What to play against 1. d4 ?

[Henk]

[d] rnbqk2r/ppppppbp/5np1/8/2PP4/5NP1/PP2PP1P/RNBQKB1R b KQkq - 0 2

Playing Grunfeld defense ? Dream on.

[mclane]

E5

[Lyudmil Tsvetkov]

1...c5 is best, followed by 1...f5 and 1...Nf6.

Any transposition to the French only favours white, even in sidelines like 1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3. Nd2 and this forcedly leads to a position with an isolated central black d5 pawn, which hugely favours white, though top engines do not think so... until they reach a much bigger depth, which is usually not reached in analysis mode.

French is bad even after 1.e4 e6 2.d3, and white has huge advantage.

[Lyudmil Tsvetkov]

On 1.d4 you can play a move to your heart's content and still get completely even game.

The real puzzle is what to play against 1.d3, and I am afraid you will not find any satisfactory continuations.

Opening theory has been changing for more than 2 centuries and will change for at least another century too. What is currently considered best will not be considered so in the future.

[Lyudmil Tsvetkov]

For French believers: get to analyse this sideline French, and see if the score SF or Komodo return at high depths is not bigger than anything Cerebellum would claim would be maximum white advantage in the French.

[d]rnbqkbnr/ppp2ppp/4p3/3p4/3PP3/8/PPPN1PPP/R1BQKBNR b KQkq - 0 3

[Lion]

I was playing 1.Nf3 and trying to find a good line vs the Grunfeld and didn't found one.

There are several ways black can have excellent play vs white in the line i.e.
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7

if white plays 4.Nc3 d5 is excellent for black. Black must play d5 onyl once white moved the Knight to c3.

if white delays the N to c3, black can alway play the plan with c6 followed by d5 which is also very solid for black. I have found no advantage for white here. 4.0-0 c6 followed by d5 and probably a5 later when white moved the b pawn.

[Henk]

[pgn]
[Event "Sarajevo"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "1969.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "14"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Viktor Korchnoi"]
[Black "Darko Gliksman"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "89"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Be2 O-O
7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 Nd5 9. Bd2 Nb6 10. Bb3 Bg4 11. h3 Bxf3
12. Qxf3 N8d7 13. Rad1 a5 14. a3 e5 15. Bc1 exd4 16. exd4 a4
17. Ba2 Nf6 18. Bg5 Qd6 19. Bf4 Qd7 20. Be5 Nbd5 21. g4 Nxc3
22. bxc3 Ne8 23. Rfe1 Nc7 24. c4 Bxe5 25. Rxe5 Rfe8 26. c5
Rad8 27. Kg2 Re7 28. Qf6 Rxe5 29. dxe5 Nd5 30. Bxd5 cxd5
31. Rd4 h6 32. e6 fxe6 33. Qxg6+ Qg7 34. Qxe6+ Kh7 35. Rxd5
Rxd5 36. Qxd5 Kh8 37. c6 bxc6 38. Qxc6 Qb2 39. Qxh6+ Kg8
40. Qe3 Qb7+ 41. Kg3 Qb3 42. h4 Kh8 43. h5 Qb1 44. Qh6+ Kg8
45. Qg6+ 1-0
[/pgn]

Too passive for black.

[Lyudmil Tsvetkov]

[pgn]
[Event "Sarajevo"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "1969.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "14"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Viktor Korchnoi"]
[Black "Darko Gliksman"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "89"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Be2 O-O
7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 Nd5 9. Bd2 Nb6 10. Bb3 Bg4 11. h3 Bxf3
12. Qxf3 N8d7 13. Rad1 a5 14. a3 e5 15. Bc1 exd4 16. exd4 a4
17. Ba2 Nf6 18. Bg5 Qd6 19. Bf4 Qd7 20. Be5 Nbd5 21. g4 Nxc3
22. bxc3 Ne8 23. Rfe1 Nc7 24. c4 Bxe5 25. Rxe5 Rfe8 26. c5
Rad8 27. Kg2 Re7 28. Qf6 Rxe5 29. dxe5 Nd5 30. Bxd5 cxd5
31. Rd4 h6 32. e6 fxe6 33. Qxg6+ Qg7 34. Qxe6+ Kh7 35. Rxd5
Rxd5 36. Qxd5 Kh8 37. c6 bxc6 38. Qxc6 Qb2 39. Qxh6+ Kg8
40. Qe3 Qb7+ 41. Kg3 Qb3 42. h4 Kh8 43. h5 Qb1 44. Qh6+ Kg8
45. Qg6+ 1-0
[/pgn]

Too passive for black.

[d]rnbqk2r/pp2ppbp/2p2np1/3p4/2PP4/2N1PN2/PP2BPPP/R1BQK2R b KQkq - 3 6

after 6.Be2, black should play Bg4 h3 Bf3 Bf3 e6 and black is much better.

Any line that does not include kingside fianchettoe, either for white or black, is dubious.

But the Gruenfeld is a bit premature.

[Henk]

[pgn]
[Event "Sarajevo"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "1969.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "14"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Viktor Korchnoi"]
[Black "Darko Gliksman"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "89"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Be2 O-O
7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 Nd5 9. Bd2 Nb6 10. Bb3 Bg4 11. h3 Bxf3
12. Qxf3 N8d7 13. Rad1 a5 14. a3 e5 15. Bc1 exd4 16. exd4 a4
17. Ba2 Nf6 18. Bg5 Qd6 19. Bf4 Qd7 20. Be5 Nbd5 21. g4 Nxc3
22. bxc3 Ne8 23. Rfe1 Nc7 24. c4 Bxe5 25. Rxe5 Rfe8 26. c5
Rad8 27. Kg2 Re7 28. Qf6 Rxe5 29. dxe5 Nd5 30. Bxd5 cxd5
31. Rd4 h6 32. e6 fxe6 33. Qxg6+ Qg7 34. Qxe6+ Kh7 35. Rxd5
Rxd5 36. Qxd5 Kh8 37. c6 bxc6 38. Qxc6 Qb2 39. Qxh6+ Kg8
40. Qe3 Qb7+ 41. Kg3 Qb3 42. h4 Kh8 43. h5 Qb1 44. Qh6+ Kg8
45. Qg6+ 1-0
[/pgn]

Too passive for black.

[d]rnbqk2r/pp2ppbp/2p2np1/3p4/2PP4/2N1PN2/PP2BPPP/R1BQK2R b KQkq - 3 6

after 6.Be2, black should play Bg4 h3 Bf3 Bf3 e6 and black is much better.

Any line that does not include kingside fianchettoe, either for white or black, is dubious.

But the Gruenfeld is a bit premature.

After Bg4 white can play Qb3 instead of h3

[Lion]

The order move is important and I dont have this one in mind.

after 1.d4 2.c4 3.Nc3, as I mentioned, black should/can enter the normal Grunfeld the c6 d5 variation should be played only after white fianchetto the B on g2.