Smyslov_Fan wrote on 07/18/06 at 19:14:37:

Clearly you must be right here unless somehow Rd1 (instead of 0-0-0) gave Black extra options that would have allowed him to avoid the Ke1-instead-of-Kc1 version of the current position.  

To state the obvious (sometimes I think I should change my name to Gilligan  ) I guess we start analysis of this by taking the game line with 14.Rd1 substituted for 14.0-0-0 and look for improvements for Black that take advantage of the different king position.

Edit:  After 14.Rd1 Nge7 the game immediately has to follow a different path since the c3-knight is pinned ruling out 15.Ne2 played in the game after 14.0-0-0 Nge7.  So it doesn't look like it's nearly as simple a comparison as I suggested above.

Cheers,
'Gilligan'   

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 19.c3 Nxd4 20.Nxd4 Nc6


Threatening 21...Nxd4.  HgMan has pointed out that 21 Nxc6 is not possible on account of 21 ... Bxc6, which threatens 22...d4 (with discovery hitting h1) and at least an equal game for Black.
(http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1151070318/180#187)

Moves under consideration are 21.Kd2, 21.Bc2, 21.Bb1, 21.Nc2.  Anything else (21.Nf3)?

I starting thinking about 21.Ne2 (with the idea of avoiding the knight exchange, then supporting the f5 push with Ng3) but I think that 21...d4 could be a good reponse: e.g., 22.c4 Nb4 and if 23.Nxd4 (what else?) 23...Nxd3+ 24.Rxd3 Rxc4+.  If this is undesirable for White, then the same variation would rule out 21.Nf3.  After 21.Nc2 d4 22.c4 Black doesn't have 22...Nb4 so it looks like ...d4 is not a problem here.  Still, I'm not sure I like 21.Nc2 because the knight needs to get to e3 to support the kingside play, and after something like 21...Ke7 22.Kd2 (I don't like 22.Ne3 because of 22...d4) it is now White's pieces that look tangled up and Black might have time to generate counterplay (22...f6 looks plausible) before White can get any kingside activity underway.  

I also don't like the look of 21.Kd2 Nxd4 22.cxd4.

So, in my mind the only candidates are the two bishop moves.  Knight moves other than 21.Nc2 could came back into consideration if 21...d4 proves, upon closer inspection, to be less threatening than it appears at first glance.

I will check both this evening, plus Bc2 though I dislike it for esthetical reasons.

PS Smyslov_Fan, I was a bit disappointed about your french game. I saw a nice quote from Henry V in one of the other games. So I was kinda hoping for some French taunts against Ostap in Monty Python style (yes I watched the holy grail again this weekend)....

If the whole point of c3 was to be able to retreat the B, then perhaps now is the time to do it with Bc2.  What am I missing that it's not even a candidate move?  It seems to me that White still has a pull as long as he controls d4.

HgMan wrote on 07/18/06 at 13:28:31:

Oops, now you all know why I lose games
Quote:

I'll have to check on the knight exchange indeed. I didnt think it was a major worry, but I could be wrong.

HgMan wrote on 07/18/06 at 12:27:49:

And we've transposed to 18...Nac6 19.c3 Nxd4 20 Nxd4 Nc6 considered earlier.  18...Nec6 created new possibilities to think about, but ultimately wound up in the same place as the more straightforward 18...Nac6.

For White now: I know that moving the N from d4 is very unappealing, but I worry about allowing the second pair of knights to be exchanged (but I may be the only one with this worry).  I think good bishop vs. bad bishop is often more difficult to win than knight vs. bad bishop (I may also be the only one who thinks this is true; I still have a lot to learn about endings!)

I don't think I'd want to go near that endgame.     22 Rdf1 is enough to put me off.

Perhaps 20 ... Ke7 is the culprit.  Maybe the boring 19 c3 Nxd4 20 Nxd4 Nc6 is better.  21 Bb1 (I haven't looked at 21 Kd2 or Kb1 carefully yet, though challenging on open the c-file might be enough to dissuade me from exchanging the second pair of knights) Nxd4 22 Rxd4 Bb5 looks okay for Black.  With the King still on e8, the piece sacrifice I mentioned last night is also ruled out.  So maybe I was tilting at windmills: this takes us back to where Ostap had us before I insisted that 18 ... Nec6 was a better move rather than just a mere transpositional one.    I suppose it showed White some different patterns along the way.  None of them dangerous, apparently.

I've been looking for some time to put a knight on e4, but I can't see how it would work.  The immediate 19 ... b5 20 Kb1 Nb7 21 f5 doesn't really appeal and neither does 19 ... Ke7 20 Nc2 (why not transfer the knight to e3 and prevent the exchange?) b5 21 Kb1 Nb7 22 Ne3 Nc5, which appears to favor White after 23 Bc2.  There is 23 ... Na5 24 Nd4 Nc6 25 Rhe1 Nxd4 26 Nxd4 a5, but White is being far too accommodating (25 Rhg1 is much better).

So I guess I should play the simple:

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 19.c3 Nxd4 20 Nxd4 Nc6

(Again, assuming Willempie will choose to recapture, though you're most welcome not to  )

21 Nxc6 is not possible due to the peculiar 21 ... Bxc6, which threatens d5-d4 and at least an equal game for Black.  Black's game is fairly straightforward (not easy, but straightforward).  The king will come to e7, and the rooks will look for counterplay along the c-file while White tries to get his kingside going.