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I've been mulling over Black's position in the 6 Be3 line we're discussing and would like to move our analysis forward by a few moves. In NIC 72 yearbook, Goloschapov gives 13 ... Qe8!? 14 Qh3 Qg6 15 Bd4 Nxd4 16 Nxd4 as being slightly better for White. While Black has beaten off the attack from the line in the game (Goloschapov-Volkov) and the other threats after 13 Qh5 listed above, I was at a bit of a loss in terms of what Black should do next.
Black's queen is well-positioned (though I fancy I could use her better on the queenside), but while the Black knight covers some nice squares, it seems fairly immobile, unprotected, and vulnerable to attack; the Black bishop is cramped and vastly inferior to its White counterpart; and Black still has to solve the riddle of his/her trapped rook on h8. Where should I put my king? h7, in order to get the rook out?
1.Presumably, I need to start by playing Bd7 in order to attempt to exchange the bishops, but this move also has the advantage of threatening Ba4. Exchanging bishops proves more difficult than it seems, because the battle over b5 is a complicated one, and there are endless scenarios that involve the exchange of both sets of minor pieces leaving Black with doubled pawns on the b-file.
2.The easier way to take off the bishop is after Ne4/c5, but I can't help thinking that White's knight is still better than Black's bishop (is it likely, then, that White would trade off his/her best piece with Bxe4 in order to preserve material equality?).
3.Black also can put considerable pressure on the White king with plans involving Ne4 and Qg5, so it seems as though White needs to find a safe haven for the king. After an early 0-0 (maybe 16 ... Bd7 17 0-0), can Black play more aggressively for the bishop exchange, because White can't retreat to f1, putting the question to the knight on c3? If so, how? 17 ... a6, and Bb5? Or should Black play for the vulnerable c5-pawn?
4.Should Black be wary of all White's guns pointing at the pawn on f5? Is there a trick here if I move the bishop away from the c8-h3 diagonal too soon?
I'd be happy to share some specific variations with anyone interested. This looks like really rich ground for further analysis.
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C12: 6. Be3 MacCutcheon (Read 101687 times)
