The line 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.a3 Nc6 5.e3 came up the other day in another thread, but I can't remember where. Anyway, I got a chance to try this line out in correspondence game on chess.com recently. Do it Right was the one advocating this line, and I have to say, I really like it. Here's the game.
http://www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game...r.php?id=70324
I don't think black played the opening optimally, but these types of positions are certainly much more fun to play as white than the standard g3 stuff.
I have a couple of questions for feedback on the game, if y'all wouldn't mind.
The diagram below is the position after 16...Re8, white to move. What should white's plan be here?
During the game, my thought process is that white has a slight advantage. He has the clearly better center, open f-file, and a light squared bishop that can't be opposed. I struggle with positions like this though, because black has no clear weaknesses to attack and it's tough for me to materialize white's general advantages into something concrete. Ultimately I decided to focus on the f7 square, as I couldn't find anything else reasonable to do.
With 24.b4, I decided that white could put quite a bit of pressure on the black queenside, especially with white's queen and knight on the queenside. If black trades queens, that won't diminish white's queenside initiative.
Black blunders with 26...Kg7? and the game is quickly decided after that.
Any thoughts or feedback at all would be helpful, I'm not very good at playing positions such as the one in the diagram.