How come I haven't seen this before. Very interesting !
(You should get in touch with Jeroen Bosch for an SOS)

I did a research in the ...Ne4 variation of the Slav exchange ( a winning attempt tha anyone seems to want!) with informant notes, database search etc and here is what i found:


1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Nf3

(I thought of the same strategy on the other move order: 5. Bf4 Ne4!? but this is very very rare! What is the problem? I cannot really find out!

6. Nxe4?!
(6. e3 Nxc3 7. bxc3 g6 or 7... Nc6 with ...g6 next) 
6... dxe4 7. a3 
(7. e3 e5 8. Bb5+ Ke7 9. Bg5+ f6)
7... Nc6 8. d5 e5 9. dxc6 Qxd1+ 10. Rxd1 exf4 11. cxb7 Bxb7 12.
Nh3 Be7 13. Nxf4 Bf6 and Black seems better) 

5... Nc6 6. Bf4 Ne4 7. e3 

(7. Nd2 Nxc3 8. bxc3 g6 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Bg7 11. Qd2{idea: Bh6, h4} 
(11. Bb5 O-O 12. O-O Qa5 =) 
11...Qd5  with 0-0, e5 and Black is better)
(7. Qb3 e6!
(now the Grunf set up is not good:7... Nxc3 $6 8. bxc3 (8. Qxc3 e5)
8... g6 9. e4!) 
8. e3 g5
(also good is 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bd6 10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. Bb5 O-O 12.O-O b6 13. Rfc1 Na5 14. Qb4 Qd8) 
9. Bg3 
(9. Be5 f6 10. Bg3 h5) 
9... h5 10. h3 Nxg3 11. fxg3 Qc7 12. Kf2 Bd6 13. Nxg5 Rg8)
(7. Rc1 Nxc3 8. Rxc3? e5) 

7...Nxc3 8. bxc3 g6 9. Bb5

(9. Ne5 Bg7 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Qa4 O-O $1 12.Qxc6 e5 13. Bxe5
(13. Qxa8 exf4 14. Qxa7 fxe3 15. fxe3 Qh4+ )
(13. dxe5 Qa5 14. Bd3 Be6 15. Rc1 Rfc8 16. Qa6 Rxc3 17. Qxa5 Rxc1+ 18. Ke2 Rxh119. Bc2 Bf8 20. h3 Rc1 21. Bb3 Rc5 22. Qd2 a5) 

13... Bxe5 14. dxe5 Qa5 15. Bd3 Be6 16. O-O Rfc8 17. Qa6
(17. Qd6 Qxc3 18. Rad1 Rc6 19. Qe7 Qxe5= ) 
17...Qxc3 18. Rab1 Qxe5 19. Rb7 d4) 

(9. Be2 Bg7 10. O-O O-O $11 11. c4 dxc4 12.
Bxc4 Bf5
(12... Bg4 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 e5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Bxe5 17. Rad1 Qe7) 
13. Rc1 Rc8 14. Qe2 Na5 15. Bd3 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Qd7 17. Qa3 14 b6 18. Qb4 Rxc1 19. Rxc1 Rc8 20. Rxc8+ Qxc8 21. h3 Kf8 (21... e6 22. e4 Qd7))
(9. Bd3 Bg7 10. O-O O-O 11. e4 Bg4 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 e5 14. dxe5
(14.exd5 Nxd4 15. cxd4 exf4 ) 
14... Nxe5 
(14... d4 15. cxd4 Qxd4 16.Rab1 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Bxe5 18. Rxb7 Rab8 19. Rfb1 Rxb7 20. Rxb7 Qa1+ 21. Bb1 Bd4 22. Kh2 Bb6) 

15. Bxe5 Bxe5 16. exd5 Bxc3) 
(9. c4 Bg7 10. cxd5 Qxd5 11. Be2 O-O
12. O-O Bf5 13. Qa4 (13. Nh4 Be6) 13... Qa5 14. Qb3 Qb4)

(9. Qb3 Bg7 10. c4 e5 11. dxe5 Qa5+)

(9. Be5 {Nikolaidis} Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Bh6 a new idea 11. Qa4+ Kf8 {with
f6+Kg7})
(9. Rb1 Bg7 10. c4 O-O ) 
(This is a new aproach 9. h4 Bg7 10. h5 O-O 11. Rb1 b6 12. hxg6 hxg6 13. Bd3 Bg4 and i don't see a problem for Black) 
9... Bg7 10. Ne5 Bxe5 11. Bxe5 O-O=


I really cannot understand why this variation is out of fashion now. I don't see an objective reason. Maybe i'm missing something, that's why this foroum exists! Anyone who can help and comments the above repertoire?

The pgn file is here also