Owen's defence ?

In response to post #5:

1.d4 b6? 2.e4 Bb7 3.Bd3 e6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nge2.  Now standard Owen strategy fails.  Playing ...Bb4 and ...d5 just leads to a bad French for Black.  Therefore, after 5...c5, White plays the gambit, 6.d5, with a far more significant advantage than the traditional "nagging edge" that you get for being White.

Please explain the gambit. Clearly the d pawn is weak but I don't really see why this position is so good for white:

#26 - You have got to be kidding me.  10.O-O! and what does Black have?  For example, 10...Be7 11.Qh5 Nc6 12.Re1 Nd4 13.Bd2 and White is significantly better.  What is Black going to do?  13...Kf8?  (You sure as hell can't castle as that's mate in 1!)

Here is the game i referenced in an earlier posting. Having played this for the first time, i was a bit surprised as well with it but the ending was pretty nice.

Very good opening

GM's Miezis, Kengis, Tony Miles, Speelman played this!

They're GMs. We aren't.

Excellent opening. The games shown have some inaccuracies, as early c5 and d5 moves. This opening is an example of hypermodern chess, so you try to fight white center with pieces, not with pawns. If white play careless, its strong center ends broken, or loses the bishop pair, or its pawn structure is ruined.  Of course, black play must be very accurate to equalize, but the same happens with some mainstream openings, as the sicilian or the caro-kann.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-ACdKjp4QQ

Your advice makes it sound hardly worth playing. If you're just waiting for white to make a slip, you're also just waiting for white to start an attack.

It's a horrible opening for black ,, I have 80% win rate against Masters in otb tournaments,

According to chessgames database, the Owen has similar numbers than the much more popular Scandinavian... similar, but better:  Scandinavian : 47 % white wins, 28 % black wins; Owen: 47% white wins, 33% black wins (higher than, for example, the Caro-Kann). So, it´s undoubtledy a risky opening, yet playable.

In your move order 4... Nf6 is an inaccuracy (though black is not lost, is truly uncomfortable to play after 5.Nge2 Bb4 ) Instead, the direct 4...Bb4 is better, because now white is not able to castle yet. 5. Nge2 d5! and black is close to equalize.

Oh, this guy again.

Why to u think black is close to equalize?

Andrew Greet in his excellent "Beating Unuasual Chess Defence 1.e4", considers exd5 or e5 giving en edge for white.

He gives this line commenting : "7.Nf4! following by castling White has a nice lead in development"

Of course 0-0 and e5 are also good for white, but this line is simple and I don't see how black could be happy here.

Note that taking on d5 in another way doesn't really improve black's position : exd5 doesnt make any sense for the poor Bb7, and Bxd5 would be a strange square for the bishop who probably will have to go back some moves later...

You are right of course, thats why I said "close to equal" and not "equal". Black has some issues to sove after 7-Nf4. Anyway, what I mean is that the Owen is not so horrible as it could look af first.

Don't worry the mods warned him already in that other thread. If he does it again he will be blocked. Thx mods for doing great work.!

I'm not so sure about that variation. Do mere mortals play Ne2 and later Nf4. Most people don't know the precise moves which lead to white's advantage.

You are right...it goes to show that the Scandinavian proponents never learn....but hey, keep on playing it .  Owens is good for beginners to learn hypermodern style and then transition to a more serious defense.

1. e4 b6 2. d4 Bb7, and now 3. Nd2!, avoiding a Bb4 pin, is best, might be even altogether won for white, I am not certain.