opening line.

Originally posted by Sicilian Smaug
4. d4 for white and not d3 was my first thought. But you are asking if that's good for black? - I say there's better out there. Why not just 1...e5 ?

I don't really know what the original poster was asking but here are my thoughts:

1. e4 b6

This move really isn't all that great. Clearly there is better in this position.

2. Nf3

2. d4! seems obvious and more to the point, remaining flexible with respect to the f-pawn and your king's knight.

2..b6 3. Nc3 c5

An interesting move, trying to punish White for not playing 2. d4.

4. d3?

This move is really lame. It's blocks in the light squared bishop and just looks bad. 4. d4! looks great for white after 4..cxd4 5. Nxd4. It's just a really bad Sicilian for Black.

4..d5

I dunno, this looks weird also. It seems like 4..e6 with the idea of 5..d5 is a better plan. Being able to take back with a pawn, and also maybe being able to develop the rest of your pieces and castle are important things in this position.

5. exd5 Nf6

This may be an ok move but it seems to me after 6. d4! White has a large advantage. After:

6. d4! Bxd5?
7. dxc5!

White is winning since he can't recapture on account of Bb5+, winning. For example:

7..dxc5 8. Bb5+ Bc6 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Ne5!

So then on to 6..Nxd5:

6. d4! Nxd5
7. Bb5+ Bc6

If 7..Nc6 8. Ne5! and if 7..Nd7 8. Nxd5 Bxd5 9. Ne5!

8. Ne5 Bxb5 9. Qf3! f6 10. Nxb5 fxe5 11. c4!

This looks pretty good for white, but maybe not completely hopeless for black.

A tip: When annotating 'B' indicate a bishop while 'b' indicates the b-pawn. Hence C*D should be written cxd.

That said, join my clan and take up the french! This just looks like a poor transposition into a sicillian. Tony gave better notes than I could so re-read his post. If you avoid the c5, you may be able to draw similarities to a queens indian (except that white doesn't have to struggle to play e4), so once again, you would be transposing into an inferior line.

Originally posted by !~TONY~!
I don't really know what the original poster was asking but here are my thoughts:

1. e4 b6

This move really isn't all that great. Clearly there is better in this position.

2. Nf3

2. d4! seems obvious and more to the point, remaining flexible with respect to the f-pawn and your king's knight.

2..b6 3. Nc3 c5

An interesting move, tryi ...[text shortened]... 11. c4!

This looks pretty good for white, but maybe not completely hopeless for black.

According to MCO this is called Owen's defence. I've seen it once here and blundered a piece in the early opening - Game 917489. MCO devotes two columns to this and agrees with you as 2. d4 is the recommended move. Black gets pressure along the long diagonal, and plays e6 and c5. MCO talks in terms of "a small plus" for white. Basically it's roughly the same plan as 1. ... a6, and probably not very good, but Tony Miles once famously beat Karpov with 1. ... a6 so these openings can't just be dismissed.