The 1st thing I imagine when I see that diagram is a black Night on e3 .......
im not sure id call it strong, its probably solid as I imagine e3 wouldnt become weak until it is difficult to get at.
However, while it doesnt do anything wrong, it doesnt actually do anything.
White is simply restraining black rather than pursuing any notable advantage, in reality I can imagine black being the one with more appropriately devloped pieces.
.:. Playable but toothless.
I think that since White has made nine free moves, Black should get eight or nine free moves, too. Let's see...
h5, Rh6, d6, Qd7, Qg4, Rg6, Qxg2 mate... and you can keep the change.
Seriously, though... the set-up looks OK if Black is playing d5. The only obvious weakness is the e3 square.
The idea of playing a "setup" rather than playing chess in the opening really doesn't isn't going to get someone very far as a chess player.
White has an innate advantage in the opening, throwing it away in order to chase a passive setup giving no advantage isn't how one gets anywhere close to 1400, let alone 2400.
I would look to have a field day with the a7-g1 diagonal if I was playing as black.
I would look to have a field day with the a7-g1 diagonal if I was playing as black.
Meh. White can always shift to a stonewall formation if he has to, with d4. Where's your "field day" then? It will cost him a tempo (d2-d3-d4), but how many tempi did Black waste setting up his diagonal attack which now isn't going to happen?
I used to experiment with this years ago, sometimes I loved it though the weak e3 pawn became a problem at times. I'd sometimes transpose to it via Ne5-f4, then Nf3 again if I had to.
Sometimes there'd be a pawnstorm aimed at the black king and even rooklifts to either g3 or h3, sometimes with queen pressure too! I don't really like parroting moves though, since somewhere between one system move and another could be an even better way to deal with black's plan. Maybe c4 is better than f4 if black creates that context? Stuff like that.
Rooperi is right that ne3 would be painful for white . Bishop/ Queen on c5 at the same time and i hear the funeral march playing in the backround.
I would pay my opponents to play this against me.
how much? i'll do it!
i think that this position would be hard to set up and definitely not worth all those moves, if you're going to make a solid formation you can do better than this
aimed at <insert arbitrary rating here>
Very interesting line to play here. The Nimzo-Larsen seems to be a sharp line to hit at Black with so tactics are key gaining a decisive advantage. How this might fare against a Pirc or a Kings indian setup would be something interesting, let alone perhaps if Black continues with perhaps the Noteboom Variation of the QGD or even the Abrams Variation as well.
Still, interesting design scheme though I would have to concur with KP that going into exchanges might be unsettling to White here.
pawn on f2 nd d4 would be a big improvement
I would look to have a field day with the a7-g1 diagonal if I was playing as black.
Meh. White can always shift to a stonewall formation if he has to, with d4. Where's your "field day" then? It will cost him a tempo (d2-d3-d4), but how many tempi did Black waste setting up his diagonal attack which now isn't going to happen?
Well, two (...b6 and ...Bb7). Whereas you've given him the e4-square which you won't recover by long.
This is the problem with all kinds of "set-ups" intended to play without looking at the other side of the board. You just abandon initiative, because actually doing something would require to adapt (oh ! what a terrible word) to what the opponent is doing.
As for the rating... I play at 1900 in my very best days, at even at my very worst I wouldn't hold that setup in high consideration. Sure, you're not going to be crushed by a mating attack by soon, but Black has many plans to try to get an advantage, and eventually you will have to cope with them (when the point of the setup was precisely to avoid thinking about this). One way is ...a5-a4 and attacking the queenside, one other is ...0-0-0 and ...g5 opening your kingside, etc.
