A possible continuation of the 12.dxe5!? variation is as follows:

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Be3 Bg7 8.Rc1 0–0 9.b3 d5 10.c5 Nc6 11.cxb6 e5 12.dxe5 12...d4 13.Nb5 Bxe5 14.Bd2!? axb6 15.Bc4!? [15.a4 d3 16.Nf3 Bg7 17.g3 Re8+ 18.Be3 Nb4 19.Bg2 Nc2+ 20.Rxc2 dxc2 21.Qxc2 Bf5 22.Qd2 Bd3 23.Bf1 Be4 24.Qxd8 Raxd8 25.Bg2 Bd3 26.h3 (26.h4 h5= 27.Rh2) 26...Bh6= B+N v R, White has problems developing the king rook and the white king is stuck in the centre. Black has doubled queenside pawns.; 15.Nf3 Rxa2 (15...Rxa2 16.Nf3 Bg4 17.h3 Bxf3 18.Qxf3 [18.gxf3 Qf6 19.0–0 Rd8 20.Kg2 Bf4 21.Bxf4 Qxf4 22.Qe1 Ra5 23.Qe2 Qg5+ 24.Kh1 Qf5 25.Rfd1 Qxh3+ 26.Kg1 Qf5 27.b4 Nxb4 28.Nxd4 Qg5+ 29.Kf1 Re5³] 18...Bb8!? 19.Bf4!? 19...Re8+ 20.Kf1 Bxf4 21.Qxf4 Ne5 22.Rd1 Nxc4 23.bxc4 d3 24.Nd6 Qc7 25.Kg1 Ra3 26.Qg3 Rd8 27.Ne4!? Qxc4 28.Qh4 Slight advantage white.


White has a knight against black’s three weak but passed queen side pawns.
White does have a positional advantage, but the position may be defendable for black. Hopefully improvements for black can be found.
My analysis was done with Fritz 12, and 14.Bd2!? was not easily detected.

Black key objectives are as follows.
Black should try to avoid queen exchanges for as long as possible since the black queen side pawns are very weak.
The passed front b-pawn should be advanced to cause queen promotion threats.
The white kingside pawns should be enticed to advance and thus cause weaknesses.
The black d-pawn perhaps should stay on d3 for as long as possible.
The black rooks should remain active.

Kam wrote on 03/20/19 at 12:06:43:


Thx for the idea; I'm curious, which engine do you use, which doesn't give 14.Bd2 as "refutation?

Slowfox, is this line the refution of your sacrifice? Do you have any antidote?

Discussion of the Continuation  12.dxe5 d4  13.Nb5

1.e4 Nf6  2.e5 Nd5  3.d4 d6  4.c4 Nb6  5.exd6 cxd6  6.Nc3 g6  7.Be3 Bg7  8.Rc1 O-O  9.b3  d5  10.c5 Nc6 11.cxb6 e5 12.dxe5 d4  13.Nb5

A more combatant continuation to  12.dxe5 d4  13.Nb5 dxe3 (gewgaw/Hammer  #15   19-3-2019)
would be 13….. Bxe5!? Black seems to have sufficient resources and possible continuations are

a) 14.Nf3 Bg4  15.Bg5 Bxf3 16.Bxd8 Bxd1  17.Bc7 axb6  18.Bxe5 Nxe5  19.Kxd1 Rxa2  20.f3 Rb2  21.Na3 Rxb3  22.Nc4 Nxc4  23.Bxc4 Rb2  24.Bd5 Ra8 =
b) 14.Nc7 Qe7  15.Bg5 Qxg5  16.Nf3 Qe7  17.Nxa8 Bf5  18.Qe2
d3  19.Qe3 Qb4+  20.Qd2 Qd6  21.Nxe5 Qxe5+  22.Qe3 Qa5+
23.Qd2 Re8+  24.Kd1 Qd5  25.Bxd3 Qxg2  26.Re1 Qf3+ 27.Be2 Rxe2  28.Rxe2 Qh1+ =
c) 14.Rxc6 bxc6  15.Nxd4 axb6  16.Ngf3 Bxd4  17.Nxd4 c5  18.Nb5 Qxd1+ 19.Kxd1 Rxa2 =

Voat = Voronezh oddities analysis tester

Maybe

Instead of going into analyses of this variation, I will comment on Kam’s question on how I found it. It was during preparations the day before I was to play WIM Inna Agrest in Politiken Cup 2014. I was looking at 10...e5 which the slightly unhappy computer would invariably follow up by Nc6, so why not switch? We played this line and my opponent won because she is a stronger player than me. My reason for publishing the line here is that I want to see if it survives deeper analyses.

Good stuff, ...

1.e4 Nf6  2.e5 Nd5  3.d4 d6  4.c4 Nb6  5.exd6 cxd6  6.Nc3 g6  7.Be3 Bg7  8.Rc1 O-O  9.b3  d5  10.c5 Nc6 11.cxb6 e5 12.Nge2 exd4  13.Nxd4 Bxd4  14.Bxd4 Qh4 

What's your reply against 15. Nxd5!?

This piece sac feels like alphazero's mind.

I looked at this line and a similar idea through an inferior move order (that I had to discard) a long time ago when engines like Junior were still usable. I'll see if I can dig up my notes. I'm glad someone appears to have made it work, or at least believes in it now!