I never really expected to learn a lot from a caissa chessplayer, but I have! There is a very inventive and original chessplayer who always plays as guest who taught me something I have never seen in any chessbook and probably would not see if I have spent thousands of dollars. The idea is so simple and basic that I probably would have never thought of it. Lets use a very basic and simple opening formation as there is not much effort involved to illustrate the idea. 1. e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.f4 and now here comes the trick or lever or whatever it might be called, black plays 3...f5 to force the issue in the center. If white advances, all well and good, you play a maneuvering game, but if white captures either pawn, you maneuver to position a night at e4. This idea has been used to bring home many a point for me, and I am almost of the opinion, that the opponent has to think for himself, which he finds frustrating. Does this device have a name, (?), does anyone employ it, (?), has anyone seen it before?

I think it's some relatively new idea; That even, the Non-chessplayer 'Obama,' favors!; Called: "Cap-and-or-Trade."
- It's devious, in that; Though, the phrase itself, makes No reference, to a brand new gov't tax, {it is!}; It's based, on the false premise, that our already 'BLOATED' {read: greatly over-staffed} gov't; Continues to know, what's best, for all of us 'pawns.' In the form of paying more, for All heavily used, and 'egregious,' carbon-emitting, energy-sources; Like, gasoline & coal.

Personally, I'd rather take my chances.. With, carbon-dioxide poisoning; And-or, having future generations, needing to move; From, coastal-area, rising sea-levels.

I totally agree that this is some kind of new idea and wonder how much more room for invention there is in chess. As far as carbon monoxide, we are probably all on a turtle, in a car, in a garage, peeling an onion, with the foot on the accelerator, with the gas leaking out of the exhaust!!!

I don't understand your post.If you are asking if it is normal for black to seek a knight outpost at e4 when white has pawns at d4 and f4 and Black has pawns at f5 and e5 of course it is.Its the only logical way for Black to play.Similiarly White should be aiming to stick a knight at e5.

If you are asking if e4 e6 d4 d5 f4????? is normal than the answer is no.Lastly e4 e6 d4 d5 f4 f5 as an opening sequence is something that I have never seen before and according to chesslab has never been played before.

In fact I could only find 1 game where the sequence e4 e6 d4 d5 f4 was ever played. In that game Black played c5 and white eventually won

Indeed, I have never seen this opening sequence either. I don't see 3. f4 as a sound strategy for white.
French Defense Classical
1. e4-e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6
This is the main line which is the most common, although the Advance Variation: 3. e5 is just as common as well as the Tarrasch Variation 3. Nd2. White's considerations to answer 2. d5 can encompass moves 3. Nc3, Nd2, e5, exd5, Bd3, Be3, c3, or c4. In my opinion any of these moves are sound. The most logical black answer to 3.f4 would be dxe4 taking the king pawn out of the center and Nf3 away for white. If black answers 3. f4 with f5 this can allow e5 giving white more options for development than black, although still playable it is not a favorable position for black.

I think the 3 f4 strategy is too premature , we normally try as white players to play that move later in the game. If white plays 3...f5 after 3 Nc3, white can just play 4 ef with the plan Nf3,Bg5 (to prevent an eventual Ne4) Bd3 , Qe2 , 0-0-0,and g4 with an attack on the kingside. The f5 pawn will be a good target.

my response has a typo.Black pawns at d5 and f5 is how it should read not e5 my bad

My apologies to everyone, I rushed through the responce and sent it out without even checking it on a board. As far as I am concerned, 3 f4 is premature, and thats a nice way to describe it! I meant something like 3. Nd2, 3. Nc3 3.Bd3 and then black plays 3...f5. I have playing something analagous to this and I plop, (for lack of a better word), the night in e4, after the f5 exchange, and it seems a lot of higher rated players feel like they have got skunked somewhere along the way. Even this description is slightly suspect, because in its pure form, white pushes sometime to f4, and then black grabs the initiative, with the ...f5 trick. In my opening commments here today, there is still room for the troublesome f3 somewhere down the line.

I am pretty sure this idea in the post is mine. About 13 years ago, I developed an opening system that some would say is analogous to the Stonewall, but it isn't really. I play it with both White and Black, and yes this opening sequence I have played well over 30,000 times with much success, both over the board and here on Caissa.

These days, however, I only play on the iPhone (as my handle 'fierce'), and points come easy for my opponents as the interface is not conducive to the G/2 games that I so love. Admin should really add .2 seconds to each move of an iPhone user, as using the finger to select, move, and select again is very much slower than using a mouse. At this point I call it a moral victory if I have superior position when my time runs out.

My various opening sequences did not exist in any database back when I made this thing up, but I've played so many people over the years that I do think that some of them are adopting it.

Glad you like,
-f