2.Ba3!?

I have began looking at the Nimzo-Larsen attack (1.b3) and found that against e5it plays quite nice, but against d5 it doesn't seem to... i know that most people transpose into the bird after 1...d5 but i was wondering if instead you can play 2. Ba3... blocking the d pawn and probably pissing you opp. off a bit as well . any suggestions would be welcome and appreciated!

Black can just play 2...g6 and fianchetto his own bishop

2... g6 leads to 3. d4

Seems doubious... 1.b3??  What is the idea?  this move offers little central control, and only helps to develop one piece.  And d4? You don't really want the d4 pawn to be on d4, as it will eventually block your bishop, which is the only piece you've developed.  Think of it this way... if the game had gone 1.d4, d5 would white really want to fienchetto his bishop on the queenside? Might it be useful somewhere else?  

1. b3!? isn't a move I would play, but it isn't bad

As for your 2 Ba3?!, I wouldn't recommend it.

it also used in some french and benko gambit variations. usually to trade of a bad bishop or stop castling

the problem with 2... e5 in my opinion is that it takes away the ability to castle and black will waste serious time trying to play his h rook... making him a rook down in a way in my book. :D

i do agree that 2... g6 is a hassle and does put some pressure on white right away but i dont see this as too big of a problem. worst case scenerio white plays Bb2... 

also this is an opening... i didnt realize it once i started playing it but its a Nimzo-Larsen Graza Attack... in the chess.com database there is not a single game of it played at master level, but other websites have 2 or three

b2 isn't a bad opening, but it's a rather slow one, the lines where black does play an early g6 together with c5 and d5 can be rather challening for white, I can't say that having wasted another tempo on the whole Ba3 >Bb2 manouver for white, only to force black into a fine and acceptable variation against 1.b3 is an achievement for white.

It seems to me that Ba3 is just encouraging Black to quickly complete his kingside development while neglecting your own. The bishop is going to have to come back to b2 eventually anyway or risk being exposed

Megabase (2011) has 6 games with 2.Ba3. The highest rated player being rated "just" 2210. Here's the game:

i think that in reply to 2... g6 i would block the bishops diagonal with d4 and then eventually nc3... 

i see this position as white is doing fine while, and probably much more comfortable than black, because i doubt that he has faced this before. also, i could see this transposing into a wicked catalan! 

why d4? You have blocked your own bishop, unless you plan to keep it on a3 for long, in which case it's very likely to do nothing after black castles and plays Re8, which he is very likely to eventually do, preparing to push the e pawn aswell.

I'd say on your diagram white has lost his opening advantage, and very likely given it to black.

I'm sorry, but 2.Ba3?! is just a poor move(not tremendous of course ,just not a good idea).

The general idea is of course healthy. Being unable to move the e pawn is certainly not a pleasant thing. B needs several moves to free it:Nf6,g6,Bg7,0-0,Re8. If W can launch an attack before B plays these many moves, he is going to enjoy a strong initiative. Now it's time to ask yourself: can W organize such a fast attack?

No, he can't. The answer is written in clear letters on the board. W has not developed a single piece(apart for the "pinning" bishop" which can't participate directly in the attack) nor has he moved a central pawn. In a certain sense we can say that he is behind in development as far as the kingside is concerned. In no way he can organize an attack before black "unpins" the e pawn. As a consequence W plan is bounded to fail and B is probably already a bit better is the position you show in post 12. W queenside pawn formation is bizarre, the bishop badly placed and hard to improve, and there is no clear pawn break to aim at. B position is quite standard looking and easy to improve, i doubt someone woud be particularly uncomfortable with it. Also remember that after playing Nc3 as you propose the Ba3 remains undefended. W has to watch out for tactical tricks with Qa5 in the future. In general it's clear which side is skating on a thinnier ice.