Question #1:

I've seen many people in blitz play setups (as either color) with, for example, g3/bg2/d3/bg5 (pinning an f6-knight) to pressure the d5-square, or b3/bb2/e3/bb5 to pressure e5.  How do people generally deal with these?  Is there some body of theory, or are they considered gimmicks like the double fianchetto openings?  Is k-side fianchetto more respectable, or q-side, or neither?

Question #2:  In John Watson's Dangerous Weapons:  The French, he gives the following position and states "22. ...Rxc5 23. Nxf7 and the rook has nowhere to go, but 23. ...Nf6 24. Qe7 yields a winning attack."  As far as I can tell, queens can't move through knights.  Any thoughts on what he mi

Thirty-five views and no comments on these questions!  Maybe people are intimidated by your 2300 rating.  I have no such hangups, but then again, I have a picture of me swinging a hammer and screaming...

Yeah, blitz players love gimmicks like these.  I think it's just to make the opponent burn clock time.  They're just gimmicks in my opinion.  I play normal chess, especially considering I love bishops over knights.

In deference to your rating, I will ask: Is the fianchetto question a blitz gimmick only question or a serious OTB question?

So you're saying Josh expects White to move 3.Qe7, which is clearly not possible.  Maybe he meant Qg7?  Edit: Yeah, I think it is.  3.Qg7 Rd8? 4.Qxf6 and now Black is down a knight in the endgame.

No need to be intimidated by my 2300 rating; my OTB rating's much lower.  I just spend lots of time on CC games :-)

1.  It's a question about both blitz and tournament play - I had someone play the kingside fianchetto setup I mentioned above as white against me OTB in a 30/0 game, and though I won, I wasn't happy with my position out of the opening.

2.  That's what I'm leaning towards, but I found it odd that he phrased it as "winning attack," not "picks up material" or the like.  Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious.

A winning attack to an IM like Josh is stealing a minor piece.

I absolutely hate it when black tucks his king in behind a Nf6/Bg7 wall.  Especially when I've already O-O.  I can't pawn push the knight out, leaving me to plan elaborate sequential exchanges that lead to an eventual back rank suicide assult.

I assume in the example he meant 24 Nd6+ K moves 25 Qe7.

How is that a winning attack, Estragon?  24...Kc7 seemingly negates Qe7's effectiveness.