I was looking at 19 a3 Ke7, but I suspect that it would only let White swing 20 Rhe1 or play another useful move in the interim.  In general, though, my instinct is that play would transpose.

I don't trust 19 a3 b5, though it might have some merit: 20 Rhe1 Nc4 21 Kb1 Ke7 22 c3 Nxd4 23 Nxd4 a5 24 Ka2 b4 looks as though it could be a little problematic for Black.

Willempie has mentioned before that he distrusts advances of the rook's pawns, and I don't really see how this move helps him much.

I had a really cunning plan for 19 c3, but I don't remember what it was!  As a correspondence player, my not taking good notes is a cardinal sin, and I'll have to scour the various bits of scratch paper on my desk to find what I had in mind.  I remember thinking 19 c3 wasn't any more dangerous than White's other plans.  It might have been as simple as 19 ... Nxd4 20 Nxd4 Ke7 21 Rhe1 b5 22 Kb1 Nc4.  Maybe there was a point where I tried to squeeze in f7-f6, but my sense is that the onus is on White to make the first move on the kingside.

As for 19 f5, I prefer the following move order: 19 ... Nb4 20 fxe6 Nxd3+ 21 Rxd3 fxe6, which eliminates Bg6+ and avoids tying the bishop down to the d5 pawn as a glorified pawn...

I'm basing 18 ... Nec6 on the belief that 19 f5 won't work for White.  Throughout most of the game so far, I've felt that White's position looked dangerous, but its bark was worse than its bite.  (Long may that last!).

Without 19 a3 or 19 c3, Black can post a knight at b4, and I still wonder if I can entice White into weakening the pawn structure in order provoke him into an additional advance.  And between the pawn advances on the queenside and 19 f5, I felt that White's best was 19 Nxc6.  I don't want to exchange both pairs of knights, but will settle for one.  Then I have the right number of pieces for my position...

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 07/16/06 at 18:18:58:

SF, do you think White can play 19.f5 straightaway?  At first glance, it seems to me that it would take something like this to prove that 18...Nec6 was somehow flawed.  After something like 19. f5 Nb4 20. fxe6 Bxe6 21. Nxe6 Nxd3+ (even 21...fxe6 22. Bg6+ may not be all that bad, but it wouldn't be my preference) 22. Rxd3 fxe6 I don't see any serious problems for Black.

Does White have a continuation (19.f5 or otherwise) that reveals a flaw in Hgman's 18...Nec6?  I don't see it right now, but this is might be an interesting point of discussion while Willempie considers his reply...

...and a good excuse for a diagram.

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nc3 a6 5.Be3 Qc7 6.h4 h6 7.g4 Bd7 8.h5 e6 9.f4 c5 10.Nf3 cxd4 11.Qxd4 Nc6 12.Qb6 Qxb6 13.Bxb6 Bb4 14.0-0-0 Nge7 15.Ne2 Ba5 16.Bxa5 Nxa5 17.Ned4 Rc8 18.Bd3 Nec6

HgMan wrote on 07/16/06 at 13:54:16:

In my own case the other games have definitely been a serious distraction, as I'm playing both of them.  

Quote:

Somehow I thought this likely to lead into similar lines to 18...Nac6: e.g., (18...Nec6) 19.c3 (other moves are possible, but I don't really like 19.Nxc6) 19...Nxd4 20.Nxd4 when 20...Nc6 would transpose to 18...Nac6 19.c3 Nxd4 20.Nxd4 Nc6.  Of course, 20...Nc6 is not obligatory - there are other ways to deploy the knight and it need not move from a5 immediately.  I also didn't see any real danger inherent in 18...Nec6 (the a5-knight has no retreat at the moment, but that 'problem' will be immediately remedied).

I guess I missed the idea behind 18...Nec6; it looked like a perfectly good move, but not so different from 18...Nac6 in where it's likely to lead.

No worries, have fun even if you dont go to the zoo

Well I thought either 21. Rd2 or e1-f1 would be ok, but to be honest I looked at 20 ... Ba4 for like 5 seconds.

Lots of work for me to do, and I'll try to reply this evening.  I've actually been looking at 18 ... Nec6 as a mean of forcing the exchange of at least one pair of knights.  I don't think the kingside pawnstorm can get moving straight away, but I ought to make sure.  I found myself tempted by the almost obscene 18 ... Nec6 19 Nxc6 Rxc6, though I know I should be playing 19 ... Nxc6.  I also need to find the right time for Ke8-e7 in order to connect my rooks so I can swing them over the kingside to defend or to double them on the c-file if Willempie allows...

I wld have played Bd3 instantly. frees up the 1st rank for the rooks so that there is a flexibility of choice as to how best to place the rooks to support the K-side advance. Also it puts pressure on f5.

Quote:


Quite honestly I still prefer white. His freedom of movement is congenial to my style, and his pieces isnt stepping on each other's toes. He has 1 clear objective, so to find moves is much easier. To a certain extent his position plays itself. Black still isnt threatening anything yet, His posn is difficult  but  he isnt by any means lost yet. Just that to carry out his objectives are not so straight forward & requires multi stage plans to get there.

The Na5 is really out of place & it interferes with Rc5. (due t W's b4)  Nac6 is probably best.

I wld be thinking of the following sequence for black: 18...Nac6 19c3 Nb4 20.Bb1 Rc4 . It is imperative that black double rooks on the c-file. That wld be the next stage of planning. Black cant afford to sit & absorb punishment now.....Finis. Use of the c-file & Q-side piece play is his only way of getting some counterplay.