bragesjo wrote on 08/02/06 at 20:44:44:
Accepting the pawn is dangerous. Black gets a powerfully attack. Sample line
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3
g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12.
Nxd5 cxd5 13. Qxd5 Qc7 14. Qc5 Qb7 15. Qa3 Bf5 16. Bd3 Rab8 17. b3 Qc6 18. Bxf5
Qc3 is good for black
On the Internet I have often faced this line as black
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3
g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12.
Nxd5 cxd5 13. Qxd5 Qc7 14. Qc5 Qb7 15. Qa3 Bf5 16. Bd3 Rab8 17. c3 Bxc3 *
I agree that accepting the pawn is dangerous but I have had some success with the move 15.b3:
15...Bf5 16.Bd3 Rfc8 17.Qa5! The queen is better placed here 17...Bxd3? 18.Rxd3 Qc6 19.c4 Qf6 20.Bd4 Qf4+ 21.Qd2 and White won in Agermose Jensen-B.Warncke, Denmark 2003
Agermose Jensen-Klausen, Denmark 2004 saw the same moves up till 17...Qc6 18.Bxf5 gxf5 19.c4 Qf6 20.Bd4 Qg5+ 21.Kb1 Bxd4 22.Rxd4 Qxg2 23.Qe1 Kf8 24.Rg1 Qxh2 and now 25.Rd7! as in Hennings-Lee, Sweden 1966 would have decided instantly.
A rapid game of mine went instead 20...e5 21.Bb2 Rc6 22.Rhe1 with a big plus for White.
I also had 17...Rc3?! 18.Bxf5 Rxe3 19.Be4 winning the exchange (that's why some authors recommend 16...Rac8) in a rapid game. The position after 19...Rxe4 20.fxe4 Qxe4 might not be so easy to win as Black has counterplay on the a1-h8 diagonal. The simplest solution looks like 21.Rhe1 Qxg2 22.Qd5.
Another rapid game went 17...Bc3 18.Qb5! Qc7 19.Bxf5 a6 20.Qd7 (20.Qxc5 was even better) 20...Qa5 21.Kb1 Qxf5 22.Qxf5 gxf5 23.Rd7 and White was better.
Agermose Jensen-Andersen, Denmark 2004 went 16...Rac8 17.Qa5 Qc6?! 18.Bxf5 Qf6? 19.Bxc8+- 1-0 in 26.
17...Bc3 is met by 18.Qb5 while 17...Rc3! 18.Bxf5 Rxe3 19.Bd4 Qb8 20.g3 Qc8 21.g4! Re2 22.h4 Qb8 23.g5 (Here the preparatory 23.Kb1!? is also interesting) 23...Rh2 Psakhis-David, Andorra 1996. And now instead of 24.Rxh2 Qxh2 which quickly drew, why not simply play 24.h5 ?