Reverse Grunfeld Slav strategy

I've been trying a system OTB with some success that I haven't seen discussed much in books which I can only call a Reverse Grunfeld Slav (or The Karpark Attack!) The idea is that you start with 1.Nf3 and then (after ...d5 which usually comes) d4 (to prevent ...e5) followed by, or preceded by, a kingside fianchetto, and in due course c3 and Nbd2. Move order is flexible and depends in part on black's moves. 

The plan is to get the kingside rook to e1 and push for an early e4. Usually in my experience ...dxe4 follows immediately with the N on d2 ending up on e4. Depending on black's preceding and subsequent moves white can put pressure on the e-file or perhaps begin a queenside pawn advance supported by the important c3 pawn that protects both the pawn on d4 and inhibits enemy minor piece activity. The fact that this pawn has vacated the second rank means that (assuming you manage to develop successfully the black squared c1 bishop) the rooks can relatively easily double up on either the semi-open e-file or on any queenside files that open up, moving between them on the vacated first and second ranks to produce strategic decoys. Meanwhile the long diagonal controlled by white's white squared bishop on g2 creates more pressure on the centre and onto black's queen side. 

Another virtue of this rather versatile (I think) system is that often enough black's kingside pieces get exchanged and white finds it relatively easy to switch the attack to either the e-file on which there is already likely to be pressure, or from the queenside to the kingside. One occasional theme of the white kingside attack is the possible advance, further on into the middle game, of the g pawn while the king tucks into the h1 while one of white's rooks whizzes along the first rank to g1 onto the g file to embarrass potentially a black king poorly served by its minor pieces. 

I've found this system, organised around white's pawns on d4 and, crucially, c3, the fianchetto'd king's bishop and an early e4 advance supported by a knight on d2, surprisingly versatile in terms of its ability to exercise and switch pressure on the queenside, kingside and the e-file in the middle game while black's pieces remain in my experience relatively uncoordinated. The advance of the queenside pawns is only one option.

Has anyone encountered anything like this in their OTB games or seen this in games played by well-known players? I would love to see games in which black has offered a more adequate defense than that offered by my opponents, some of whom seem lulled into an ill-advised sense of security produced by the deceptively passive looking early kingside fianchetto and Slavic c3.

Sounds like the Zukertort. How about putting in a few sample games?

Your original post is too abstract to comment on without any specific moves or examples.  It all depends on what Black is doing, how good that setup is.

What I can say, though, is that the Reverse Grunfeld has been a pretty good weapon for me, in the event that Black plays aggressively against an intended Reti/KIA.  Say, 1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6, where Black is intending to play an early ..e5 to get a pure Reversed King's Indian Defense.  4.d4! is a good move.

The Reverse Exchange Variation is quite fun to play with the extra tempo for White, and if Black maintains the tension White can follow up with c2-c4 (possibly with Ne5 involved) and acheive some type of Catalan.  This isa perfectly sound way to play.. but I wouldn't advise it as some kind of universal system, just a weapon against this specific move order.

This is the only chess.com game I've played with this system. As noted above it's really OTB that I've been trying it out. Okay, I'd be the first to admit that black's defense is full of holes and I'm sure as white I played many inaccuracies during the game's course, but you can only beat what's put in front of you (a random Russian in this case) and the point is that the game demonstrates some of the strategic themes that I've encountered in my other club-level OTB attempts to play this rather than a particularly theoretically testing line. (Don't bother to play past around move 53 as my opponent stubbornly refuses to resign a lost end game to the bitter end.) Incidentally, stop and take a look at the extraordinary position on the d-file at move 20.

OTB I've come across the Reverse Exchange Variation and as a Grunfeld player of the black pieces I've been happy to meet this, but on the whole in other variations adopted by black I've found myself (where possible) playing c3. I've since discovered on-line reviews of a book by David Rudel called Zuke 'em on this system. Anyone know if it's a useful read?

Thanks pfren. All I'm trying to do is find out what the better ways of meeting this system are for black, since at my own humble level I haven't seen too many of these and have done fairly well with it. I can see that black should develop harmoniously (instead of the way he or she did in this game) but what would be best way for black to keep under control white's e4 once or before white has his N on d2 and R on e1, do you (or others) think? With regard to the Caro-type set up, I can see this if (as given here) black plays ... c6 (and maybe he or she should in this kind of game) but often enough you see ... c5 or ... Nc6 instead of ... c6 in which case you'd expect white's white squared bishop on g2 to be much more effective. Be assured that I'm not arguing a point here but genuinely trying to learn.

Yes, albeit a Reverse Grunfeld with the defining distinction in my own way of playing it of having the pawn set at c3 to bolster the pawn on d4 and (unless or until the c pawns are exchanged on d4) inhibit black designs on b4, possibly allowing a freer role a little later for the N on f3 (otherwise on d4 guard duty) and consequently, if this N achieves more potential mobility, some air on the long white diagonal after that for the B on g2? If this is so, then perhaps an early black exchange of the c-pawns (assuming black has a pawn on c5) is advisable in that the N on f3 is more likely to be tied thereafter to the defense of d4 (unless white can get his or her rather leaden footed black squared bishop to help out somehow). Just thinking out loud on this one. Criticisms of this thinking from anyone out there (as well as from pfren of course) most welcome as I'm trying to improve my understanding of these kinds of position.

Mr. Karpark, I am slow to the party but was wondering if you are still actively playing and have developed some ideas about this Reversed Slav Grunfeld? I play the Grunfeld as black and always enjoy playing it reversed as white whenever I can (the main difference is that I play c4 instead of the Slav c3). Sometimes when I am white playing for a Catalan I end up playing against this Slav Grunfeld generally with good results for white. It is usually difficult for black to unwind his cramped position. I am curious about any experience you have had. Regards.

This topic is 8 years old and the OP last played a game on this site 7 years ago. The OP isn't going to reopen their account to respond to your necro-post.