Thank you.  I remember getting the e-mail notice for 24.Be3 and thinking "that can't be right."  I was already fairly confident that I was in good shape, but rather expected something like 24.Qg3 Nxf4 25.Qxf4 Rfd8...

I recently won a game in this line as a member of the Chesspub Champions League team.  It seems as though I got plenty of help from my opponent, and I don't think this alters much of the theoretical discussion above, but I thought it might be worth posting here:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 d5 11.d4 Nxe4 12.dxe5 Bc5 13.Re2 Nc4 14.b3 Nb6 15.b4 Be7 16.Nd4 Bd7 17.Bf4 c5 18.bxc5 Bxc5 19.Bxe4 dxe4 20.Rxe4 Rc8 21.Qf3 Nd5 22.Re1 Be6 23.Rd1 Qb6 24.Be3 Nxe3 25.Qxe3 b4 26.Kh1 Rfd8 27.Qf3 Rxd4 28.cxd4 Bxd4 29.Nd2 Bxa1 30.Rxa1 Qd4 31.Rd1 Rd8 32.Qb7 Bxa2 33.Qc7 h6 34.Qa5 Bc4 35.Rc1 Qxd2 36.Rxc4 b3  0-1

Today (4.12.) Magnus tried it again!

Adams-Carlsen, WorldCup 2007

10...d5 11.ed5 e4 12.Be4 Ne4 13.Re4 Bb7 14.d4 Re8 15.Bf4 Nc4 16. Re2 Bd5 17.Ne5 Bg5 18.Bg3 Ne5 19. Re5 Re5 20. Be5 Qd7

Another Champions League game, with me as Black:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 d5 11.d4 Nxe4 12.dxe5 Bc5 13.Re2

I notice brabo prefers 12.Nxe5 and 13.Nd4 as deviations from the stem above.  My feeling, however, is that 11.exd5 e4 12.Bxe4 Nxe4 13.Rxe4 Bb7 14.d3 Bxd5 15.Re1 Bd6 16.Nbd2 f5 still poses Black the most significant problems...

http://www.kenilworthchessclub.org/games/java/2007/NJKO07-10.htm

may be of special interest.

Ametanoitos wrote on 10/10/07 at 09:46:32:


I analysed the idea 10.., d5 deeply last month and I give you hereby a short summary of my analysis.
11. d4 is indeed the most critical.
A) 11..., Ne4: 12. Ne5: (I prefer this above 12. de5: because after 12.., Bc5 13. Nd4, f6 14. e6, Re8 15. f3, Ng5 16. b4, Bd4+: 17. Qd4: whites advantage isn't clear), f6 13. Nd3, Bd6 14. Nd2, Re8 15. Ne4:, de4: 16. Nc5, f5 17. a4, Bc5: 18. dc5:, Qd1: 19. Bd1:, Be6 20. f3, Bd5 21. fe4: +/=
B) 11..., ed4: 12. e5, Ne4 13. cd4:, f5 (Here you see clearly the difference with the normal Marshall line. The keymove in this type of position is Bg4 but this is here impossible.) 14. ef6:, Bf6: 15. Nc3, Bf5 16. Ne4:, de4: 17. Be4: +/=

Anyhow accepting the pawnsacrifice with 11. ed5: is also quite testing.
11..., e4 12. Be4: (Nothing for white is 12. Ng5), Ne4: 13. Re4:, Bb7 14. d3 (I slightly prefer this move above 14. d4), Bd5: 15. Re1, Qd6 (I assume you mean this move i.s.o. 15..., Qf6 which isn't possible) 16. Nbd2, f5 17. Nf1, f4 18. N1d2, Nc6 19. Ne4, Qg6 20. Bd2 and black has still compensation but you have to admit that whites knight on e4 looks really nice.

I've tested the line with black already several times with a lot of success but I don't believe this to be a big new line of the Spanish.

HgMan wrote on 10/28/07 at 22:17:42:


It's at his website (the specific page is http://chess22.fr/mambots/editors/analyses_english/games/nouveautes_bis_5.html ); he doesn't go beyond 12. de, though.

10...d5 11.exd5 e4 12.d6 Bxd6 13.Ng5 is something for white i think. Also after 12.Bxe4 Nxe4 13.Rxe4 Bb7 13.d3 Bxd5 14.Re1 Qf6! with Qg6 and f5 i think that black has all the winning chances! The idea od 11.d4 is to enter a well known anti-Marshall with the insertion of Na5 and Bc2 which favors white.Not to mention the "free" h3 move which is usefull anyway. The d4 anti-Marshall has been used by Shirov with success. Imagine this improved version!
  Combining all these with the fact that the Marshall had a bad time in Mexico the white side of the Spanish is going great lately!