A reasonable aternative to mainline 9.e4

[Rookpawn]

Why the Phoenix? (I like Rudel's naming of this line.) I'd like to show you a game I played a couple years ago at Chessworld using a slow time control. This game a few others like it had me looking for alternative.

This was a thematic tournament and the starting position came from the Colle after :
Rookpawn - Girke Chessworld.net
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. dxc5 Bxc5
This is very common position in the mainline Colle K and the jumping off point for the Phoenix 9.b4. In this game I was staying with mainlines. The data base gave several good lines from here and the only book I had at the time gave me some guidance. So.....
9. e4 Qc7 10. Qe2 b6
This is a move Girke has played regularly with very good results. It was not in my database. I didn't think much of it at the time and chasing the Knight on f6 looked quite tasty with the possibility of a Kingside attack.
11. e5 Ng4
That Knight is looking tastier and tastier and a classic Bishop sac is standard fair in the Colle so I jumped in with both feet.
12. Bxh7+ Kxh7 13. Ng5+ Kg8 14. Qxg4
And I get my material back! What could be better. (I later found a couple games in this position later in a larger database.)
14... Qxe5
This move hit me hard and I used all of my time control (5 days) to come up with some plan. I felt that the Bishop on c5 had to moved off that diagonal. (15.Nf3 is better)
15. Nb3 Be7 16. Bf4 Qf6
I didn't see my position as being worse but blacks potential in this position escaped me.
17. Qh5 Qf5 18. g4 Qg6 19. Qxg6 fxg6 20. Be3 e5!
Black gets in e5 and the central pawns are released with good results.
21. h3 d4 22. cxd4 exd4 23. Bd2 d3 24. f4 Bf6 25. Rab1 Re8 26. Rfe1 Ba6 27. Ne4 Bh4
28. Re3 Re6 29. Be1 Rae8 30. Nbd2 Be7 31. a3 Bc5 32. Nxc5 Rxe3 {White resigned} 0-1
With the result of this game. I did play this line again after 10... b6 in a later game but white has to tip toe through a maze to come out with a roughly equal position. I decided to look for other alternatives. And playing b4 on move 9. is a pleasant alternative! I give credit to Girke for finding 10... b6. Its not an easy move to meet. Especially for the unwary.
(Typos and punctuation are my own. )

[Rudel]

Thanks for the game!

I think in the tract found at the end of TMoZ, I say something like this about this sequence:

In particular, Black can get away with simply playing 10…b6!!, and White is already worse. In the obvious line, 11. e5 Ng4 12.Bxh7+ Kxh7 13.Ng5+ Kg8 14.Qxg5 Qxe5, Black’s defenses are adequate. Palliser quotes analysis by Bronznik that goes 15.Qh5 Qf5 16.Ndf3 Ba6! (only available due to 10…b6) 17.Rd1 (attempting to remove a bunch of squares from Black’s Queen and then play …g4, forcing an exchange on g6 that leaves the e5-pawn vulnerable) 17…Be2 18.Re1 Bxf3 19.Qxf3 Qxf3 20.Nxf3, saying the position is “about even.” That might be so, but I think White is on the wrong side of “about even,“ and Black has better ways of responding to the threat of g4. For example, 17…Bd3 threatens Bc2 while allowing for the Bishop to retake on g6 instead of the pawn. 17…Rae8 may be best since then Black would look forward to 18.g4?! Qg6 19.Qxg6 fxg6, when …Be2! is a real threat.

I hope you get the chance to try out the Phoenix soon and send in some games!

[girke]

Thanks for the credit RookPawn