To answer my own question :
He DOES recommend 4.g3 AND THEN 5.d4... (see TOC at https://www.schachversand.de)
which I guess is still according to his own general recommendation...

iggystiv wrote on 03/26/06 at 06:03:48:


Actually, it looks to me like White was doing rather well as far as 22. h5.  But White has other moves, notably 6. Nd2.

Concerning the other line I posted about here, 5...Qb6 6. Bg2 Bc5  7. e3 Nc6, White's most enterprising is the gambit 8. O-O!? with very interesting play.

Markovich wrote on 03/23/06 at 14:07:00:


It's remains a game, of course, but I think that 12. O-O Bd7  13. Qe4 was a better attempt to preserve White's += birthright.  For example, 13...Bd6  14. Nc3 Nxc3  15. Bxc3 Bc6  16. Qd4 Bxg2  17. Kxg2 with a position where White has some pull.

alumbrado wrote on 03/24/06 at 16:03:58:


Interesting, thanks.

alumbrado wrote on 03/23/06 at 22:40:49:



Since that appears to be a page straight from Khalifman's book, may I ask, do you have any confidence in his recommendations against the Queen's Indian and Dutch Stonewall systems?  As you will be aware, in each case he withholds d2-d4 and plays for e2-e4.  I would appreciate hearing your opinion of these particular ideas, since they smell a little bit funny to me.  I don't think they look like bad chess, exactly, it's just that they are so unusual.

alumbrado wrote on 03/23/06 at 14:22:12:


Yes indeed, and I read that argument of Khalifman's with some interest.  However, I think that White does have interesting play in those ...Qc7 lines.  For one thing, just gambiting the c4 pawn is dangerous.  For another, just lumbering ahead with Nbd2 is not all that bad, I opine. 

Since, however, you've said here that you're a Catalan player, what do you do about 1...Nf6, 2...e6?  Allow the Queen's Indian?   The tricky part about having the Catalan in your repertoire is that you can't play 3. Nc3 against the Nimzo. 

Part of the appeal of playing 3. g3 c5  4. Nc3 is that you can also play the "anti-Benoni"  1. d4 Nf6  2. c4 c5  3. Nf3 and pretty well expect transpositions into your pet variations.

ErictheRed wrote on 11/21/05 at 14:32:39:


I share your interest in this line.  After 4...cxd4  5. Nxd4, the theory is unfortunately split up between the "Catalan" 5...d5  6. Bg2 e5  7. Nf3 and the "English" everything else.  Also it is quite irksome that the Catalan theory books, for the most part, completely ignore this and assume 3...d5.  One thing worth observing is that 4...cxd4  5. Nxd4 Nc6  6. Nc3 reaches a position considered in great depth in "White According to Krammnik" (sorry, I forget which volume).   

In a recent CC game I faced (after 5. Nxd4) 5...Qb6  6. Bg2 Bc5  7. e3 Nc6 8. Nb3 Bb4+ and I could not find enough play for the win.  Thus cornstalk-martijn, corr, net-chess 2005 continued  9. Bd2 Ne5  10. Qc2 d5  11. cxd5 Nxd5  12. Nc3 Nxc3  13. Bxc3 Bd7  14. 0-0 Rc8  15. Qe4 Bxc3  16. bxc3 Qc7 17. Qxb7 Qxb7  18. Bxb7 Rd7  19. Bg2 (my original idea had been 19. Ba6 "+=", but 19...Nf3+ 20. Kg2 Bc6 defends completely) 19... Ke7  20. Rfd1 1/2-1/2.   I would be very happy if someone could suggest an improvement on my play in this game.  Assuming that White wants the full point, I think that this line is perhaps the most challenging to 4. Nf3.

Hi guys, I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, but I was wondering if there's much info on the move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.Nf3!?.  I ask this because I like to play the Catalan as White against QGD and Nimzo players, but against the Benoni I don't like to fianchetto my king bishop.

Besides other options, I know that Black can try 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.Nf3 cd 5.Nxd4 d5 6.Bg2 e5!, i.e. 7.Nc2 d4, which scores very well for Black in practice.  I was wondering if I could turn 4. Nf3 into a genuine anti-Benoni weapon (instead of playing 4.d5) and was curious as to the state of theory after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.Nf3!?.  Thanks!