nezhmet: This game offered a strange deja vu experience. In 1978, both IM Eugene Meyer and I were interested in the black side of the Paulsen. We noticed that often Black plays Be7, only to later route it to g7 with the (time-wasting?) moves g6, Re8, Bf8, Bg7. The key question became, can black get away with the immediate g6 and Bg7? We tested this in a series of training games.
I got the chance to use an anti-g6 idea in an OTB game shortly thereafter: I played White in Chicago 1979 vs the estimable Grandmaster Roman Dzindzihashvili.
I omitted the move Qe2 to save time in the specific attacking idea.
Here is how the initial moves went:
1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 e6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 a6
5. Bd3 a6
6. O-O d6
7. c4 g6?! (I feel this may be too ambitious; note I don't need Qe2 now).
8. Nc3 Bg7
9. Bg5!
This is the key idea to challenge g6.
Black has weakened the dark squares around his King, and white wastes no time going for them. I had found this in the Meyer training match, only I botched the attack and after a crazy king scrame, Eugene came out on top. In this game, I was more fortunate.
9.... Nbd7
10. Kh1 b6
11. f4 Qc7
12. f5! White has a huge initiative.
Black could not hold after the subsequent moves
12.... gxf?! (makes it somewhat worse)
13. exf e5
14. Ne6! fxe6
15. fxe6 O-O (necessary evacuation)
16. e7!! (the key winning move)
and since the Rook on f8 cannot move (verify this!) black had to suffer more with
16...Bb7
17. exf8=Q+ Rxf8
and white converted the material edge.
I will try to find the complete game score of this game and the relevant Meyer training game to post to chessgames.com.
Summary: by omitting Qe2, white has the opportunity for an extremely dangerous attack versus the early g6 formation involving Bg5 and a quick f4 and f5. It needs further tests. I have also seem GM Kamsky playing an early g6, and so far nobody has adopted the method shown in this early 1979 game.
