Nimzowitch Defence

Nice one welsharnie, i shall have a look at them.

Any offers from elsewhere ? We need to banish this 1... Nc6 move into oblivion (or at least try and force Black into playing the 'best' move 2... e5 after 1. e4 Nc6 2. Nf3)

Here's the OTB game as I remember it, some of the move order may be slightly wrong...

A. Filippov (2292) vs C. Arnold (1619)
e4 Nc6
Nf3 d6
d4 Nf6
Nc3 Bg4
Be2 g6
Be3 Bg7
0-0 0-0
Qd2 e5
d5 Ne7
h3 Bd7
a4 Nxe4
Nxe4 f5

and black has a good position out of the opening... needless to say, due to being a far weaker player, I went astray in the middlegame and lost.

welsharnie, interesting move order in the Fillipov game to arrive at a standard Classical setup against the Pirc Defence ... which I don't play with (I normally play the Austrian Attack against it i.e. 4. f4 which I'm comfortable with rather than the 4.Nf3 move - this gap might need to be plugged on my behalf unless there is an independent move sequence prior to entering this Classical setup)

welsharnie, I think 2. d4 could be better move order than 2. Nf3 after examination of that Fillipov game, so that if Black responds with say 3. g6/Nf6 then White CAN play f4 (the Austrian Attack setup against the Pirc).

Alternatively, if White feels comfortable with playing the Classical setup against the Pirc Defence then by all means play the 2. Nf3 move instead of 2. d4.

Originally posted by Oddjob291
welsharnie, I think 2. d4 could be better move order than 2. Nf3 after examination of that Fillipov game, so that if Black responds with say 3. g6/Nf6 then White CAN play f4 (the Austrian Attack setup against the Pirc).

Alternatively, if White feels comfortable with playing the Classical setup against the Pirc Defence then by all means play the 2. Nf3 move instead of 2. d4.