Answers.Body: <p>One of the possible reasons why 5.Bf4 has gained popularity at the very top-level, is because white seems to have difficulties obtaining an advantage after 5.Bg5.</p>
  
  <p>The critical variation is 5....h6 6.Bh4 O-O 7.e3 Nbd7 8.Rc1 c5 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.cxd5 g5!, which occured for the first time in <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1791496" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wojtaszek-Kramnik (2015)</a>.
  Moreover, black can also play 9....dxc4, which happened in another famous Kramnik game: <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1811839" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Matlakov-Kramnik (2015)</a>.
  After 8....c5, white's main alternative is 9.cxd5. In this line too, there is an impressive Kramnik win: <a href="http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1779836" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Salem-Kramnik (2014)</a>.</p>
  
  <p>To answer the question "Who revitalized 5.Bf4?": Kramnik, by posing some questions as black in the 5.Bg5 line.</p>
  
  <pre>
  <code>
        [StartPly "8"]
  
        [FEN ""]
        1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 (5.Bf4) h6 6.Bh4 O-O 7.e3 Nbd7 8.Rc1 c5 9.dxc5 (9.cxd5) Nxc5 (9...dxc4) 10.cxd5 g5
  
  </code>
  </pre>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-08-24T16:28:40.090Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-08-26T17:19:15.467Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2019-08-26T17:19:15.467Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Maxwell86
Body: <p>It seems to me that after the popular move order </p>
  
  <pre><code>[fen ""]
  
  1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>the most popular option - at least at top GM level - is currently 5. Bf4. Yet, back in the 1980s and 1990s, 5. Bf4  was not considered a particularly challenging way to fight the Queen's Gambit Declined. Every strong GM was playing 5. Bg5 (or the Exchange Variation). Who revitalized  5. Bf4, and why is it considered a strong / challenging move nowadays?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-08-24T14:11:39.283Z
Comments.Text: Don't know but it seems the first major book on it was published in 1998 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queens-Gambit-Declined-5-Bf4/dp/1857442075/
Comments.UserDisplayName: magd
Tags: <opening><1.d4><queens-gambit-declined>
Title: Who revitalized 5. Bf4 vs the Queen's Gambit Declined?
ThreadText: # Who revitalized 5. Bf4 vs the Queen's Gambit Declined?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2019-08-24)
  
  It seems to me that after the popular move order
  
  ```
  [fen ""]
  
  1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 
  
  ```
  
  the most popular option - at least at top GM level - is currently 5. Bf4. Yet, back in the 1980s and 1990s, 5. Bf4 was not considered a particularly challenging way to fight the Queen's Gambit Declined. Every strong GM was playing 5. Bg5 (or the Exchange Variation). Who revitalized 5. Bf4, and why is it considered a strong / challenging move nowadays?
  
  **Tags:** opening, 1.d4, queens-gambit-declined
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Don't know but it seems the first major book on it was published in 1998 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queens-Gambit-Declined-5-Bf4/dp/1857442075/  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2019-08-24. Score: 2 | Accepted answer
  
  One of the possible reasons why 5.Bf4 has gained popularity at the very top-level, is because white seems to have difficulties obtaining an advantage after 5.Bg5.
  
  The critical variation is 5....h6 6.Bh4 O-O 7.e3 Nbd7 8.Rc1 c5 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.cxd5 g5!, which occured for the first time in [Wojtaszek-Kramnik (2015)](http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1791496).
  Moreover, black can also play 9....dxc4, which happened in another famous Kramnik game: [Matlakov-Kramnik (2015)](http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1811839).
  After 8....c5, white's main alternative is 9.cxd5. In this line too, there is an impressive Kramnik win: [Salem-Kramnik (2014)](http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1779836).
  
  To answer the question "Who revitalized 5.Bf4?": Kramnik, by posing some questions as black in the 5.Bg5 line.
  
  ```
  
        [StartPly "8"]
  
        [FEN ""]
        1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 (5.Bf4) h6 6.Bh4 O-O 7.e3 Nbd7 8.Rc1 c5 9.dxc5 (9.cxd5) Nxc5 (9...dxc4) 10.cxd5 g5
  
  ```
  
  
  ---
  
  