Sugartort wrote on 04/28/06 at 20:08:41:
It's not necessary to refute every legal White 8th move : they don't represent different plans. g4, Be3 can be played on move 9, 10, 11... The white knight Sevenviolets says "White has many possibilities", but it seems that it is Black who chooses what he wants, be it :
1) an unbalanced ending Queen vs Minors for Anderssons, after 8...e6 & 10...Nb4 ;
2) sacrificing the exchange for initiative, for Kasparovs, after 8. g4 Qd4:
3) a solid middlegame with queenside castlings, in true Rubinstein spirit, after 8...h6
Actually White avoids 2) by protecting d4 on move 8, but you get my point. Moreover Black's play is everywhere easier than White's (already pointed out): he just develops, while *White* has to "rack his brains" to find resources like g6 !?, Qh5 !?!, Nb5 ?!!? etc. to stay alive.
This is a bit ridiculous statement. Let´s see. In var. 1 white has other possibilities. I didn´t spend to much time on this line as I think it is not theoretically important one.
In var. 2 you are again talking only about line with Nb5 (I guess) which gives perfect practical compensation. After 8.g4 Qxd4?! white has simply enough OTB compensation. Qxd4 is a move which is worth attention only when playing corresp. chess (but I suppose you have been not talking or discussing positions from this viewpoint). From practical point of view, this move is bad, unlike you have really analysed one of the many continuation in more depth (but this did no one from a group of so-called BDG critics or opponents yet. They can offer only very flat opposition, often based on overgeneralisation).
Var. 3. Geez! 8..h6? is a bad move. Of course I won´t be playing something like 9.Be3?! because I don´t need to cover d4 pawn, when taken compare it with 8.g4 Qxd4 where black plays one a bit useless move more. After 8.g4 h6 white has to play 8.Bd3 or 8.Bf4. And this positions are far from your clear-cut assesement. Only fool can evaluate this position as solid etc. It shows only that the person didn´t look at the position at all or very little.
Position is very unclear and hell, cannot be evaluated as "a solid middlegame with queenside castlings, in true Rubinstein spirit, after 8...h6". This is completele ridiculous. This can be accepted only when white player falls asleep during the game, then yes, position is very solid and safe.