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 [fen "r1bqkbnr/ppp2ppp/2n1p3/3p4/3P4/6P1/PPP1PPBP/RNBQK1NR w - - 0 1"]

I have a few friends who I play with. Recently they have picked up on one of our better player's openings and it's surprisingly effective for development of the white pieces and positioning.

I can't figure out how to beat the opening effectively. I need to be able to shut it down where it starts. This should be noted, the pawn that was moved to d4 is there to help develop the Queen. After this the next step for white is to develop the dark-squared bishop to b2, and after that to move the knight from g1 to h3. After which comes a king side castle.

I'm unsure how to interrupt this opening other then to make an island on d5 and e6 to protect my rook. Is there any way to fully shut down this opening?

I know this opening relies on the bishops but I do not know how to get rid of them without suffering losses worse than gains.

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  • 1
    There is no magic move to refute something this solid. It would be easier to help, if you'd include the concrete moves in your question, most notably an explanation why you are locking in Black's light-squared bishop behind the pawn chain. :)
    – fuxia
    May 8, 2019 at 14:14
  • Welcome to Chess.SE! Does your friend play g3 or d4 first? This may change my answer.
    – Brandon_J
    May 8, 2019 at 15:03
  • Brandon_J g3 is always the first move
    – Gebs Jr
    May 8, 2019 at 15:17

2 Answers 2

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You can develop your pieces pretty much any way you want and no big trouble can be caused to you by White.

However, I would postpone the ...e6 move, as your light-squares bishop gets blocked for no benefit (you could also try ...e5 with enough preparation). You may also want to break the center with a ...c5 push, so, although there is nothing particularly wrong with your play, my favourite move order would be 

 [fen ""]

 1.d4 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c5!?

now forcing White to make a choice

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    I like your ideas, freeing up the bishop that I had blocked made it alot easier to set up my knights to get rid of their bishops and rooks
    – Gebs Jr
    May 8, 2019 at 16:26
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General plan suggestions:

  • Like @David said, don't play e6 so early (or possibly at all). You want your light-squared bishop alive and active in any situation, and especially here for a possible trade-off of bishops.

  • Try mixing things up a little bit with a move like c6, supporting the d5 pawn against the fiancetto-ed bishop. You'll then want to swing your light squared bishop out to g4 or f5, and then put your knight on d7. Note: You mentioned moving your bishop to b7. Don't do that if you've already played d5; it blocks in the bishop.

  • Number one flaw in white's position: White has an extremely solid position, but no opening is perfect, and there is a small weakness: g4. This square is not easily defended, and can become an excellent post for one of your pieces. Hammer down on this. Play Nf6. Keep your light squared bishop on the kingside.

First move suggestions:

  • Try fiancetto-ing yourself! Play 1...g6 and simply imitate his strategy for a few moves.

  • Try playing 1...e5. If he counters with e4, you've successfully blocked in his bishop. If he counters with d4, take with the pawn, let him take with queen, and then develop your knight to c3, pushing the queen back and winning a tempo.

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