... I win with my openings precisely because I know their tricky, unorthodox nuances better than the other players do.
Time and again, in OTB play and even some correspondence play, I never see 6 Nc3. There were only two times that I saw this move. One was in discussion last year on this site. The other was earlier this year in casual analyses with a chess-friend of mine at the West Orange Chess Club last month.
In both cases, a
chess computer was used to help!
Of course, to refute Lev's tricky ideas a machine is needed! Like a human brain is not enough...
Excuse my sarcasm, but that's my viewpoint.
For the record, I played 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 f5 4 Bc4 b5 more than three dozen times since 2003. I have played all kinds of players, in OTB play, blitz, correspondence. These ranged from weaklings to Grandmasters. Not a single one found 5 Bb3 fxe4
6 Nc3.
At the moment, I am testing out 4 Bc4 b5 5 Bb3 c6 at the Internet Chess Club. Some interesting games have been played.
knightrunner - Zilbermints
Internet Chess Club
5 0 unrated
15 June 2013
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 f5 4 Bc4 b5 5 Bb3 c6!? 6 dxe5 fxe4 7 Nc3 exf3 8 Qf3 Qd7 9 Nxb5 d5 10 Nd4 Bc5 11 e6 Qe7 12 Be3 Bxd4 13 Bd4 Nf6 =+ 0-1/24.
I would love to give an OTB game, but quite frankly, I don't have any with this sub-variation. The same goes for correspondence.
Finally, I beat IM Martica Fierro with the Philidor Counter Gambit in a simultaneous on 28 May 2013.
Time control was 30 minute 30 second increment, unrated.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 f5 4 dxe5 fxe4 5 Ng5 d5 6 e6 Bc5 7 Nxe4 Be7 8 Ng5 Bxg5 9 Qh5+ g6 10 Qxg5 Qxg5 11 Bxg5 Be6 12 Nc3 c6 13 000 h6 14 Bh4 g5
15 Bg3 Nf6 = 0-1/61.
I offered her a draw twice, but she refused. Oh well... I got to win the game!
Edited: Post edited to remove inflammatory remarks. ~SF June 15, 2013