Anonymous3 wrote on 11/11/14 at 05:06:28:
The analysis of the pawn sac is interesting. If it's sound, it could make 3.Nc3!? an interesting response after 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 c5. The idea is to meet 3...Nf6, 3...Nc6, and 3...e6 with 4.e4.
I agree, it could be interesting. White keeps trying after the potential 4.e4 to transpose to better-or at the very least unusual and uncomfortable- versions of a 1.e4 opening. Lakdawala kept mentioning this strategic aim in his "Ferocious Opening Repertoire" and citing the "bad French Defence" positions black often finds himself in. Granted, he was often mentioning the suspect Nbd7/Nf6/e6/d5 scheme from black, answered soundly by a quick e4/e5 idea, but maybe, white can try similar ideas. Cyrus was talking about the Bg5 Richter-Veresov with f3 and e4, it should be mentioned when he was referring to this however.
I'm willing to continue looking deeper with Stockfish into the above mentioned lines of Anonymous, for fun, and to search for what I might be able to find in this line, but I should mention that as of now, in my own games, I prefer to play my pawn forward
[i]on the third move[/i] after 2...c5 because the Morris Gambit seems to be exactly what kind of game I'm wanting to play as white.
So as of right now my move order is 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 (it should be mentioned, that I believe in whites chances in the London system proper, though to get into this here any further is outside of the "Veresov" thread) 2...c5 and now I like to play 3.e4!?
But ok, for the sake of the line we can try to explore 3.Nc3, (with the general idea to play e4 as soon as possible, even if white needs to make it a sacrifice, though the preparatory move pawn to f3 should always be considered first).
First, let's consider 3...Nc6, as 3...Nf6 transposes to the analysis already given.
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. e4!? cxd4 5. exd5 dxc3 6. dxc6 Qxd1+ 7. Rxd1 bxc6 8. bxc3 f6 9. Bc7 and white has enough activity for at least equality.
...Kf7 10. Rd8 e6 11. Ba6 Ne7 12. Nf3 g5 13. Be2 Bg7 14. Rxh8 Bxh8 15. c4 e5 16. g4 Bg7 17. h4 h6 18. hxg5 hxg5 19. Nd2 Be6 20. Ne4 and Stockfish gives +0.30 after about an hour of searching. White seems to have more active minors, in particular dark squared bishops, because of the black kingside pawns. White's king is more active and centralized, and has better chances to infiltrate blacks queenside.