I've always wondered about the line 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Be7 (Semi-Slav Declined?!), which is a current favourite of M. Gurevich and popular at club level. imho this line has an undeserved reputation as being passive and prospectless, I think Black can equalise with careful play. The two traditional antidotes are illustrated by the following games:
(i) Palliser's line:
P.Wells-M. Gurevich, Gibraltar 2006
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Ne4 b6 12. Qe2 (12. Ng3 Bb7 13. e4 Nf4 14. Qd2 Ng6 is Palliser's recommendation, but is this so bad for Black?!) Bb7 13. Rac1 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Nxc5 bxc5 16. Ba6 Bxa6 17. Qxa6 Rab8 18. b3 Nb4 19. Qe2 Rfd8... (61 moves, 1/2-1/2)
Black could also play with dxc4/b5 like a Meran, which is more commonly encountered at club level: see. A. Skripchenko-J. Houska Ekaterinberg 2006.
(ii) Transposition to Qc2 Rubinstein Orthodox QGD, (a previous suggestion of Markovich and Tracke on this forum)
J. Werle-M. Gurevich, TCh-NED Playoffs 2006
1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Be7 7. Qc2 O-O 8.
Rd1 Kh8 9. a3 Ne8 10. Bf4 f5!? 11. Bd3 Nd6 12. Ne5 Qe8 13. c5 Nf7 14. Nxd7
Bxd7 15. Bg3 Bf6 16. O-O g6 17. f4 Rg8 18. b4 Qe7 19. Kh1 h6 20. b5 b6 21.
bxc6 Bxc6 22. Ne2 Rgc8 23. Rb1 bxc5 24. dxc5 e5 25. fxe5 Nxe5 26. Ba6 Ng4
27. Bd6 Qe8 28. Bxc8 Rxc8 29. Nd4 Ba4 30. Qd3 Qxe3 31. Qa6 Rg8 32. Nf3 Bc2
33. Rbe1 Bd3 34. Qc6 Nf2+ 35. Rxf2 Qxf2 36. Bg3 Qb2 37. Be5 Bxe5 38. Nxe5
Be4 39. Nf3 Qxa3 40. Qf6+ Kh7 (92 moves, 0-1)
Black is not forced to play Stonewall-style of course, and again could instead play for dxc4/b5 like a Meran: see Tkachiev-Graf Tripoli 2004. Black can even try a slow development plan with b6/Bb7/Rc8: see P.H. Nielsen-L. Bruzon Esbjerg 02 (perhaps White should play cxd5 upon Black's b6?!)
Also i think a tranposition to an Exchange QGD with cxd5 is not so good, because of Nxd5 trading some pieces: see S. Volkov-V. Zviagintsev Rus Ch. 2005.
Any thoughts? What is White's best course?