TN wrote on 04/05/11 at 02:00:07:

Freelix wrote on 04/05/11 at 16:20:27:


Vera's recommendations for Black (  : TN recommends it too.)  

4.Qc2 d5 5.a3 Bxc3 6.Qc3 Ne4 (some notes about Black's alternatives) 7.Qc2 c5
4.Qc2 d5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 c5 7.dxc5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 

4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Bg5 Bb7 
                5.e4 d5    6.e5 Ne4 
 
 
4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Nbd7 (5.a3, 5.Ne2, 6.a3, 6.cxd5 and 6.Ne2 are covered)  

4.Nf3 c5 5.g3 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Ne4 
                            6.           0-0 7.Bg2 d5          

4.f3 Nc6 5.e4 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.e5 Ng8 
4.    0-0 5.a3 Bxc3 6.bxc3 Nh5     

4.a3 Bxc3 5.bxc3 b6 6.f3 Nc6 7.e4 Ba6 

4.Bg5 h6  5.Bh4 c5 6.d5 Bxc3 7. bxc3 d6 
                              6.   b5         

4.g3 d5 5.Bg2 0-0 6.Nf3 dc4 7.0-0 Nc6

4.Qb3 c5 5.dc5 Nc6 

Vera's tips against offbeat tries: 
4.Bd2 (below expert level quite popular!) d5 
4.Qd3 c5 
4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qg4 Nxc3 6.a3 (6.Qxg7 Qf6!) Be7 

IMHO I would prefer most of TN's rep, but I like Vera's book very much, too:   

4.e3 
I play 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Ne2 
against the Nimzo with good success
(sources: Keene's old 1.d4 rep-book and Vera) 
As Black I like  4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bxc3 but again White can avoid this easily with 5.Ne2 or 6.Ne2. 
I conclude it is most difficult for White to prepare against 4.e3 b6. 

4.Qc2: 
4.Qc2 d6 (ala Bogo-Indian) is unambitous, maybe +=, 
but solid and untheoretical. 
4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3 6. Qxc3 Ne4 7.Qc2 f5 
needs preparation for Black and White. 
    
4.Nf3 0-0 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 c5 looks a bit provocative.  I don't know this line, but I think some serious preparation is necessary to play like this with Black.

Dearing also wrote a well-received repertoire book on the Nimzo. I read pieces of it, and it does have some good explanations. Also, he often suggests schemes based on d5, which are generally overlooked by newcomers that are trying too hard to avoid QGD-style positions.

Still, it bugs me that IM Dearing is not playing this opening with Black, unlike Emms and Kosten. After writing a whole book on the subject, why not make use of all this knowledge? 

Paddy wrote on 04/08/11 at 10:38:53:


I guess thin can be both good and bad. I don't like too skinny 

Sorry, I should have clarified that more. On an opening like the Nimzo, I felt that there should be more coverage. As is provided in both the Mastering the Spanish and the French. But I have to admit it has been a while since I read in any of these books. I might have to revisit my opinion about them, since I am actually planning on playing more of the three openings! (going from 1.c4 or 1.d4 to 1.e4 , and from 1.d4 d5 to 1.d4 Nf6, maybe)

fling wrote on 04/08/11 at 05:21:46:


Very thin? Surely that's an advantage? 

Seriously, it's a very good place to start, which I always recommend to any of my students who are interested in including the Nimzo in their repertoire.

The main virtue of the Nimzo is its structural flexibility, but this can also make it very bewildering for newcomers to it. The Kosten book teaches the basics of all the most important Nimzo structures, providing a framework of knowledge on which the detail can be hung later, using one of the several more detailed Nimzo books, or simply a good database.

In a similar thread it was mentioned that Tony Kosten's book "Mastering The Nimzo-Indian with the read and play method" is one of the very best starting points for the study of the various typical structures that can arise from the Nimzo. It contains the most valuable sort of chess knowledge - the sort  that does not go out of date!

thank you all
i will subscribe here. I used to play the dutch leningrad but i 'm starting to understand that i take too much risk even against weaker player

How does Vera's compare with TN's basic repertoire above?

If you like to learn Nimzo I can recommend "Winning Chess Middlegames: An Essential Guide to Pawn Structures" by Ivan Sokolov. Tony Kostens book "Mastering the Nimzo Indian with the read and play method" was also very good. These books are about ideas. However, the chesspub ebooks while get you going pretty fast and these books can be read later.