1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c4 dxe4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.f3 c5 6.d5 exd5 7.cxd5 exf3 8.Nxf3 Bd6
This is the famous Keres Variation where White has tried practically all bishop moves: Bb5+ (see Schiller's analysis), Bc4, Bd3, Be2, and Bg5.
9.Qe2+!?
B
Just after the game, Laurent Linnemer from France also found this move in his analysis and asked me about it. It looks as a good opportunity for Black to exchange the queens, but White achieves a good position after 9...Qe7 10.Nb5.
For some reason, out of hundreds of games, Brause has played 9.Qe2+ only once. 9.Qe2+ is apparently against the main principles of the DDG: exchanging the queens is usually a bad idea.
9...Qe7
9...Be7 is not tempting:
10.Nb5
This nasty move makes Black's life difficult.
10...Kd7
11.Nxd6 Qxe2+ 12.Bxe2 Kxd6 13.Bf4+ Ke7
13...Kxd5!? looks extremely dangerous. 14.Ng5 Nc6 15.b3 (15.Bf3+ Kc4 16.Be2+ Kd5 17.Bf3+ =) Re8 16.O-O-O+ Nd4 18.Bf3+ Ne4 is unclear. But 14.Ng5 may not be the best move...
14.O-O-O
Linnemer suggested 14.d6+.
14...Re8 15.Rhe1 Kf8 16.Bd6+ Kg8 17.Bxc5 Bf5 18.Bb4 Nbd7 19.Nh4 Be4 20.Bb5 Rec8+ 21.Bc3 Nc5 22.d6
22.Bxf6?? Nb3# was Black's last desperate hope for a win.
22...a6 23.d7 Rd8 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.Bc4 f5 26.g4 Nxd7 27.gxf5 Nf6 28.Re3 b5 draw
Tanti was one of the main inventors in the DDGA e-mail tournament 1997-1998. In addition to this, he also found a very promising novelty in another key variation (see the "Spike variation"). I may be biased in praising him as he managed to get me into such difficult positions, but I still believe that his ideas are worth looking into.
Tanti commented after the game: "I am quite relieved to have kept the draw, though I am a little disappointed my novelty 9.Qe2+ did not fare better."