Answers.Body: <p>I think best would be to change your move order to <strong>1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5</strong>.</p>
  <p>So:</p>
  <ul>
  <li><strong>1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5</strong> leads to benoni structures.</li>
  <li><strong>1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. e3 g6</strong> is dynamical and not overly theoretical. Alternatively you can transpose to an okay version of exchange Caro-Kann with <strong>3. ... cxd4 4. exd4</strong>. Note that compared to mainline exchange white played <strong>Nf3</strong> too early, so black can play <strong>Bg4</strong> without problems. Positions are a bit dry though.</li>
  <li><strong>1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. c3 g6</strong> is also quite fun. Alternatively <strong>3. ... cxd4 4. cxd4</strong> transposes to exchange Slav, which is solid, but drawish.</li>
  <li><strong>1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. c4</strong> transposes to symmetrical English. Here most Benoni players go for a gambit line, that was developed by Kasparov: <strong>3. ... cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d5 6. cxd5 Bc5</strong>. Your plan is to castle short, at some point play <strong>e4</strong>, put some heavy pieces on <em>e-file</em> and go for kingside attack. Alternatively you can go for hedgehog setup.</li>
  </ul>
  <p>Benefit of this move order is that <strong>1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. Bf4?! cxd4</strong> is very good for black, since:</p>
  <ul>
  <li><strong>4. Nxd4?? e5! 5. Bxe5 Qa5+</strong> picks up a piece.</li>
  <li><strong>4. Qxd4 Nc6</strong> gives you a very nice tempo for development</li>
  <li><strong>4. Bxb8 Rxb8</strong> giving up dark squared bishop like this is just sad for white.</li>
  </ul>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2024-04-11T08:39:10.863Z
Answers.Text: Great ! Thank you for your recommendation. I'll consider it seriously. I may able to still play my setup against London system while avoiding the critical line. Maybe I should have specified that the benoni version I'm playing is the Czech one which does not work with 2.Nf3 but as long as I do not transpose into a Queen's gambit I'm happy.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Falquiero
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Answers.Text: @Falquiero after **1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5** you aren't commited to modern benoni yet - you have a choice between modern benoni with **3. ... e6**. benko with **3. ... b5** and waiting with **3. ... d6** or **3. ... g6**. However in the latter case you have to be aware that white doesn't need to play **4. c4**, he can also go for **4. Nc3**. Note also that even though playing **3. ... e6**  leads to modern benoni, you succefully dodged white most critical tries, since he cannot play systems with *f4*.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Matija Sirk
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Matija Sirk
Body: <p>I built my repertoire and am quite happy with it. However it has a clear weakness that has to do with a precise move order that I'm really struggling with.</p>
  <p>As black and against 1.d4 I respond with Nf6 to play a Benoni defense with  2.c4 c5.
  Against 2.Nf3 (2.Bf4, 2.c3) I play my setup against the London system with 2. ... d5 3.Bf4 c5 etc.</p>
  <p>However, whenever I encounter the problematic 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 <strong>3.c4</strong> I have an issue. It directly transposes into a Queen's Gambit but I was not able to play my favourite Benoni defense without 2. ... d5.</p>
  <p>I will naturally go for a semislav defense but I'm not really confortable with it and I don't want to spend much time studying it.</p>
  <p>I'm trying find a way to still play the Benoni defense and my setup with d5 against the London system while avoiding this problematic line. Do you have any suggestion ? I do not really wish to go for the direct 1.d4 c5 however. Or maybe there is a niche and interesting setup after 3.c4 that does not require much theory to be played to not go for semi-slav ?</p>
  
Tags: <queens-gambit-declined><repertoire>
Title: Opening line that messes up my repertoire
ThreadText: # Opening line that messes up my repertoire
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2024-04-11)
  
  I built my repertoire and am quite happy with it. However it has a clear weakness that has to do with a precise move order that I'm really struggling with.
  
  As black and against 1.d4 I respond with Nf6 to play a Benoni defense with 2.c4 c5.
  Against 2.Nf3 (2.Bf4, 2.c3) I play my setup against the London system with 2. ... d5 3.Bf4 c5 etc.
  
  However, whenever I encounter the problematic 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 **3.c4** I have an issue. It directly transposes into a Queen's Gambit but I was not able to play my favourite Benoni defense without 2. ... d5.
  
  I will naturally go for a semislav defense but I'm not really confortable with it and I don't want to spend much time studying it.
  
  I'm trying find a way to still play the Benoni defense and my setup with d5 against the London system while avoiding this problematic line. Do you have any suggestion ? I do not really wish to go for the direct 1.d4 c5 however. Or maybe there is a niche and interesting setup after 3.c4 that does not require much theory to be played to not go for semi-slav ?
  
  **Tags:** queens-gambit-declined, repertoire
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2024-04-11. Score: 11 | Accepted answer
  
  I think best would be to change your move order to **1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5**.
  
  So:
  
  * **1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5** leads to benoni structures.
  * **1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. e3 g6** is dynamical and not overly theoretical. Alternatively you can transpose to an okay version of exchange Caro-Kann with **3. ... cxd4 4. exd4**. Note that compared to mainline exchange white played **Nf3** too early, so black can play **Bg4** without problems. Positions are a bit dry though.
  * **1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. c3 g6** is also quite fun. Alternatively **3. ... cxd4 4. cxd4** transposes to exchange Slav, which is solid, but drawish.
  * **1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. c4** transposes to symmetrical English. Here most Benoni players go for a gambit line, that was developed by Kasparov: **3. ... cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d5 6. cxd5 Bc5**. Your plan is to castle short, at some point play **e4**, put some heavy pieces on *e-file* and go for kingside attack. Alternatively you can go for hedgehog setup.
  
  Benefit of this move order is that **1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. Bf4?! cxd4** is very good for black, since:
  
  * **4. Nxd4?? e5! 5. Bxe5 Qa5+** picks up a piece.
  * **4. Qxd4 Nc6** gives you a very nice tempo for development
  * **4. Bxb8 Rxb8** giving up dark squared bishop like this is just sad for white.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Great ! Thank you for your recommendation. I'll consider it seriously. I may able to still play my setup against London system while avoiding the critical line. Maybe I should have specified that the benoni version I'm playing is the Czech one which does not work with 2.Nf3 but as long as I do not transpose into a Queen's gambit I'm happy.  
  > **username_1**: @username_0 after **1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5** you aren't commited to modern benoni yet - you have a choice between modern benoni with **3. ... e6**. benko with **3. ... b5** and waiting with **3. ... d6** or **3. ... g6**. However in the latter case you have to be aware that white doesn't need to play **4. c4**, he can also go for **4. Nc3**. Note also that even though playing **3. ... e6**  leads to modern benoni, you succefully dodged white most critical tries, since he cannot play systems with *f4*.  
  
  ---
  
  