Well what a stroke of luck, we didn't have too long to wait for the acid test to appear. Regrettably the game only serves to reinforce my view that Black is struggling in this line.

Zeller,F (2383) - Mikhalevski,V (2557) [C70]
GRENKE Chess Open 2018 Karlsruhe GER (3.19), 30.03.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 g6 5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4 Bg7 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.0-0 Ne7 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Bb3 d6 11.Be3 Kh8 12.Qd2 Ng8 13.Rad1 f5 14.Bd4 Bxd4 15.Qxd4+ Qf6 16.Rfe1 Qxd4 17.Rxd4 Nf6 18.e5 Re8 19.f4 Bb7 20.Rb4 Ra7 21.Ba4 Re6 22.Re2 Nh5 23.exd6 Rxe2 24.Nxe2 cxd6 25.Rb6 c5 26.Rxd6 Be4 27.c4 Re7 28.Bd1 Bc2 29.Kf2 Bxd1 30.Rxd1 Re4 31.Rd8+ Kg7 32.Rd7+ Kh6 33.g3 Nf6 34.Ra7 Ng4+ 35.Ke1 Nxh2 36.Rxa6 Rxc4 37.Kd1 Ng4 38.Ra3 Nf2+ 39.Ke1 Ne4 40.Kd1 Rb4 41.Kc2 Rb7 42.Re3 Kh5 43.a4 Ra7 44.Ra3 Ra5 45.Kd3 Nd6 46.Kc3 Kg4 47.b4 Ne4+ 48.Kc4 Nd2+ 49.Kc3 Nb1+ 50.Kb3 Nd2+ 51.Kc3 Ne4+ 52.Kc4 Nd6+ 53.Kb3 cxb4 54.Kxb4 Rd5 55.a5 Rd2 56.Nc3 Rb2+ 57.Kc5 Nb7+ 58.Kd4 Nxa5 59.Rxa5 Kxg3 60.Nd5 Rb7 61.Ra3+ Kg4 62.Ke5 1-0

Incidentally my engine indicates that 62...Rb5 in the final position seems to offer good drawing chances, but of course this has nothing to do with the opening. I hope Mikhalevski analyses the above game in detail for his next update.



Postscript: I just noticed a new thread http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/chess/YaBB.pl?num=1525191685 which more or less examines the same line under consideration here, and could possibly represent some move order improvements for black. 

I guess when it rains it pours.

3...g6 allows 4 d4 exd4 5 Bg5
3...a6 allows 4 Bxc6
3...Nge7 allows 4 Nc3

That's my very simplified understanding of the pros and cons between move orders.

The following omission has been bugging me for quite some time now,  and rather than keep hoping that it will be addressed in some future update, I'm just gunna  put it out there. GM Mikhalevski has annotated the following line in six of his games as black for Chesspublishing.com, but curiously has never once analysed the critical continuation which just looks comfortably better for White after:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 g6 5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4 Bg7 7.Nxc6!?

The small but important nuance between the above line and the Smyslov without 3... a6 is that 6. Nxc6  no longer  loses a vital tempo for White as  the recapture 6...bc6 does not threaten to capture the Bishop.

GM Mikhalevski  if you ever read this forum, please provide and update sharing your thoughts and analysis on this critical line.

Thanks and regards,

Toppy