Hi guy, I played against this line in a blitz.  Watch this!

1. e4 c5 2. Ne2 Nf6 3. Nbc3 d5 4. d3 Nc6 5. exd5 Nxd5 6. g3 Bg4 7. Bg2 Nd4!! 8. Nxd5 Bxe2 9. Qd2 Nf3+ 10. Bxf3 Bxf3 11. 00 Qxd5 -+

Another possibility is 8. Bxd5 Qxd5!! 9. Nxd5 Nf3+ 10. Kf1 Bh3+ mate!!

Just for the fun!

RT

Just to update, I've looked this up...Apparently, I'm not the only one who likes Keres' move order for the Open Sicilian.  GMs Morozevich, Smirin, and Vallejo have all played Ne2 in the past couple years...

This topic just popped into my mind because I'm watching a game on ICC in which IM Quesada tried 2. Ne2 / 3.d4 against GM Boris Gelfand!  Perhaps he read my posts here or my article? 

Keep on playing for psychology!
NeX iRae

I believe the immediate 6.Nxc6 and if 6...bxc6 then 7.e5 is the best way to guarantee a White advantage.

Don't know...it wasn't an actual USCF rated game.  It was played for the high school league (and both teams were undefeated at that point).  It was at their school, Atlantic City High School.

NeX iRae

Just brought Ne2 into OTB practice a couple days ago...worked oh so sweetly.  First off, my opponent did take about three minutes to think (not much, but better than that second and a half it takes to respond to 2.Nf3).  Secondly, I didn't ask him this, but I could tell he was a 2....d6 Dragon player based on further play...

1.e4 c5
2.Ne2 Nc6 (I'm certain he would've played 2. ... d6 against Nf3)
3.d4 (He look surprised at this...guess he was expecting a closed formation .)
3. ... cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nf6 (Nothing wrong with this: if you don't intend an Accelerated Dragon.  4. ... g6 is the proper Dragon response.)
5.Nc3 g6?! (I know this is bad...forget exactly how and why it is bad though...I think it was somewhere in Fischer's 60 Memorable.)
6.Bc4 d6? (A blunder attempting to go back into normal Dragon territory!  This is how I know he wasn't an Accelerated player...no Accelerated player would play this instead of saving the tempo for a later d5!)
7.Nxc6! bxc6
8.e5! Ng4
9.e6! Nh6??
10.Bxh6 and white was winning. 

My psychological experiment will continue...
NeX iRae

You didn't read my post correctly...I didn't say it would cause problems for black.  I said it would make them waste a couple minutes thinking instead of making the automatic move after Nf3.  Just to gain a minimal clock advantage...and the second move for the closed Sicilian is Nc6, not d6...(e4 c5 Nc3 Nc6 g3 g6 Bg2 Bg7 d3 d6 is mainline). 

Also 2. ... Nf6?! e5 Nd5 Nbc3 is like the normal Nf6 Sicilian, except white need not gain the doubled pawns as usual! (cf. e4 c5 Nf3 Nf6 e5 Nd5 Nc3 Nxc3 dxc3)

NeX iRae

I fail to see how this move order causes Dragon, Najdorf, or Scheveningen players any problems after 2...d6. Black usually plays d6 against the Closed Sicilian anyway so the only other independent alternative I can think is 3. f4 without a later g3 and Bg2 but even that doesn't look so fearsome as in the 2. f4 lines (or 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4) White would rather have a knight of f3.

If you've read my thread about the Caro's Nd2, you might understand why I'm posting this...

An idea struck me this weekend while playing over a Keres game...if white intends an open Sicilian, why not play Ne2?  No doubt black will waste a few minutes off his clock due to this ugly move by white...and there is only one reply of independent value : 2. ... e5.  However, e4 c5 Ne2 e5 f4 d6 seems quite playable for white (and in any case black would be unprepared for it).  Also, if black assumes white intends a closed Sicilian, he might play Nc6 and thus it would remove Najdorf, Dragon, and Scheveningen players from their favorite open Sicilian.  Any thoughts on my idea to waste a few minutes off black's clock?

NeX iRae