thibdb13 wrote on 03/26/07 at 12:15:18:

Yes. I never understood the combination of e4 and b3 and would say that almost any other pawn move at move 3 is better

Well, yes if White puts his knights on d2 and f3 against Black's Botvinnik/Stonewall setup. It is something different, if White plays f2-f4 between move 4 and 12.
Compare the real Dutch Stonewall. White really cannot do without c2-c4, can he?

thibdb13 wrote on 03/26/07 at 07:34:26:

Actually, attacking on the kingside is also good. However, it is just that I like attacking on the queenside

Nice game. However, I believe that Be7 is not the best square for the bishop. If I am playing, I will play ...g6 and ...Bg7. Then, you will get a sort of closed sicilian position that is favourable to you because of the wrong placement of the white pieces. And by the way, your plan is to attack on the queenside with b5 and a5 and something along those lines.

For your confidence or ego I couldnt find anything bad with your opening play. I quite liked the knight manoeuvres.

Here is the game:
[Event "Clubkampioenschap Mechelen A"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "02/03/2007"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Koen Van Vlaenderen"]
[Black "Thibaud de Borggraef"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. b3 Nf6 4. d3 e5 5. Bb2 Nc6 6. Nbd2 Be7 7. Be2 O-O 8.
O-O Bd7 9. c3 Rc8 10. d4 cxd4 11. cxd4 exd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Bc6 14.
Bd3 a6 15. Re1 Nd7 16. Qb1 Ne5 17. Be2 Bf6 18. Qb2 Nd7 19. Bg4 Rc7 20. Rad1
Bxd4 21. Qxd4 Qf6 22. Qb4 Ne5 23. Be2 d5 24. Qb6 Rd7 25. exd5 Rxd5 26. Ne4
Qf4 27. Ng3 Nd7 28. Qa7 Rxd1 29. Rxd1 Re8 30. Qd4 Qxd4 31. Rxd4 g6 32. Rd6
Nc5 33. f3 Kf8 34. b4 Ne6 35. Kf2 Ke7 36. Rd2 Rd8 37. Rb2 Nf4 38. Bc4 Nd3+
39. Bxd3 Rxd3 40. Nf1 Bd5 41. Ne3 Be6 42. a4 Rb3 43. Nd1 Rxb2+ 44. Nxb2 Bb3
45. Ke3 Kd6 46. Kd4 f6 47. a5 Bd5 48. Nd3 g5 49. Ne1 h5 50. g3 f5 51. h4 g4
52. fxg4 fxg4 53. Nd3 Bf7 54. Nf4 Kc6 55. Nd3 Kd6 56. Ne5 Be8 57. Ke4 Ke6
58. Nc4 Bc6+ 59. Kd4 Bb5 60. Na3 Ba4 61. Nb1 Bc6 62. Nc3 Kd6 63. Ne2 Be8
64. Ke4 Ke6 65. Nc3 Bc6+ 66. Kf4 Kf6 67. Ne2 Bf3 68. Nc1 Bc6 69. Nb3 Bf3

After this, I had just 5 ùinutes left and stopped writing my moves.
I went also short of time about move 34.
On move 51 I did not see the winning f4 and played g4 instead. At that moment I was 10 minutes left and my opponent still had 40 minutes. 



After this my play was less accurate but my opponent went also short of time. He had to win for being sure of the first place in our championship and I think he became rather nervous  
And so with both one minute left we got this situation:



He plaid than Nd6 and Kg6 when Nf6 and coming back with his King to the kingside was winning.  
And so a few moves later I managed to promote to Queen and to obtain this situation:



He plaid then g6, I plaid Qf5 and he gave up  

Many thanks for your help.
My opponent did not go for e5 (he told me afterward he hesitated) but for d3. So I followed Willempie's idea: a construction with pawns on c5, d6 and e5. I got a very small edge and at about the 80th we had both 1 minute left on the clock in an endgame with 4 pawns and knight (for white) again 4 pawns and bishop and I offered my bishop to get two free passed pawns. Actually, the offer was not correct but it complicated the position and my opponent did not find the right move so that I won!!  
Here is the situation after 8 moves:

The first moves were: 1.e4-c5  2.Nf3-d6  3.b3-Nf6  4. d3!?-e5  5. Bb2-Nc6  6.Nbd2-Be7  7.Be2-00 8.00-Bd7

Hello,

It seems a matter of taste playing for a position like 5...Qd4 seemed unnecessaryily complicated to me. However, maybe after 3... Nc6 4. Bb5 e5 5. B*N p*B it is not so easy to get the bishops to work...

Bye John S