Smyslov_Fan wrote on 08/30/11 at 18:01:55:

Yes, this is good but there are other, more serious problems.

So it seems that 2...Bb4 would be a great way of forcing a Bogo-Indian/Catalan response from white. 

Looking at the stats, I'm not sure why white scores so poorly after 3.Bd2 a5 4.e4. It seems perfectly natural to me. What does Black have up his sleeve that makes the obvious grab in the center so questionable?


Here's one line that may be critical:



Another idea for White is to prepare e4 with f3 in some lines. I haven't seen any examples of this though, so perhaps it's just too slow. One good reason I haven't seen it is that when Black refrains from Nf6, White has other ways to get e4 in. But quite often when Black does play Nf6, White simply transposes to other Catalan lines.

Alias wrote on 08/30/11 at 10:59:50:


That's the book I mentioned four postings ago. As indicated there, it deals with 3.Bd2 (from White's point of view). I'm talking about the German edition, but I don't think that Bronznik has switched to a completely other recommendation in that line in the English edition (if it's updated at all - the German book was published in 2010, and none of the lines covered has very volatile theory).

There is a section on 2...Bb4+ in Bronznik's "1.d4 - Ratgeber gegen Unorthodoxe Verteidigungen" (http://www.kaniaverlag.de/), which I think is to be translated to english http://www.newinchess.com/1_d4___Beat_the_Guerrillas_-p-958.html

The book is for white and could well discuss other moves than 3.Nc3 (3...c5). I haven't seen it.

Edit: Forgot to update page before posting.

Bronznik (in "1.d4 - Ratgeber gegen Unorthodoxe Verteidigungen", Kania 2010, p. 53) writes:

Quote:


My translation: "Unfortunately [from White's point of view - Zzz], after 1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4 3.Nc3 has at least three other reasonable moves [apart from 3...Nf6 - Zzz]: 3...c5!?, 3...f5!?, and 3...b6!?, and each one of them promises a satisfying position."

Bronznik clearly recommends 3.Bd2.

If you look at the statistics, after all three moves White scores between 47 % (after 3...c5) and 49 % (after 3...f5), the statistics seem to be based on a reasonable amount of games, and the TPR seems to indicate that White players have approximately the same strength as Black players. So 3.Nc3 should be a minor concern. In my database, there are 13 games from Eingorn (after 3.Nc3 c5), covering 4.a3, 4.e3, 4.d5 and 4.Nf3, scoring 9.5 points. As there might be no coverage anywhere else, I'd recommend to beginn with studying those games!?

In CI, there are at least three reasonably annotated games: Gurevich-Hansen, Taastrup 1992 (CI 54), Flear Dorfman, Polanica Zdroj 1992 (CI 55), and Ivanov-Hillarp Persson, Stockholm 2001 (CI 83), so they might also be of some help.

Best regards,

Zwischenzugzwang

Well if you can't wait until April there's a fair bit about it in the last chapter of Eingorns previous gambit book. (Creative chess opening preparation.).

I haven't got it anymore but fairly sure 3 Nc3 wasn't critical. Think it was something quite direct after the 3 Bd2 a5 stuff which was giving him a little trouble.

BlkSabb wrote on 08/29/11 at 00:10:05:


Thanks. 

I had known about that thread about the Eingorn-book, which is expected by April 2012 according to their website.
I have watched the Fritz Trainer by Davies, too.

Anyone here who answers 1.d4 with this defence?
I love the ideas behind 3.Nc3 c5 (also 3.Bd2 a5), therefore I am seriously interested.

I am trying to give a new meaning to my ability of answering 1.e4/d4 with 1..e6.

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4+ 3.Nc3 c5 //instead of 3..Nf6, the NID

     4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 Nf6 //regular "NID/Sämisch" 6.f3 Nc6 7.e4 d6 | 6.e3 0-0 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Ne2 b6 etc
     4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 //Symmetrical English/"Anti-Benoni with 5..Bb4". Yes, 6.g3 is a regular "NID/4.g3 c5."  
     4.e3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 d6 //when the g8N often heads for e7
     4.d5 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 Qa5
     
This way, I try to cut off on the theory of the Nimzo-Indian... Not for eternity, only until I have played a few of this position (after 3.Nc3 c5) and feel ready to enter more Nimzo-games. 
(For the time being, I should spend more of my time for chess on endings rather than the intricacies of newly acquainted mainline defences.)

How would you create a deeper repertoire from the lines above? As I have nothing, apart from Megabase games, on the non-Nimzo positions...
Can you think of any work ("study material") that covers it?

Please don't forget that my opponents are under IM-level. (Not all of them booked-up with these non-standard positions, I assume.)