Here's a game I played as White about a week ago:

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 and instead of playing 4. ...d6, my opponent gave me the center with 4. ...0-0.



Here's my point: I've been studying How to Reasses Your Chess, and this position is a perfect example of applying what you learn.

What is White's best move and why?

Personally I do not think there is a 'best move' for white in the position. There are a number of candidate moves that would suffice. There are no weakness in black's position and though white has space advantage and the center, he is behind on development. I recommend a developing move, Be2 being my choice since it still conceals white's strategy; if he's going for a kingside pawn storm or a stronger hold in the center.

I'm guessing GT4 is expecting e4-e5 as the best move, but it is not necessarily best. This is a very offbeat line that Wojo used to play against lower rated players, and he has had games where he basically ripped apart white's center after white played 5 e5 Ne8.

I think normal play might be 5 Nf3 c6 (threatening d7-d5) 6 e5 Ne8 7 Bd3! (white wants to recapture with a pawn and avoid the queen trade) d6 8 0-0 dxe5 9 dxe5 and white has a small advantage.

e5 would be an option, as it shuts out Black's bishop. However, Black still has the option of where to develop his other bishop. If it is fianchettoed as well, then Black would at least have a decent shot at a kingside-castled White King.

Agreed, Be2 is a flexible development move. Neither bad nor excellent, it slowly improves the position.

What I had in mind was 5. Be3!?, with the idea of turning White's center into a rock. Example:

5. Be3 d6 6. Bd3 c5 and after Nfd2 White's center is becoming awfully hard to break down.

However, since Abba mentioned c6 in his post, might as well look at that too.

5. Be3 c6 6. Bd3 and 6. ...d5 does little on account of 7. e5, when White has both bishops eying Black's kingside. Lock up play on the queenside, push a few kingside pawns, and I'll like White's chances.

The point of this post is to point out that White's best move is not to advance his center, but to solidify it and prevent Black from attacking it in any way, which is the point of Black's defense. Allow White a pawn center, and then attack it with the fianchettoed bishop and either a c6-d5 break, or a d6-c5 break.

5 Be3!? is interesting. It does take advantage of the fact that black doesn't have the 5...Ng4 reply. Black's best is probably to play 5...d6, threatening 6...Ng4. Here I suppose white could play 6 Be2, but it might be better to either play 6 h3 or 6 f3 entering into fairly well known lines.

If 6 Be2, white has the issue of how to develop his g1-knight safely. 6 Be2 e5, black is ready to play 7 exd4 if white dances around too much, while also 7 Nf3 will again allow 7...Ng4. This means that 7 d5 is probably forced, and after 7...Na6, black has a normal and fairly sound setup, although he may also prefer the sharper 7...Ng4.

Did not see Ng4, thank you Abba.

Then after 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 0-0 5. Be3 d6 6. h3! (stopping Bg4 and Ng4) c5 7. Nf3 and Black still has little or no counterplay on White's center, in the position below.

That 6 h3 is actually an important line that can be reached in the standard KID. Black usually tries to hit the center with ...e5 in that line, and then brings the knight around to a6-c5.

The reason h3 has been played was that Black can respond with Ng4 when White plays Be3. (See the Tournament Book by Bronstein Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953).
Move 5 by White can also be the Saimisch (f3). A matter of preparation and preference.