Quote:I'm no expert as I always played the knight's gambit or other sidelines, but I don't recall 7...Nc6 being the correct continuation; however, looking at this game, perhaps ...Nc6 here is fine, instead of the more standard ...Bd6 clinging to the f-pawn for a few more moves at least. I may have preferred 12.Qd3, possibly forcing the exchange under favourable circumstances (12.h3 looks like, in some lines, it could become a weakness, and I doubt white needs a luft here), but your suggestion of 12.Bg5 looks fine to and, in practice, I'd prefer white here with his bishop pair.
Anyway, 12.h3 Bxe2 13.Qxe2 Ne4 and now perhaps it's worth looking at sacrificing the doubled c-pawn (temporarily at the least) with 14.Rae1!?, for example 14.Rae1 Nxc3 15.Qd3 Ne4 and now:
a) 16.Bxd5!? Qxd5 17.Rxe4 Nb4!? [Sharpest. 17...f5 seems to lead to a drawish endgame after 18.Re3 Qxd4 19.Qb3+ Kh8 20.Qxb7 Rae8 21.Qxc6 Rxe3 22.Bxe3 Qxe3+ 23.Kh1 but, I suppose, white does have a passed c-pawn...] 18.Qf3 [By contrast, 18.c4? Nxd3 19.cxd5 looks like a grim endgame, though with the bishop v knight probably can be held.] and there is another fork:
a1) 18...Nxc2 19.Be5! Qc6 20.d5! Qc5+ [The stunning point is 20...Qxd5?? 21.Qf6!!!!!!! (and yes, this many question marks are necessary!)] 21.Rf2!! f5 and white can take a draw with 22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.Qg3+ Kh8 24.Qe5+ Kg8 25.Qg3+, or try for more with 25.Ree2!? Nd4?! [25...Rae8 26.Qg3+ seems to lead to a draw again...] 26.Re3! hoping for 26...Rf6?! (looks cute but fails) 27.Rd3! when white wins his piece back with interest. Sadly 26...f4!! seems to finally exhaust white's ideas and force the repetition.
However, white can hold onto his powerful bishop instead, and try his luck in the line 22.Qg3!? Rf7! [Not 22...g6 23.d6! with the prosaic threat of Qb3+] when white can try:
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a11) 23.Ref4 g6 24.Rh4!? [24.Bb2!? Rae8 25.d6!!?? just hurts my head and I'll leave everyone to work out their favourite ridiculous line] Re7! 25.Rh6! [Guaranteeing the draw] Rxe5 [Otherwise black sinks] 26.Qxe5 Nb4! 27.Qe6+ Kg7 28.Rh4!? [28.Rh5 is yet another draw] Nd3! 29.Kh2! Nxf2 and now 30.Qe5+ is another chance for the perpetual. However, 30.d6!? looks like a fun attempt to ignore white's material defecit and play on - however sadly black has the ridiculous 30...h5 31.Rc4 Qb6 32.Qe7+ Kh6 33.d7 Rd8 34.Rc8 Ne4! and now black can force the perpetual.
*deep breath*
a12) 23.Ree2 Nd4 24.Rd2 f4! 25.Qd3! Nf5 26.Bxf4 and I think white is probably better, rendering all the above superfluous. However, I got carried away looking at all the fun lines.
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a2) 18...Rac8 is probably the critical test, and since 19.Bh6!? is probably insufficient, white may have nothing better than 19.c3 Nxa2 20.Re3 Qxf3 21.Rfxf3 Rfd8 22.Re7! Rxc3! [22...Nxc3 23.Bd2 gives white a seemingly drawn position after 23...Nd5 24.Rxb7 Nf6! [Of course, not 24...Rc7 25.Rxc7 Nxc7 26.Ba5! winning] 25.Bg5 Rd7 26.Rxd7 (I haven't worked out 26.Rc3 fully, it may be playable) Nxd7 27.Ra3 Ra8 28.Ra5 f6 29.Bf4] 23.Rxc3 Nxc3 24.Bd2 Nb5 25.Rxb7 Nxd4 26.Be3 Nf5 27.Bxa7 which is, theoretically, a dead draw.
Still, there's of course...
b) 16.c4 [The maniac's choice, white gives up a pawn for what may or may not be compensation. You decide...] Nb4!? 17.Qf3 dxc4 18.Rxe4 cxb3 19.Qxb3 Nd5 20.Be5! f6!? [Weakening the a2-g8 diagonal, but perhaps black has nothing better] 21.Bg3 Qd7 22.Rfe1! Kh8 23.Re6! Rad8 24.Rd6! Qf7 25.Ree6 and I think white has to be better here, his rooks and bishop own the board, and the queen is threatening the b7 pawn.
I've not gotten any further than this yet, I've enjoyed looking at these crazy lines too much. Perhaps I'll take the KG back up...
Craig Evans posted that commentary in another thread, but considering the game is here, I figured it'd be useful to actually copy it to this page as well.
Anyways, some improvements for Black might include:
16.c4 Nb4 17.Qf3 dxc4 18.Rxe4 cxb3 19.Qxb3 Qd5!, entering a pawn up endgame.
16.Bxd5 Qxd5 17.Rxe4 f5 18.Re3 Qxd4 19.Qb3+ Rf7 (why give up the pawn with Kh8?)
16.Bxd5 Qxd5 17.Rxe4 Nb4 18.Qf3 Rac8 19.c3 Nxa2 20.Re3 Qxf3 21.Rfxf3 and now b5 just cements Black's advantage. The c3-pawn is fixed, and White will be the one fighting for a draw.