mefisto6 wrote on 11/14/07 at 13:46:40:



Yes, there are ways to avoid the Mikenas system, but I don't see the relevance to the topic.

I wonder whether White can't gambit his e-pawn with 9.Nf3!? Nxe4 10.0-0.  Looks as if it could get quit dicey for Black.  But even if not, 9.Qe2 looks quite nice too at first glance.  More later - in an airport lounge and my flight has just been called!

mangler wrote on 11/12/07 at 21:59:45:


That's what I thought at first, but one must wonder.  It seems like the sort of position where White would almost prefer it to be Black's move.  For instance on 5. g3 Bc5, 6. Nxe5 is not on.  5. Be2 Bb4 produces a position where it seems White would rather be playing g3 and Bg2.   5. d4 seems critical, but in comparison to 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4, having the pawn on e4 already doesn't look like an unalloyed good (target for ...Bb4; even 5...ed 6. Nxd4 Nxe4 [like a line in the Scotch] comes to mind but is bad).  Or comparing 5. d4 Bb4 or 5. d4 ed 6. Nxd4 Bb4 to their Scotch counterparts, might not the c4-pawn interfere with some 4th-rank stuff by White's queen?

5. d3 may offer an edge in the case of the tempo-up normal line which arises after 5...Bb4 6. g3, but Black can play 5...Bc5 (then 6. Nxe5 and d4 loses back the tempo and transposes to a normal line which is supposed to be about equal).  5. a3 is a thought (à la the 4. a3 Four Knights English, or the Mengarini thing in the Vienna), but is that likely to lead to any advantage after, for example, 5...g6?  I suppose one plausible line is 6. d4 ed 7. Nxd4 Bg7 (7...Nxe4 bad) 8. Be3 0-0 9. Be2 Re8 10. f3 d6, producing a KID which is reckoned to be slightly better for White without the extra move a3, but the inclusion of that move looks like it has "negative usefulness" for White.      

I think the way for White to go is (1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 e5 4.f4 exf4) 5.d4 Bb4 6.Bd3 and if 6...c5 7.d5 (7.a3!? is quite interesting too) when I am not convinced that the Benoni structure is very good for Black with his bishop all the way over there on b4 - as someone who plays both the Nimzo and the Modern Benoni, I much prefer my bishop on g7 in these positions.  It may be that Black is OK here but it looks like a very risky way to play to me.

Hello,

Yes, I agree with Alumbrado, when I had quick look at it found that Alekhine had played a few games with f4 in the tempo down situation. In that case black could play Bc5, and not have too many problems, but here d6 looks forced, and black's game does not look very attractive.

Bye John S

exigentsky wrote on 11/09/07 at 20:29:14:


Do you mean (1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4) 3...e5(!?) ?

If so, what is your answer to 4.f4(!)? Seems to give a sort of Vienna or King's Gambit Declined, where the extra move (c2-c4) means Black cannot play 4...d5.  Obviously White is not as aggressively placed as his Bf1 cannot come to c4, but in the longer run he seems well placed to control the centre (and a good hypermodernist can't ask for more than that!).

I actually like the surprising e5 move against this system. Black has a solid position and the tempo won't mean much.

Hello,

In the Milenas/Flohr System itself in the 3... c5 line there were two Kasparov games, that put top level black players off playing this. This was sometime ago now, so maybe there are repairs for black. (Alumbrado seems to think this is the case).
                    In the 3.Nf3 Bb4 4.g4 line as somebody mentioned in another thread 4... g6 4Rg1 b6 or d6 look ok for black, and Michael Adams as also played 4...BxN immediately. The main problem maybe is that these positions are quite unusual,and not very well covered in English books. So two areas were chess publishing could be useful.

Bye John S