Thank you for responding. Yes, as MNb pointed out we once talked about a Shabalov-Wolff game. This game is also in the vienna book from everymanchess. As I am not at home at the moment, I have to post later the analyses given there. Anyway sumarized it looks intressting but it seems it is white who has to fight for the draw.

In this book the move 4.Qf3 is recommended against Bb4. However I believe black should play in this position the bishoph the e6. I do not like the white positions if black has a pawns on d6, e6, e5, and c7 (and eventually has castled already) as sooner or later d5 will happen. What I like in the vieanna is that i normaly have the better controll over the center, here i havent. (any other oppinion?)


The intressting point is that we have after 3. Bb4 a spanish reversed (with a Bishoph on c4). I spend some time to analyse 4. a3 like a spanish exchange (reversed), as I owne the great book by Kinderman. However my impression is that white has no advantage from the extra move Bc4 and it like he would like playing the black side in a spanish exchange. And I am not even sure if after 4 a3 the B retreat to a5 is more intressting than Bxc3. Propably the best after 4.a3 Bxf3 5.dxc3 XY is 6. Qe2. Anway even this is rather modest.... (any other oppinion?)

However I have to admit that my knowledge in the opengame is rather limited. You mentioned the move 4.Nf3. So we are in the line 1.e4 e5 2. Sf3 Sf6 3. Sc3 Bb4 4. Bc4. Is this possion well known? Ok if black play Nc6 as already pointed out. I admit I have not knowledge about this sort of positions. is it possible for white to creat some interessting play?

This has been debated before, but now I am too lazy to look for the thread. It appeared, that 4.f4 is not as dangerous as I thought.

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Bb4

I know there are many promising lines against the vienna. However here I would like to limit the conversation to 3....Bb4

I am playing the vienne for a bit more then 1 year. However I never faced 3.Bb4 on the board, not in Blitz, not on Internetchess.
However I feel this is the most promissing line for black.

This move is in all opening books I do know, only purly covered. Even in repetoir books for black (for instance not in Emms, and not in the new book from Mihail Marin) I believe there are two reason for this:

1.) the set up with B on c5 and N on c6 is  mutliy functional and equal against many openings. So it is more oconomical for a repetoir book.
2.) 3.. Bb4 is seldem played by strong player, as they seldom have to play against the vienna. So an author would have to analise and explore a lot by him self. (discovering an spanish reversed)

Acorrding to me, 3...Bb4 is the strongest move in the position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4
What does other think about this move? Does anybody know a source covering it?

thx


PS: I am only member in the 3 sections
french
d4 d5
d pawns

and not in the e4 e5 one. Would it be worth for me log in there or is it not yet covered in deep?