How to respond to 4.d3

Here we will discuss what happens if white plays one of the mainlines, 4. d3 in responce to the Schliemann, and how to deal with it.

Theoreticly, Nc3 is better than d3 but both are the main lines. I will cover Nc3 in another forum.

In 6...Bc5 lines, White can gain a strong attack by replacing 8. Bg5 with 8. Ng5! Black should commit the following defence to memory, to avoid being caught out:

Also worth looking over are lines with the exchange on move seven:

Thanks - I didn't know that.

I put the first defence to the test and plugged it into the computer, and it says 0 inaccuracys blunders or mistakes for both, but black has 4 centipawn loss more than white and so in the end is about a pawn down.

Also in the windmill, wouldn't black just play Rxf7? White is still decievively winning but its better to be down an exchange than lose the queen.

Can you explain the compensation? Because personally I would not want enter lines where it leads to being down an exchange unless I know exactally what I am getting.

Also for the 2nd one, I agree, it looks equal.

But what do you think would be a good plan, a to do list to do if white plays aimlessly, or things to counter white from using his material advantage? Because if black does not know what he is doing eventually white will get his pieces to equal or close activity with blacks and use his material advantage?

Just wondering, would take me a long time to anylize it.

Thanks for the lines, I overlooked those.

In the first one, I made an error - it should be:

And yes, Black would play Rxf7; I was just emphasizing how devastating the attack could be.

As for the second line, if White plays aimlessly, just hoping to trade off pieces and trying to reach an endgame, Black can certainly punish him for it. Black usually has the bishop pair on an open board, as well as control of the semi-open f-file. A good "standard" plan would be doubling rooks on the f-file, or a rook lift to h6, accompanied by some variation on a greek-gift sacrifice.

It is important to remember, while most Schliemann main lines have Black defending against a White initiative, if White stops pressing, Black will almost always have a strong attack. It's a very sharp opening - if White errs from theory, they can be punished for it one way or another.

Ultimately, though, it is important to remember that at the higher levels, 4.d3 is effectively a draw offer by White, eschewing much of the double-edged theory of 4.Nc3 in favour of the "quieter" (!) lines that 4.d3 offers. It feels much safer, and therefore is much more common over the board, especially by players who are surprised by, and unprepared for, Black's choice of defence.


 

In the first diagram, after Qxc3, what happens after Nxe4?

Bxc6+ +-