Merovingian wrote on 10/30/10 at 00:55:05:


3.d5 Nb8 4.c4 is favourable for White.

Thanks for this Glenn -- very interesting. I found one game in each of these lines. True, in both cases Black lost, but I don't think he needed to! I also found a game which went 7 ...Nd7 8 0-0 h6!?, challenging White to find a constructive continuation. I don't think 9 Ne1 is it. (9 Rb1 perhaps?)

Following a recent exciting (to me!) thread on 1 d4 Nc6 2 d5 (http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1271505369/0), I’ve been asking myself how Black should handle the position after [u]2 Nf3[/u] (and 3 c4), if s/he doesn’t want to play the Chigorin with 2 …d5, and isn’t keen, either, on the Zurich Nimzo. In a sense, 1 d4 Nc6!? might be thought of as an attempt to transpose into a Tango (after 2 c4 e5 3 d5 Nce7) without taking on the Zurich, trading the Zurich for the 1 d4 Nc6 2 d5 line, so to speak. But after 2 Nf3!? Black has to be prepared for independent lines, as well as for some mind-boggling transpositions.

What then should Black play? Possible is 2 …e6!? 3 e4 d5 with a French, but then 3 c4 encourages a Zurich. So I’ve been looking principally at [u]2 …d6[/u] and [u]2 …g6[/u]. (These will often transpose, and 2 …Nf6 will probably transpose to one of these.)  Since I still haven’t got hold of a copy of Keilhack & Schlenker I’d love to know what they cover/propose. As I understand it, the main ‘Bogo’ lines after 2 Nf3 are 2 …d6!? 3 c4 e5 4 Nc3 and then: (1) [u]4 …Bg4[/u] 5 d5 Nce7, (2) [u]4 …g6[/u] 5 d5 Nce7, and (3) [u]4 …ed[/u] 5 Nd4 g6. I’m willing to be persuaded I’m wrong, but at the moment I don’t like any of these! – if only because of 6 Qb3 in (1) and 6 c5 in (2). I notice, however, that in (1), 5 …Nb8!? has been played by Smyslov (and Tarrasch!). After 6 e4 Be7 7 Be2 Nf6 8 0-0 0-0 White has 9 Ne1 and 9 Be3. Anyone know the status of this line or have a view on it? Also, in (2) 5 …Nb8 is possible as well, heading for a mainline KID – can White advantageously stop this? (I guess Black could also try for a KID via 2 …d6 3 c4 e5 4 Nc3 Nf6 5 d5 Ne7 6 e4 g6, but then 7 c5!? is a pain?)

Of course, Black has alternatives here to 3 …e5. [u]3 …g6[/u], [u]3 …Nf6[/u] and [u]3 …Bg4[/u] are all possible, aiming either for a mainline KID or to transpose into the ‘Bogo-KID’ 1 d4 Nc6 2 d5 Nb8!? 3 Nf3 d6 4 c4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 e4 Bg7 (6 …Bg4!?), which Stefan Bücker (at the end of the other thread) thought OK for Black and in which I even invented my own yet-to-be-played TN – 6 …Bg7 7 h3! 0-0 8 Bd3 c6 9 0-0 [u]Nfd7!?[/u]. This looks a reasonable way to play to me. After (say) 3 …Nf6 4 Nc3 g6, has White any way other than 5/6/7 d5 to try to take advantage?

If Black delays or omits ...Nf6, s/he retains Averbakh possibilities, e.g. 2 ...g6 3 c4 Bg7 4 Nc3 d6 5 e4 Bg4 or 5 …e5, but these lines are meant to be a bit better for White so far as I know – I’m keen to be corrected if I’m wrong. But, there’s still [u]5 …Nf6[/u] here, heading for the rare KID lines.