Hi @ ALL !!

I'm a new member and i have just started reading me through the different forums  !!

Against 1... c5 I have good results with the following moves:

1. f4      c5
2.Nf3     Nf6
3.Nc3    d5
4.e4!!!

Best regards:
Pumi

Oh, I agree, Markovich. But the subject of this thread was, if Black can transpose to some Sicilian (which you don't play) and how White should react.

Interesting points, Markovich. So I guess Malaniuk was right when he said (with regards to 1 f4), according to Yermo, "that extra tempo's gonna hurt you"? In some of the 1 f4 d5 main lines this is also the case, although it must be said that Tim Taylor argues powerfully against such a viewpoint in his original Bird's work.

As the transposition to an Open Sicilian 1.f4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.e4 e6 4.Nc3 a6 5.d4 (5.d3 d5 6.Qe2 Nd4!) cxd4 6.Nxd4 will not suite White (eg Nxd4 7.Qxd4 b5), White should prefer 4.d3 d5 5.Qe2 followed by a kingside fianchetto. The option 5.Be2 is not bad either, but seems less ambitious to me.

1.f4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.e4 e6 4.Nc3 d5 5.Bb5 Nge7/Nf6 really belongs to the Anti-Sicilian section. I am willing to debate this line there.

To Bladez:
"Stick to discussing the lines and variations."
Good idea, both for you and me. 

" May I also refer to my post of 06/17/06? There I asked what your recommendation after 3.e4 was. It took me some effort to get an answer... "  --- MnB

What effort ??  What did you do after you posted to get me to answer the post?  What did you do besides place a post, besides waiting ?      Oh, I know...  NOTHING !   I answered when I had time to answer.  I have a life, work, studies, spouse and children... I have time to answer posts when I have time to answer a post.  Keep that in mind the next time you decide to " make an effort to make me answer a post" by doing nothing else other than WAIT for it.

Let me tell you what you did which you did not mention---

You said --

" I'm not picking on you personally."  However, you somehow did not quote yourself or perhaps you did not remember what you said earlier--  " 5. Bladez recommends a line for Black against the Bird, that promises White an advantage. "

This you said after--"3. 1.e4 c5 2.f4 Nc6?! is not Black's best against the original GPA. 3.Nf3 g6 4.Bb5. "   
That's why I made it very clear --
I never suggested that move order for Black 3... g6, never after 3. e4

"Somehow I doubt, that Bladez plays 1.e4 c5 2.f4 Nc6?! as Black. " 

Of course, this triggered my response--

"MNB, you don't know me.  You have no idea of what I prefer to move here since I have never talked about this specific line (after 3.e4) line in any sort of depth. 
 
You have no idea of what I have played or or not in the past or how frequent.  And I don't see where in my posts....  Do you see any idications of what I do play? " 

And I said to stop taking this personal.  It also means to stop talking about me and stay only on subject-- the lines and ideas.

Now, this is what you wrote concerning this other line--

"I don't know about 3...e6 though. Gary Lane in his book on the GPA only suggests the transposition to 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 e6 4.Nf3 d5 5.Bb5. "   

That's hardly anything new and its clearly not insinuating that Black has trouble here.  And let me remind you that you don't know how much I know or what I play or dont play.  Let those doubts go or your hunch of what I do know.  I know much more than you what I do know and don't know.

Since 3-4 years ago, this line has been doing well for Black.  (1. Nc3 c5 2. f4 d5 3. e4 e6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bb5 Nf6 )  Even after 6.Qe2 or others.

Black is not facing problems here to lose any sleep over it.

@ Mnb
Very interesting. It looks like, that with the Bird you can avoid all the best choices for black if he wants to transpose to the sicilian.

a. 1 f4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 e4, reaching the GPA as how it was intended before 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d5! was invented.
b. 1 f4 c5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d3, avoiding the Nge7 set-ups of the closed sician.
c. 1 f4 c5 2 Nf3 g6 3 d3 , and white can still play a Big Clamp setup versus Nge7 setups.

So I do not claim white will get an advantage, but at least the above give white a pleasant game I think.

I play the sicilian as well with black and regularly also 1 e4, but because of the above I play 1 f4 d5!, since I think that's best to equalize.

Not really. 1.e4 c5 2.f4 Nc6 (better d5, e6 and even g6) 3.Nf3 g6 4.Bb5 is one of the lines in the GPA, in which White may hope for an advantage. Quite an achievement, to have Black tricked into a fourth rate variation.  

Some logics teaches us:

1. The Sicilian is one of the best openings Black can play - referring to Fischer and Kasparov one might say thé best.
2. A good first move can be spoiled by an inferior second one.
3. 1.e4 c5 2.f4 Nc6?! is not Black's best against the original GPA. 3.Nf3 g6 4.Bb5. There are two reasons for this.
3a. 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Nxd4 cxd4 6.o-o allows White to develop smoothly with Nb1-d2-f3.
3b. After 4...Bg7 5.Bxc6 White can play on two wings: the standard king's attack and against the doubled c-pawns. It helps, that White still has c2-c4 available.
4. 1.f4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.e4 directly transposes to point 3. This favours White.
5. Bladez recommends a line for Black against the Bird, that promises White an advantage.

A few sample games:
Sikora Lerch - Spassov, Skara 1980.
Hodgson - De Firmian, Hoogovens 1986.
Bricard - Romanisjin, Manila 1992.
Campora - Judasin, Ponferrada 1992.
Campora - Judasin, Dos Hermanas 1998.

Somehow I doubt, that Bladez plays 1.e4 c5 2.f4 Nc6?! as Black.