TimS wrote on 07/31/09 at 09:56:26:


It looks like you have the colours reversed in your head. White plays the Botvinnik setup c4, d3, e4 and Black d6, e5, f5.

MNb wrote on 07/30/09 at 21:40:33:

Aaah, yes, good point, but does Black have time for that in conjunction with ...c5, ...d6 and ...e5 ? I haven't got a board here but I would have thought there ought to be a way for White to exploit so many pawn moves ...

MNb,

When you play IZ and cannot activate your Be7 to c5 or b4, what typically happens with it? (If there is such a thing as typical?!)

One thing I am wondering about is is the extra tempo gained (not playing g6 and somewhat weakening the dark squares) offset by the more passive placement?

Bela

belaji wrote on 07/28/09 at 17:02:47:

Yes, some, mainly in a double "Botvinnik," ie with White playing c4, d3 and e4, knight on e2 and bishop on g2 versus Black playing c5, d6 and e5, bishop on e7 and knight on f6.
From a general positional point of view, it favours White as although the possibilities for pawn breaks are equal on the queenside (b4 for White, ...b5 for Black), White finds it much easier on the kingside to get in f4 compared with Black's abilkity to get in ...f5.
After White plays f4, Black usually plays ...exf to prevent f5. White then has the pleasnat choice of recapturing with the g pawn, the f1 rook, the e2 knighht or the c1 bishop (Kosten in The Dynamic English indicates that the knight recapture is usually best).
True, Black gets the e5 square for his queen's knight, but that often wants to go to d4.
White's g2 bishop and Black's e7 bishop may both look rather restricted but White's is usually better. For instance, after White plays Nd5, Black often feels obliged to capture. White can then recapture with the e pawn, freeing the e4 square for the king's bishop to join in an attack on the kingside.
However, if Black somehow finds time for ...Nf6-d7-e5 and ...Be7-f6, he may well have a good game.
As always the specifics of the position dictate who is better, but I believe the above covers quite a bit of what White at least should be striving for and why the bishop on e7 is less well-placed than it would be on g7.

Well I'd prefer the bishop on b4:

imagine a GPA with Be2 

Touches very, very lightly, as he does not give any line. Williams prefers 1.c4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.d3 0-0
a) 6.e4 fxe4 7.dxe4 Nc6 and Black will be able to activate the bishop before playing ...d6 and ...e5.
b) 6.e3 d6 (d5) 7.Nge2 c6 8.0-0 e5 Sinclair-Gallgiam, Mulcahy 1974.
c) 6.Nf3 d6 7.0-0 Nc6 8.e4 e5 and appearantly Williams thinkgs that Nf3 is not optimally placed.
As usual he gives some hightly interesting analysis, but does not research the lines exhaustively.

Unless I'm very much mistaken the Botvinnik is the main weapon in the 'dynamic english' repertoire. As this book is very highly thought of on this forum, there should be lots of people with plenty experience around...