Anyone have experience with this opening? Any thoughts on it? I like when people overlook the diagonal attack on G7 but decent players obviously won't do that...still, it does take the game to a different type of feel that some might not be familiar with. But it kinda cramps white if black responds properly and forces him into awkward positions, so I kinda think it might not be worth it if the diagonal attack fails. It's kinda hard to defend against something like nf6, e6 A5 etc.

It's fine, just not very ambitious.

I played it once in a tournament game and it went 1.b4 a5 2.b5 c6 3.Bb2 cxb5 4.e4, which is actually a pretty interesting gambit.

You can play it. But it goes against some concepts in the opening: namely development and control of the central squares. Even though Bb2 somewhat contests the d4 and e5 squares, it is usually black who occupies the centre after 1.b4 and so I would not recommend it unless you are good with hypermodern undermining strategies.

Yeah the Orangutan is playable but not that great. You also need to know some specific variations in order not to end worse. How about trying 1.b3, you'll still have your diagonal without having to worry about a weak b-pawn? It's a much better opening IMO

After 1. b4 d5 2. Bb2 Qd6! I think black has an excellent game and is already the one fighting for the advantage.

I used to respond that way (2...Qd6) as it helps set up the center, but I actually had difficulty figuring out how to develop my pieces, and d6 is a weird place for the queen. I have since gone to playing 1. b4 e5 2. Bb2 Bxb4 3. Bxe5 Nf6 and have found it much easier to play. In either case. 1. b4 works as well as anything else at the lower levels, imo, but really just gives black a small advantage otherwise.

I agree that 1. b3 is better. Not that it gives white an advantage, but it's better relative to 1. b4. Larsen played many games with it (admittedly against weaker players), so you have some games you can look through. For my first live tournament or 2 (I was in college, ended up rated around 1500) I played 1. b3 as white and did as well with it.

I encountered 1. b4 recently as a surprise by a FM (he never played that before) and just played 1. ...Nf6 2. ...e6 3. ...d5. I think that's a fine way to get a decent position without having to know anything. Sometimes white is able to cramp black's queenside somehow, but the tempi he spends on that can be well-used by black to develop comfortably and set up kingside play (Bd6, Bb7 Nbd7 Ne4 and so on). I got a very good position pretty easily but messed it up in time trouble.

http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game...r.php?id=70789

I like 1. b4 c6 2. Bb2 Qb6 for black. 3. c3 is awkward as it shuts in the bishop and 3. a3 a5 seems good for black too. 3. Bc3 doesn't sound right either.

3.a3 a5 4.c4 intending 4.-axb4 5.c5 is one of those "specific variations in order not to end worse" I mentioned. It's still fairly good times for Black after 5.-Qc7 though

i think black has better options against the Sokolsky than 1. ...c6 2. Bb2 Qb6 3. a3 a5 4. c4 axb4 5. c5!

It's probably about equal but it's a position white will have spent much more time analysing than black. That's one of the reasons why i think trying to refute people's pet openings is not very practical for OTB play.

Personally I think black's best response usually involves nf6 on the first or second move; D5 and QD6 usually cramps black's own pieces when QA5 is normally the natural move so I don't really like that, but most variations with 1..c6 can be countered by moves like C4 followed by Qb3 etc. so I don't really recommend that one either.

I think a pretty tough call is after the exchange 1- b4, e5 2- bb2, bxb4 3- bxe5 nf6. White has a couple of options here, but I kinda like that white exchanged the b pawn for the e pawn with potential development. Some would do 2-..nf6 instead of taking the pawn immediately, which I think is a better response actually. It gives black more options after the same exchange is made (if white takes e5)