Hamilton Quads, Round 2

If you play Juniors from New Jersey with the black pieces, there's a good chance you will be facing Queen Pawn openings that feature an early Bf4.  I've been seeing this from a few of Dean Ippolito's students, and I presume that is his influence.

Anyway, this way of playing the white side of the QGD is not exactly harmless.  You can't just play as if White put the Bishop on g5. The main lines in this early Bf4 system date back to Steinitz, and adequate defenses have been found. It may also transpose into a London System, which is considered tame, but tricky.

If I am Black and I know someone is going to play like this, I will delay the placement of my d-Pawn.  It's important to be conscious of the struggle for e5, and you might want your Pawn on d6 to assist. You'll probably end up with a Hedgehog formation.

With all this in mind, here's my second round game from the Hamilton Quads that occurred on 19 March.