Hmmm, think I analyzed from the wrong position... Sorry 'bout that. 15. Nxg5 is not good at all.

I don't have the book (yet).  But if you analyze from 15. Nxg5 instead of Bxg5 it turns out pretty good for white. Not easy, but you've got a lot of initiative.

Ametanoitos wrote on 04/14/10 at 23:15:23:


I finished working with the book and saying "Big problems with major lines" is rather exagerated.

The first "problem line", in the Botvinnik, is not a problem because the mistake is not in the recommended line but in an ilustrative game of an alternative.

The second one isn't a big problem either. Rfc1 is a draw, but Rfd1 keeps plenty of life, and Carlsen won against Kramnik in London 2009 with it, showing some interesting ideas.

I was skeptical about the move order 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 c6, but after seeing how interesting the structures arising in the Keres are I'm more willing to study it when the next books are released 

Markovich wrote on 04/19/10 at 20:20:38:


1...Nf6 and 2...c6 is often used by would-be Hedgehog players when faced with the Anti-Hedgehog move order 1 c4, 2 g3. This was Suba's recommendation in his book (chaotic but interesting) on the Hedgehog and is undoubtedly one of Black's most testing lines, but White should not despair. In another thread I wrote:

"Ten to fifteen years ago, the big questions for the English/Reti players, certainly below master level, were what to play against:
1) the King's Indian/Closed Sicilian reversed set-ups;
2) the Symmetrical
3) ...e6, ...d5 systems
4) whether to try to prevent the Hedghog or combat it.

I think this is reflected in the balance of material in Kosten and Donaldson-Hansen.
Since then we've seen a huge growth in the number of players who want to play some sort of Slav set-up against practically everything, and anyone writing such a repertoire book now really should be ensuring that this gets a lot of attention. White is not short of ideas, but probably there is no way to force an advantage, and as in much of the Reti-English complex, the question of what to play is really one of choosing something playable that leads to the sort of positions one likes.

I suggest that the main options are:
1)      Transpose to Slav (but prepare well);
2)      Play the English Anti-Slav, with e3 and holding back d4;
3)      Play 1 c4 c6 2 e4 and head for some sort of Panov;
4)      Play the original Reti double fianchetto with c4;
5)      Play the original Reti double fianchetto but aim for e4, by Qe1, or e3, Qe2;
6)      Play the c4 gambit line that Kosten and Davies recommended,, but which seems to need some repair work at the moment (although I notice that Marin has been playing it);
7)      Play Loginov’s line (first played by JH Blackburne!) 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 c6 4.0-0 Bf5 5.c4 e6 6.cxd5!? exd5 7.d3 Nbd7 8.Nc3 Be7 9.Qc2!? planning e4, e.g. 9...h6 10.e4 dxe4 11.dxe4 Bh7 12.Bf4 0-0 13.Rad1 Qa5 14.Nd4 Rfe8 15.h3 Bb4 16.Nb3 Qb6 17.Rfe1 Ne5 18.a3 Bf8 19.Nd2 Qc5 20.Be3 Qe7 21.f4 Ned7 22.Bf2+= Loginov-Soos, 1993. The mobile Kingside majority gives White space and attacking chances. This plan can also be played against …Bg4 lines.
8)      If Black lacks experience in typical Caro Kann or Centre Counter positions, White can consider Mamedyarov’s deceptively simple line 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 Bg4 4.0-0 Nd7 5.d4 e6 6.Nbd2 Ngf6 7.Re1 Be7 8.e4, e.g. Mamedyarov-Kosteniuk 2009.

Probably there are even other options, but I hope I’ve made the point that White has plenty of resources and should not despair at seeing Black place his pawn on c6!"

Personally after 1...Nf6 2.g3, I would join parisestmagique in his preference for 2...c6! followed by ...d5 and soon enough either ...Bf5 or ...Bg4.  I wouldn't capture early on c4.  I think of this plan as the definitive theoretical rejoinder, pretty well squelching White's ambitions for +=.  It's a game of chess, of course.

the March'10 Flank Openings update by Nigel Davies has two Marin games with :
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 c6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.0-0 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Nb6 7.Na3 Qd5 8.Ne1   

The ! and !! are for the difficult task of the next Marin's volume. After 1.c4 Nf6 if he recommands 2.g3 in his next volume there is no more Panov attack or normal Slav for exemple. So 1... Nf6 seems more annoying than 1... c6 from the theorical point of view.