Etydhv

I have a few friends who I play with. As of recent they have picked up on one of our better players openings and its surprisingly effective for development of white pieces and positioning.

I can't figure out how to beat the opening most effectively. I need to be able to shut it down where it starts. This should be noted, the pawn that was moved to d4 is there to help develop the Queen. After this the next step for white is to develop the dark-squared bishop to b2, and after that to move the knight from g1 to h3. After which comes a king side castle.

I'm unsure of how to interrupt this opening other then to make an island on d5 and e6 to protect my rook. Is there any way to fully shut down this opening?

I know this opening relies on the bishops but I do not know how to get rid of them without suffering losses worse than gains.

You can develop your pieces pretty much any way you want and no big trouble can be caused to you by White.

However, I would postpone the ...e6 move, as your light-squares bishop gets blocked for no benefit (you could also try ...e5 with enough preparation). You may also want to break the center with a ...c5 push, so, although there is nothing particularly wrong with your play, my favourite move order would be 1.d4 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c5!?, now forcing White to make a choice

Here are some suggestions.

General plan suggestions:

• Like @David said, don't play e6 so early (or possibly at all). You want your light-squared bishop alive and active in any situation, and especially here for a possible trade-off of bishops.




• Try mixing things up a little bit with a move like c6, supporting the d5 pawn against the fiancetto-ed bishop. You'll then want to swing your light squared bishop out to g4 or f5, and then put your knight on d7. Note: You mentioned moving your bishop to b7. Don't do that if you've already played d5; it blocks in the bishop.




• Number one flaw in white's position: White has an extremely solid position, but no opening is perfect, and there is a small weakness: g4. This square is not easily defended, and can become an excellent post for one of your pieces. Hammer down on this. Play Nf3. Keep your light squared bishop on the kingside.

First move suggestions:

• Try fiancetto-ing yourself! Play 1...g6 and simply imitate his strategy for a few moves.




• Try playing 1...e5. If he counters with e4, you've successfully blocked in his bishop. If he counters with d4, take with the pawn, let him take with queen, and then develop your knight to c3, pushing the queen back and winning a tempo.