Markovich wrote on 01/04/10 at 14:10:03:
LeeRoth wrote on 02/15/09 at 16:02:32:
JEH wrote on 02/15/09 at 10:44:05:
I thought the whole Dutch was a Dangerous Weapon
For which color?
Exactly. You could compare playing this defense to discharging a rusty musket. It may slaughter your enemy, but it could just as well blow up in your face. That's perhaps less true of the Stonewall, but even there Black takes big strategic risks.
But more on topic, I wonder what Black's "dangerous weapons" are supposed to be, given the gradualist character of Black's play in this system. Hmm, let me guess: Leningrad with 9...Nc6 will be among them. But what in the Stonewall?
White's Dangerous Weapon #1? The Staunton Gambit, of course. I wonder if they'll cover it.
They cover the "Christmas Tree" Leningrad with 7...e6 and the gambit approach is with h3! (Two chapters cover 1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.h3 and 1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 e6 3.h3 Nf6 4.g4.)
I'm particularly interested in Simon Williams' coverage of 1.d4 f5 2.Bg5 h6 3.Bh4 g5 4.e4 Rh7 and the chapters on the Classical Dutch (7...a5 and 7...Nc6!?).
Also I'm a little interested in the chapter on 1.Nf3 f5 2.d3. I remember thinking that 1.Nf3 f5 2.d3 Nc6 was maybe the best approach, but then I felt like 3.e4 e5 4.d4! transposes to a Vienna that I would not feel comfortable with, even though I'd effectively be playing the White side with the Black pieces!
I had pretty much abandoned 1.Nf3 f5 in favor of the Symmetrical English. (1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5!? is a fun line for Kalishnikov aficionados, covered in
Dangerous Weapons: Flank Openings.) Maybe this book will change my mind.