Hello,

Qe7 looks like a really ugly move, so would need to know what doing to play like that. Bxf3 looks like a straightforward way of dealing with ne5 and Nxe6 threats, then continue like normal with c5. The fort knox is a good patch opening, in that you can play it in a one off game without too much prep. Personally wouldn't like to play game after game tackling white's bishop pair. (Made comment like that in a previous thread, and Dom responded with game involving b5, avoiding typical bxf3 so could check that out).
                        Probably 4...Nd7 is  better opening, but need to play accurately. There are some interesting games of Morozevich and Speelman, involving an e5 pawn sac.

Bye John S

> Which line is better, 4. ...Bd7 or 4 ... Nd7 , ?


I think this is just going to be a matter of taste
its a bit like asking if 4..Nd7 or 4..Bf5 in the Caro-Kann
is the best move.

I can remember a club mate who played the French Defence adding
4...Bd7 to his repertoire as an emergency backup in case of his mainlines suffering from white TNs. It was named the Fort Knox at the time due to being rather solid and he did get some good draws with it. This was only after he did some work on the sac lines on e6 and f7.

Here is the first game I found which is worth playing through:

[Event "Havana casual"]
[Site "Havana"]
[Date "1902.03.02"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Corzo y Prinzipe, Juan"]
[Black "Capablanca, Jose Raul"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C10"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "1902.03.??"]
[Source ""]
[SourceDate ""]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bd7 5. Nf3 Bc6 6. Bd3 Nd7 7. O-O Ngf6 8.
Bg5 Be7 9. Nxf6+ Bxf6 10. Be3 O-O 11. c3 b6 12. Qc2 Kh8 13. Nd2 Re8 14. Bxh7 g6
15. Bxg6 fxg6 16. Qxg6 Qe7 17. f4 Qh7 18. Qxh7+ Kxh7 19. Nf3 Rg8 20. Rae1 Rg6
21. Bd2 Bd5 22. b3 Rf8 23. Kh1 c5 24. dxc5 Nxc5 25. c4 Ba8 26. Bb4 Rfg8 27.
Bxc5 Rxg2 28. Be3 Bh4 29. Rd1 Bf2 30. Rd7+ Kh6 31. Rd5 Bxe3 32. Ng5 R2xg5 33.
fxg5+ Rxg5 34. Rf6+ Kh5 35. Rxe6 Bxd5+ 36. cxd5 Rg1# 0-1


Its not always the case that the Bc6 gets hoovered off and when it does sometimes blacks c pawn just goes up one square.