Smyslov_Fan wrote on 01/21/12 at 08:58:28:

Presumably on move three...

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Bg4 3.Bg2 Nd7 looks like a decent, non-transposing option. Kramnik, Shirov and Scherbakov (!) used to play it some years ago and some other strong players (Rublevski, Wang Hao) still play it.

I´m playing Scherbakovs repertoire for years (and very succesfully in correspondence chess) but I´m not an expert on this line, since I play the French and therefore will be happy with 1.Nf3 e6 2.e4. If White plays 2.g3 d5 3.Nf3 dxc4 4.Qa4 is acceptable and will not transpose to Catalan mainlines.

Fllg wrote on 01/20/12 at 16:39:35:


Well yes, but I think that if you're going to use the Triangle as something more than a way of reaching a Meran, you'll have to react to 3.Nc3 c6 4.e3 with 4...Bd6 and next 5...f5.  4...Bd6 is an important finesse, btw, since 4...f5 runs into 5.g4. Black waits for White's next move, and 5.Bd3 f5 6.g4 is nothing much.

4...Nf6 is there, but if you play that, all your Noteboom preparation is just to support a certain move-order preferance.

It seems Scherbakov does indeed suggest a transposition to a Stonewall in some lines after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c6 without 4.Nc3 as can be seen in the video introduction to the book: http://www.everymanchess.com/chess/books/The_Triangle_System%3A_Noteboom%2C_Mars...

4.g3 isn´t mentioned specifically but I expect coverage in the last chapter "White doesn´t protect c4".

I sort of agree with Markovich

I would probably be quite happy playing 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 as after 4.Nf3 you would get the Noteboom 4.e4 the Marshall Gambit or 4.cxd5 a pretty tame Exchange QGD when the Black bishop can come to f5. 

However after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 I am not too happy playing 3...c6 as it allows like lots of Anti-Triangle lines such as:

a) 4.Qc2 when you get positions similar to a QGD. 
b) 4.g3 when you have positions similar to a Closed Catalan.
c) 4.e3 (very popular in my league!) when you can follow up with the Queen's Knight to d2 and follow Avrukh's repertiore in GM1.
d) 4.Bg5 when again Black can play 4...Nf6 with positions similar to that of a QGD/Semi-Slav or 4...Be7 which for me looks pretty dull!

Personally I quite like playing 3...c6 against 3.Nc3 and 3...c5 against 3.Nf3. 
But that means learning two defences, and one could argue why not play 3...c5 against both 3.Nc3 & 3.Nf3.

MNb wrote on 01/07/12 at 20:27:42:

that's my idea: to avoid the (Anti-)Moscow and the Slav Exchange playing the Noteboom, the Meran Semi-Slav after e3, the Catalan, the Marshall Gambit and a good vesion or the QGD Exchange.

Oh yes very fine, but its still not trivial to do much if whites organise and after a draw. Which is a very silly thing to be scared of really (but is the only reason to be truly perturbed by the Slav exchange.).

saubhikr wrote on 01/07/12 at 15:33:20:


True, my mistake. The plan ...c6 and ...Bf5 is fine for Black.