I'm thinking of moving this thread to General Chess since the book is meant to cover gambits arising after 1.d4 and 1.c4. However, I don't own the book so I don't know how much of the coverage is classified under 'Daring Defences'. Is the majority of the coverage on the Benko and Blumenfeld?

gwnn wrote on 01/11/12 at 10:50:27:


In the line you're talking about, don't you just play 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 c5 4. Nc3 (your move order) 4...cxd4 5.Nxd4 and now 5...Nc6 or 5...Bb4, as TN pointed out?  You've avoided the Semi-Tarrasch and could still have aimed for the Blumenfeld after 4.d5 b5.  What am I missing?

gwnn wrote on 01/11/12 at 08:54:46:


You can't reach this line after 1.d4 Nf6. You can reach it with 1.d4 e6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3, for example, but it's difficult to play the Tarrasch using an 1...e6 move order unless you play 2...d5, in which case you have restricted your options somewhat against the d-pawn Specials. It is possible to play the Semi-Tarrasch with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5, avoiding the Exchange QGD and some of the Bg5 systems, but that's a different opening altogether.

Sorry, i didn't even read the original question well. Of course, if White plays Nf3+Nc3 then Black should take on d4. It is page 333 in GM 10.

Taking on d4 is not the best choice as it opens the position in White's favor. Black (and White in this position) wants to be flexible and to choose the right structure (will i have the IQP or my opponent?) when it is favourable.

I agree that it is not a repertoire work in the sense of "Grandmaster Repertoire" for example, but i found in it much more than i expected plus some top notch analysis of some critical theoretical positions! (for example the "old" main line of the Benko with the fiachettoed King is covered excellently). In the "hot" g3 line he doesn't offer a 100% solution but he comes really close in my opinion (i had to discover the real solution myself, meaning the improvement over Avrukh, but it was in the line Alterman gave as sound for Black). Also, in the f3 line (discussed in some depth in chesspub in another thread) he gives a pretty solution that maes me want to play that way again for Black (i chose to defend the position with bxc4 and Qa5+ that Markovic likes a couple of times in practice but Alterman says that White has a slight edge there. I have gone that way because the lines offered in Pinki's book seemed to me clearly chaotic but Alterman makes life a lot easier there!)
Alterman also has some nice things to say in the b6-declined line.

As i said, i got much more than i was expecting from theory's perspective as i had his first book which was much "lighter" in theory but had offered an excellent structure in order to study or teach the systems he examined.

gramsci wrote on 12/24/11 at 07:36:38:

Ah, okay. I´m not a native speaker myself so I understand your problems. On first reading though it sounded somewhat harsh. 
gramsci wrote on 12/24/11 at 07:36:38:

This book is not a repertoire work. If White does not play 3.d5 he recommends the Vaganian Gambit as I wrote above.

The chapter against 1.c4 is entirely different and has nothing to do with the Benko. Here he takes a look at the English Defence 1... b6 with emphasis on 2.d4 Bb7 3.Nc3 e6 4.e4 Bb4 5.f3 f5 6.exf5 Nh6.

I like the book but surely you have to do some independent work in most lines if you want to play them.