For the beginning moves, see the previous post:
After
11.Nge2, at least in my database, Black has never played the immediate 11..g6. I'm guessing it might be due to 12.b4, when the b-pawn is immune due to 12..Qxb4 13.Bxg6. Not sure, but its a difference with lines w/o ..h6. In any event, Black plays
11..Nb6 When White can castle on either side.
Kingside castling doesn't seem as testing. Play is different than in the lines w/o ..h6 (since Black doesn't play ..g6), but the move ..h6 doesn't seem out of place in these lines. For example
12.0-0 0-0. White can pursue a minority attack or central expansion. Leko tried
13.Rab1 against Adams, but after
13..a5 TN 14.Qb3 Qd8 15.Na4 Nxa4 16.Qxa4 the queenside attack was too slow to cause Black any great difficulties. Better seems to be Navara's
13.Rae1, with the idea Nc1-b3, f3, e4. After some mistakes by Navara, Adams won a nice game, but the result really doesn't say anything about the opening variation.
On to queenside castling. . In the variation w/o ..h6, Black meets 10.Nge2 with 10..g6 11.0-0-0 Nb6, when White either plays Ng3 or h3/g4 to prevent Black's ..g6/..Ng7/..Bf5 idea and then attacks on the queenside. With ..h6, as noted above, the immediate ..g6 isn't played. There seems to be no point in White playing Ng3, which can be met by ..Nxg3 when having the pawn on ..h6 is useful for Black, or in White playing h3/g4, which just gives Black a target for counterplay with ..h5.
IMHO, White should instead aim for central expansion:
11.Nge2 Nb6 12.0-0-0 (if 12..Bg4 works, then 12.h3 first, may be more accurate)
12..Bd7 13.Kb1 0-0-0 14.Nc1 g6 15.Rhe1 Kb8 16.Nb3 Ng7 17.f3! or
11.Nge2 Nb6 12.h3 Bd7 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.Kb1 Kb8 15.Nc1 g6 16.Rhe1 Ng7 17.f3 as in the games Sorin-Hoffman, Buenos Aires 1999 and Lazarev- Gomez Esteban, Elgoibar 1999. Both these games are now dated and Marin, for one, has suggested some improvements for Black in both games, but White's play seems relatively straight-forward and, even if Black can equalize, I think I'd rather play White in these lines than Black.
Thoughts, anyone?