Forcing d4 players to play e4?

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BlunderMaster-123

5 days ago

I can force e4 players to play d4 via Franco-Benoni (1. e4 e6 2. d4 c5 3. d5 Nf6)

Now I'm trying to figure out how to force d4 players to play e4.

Will this work? Thoughts?

jcidus

5 days ago

I'm a 1.e4 player and I really hate the Franco-Sicilian.

In fact, I've now come up with a way to almost avoid it in my favorite and little-known 3. Qxd4 - Qd3 variation of the Sicilian, which has been giving me great results.

Regarding the idea of wanting a 1.d4 player to play something more like e4

I've always thought the logical way is the Englund Gambit, which completely opens up the game. Although it's true you lose a pawn, I don't see a real way to transpose from 1.d4 into an open e4-style game.

You can play the Dutch Defense, but it's still a very weird opening.

The Dutch is basically a reversed Bird and who the hell plays the Bird with White?

What attacking player actually likes that opening? I'm sure there are some, I won't deny it, but it has never convinced me.

I've only played the Dutch out of necessity, because 1.d4 used to annoy me a lot in the past.

So really, besides the Pirc–Franco-Sicilian idea you mentioned, there are only two other ways to try to confuse White and trick them into playing a King’s Pawn-style position in practice

crazedrat1000

5 days ago

The Horwitz defense and the Old Benoni can both transpose into sicilians. Horwitz can also transpose into a french. But that's up to white, it's never forced.
Zukertort / Colle / accelerated London can sometimes be transposed by black into the CK exchange.
Blackmar Diemer / Richter-Veresov can be transposed into a French.
Maybe the CK transpositions are the ones black can reach most reliably.

Englund is just bad and not an e4 opening anyway...

ThrillerFan

5 days ago

You can't "force" it. Different d4 players have different responses to different defenses.

After 1.d4, the moves 1...d5, 1...Nf6, and 1...f5 attempt to prevent e4, but I actually play 2.e4 against 1...f5 at times.

After moves that don't control e4, like 1...c6, 1...d6, 1...e6, 1...g6, etc, some will play e4 and some won't. I will play 2.e4 against 1...d6, 1...e6, and 1...g6, but not 1...c6. I think the e4-Modern is stronger for White than the d4-Modern. I'd rather face the French than a Deferred Dutch. Against 1...d6, I play 2.e4, but after 2...Nf6, I don't play 3.Nc3, I play 3.f3, leading to either an Old Indian or a Kings Indian in most cases.

Against 1...c6, I play 2.c4, not 2.e4.

Against 1...d5 or 1...Nf6, I play 2.Bg5! Some lines will feature e4, but that depends on Black.

So no, you cannot FORCE e4 to be played. Even from players like me that happen to play e4 against certain lines. If you play the same lines against someone else, they won't play e4.

pokemon_8787