This move has been played a few other times since Hillarp Persson's first use of it:

[Event "Open A"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2009.02.06"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Zubov, A UKR."]
[Black "Lastin, A."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2574"]
[BlackElo "2643"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3 b5 9. c5 Nbd7 10. a4 a6 11. Qa3 Rb8 12. axb5 axb5 13. Qa5 Bc2 14. Qxd8+ Kxd8 15. g3 g5 16. Ng2 b4 17. Ne2 g4 18. fxg4 Nxg4 19. Nef4 e5 20. Bd3 b3 21. Bxc2 bxc2 22. Ne2 Bh6 23. Ra3 exd4 24. Nxd4 Nge5 25. Rc3 Bf8 26. O-O Bxc5 27. Rxc2 Kc7 28. Bd2 1/2-1/2

[Event "TCh-NED 2008-9"]
[Site "Netherlands NED"]
[Date "2009.02.07"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Delemarre, J."]
[Black "Vogel, Ja"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2467"]
[BlackElo "2253"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3 b5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. g3 Bd6 11. Bd2 a5 12. a4 b4 13. Nd1 Nbd7 14. Nf2 Qb6 15. Bh3 O-O 16. g4 Rad8 17. g5 Nh5 18. f4 Nxf4 19. exf4 Rfe8+ 20. Kf1 Qxd4 21. Nf3 Qb6 22. Bxd7 1/2-1/2

[Event "47th XtraCon TCh-DEN 2008-9"]
[Site "Denmark DEN"]
[Date "2009.03.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Lund, E."]
[Black "Hector, J."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2425"]
[BlackElo "2551"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3 b5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. a4 b4 11. Ne2 Bd6 12. Nxg6 hxg6 13. Bd2 Nbd7 14. Qd1 Nh5 15. Kf2 c5 16. g3 cxd4 17. exd4 f5 18. Bg2 O-O 19. Rc1 f4 20. g4 Nhf6 21. Qb3 Nb6 22. g5 Nh5 23. Rc6 Nc4 24. Rc1 Kh7 25. R1xc4 dxc4 26. Qxc4 Rc8 27. Bh3 Rxc6 28. Qxc6 Qe7 29. Qd7 Rd8 30. Qxe7 Bxe7 31. Be6 a5 32. d5 Bxg5 33. Nd4 Nf6 34. Nc6 Rd6 35. Nxa5 Nxd5 36. Bf7 Rd7 37. Be6 Bh4+ 38. Kf1 Ne3+ 39. Bxe3 Rd1+ 40. Ke2 Re1+ 41. Kd2 fxe3+ 0-1

So far, nobody has played the critical 9.cxb5.

It is a standard type of sacrifice in some lines of the Semi-Slav, after which Black usually gets good compensation from his increased central control.  The most common version of it runs: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.Bd2 0-0 8.0-0-0 b5!?



One important distinction with this version is that White has castled queenside.  On the other hand, in the main line from this position, White fights back in the center immediately: 9.cxb5 c5 10.e4 Bb7 11.exd5.



This approach isn't available to White in Tiger's version, because d4 would be hanging.

Antillian wrote on 01/28/09 at 18:22:38:


White is weak on the kingside dark squares, that's the whole thing.  And it gets worse if he takes on g6.  So I think that there's a lot of point to Black's idea.  Whether or not it ultimately works, I'm not sure.

Tiger Hillarp Persson came up with an interesting novelty (at least there are no games on chesslive.de with this move) in the Slow Slav in this years Coruschess tournament:

After:

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Be4 7.f3 Bg6 8.Qb3

he played the astonishing 8...b5!?



The complete game:

Anish Giri (2469) - Tiger Hillarp Persson (2586) 0-1
Corus (Group C) (5)
Wijk aan Zee NED
22.01.2009
D12 - Slav Queen's Gambit

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Be4 7.f3 Bg6 8.Qb3 b5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Bd2 a5 12.O-O-O Be7 13.g4 Na6 14.Qc2 a4 15.h4 Nb4 16.Qb1 a3 17.b3 Qd6 18.Be2 Rc8 19.h5 gxh5 20.gxh5 Qe6 21.f4 c5 22.h6 Rxh6 23.Rxh6 gxh6 24.Bxb5+ Kd8 25.Bd3 cxd4 26.exd4 Qh3 27.Bc4 dxc4 28.bxc4 Rxc4 29.Qb3 Rc8 30.Be1 Nfd5 31.Qa4 Rxc3+ 

Critical should be 9.cb5 which is probably answered with 9...c5!? - Any thougths?