think MNb came up with a good line for black with Nf6, Bb4 and Nc6 which apparently transposed to a reversed minor gambit in the 1.e4 e5 open game, but with black playing 'white', as he'd saved a tempo somehow, presumably on Bf8-b4 instead of Bf1-c4-b5, or at least that's how I vaguely remember it, but exactly what e4/e5 gambit it transposes to I'm not sure, was it the Danish? 

It has been suggested (by a fellow member) that I should create a separate thread on this and see what opinions it throws up.

I'm sure quite a few White players have thrown this at you at some point and in the "Play the French (3rd Edition)", John Watson recommends

4. c4 (!?) Bb4+ 5. Nc3 Ne7 (I quite like the experimental positions arising from this move), however, he also mentions the alternative 5... Nf6 and quotes a game from 1857 - there must be some later games with this move.

Anyway, I don't wanna create a mountain from a molehill from this but I wanna banish all this anti-french lark - don't you Frenchies get the same feeling?