bragesjo wrote on 05/20/11 at 21:11:29:

Thanks for your answer.
I have read this statement too, but I think it a bit superficial. After 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 5.Ne2 Black can still play a setup with d7-d5. Then White might not be too happy with the Knight on e2.

Other players have told me that the Hubner system is playable if white has played Nf3 but white has a slight edge if white has the option to play Ne2. I made a comment on a concrete position, since in dont know exact theory an Hubner since I usually meet 4 e3 with b6 or sometimes I also play 4 .. d5 as well. I have never looked at Huber structures to serioes, except for some games in "Winning Chess Middlegames" and some part in "Mastering the Nimzo Indian".

The 4 .. 0-0 line I the book I mention (not by name, it is its "Chess Explained : The Nimzo Indian") does not strive for a Hubner centre at all. Instead it is based on quick development. 

If we speek concrete lines, white appers to have a initivitive in the line you gave.

About Hubner variation, while I dont play it with either colour, the final position looks equal to me, dont get the point of Re1, is it to play Nf1 at some point?.

About Karpov variation, Agaard thougt that blacks position was solid but few winning chanses so he included Petrosian system as an alternative system in hes dvd (4 .. d5 where black castles and plays b6 instead of c5). However, I think whites position is more easy to handle in both cases. A funny thing is that Agaard proposed the move order with 4 .. d5 first while Karpov always played 4 .. c5 first.
EDIT Also black is not forced to liqudate the centre tension even after d5 and c5 played but is not played often these days but was apperant popular in the 50th and 60ths.

The two most recent black repertour books recommened 4 .. b6, unclear why. The books also recommends other followup in for example Nge2 where one book follows Bobby Fischers Ba6 and the other book plays c5.

An recent none repertour Nimzo book focused on 4 .. 0-0.

So basically white needs to know a few key lines and different structures can arrise but the more importnet thing in the Nimzo is to understand the positions.

The main appeal for 4. e3 imo is that black doesn't have good options that immediately sharpen the game. There are long-term risks connected mainly with beeing saddled with a static pawn structure and bad bishops, but nothing like the scary 4. Qc2 d5 lines for example where sometimes white is mated before he even starts developing the K-side. In the Rubinstein you develop first and confront black later, which makes it a very safe choice. It's still ambitious because if black isn't precise you can launch mating attacks or wreak havoc on black when the bishops come alive.

MaSu wrote on 05/19/11 at 13:29:26:


First of all: I disagree. 4.e3 is equal (and I play it myself). The good news is that there are more than enough possibilities to outplay your opponent, even in corr. chess.

a) To develop smoothly. After castling White designs a plan to free Bc1.
b) Many as the pawn centres are so fluid.
c) You better pay attention to them all. No variation is trivial.
d) Buy Carsten Hansen's book on The NID 4.e3. It's from 2002, so you will still need a database, but you get an excellent overview of all important variations.

When I play 4.e3 my aim is not so much to prove an opening advantage, but to create imbalances.
My objection to 4.Qc2 and 4.f3 is that way too often White gets behind in development.

Hi Nimzo-Experts,

I want to begin playing 4.e3, because I think, this is the best try to get an advantage against Nimzo. And I think,it is easier to play for white than 4.Dc2 or 4.f3.

Now I have some questions to you:

a) What is the generell idea of 4.e3 ? (4.Dc2 will avoid double c-pawns in the c-file and the queen looks to e4)

b) What pawn structures are important to know?

c) I want to play a set-up with Ld3,Sf3. 
What do you think are the best set-ups for black against this? What is the main line today?

d) Perhaps we can sum up some good literature for the Nimzo here.

I hope, we can find good solutions and have an interesting discussion here.