ghenghisclown wrote on 12/09/08 at 07:19:41:

In case anyone wonders, ghenghisclown is talking about Slav lines after 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5; both books also give lines against 4...Bg4, 4...e6, 4...a6 and 4...g6.

I've tried both these lines for White. While I often got nice posiitons with the simple 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Qb3, my results with 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 were horrible and I gave it up after 4 straight losses (I was around 1900 at the time)! Just shows that what is most critical on GM level is not necessarily easy to play on club level. For the practical player, more important than what positions the top players find easy or difficult to play, is what positions I and my opponents find easy or difficult to play.

Btw. I still agree that 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 is more critical from a theoretical point of view, but I would hesitate to take it up again. Too many bad memories...

Boris Avrukh covers the fashionable 7.Bb3 variation of the QGA via. an 3.e3 move order in his recent work "Grandmaster Repertoire 1.d4 - Volume 1". 

It also covers the Slow Slav as White, which would be a useful update to Palliser's "Play 1.d4" (I think it recommends the 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 system against the Slav, please correct me otherwise).

I like 3.e4 against the QGA too, but this just doesn't fit in with the Torre and meeting 2...e6 with 3.Nf3. 

- 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 dxc4 is is simply the main line position of 3.Nf3 QGA, and 4.Qa4+ while solid is not supposed to be threatening to Black.
- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 dxc4 4.e4 has been played by som strong players on mye database, notably Vallejo Pons against Kasparov, but Black has done well with 4...b5 5.a4 c6 6.axb5 cxb5 7.b3 Bb7.

If you're interested in an early Nc3 repertoire (with QGA 3.e4) you could check out "Play the Queen's Gambit" by Chris Ward (really a Starting Out-type book with lots of explanations geared toward lower-rated players). But keeping the Torre and 3.Nf3 QGD must be easier. Maybe you could study another Nf3-based main line against the  QGA, like 7.a4 or 7.Bb3?