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Thanks for the comment gillbod. My main motivation in sharing this was simply to get input on the idea from others, and as the course of the thread has shown it was worthwhile for me to do so. But I'm also vain enough to like being thanked - so that was a secondary motivation! As an aside to anyone else in a similar position I hope that this can be a lesson: the chess world is a richer place when people share their discoveries, and in the process you will get a real chance to improve on your own analysis. If you'd rather keep it secret for the sake of your next game then I certainly won't judge you - but I and many others will be very grateful if you choose to take the other path.
In response to Syzygy's points.
1) I'm in pretty much full agreement here, although I would note that for move order considerations a combination of the 8... a6 Meran and the Noteboom is not a complete standalone repertoire on account of the move order 3. Nf3 c6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bd3 Bd6 6. Nc3 which will force a transposition to the 8... Bd6 Meran.
2) I've heard this claim made quite frequently, but at the very least I would say it depends on the Anti-Meran being referred to. The Zukertort style lines with 7. b3 do involve some complex move order issues while both sides are still developing but even they can get pretty sharp or concrete once the central confrontation begins. Against the mainlines with 7. Be2/Bd3 I am recommending an early ...dxc4, partly because I feel that this is pedagogically best for developing understanding of the Meran/Anti-Meran complex (we see how the insertion ...Bd6 and Qc2 alters the position), and partly because this is the most tried and tested way for black to play. I'm not sure I would agree that play is non-forcing here, as they typically lead to an early central confrontation and when this happens both sides will have to play precisely in order avoid being worse. There are some subtle positional nuances involved in how white initiates this central confrontation but the actual number of lines they involve is quite manageable - I think black can get in good, concrete preparation here. Finally there is 7. g4, which although pretty much a theoretical dead end for white these days remains very popular at club level, and is as sharp and forcing as anything in Semi-Slav.
3. Yes, black is certainly walking a tightrope in the Botvinnik. My reason for recommending it is that white is too! I've been playing the repertoire I recommend whenever I get the chance in internet blitz for a while and in my experience less than half of my opponents (Lichess ~2200) even get to the main tabiya on move 16, and a very healthy percentage of them are either worse or downright lost while I'm still in preparation. Only one has ever played what I would consider a theoretically critical line but even they found themselves in a lost position after their very first non-theoretical move. I'm not entirely sure what drawn rook endgame you're referring to but if it's the one recommended by Schandorff and played in Ding-Yu 2016 the you can rest assured that I am recommending 16. Na4 Qa6 (instead of that game's 16... Qb5) when the mainline with 17. a3 Bxd5 18. Bxd5 Ne5 19. axb4 Rxd5 20. Qe2 cxb4 21. Nc3 Qd6 22. Nxd5 Qxd5 leads to a very interesting and double edged position where black is an exchange down but has active pieces and a highly mobile pawn majority on the queenside and recent ICCF games suggest black is in excellent theoretical shape. Of course I won't deny that the lines are very deep and that if black is out prepared then the results can be catastrophic and so my approach to designing the course is aimed at easing black's preparation. The basic concept is to cover each line in five different levels of detail. The first level is just a brief (~4000 words) outline of the strategic concept of the repertoire and chosen lines, and over the next three levels the theoretical coverage increases alongside the base of knowledge assumed by the explanatory comments; the intention is that students will start on the first or second level and then study the higher levels only once they have sufficiently absorbed the contents of the lowers levels (the presence of a move trainer is very helpful in that regard). The fifth level is intended only really for analytical purposes (e.g. to aid correspondence players) as well as to assist in targeted preparation for a predictable opponent. I would also stress that it is important not to confuse memory burden with the depth of the lines: because play is so forcing the moves typically have readily comprehensible concrete purposes to them, and the positions diverge from each other quickly enough that it is typically quite easy to avoid confusing your lines.
4. I am also not fond of those lines, so I am recommending 3. Nf6 Nf6. I have a short chapter (~12,000 words) discussing the various move orders black can employ to reach the Semi-Slav, which serves largely to justify my chosen recommendation. Against the Catalan I am currently intending to recommend 4... dxc4 5. Bg2 c6!?, as played in Yu-Caruana 2019, which I think leads to exciting play where black is in decent theoretical shape, and also fits well with a Semi-Slav repertoire. As this is the most experimental line I am recommending I also intend to cover 5... a6 as an alternative, where I am quite excited by the trendy line 6. 0-0 Nc6 7. e3 Rb8.
If you're interested in getting at seeing what I've written so far then please feel free to contact me on Lichess (@jgh1996), which I am using to write the bulk of the course. I would be more than willing to share with someone such as yourself who has already provided such useful feedback.
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Marshall Gambit Mainline - Novelty on Move Ten (Read 22309 times)
