I have put together what I believe is the next step beyond simple Centaur Chess – a computer chess analysis wiki. Just like Wikipedia, users can create their own ‘article’ for a given chess position and post computer analysis of this position. For example, one page may be “1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4” with computer analysis posted for this position in the King’s Gambit. Another user can create another page, 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d6”, post analysis of the Fischer’s defense to the King’s gambit, and hyperlink it to the “1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4” article.

In this way a number of users can elaborate opening theory by building upon others’ earlier analysis. In fact, a giant web of interconnected articles (approximately 1,850 articles as of 16 April 2010) has already been put together. A person can click from 1.e4 all the way through to move 25 or more of the Ruy Lopez – Marshall Gambit, for example.

Whereas Centaur Chess generally combines the creative spark of only on human and one software/hardware configuration, this wiki allows for an unlimited number of humans and hardware/software configurations to exhaustively analyze any given position. Over time this dialectic process promises to produce the highest quality analysis.

As you said above, the grandmasters are already privately engaged in the use of computer analysis to build their own repertoire. Opening theory, therefore, has already been impacted by computers because of it. Now, however, we have reached a point in history where the average chess enthusiast can contribute to opening theory. All he/she needs is a working knowledge of chess theory, the human spark of creativity, and a hardware/software combination at his/her disposal.