Possibly others would like to research a move tried by Kudrin last year.  After 11.Kb1 Qc7 12.h4, he tried 12...h5!? (I don't know if this is new or resurrected.)  The game continued 13.Be2 Rfc8 14.g4 Qa5 15.g5 Ne8 (15...Rxc3!? 16.Qxc3 Qxa2+ 17.Kc1 Rc8 18.Qa3 [18.Qe3? Bb3;18.Qb4 a5!?] 18...Qxa3 19.bxa3 Nd7 20.Bxg7 Kxg7 doesn't look so bad either) 16.a3 Rab8 17.Nd5 Qxd2 18.Rxd2 Bxd5 19.exd5 Bxd4 20.Rxd4, now Kudrin played 20...Rc7 and eventually drew a very tough endgame (by the way this game is available on "chessgames.com").  I think Black can do better with the more active 20...Rc5!? attacking the d-pawn and supporting ...b5.

I think my previous post gives a reply to 21.Bxe7 in this line, namely 21...Bxc3!

(Sorry if I am just misreading things)

After 16.Bd3 Bc4 17.Be3 Bxd3 18.cxd3 b5 19.Bh6 Bh8 20.Bf8 Nh5 21.Bxe7!? Bxc3! 22. bxc3

And now 22....b4! pretty much forces the draw.  I think 22....Rxc3 is also playable - you can judge for yourself whether you'd like to play the endgame that I think the main line leads to.

22....b4!

I: 23. axb4 Rxc3 24. Qxc3 Rxb4+ 25. Kc1 Rb1+ 26. Kxb1 Qxc3 and black can force the draw

II: 23. cxb4 Qxa3 24. Bxd6 Rb6 and black looks better

Alternatively,

22.....Rxc3 23. Qb2 b4 24. Bxd6 Qa4 25. Bxb8 Rb3 26. Be5 Rxb2+ 27. Bxb2 bxa3 28. Ba1 Qb3+ 29. Kc1 Kf8 and an interesting material inbalance and unclear endgame result.  It looks like 23. Bxd6 b4 24. Qb2 transposes to this line, and 23. Bxd6 b4 24. Bxb8 Rb3+ 25. Kc2 Qxa3 and black will take the perpetual check.

Let me know if there are any other concerns in this line 

I posted some of the Bxd3 analysis above and still believe in those lines.

In the line:
17. Be3 Bxd3 18. cxd3 b5 19. Bh6 Bh8 20. Nd5 Qd8 21. Bg5 Nxd5 22. Rxh8+ Kxh8 23. Rh1+ 

And now instead, 23....Kg7 24. exd5 Qc7!=

White can get perpetual check in many ways, but I don't see a way for him to break through.

Black can respond to Bxe7 with Rh8, for example.

Incidentally, I was more worried above by 18. Qxd3 b5 19. Na2 but now I think Qa4 secures black an equal game; Black just needs to prevent Nd5 combinations.  For example

20. Nb4 a5 21. Nb6 Rb7 22. e5 Ne8 23. b3 Qc4 24. exd6 Nxd6

or

20. Qd2 b4 21. axb4 and a5 or Nd7 seem like good ways to continue for black.

Of course much more critical is Markovic's solution which looks quite promising.

Hey, great thread!

I have just browsed through the lines, so I thought I would insert a few diagrams for newcomers to the lines such as myself

9.0-0-0 Nd4 - 12.h4 & 13.h5 line [B76]
[Semprun,Fernando]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Kb1 Qc7 12.h4 Rfc8 13.h5 Qa5   

I guess this is one of the starting positions...



14.hxg6 

[ 14.h6 Bh8 ( 14...Rxc3 15.Qxc3 Qxa2+ 16.Kc1 Bh8  17.Qa3 Qxa3 18.bxa3 Nd7) 

15.a3 

( 15.Nd5 Qxd2 16.Rxd2 Nxd5 17.exd5 Bd7 18.Bxh8 Kxh8 19.g4 Rc5) 15...Nd7] 


14...hxg6 15.a3 Rab8 16.Bd3 Bc4 17.Bxc4 Rxc4 18.Qc1 [ 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Nd5] 

18...e6 19.g4 Rbc8 20.g5 Nh5 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.Rxd6 Rxc3 

The proposed sacrifice here ...




23.bxc3 Ng3 24.Rhd1

But this line mentioned in passing, looks somewhat stronger (to Fritz8, of course)

[ 24.Re1 Ne2 25.Qb2 Nxc3+ 26.Ka1 Qxg5 27.Rd3   





] 24...Ne2 25.Qb2 Nxc3+ 26.Ka1 Qxg5 . Is the other rook better positioned at d1? Probably yes.

Although black continues with 27...Qf6 as has the (apparently Dragon trademark) exchange for a pawn endgame...

To Wonderer: I hope this size is OK for you (and others)

AmateurDragoneer, that's a good idea. Have you started the new thread yet? I have not found it anywhere. I would start a new thread myself now, but I will wait a little first to avoid ending up with two new threads about 9...Bd7 

Is there a definitive problem with 9.0-0-0 Bd7? I have not checked that line for quite some time now, but thought it to be ok.
As the last posting by Glenn Snow indicates that 9...d5 could possibly be the only correct reply to 9.0-0-0, I wonder if there were some recent advances in the 9...Bd7 line which I missed? Is there a critical line which is worrying black?

Regards
Patrick