"but what to play after 1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.e4 ? I thought of 3...Nc6!? but haven't been able to find anything sensible for Black after 4.Nf3!"

4.Nf3 may in fact be the best move (I think Kasparov chose it once.) but 4...d6 looks playable.  There are advantages to not having moved the d-pawn yet in some of the other variations.  I've looked at some of the positions after 3...c5 4.d5 but it seems to me if White plays accurately then Black is struggling.  Often, after ...e6, White can take back with the e-pawn and have an almost risk free edge.

Speaking of 3...Nc6!?, I remember it being analyzed in this book which I'd like to own again if anybody knows where I can get it at a reasonable price.  http://www.schaakboek.nl/images/10333.jpg

Yes, well, why take a draw?  After 10.Bd2, I like White. 

But if this really worries you, I suppose that Black can avoid the draw with the queen sac line -- 9..dxe3 10.Nxb6 exf2 11.Kxf2 axb6.  I don't think this is sound, but its certainly unbalancing.

1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.e4 Nc6 5.d5 and White can reach a draw.
I played this variation for more than 15 years and nobody played the drawing line. (... Nd4 6.Be3 c5 7.Nge2 Qb6 8.NxN exN 9.Na4 Qa5+ 10.b4 Qxb4+ 11.Bd2 Qa3 12.Bc1 1/2-1/2. Some players dont know it, others tries to get the advantage against this provocativ system. 
It often leads to complicated battles where Black has good chances against unpreparated players. But i have to admit that against very strong players it's a bit dubious even if there is no clear refutation.

After 4.d5, I think that heading for a Benoni is the way to go, but if you want to try to stay somewhat consistent then (after 1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.e4 c5 4.d5 d6 5.Nc3) you can also try 5..Bxc3.

CrushingAttack wrote on 12/24/07 at 14:57:56:


I wonder if the Dutch Leningrad combined with the pure Pirc (so 1...d6) will not suit you better. Anyhow, you might spend some time on 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.c4 d6 4.Nc3 Nd7 and 5...e5. The idea is to save tempi compared to the KID by eg 5.Nf3 e5 6.Be2 Ne7.
The early attack h2-h4-h5 is quite dangerous - and extremely sharp. Equality is not guaranteed but unbalanced positions are. A sample line is 7.d5 (7.h4, 7.Be3, 7.0-0) 0-0 8.h4 f5 9.h5 Nc5 10.Ng5 h6 11.b4 Nxe4 12.Ngxe4 fxe4 13.hxg6 Nxg6 14.g3 Bf5 15.Be3 Cvetkovic-Strikovic, JUG 1988/1-0 (36) and Fritz suggests a5. You'd better know what you're playing here, I have found quite a few crushes.

Hello everybody,

I'm new to this outstanding forum.  

Currently I'm trying to change my black repertoire (mainly because the stuff that I play with the white pieces does really afford much time...).
I'm very much the typical attacking player who loves all kinds of open and extremely sharp positions. My rating is based around 2200 ELO points.

After some years I finally come home to the modern defence 1...g6 again:
While I'm quite happy with the positions against 1.e4 and versus flank openings 1.c4, 1.Nf3 I do not see how to get a reasonable position after 1.d4 g6. I don't want to play the KID for the following reasons: Firstly, it is too much theory and the white players will be well prepared and secondly sometimes there will arise completely blocked positions that I'm not very comfortable with.

So the question is which line of the Averbakh to chose:
1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.e4 Nc6 5.d5! is not acceptable as White can at the very least force a draw

Actually, I would like to play
1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5!? 4.d5 Bxc3+!
but what if White tries another order of moves?
1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nf3 d6 4.e4 Bg4 is probably still OK
but what to play after 1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.e4 ? I thought of 3...Nc6!? but haven't been able to find anything sensible for Black after 4.Nf3!

Any suggestions?? Oh, and one more thing: I don't expect to achieve equality but I want to find a reasonable way to unbalance the position.