MNb wrote on 03/14/14 at 02:46:12:
TopNotch wrote on 03/14/14 at 00:19:27:
I would not transpose to the main paths with 7.Be2, as it is much more difficult to prove any advantage there.
Do you have a (or more than one) particular variation in mind? Results after 7.Be2 e6 8.Nc3
a) 8...Bb4 9.O-O
b) 8...Qa5 9.h3 Bh5 10.d5
c) 8...Qd6 9.h3 Bh5 10.d5
d) 8...Qd7 9.Be3
e) 8...Qd8 9.h3
f) 8...Qh5
are pretty encouraging for White.
More problematic for White is the move-order: 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 Bg4 7. Be2 and now 7…Nf6 instead of the more commonly played (7…e6), the idea is to reach the following position. 8. Nc3 Qa5 9. 0-0 (9. d5 is possible, but I think Black is just fine after 9…Rd8) e6 10. h3 Bh5 11. Be3 Bd6! An important finesse and much more challenging than the usual (11…Be7, which is quite promising for White after 12. Qb3 Qb4 13. g4 Bg6 14. Ne5! 0-0 15. g5 Qxb3 16. axb3 Nd5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Rfc1 intending Rfc8? 19. Bg4 with a clear advantage.) A similiar approach is not as effective against the text because Black has more control over the e5 square and in some cases, say an ending, the e7 square is a useful place to park the King. For e.g. 12. Qb3 Qb4 13. g4 Bg6 14. Qxb4 Nxb4 15. Nb5 Ke7 16Nxd6 Kxd6 17. Ne5 Nfd5 with a fully satisfactory position for Black.
I don’t think the positions after 11…Bd6 offer White very much, so he should seek improvements earlier. However I have not found anything totally convincing for White as yet, although a few interesting alternatives do exists, but require more practical tests before a definitive verdict can be reached.
I had a Déjà vu moment, and seem to recall that I either started or participated in a thread some years back, that discussed these very lines in quite some detail.
In any case, I think the Original Poster now has enough material to make an informed decision.
Regards,
Topper