memers wrote on 08/02/06 at 13:31:16:

Your 14...a5 pawn sac is a very interesting idea!  Black's compensation looks excellent after 17.b3 Rc8.




I have to admit that at first I thought your idea dropped a piece after 17.Nxc6 Bxc6 18.Bxc6 but obviously 18...axb2+ 19.Kb1 Qa5 is completely devastating for White.

Keano wrote on 08/03/06 at 07:45:41:

Keano,

After 13.g4 Nb6 I think that 14.a3 is looking strong based on the continuation 14...Be7 15.Nd4 Qc7 16.Nxc6 Qxc6 (analogous to Anand-Moro) 17.f5 (analogous to Shipov's improvement in that game).  

In my previous post (http://www.chesspub.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1152709519/223#219) I looked at 17...b4 which seems to allow White to generate a winning attack, and I mentioned looking at 17...f6 which we both thought was a good answer to the Shipov's 17.f5 idea in the Anand-Moro game.

For 17...f6 (in the 13.g4 line) I focused on 18.fxe6 Bxe6 19.Bf5 Bxf5 (I need to explore Black's alternatives) 20.gxf5 and I think I have a pretty nice line for White here.  It may turn out that Shipov's 17.f5 suggestion works much better in the position with a pawn on g4 instead of a rook on f1.  I will post something on the 17...f6 line for discussion when I get some of the details better worked out.

I'm starting to wonder if 13...Bb7 is Black's best against 13.g4, while 13...Nb6 is Black's best against 13.Rhf1; you already provided a convincing argument for the latter.  Probably this is too much of a generalization based on insufficient investigation but, using this as a working hypothesis, I'm inclined to focus a bit more effort on dealing with 13...Bb7 in the g4 lines.

Cheers,
Ostap

Anand- Morozevich
FIDE-Wch San Luis (13), 28.09.2005
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9.Qd2 0–0 10.0–0–0 a6 11.Nb3 Bb4 12.Bd3 b5 13.Rhf1 Nb6 14.a3 Be7 15.Nd4 Qc7 16.Nxc6 Qxc6 17.Bd4 Nc4 18.Qe2 Rb8 19.Bxh7+ Kxh7 20.Qh5+ Kg8 21.Rd3 f5 22.Rh3 Bc5 23.Rff3 Bxd4 24.Rfg3 Rb7 25.Qh7+ Kf7 26.Qxg7+ Ke8 27.Qxf8+ ½–½

After 18...Rb8 Shipov writes: “Black has prepared b5-b4. White can't delay his active operation anymore!”

I wondered if …b4 was playable earlier and decided to take a look at 17…b4 and 18…b4.  Some analysis of 17…b4 is given below:

17...b4 is premature, but it takes a bit of analytical work to prove this:

18.axb4 Bxb4 19.Qf2 (this seems to work; so far, alternatives do not) 

19...Rb8 (19…Nc4 is another option, analyzed below.)

20.Qh4 h6?!

[If 20...g6 (probably better than …h6) then 21.Rf3, intending 22.Rh3 looks strong for White, but I still need to analyze this.]

21.g4

[I think 21.Rf3 is also very strong here.]

21...Nc4 22.g5 Be7 23.Qg4




[23.Bxc4 Qxc4 24.Qg4 is another option]

23...Nxb2 24.gxh6 Nxd3+ 25.Rxd3 g6 26.h7+ Kh8

[26...Kxh7? 27.Rh3+ Kg7 28.f5 Ba3+ 29.Kd2+-]

27.f5 Qe8 28.Nxd5 exd5

[28...gxf5? 29.Qg2 Qb5 (29...exd5? 30.Rg1+-) 30.Nxe7 Qb1+ 31.Kd2 Qb4+ 32.Ke2 Bb7 33.Qg5+-]

29.e6+ f6 30.fxg6 Kg7 31.Qh4 Bxe6 32.Rdf3 with the threat 33.Rxf6! Rxf6 34.Bxf6+ Bxf6 35.Qxf6+ Kh6 36.h8Q+ Qxh8 37.g7+


19...Nc4  is probably better than 19…Rb8, but it still turns out badly for Black.

20.Qh4 h6?! Risky

[20...g6 is better, of course.  Now I have 21.Bxc4 (21.Rf3 allows Nxb2; 21.Na2!?) 21...Qxc4 22.Rf3 Re8 and here 23.f5 Be7 24.f6 Bf8 25.Rh3 h6 avoids immediate catastrophe, but White has a good game.  I’m trying to find something better for White here.]

21.Rf3

[21.Bxc4 Qxc4 22.g4 is another idea.]

21...Qb7

[21...Re8 22.Rg3 Kh8 23.f5!


23…Bf8

a) 23...Nxb2 24.Rxg7!! Nxd3+ (24...Kxg7 25.f6+ Kg8 26.Qg3+ Kf8 27.Qg7#) 25.Rxd3 Kxg7 26.Qf6+ Kf8 27.Be3 Ba3+ 28.Kd1+-
b) 23...Bxc3 24.Rxg7!+-
c) 23...exf5 24.e6
d) 23...f6 24.Rxg7 Kxg7 25.exf6+ Kf7 26.Qh5+ Kf8 27.Qxh6+ Kf7 28.Qg7#

24.f6 g6 
(24...Rb8 is met by 25.fxg7+ Bxg7 26.Rf1+- with the threat 27.Rxg7 Kxg7 28.Qf6+ Kg8 29.Qxf7+ Kh8 30.Qh7#) 
25.Rxg6 fxg6 26.f7 Nxb2 (26...Bg7 is met by 27.Qg4 followed by Qxg6) 27.Qf6+ Bg7 28.Qxg6+-]

[21…Rb8 is also spectacularly losing.]

22.Bxc4 dxc4 23.Rg3 Kh8 24.Qg4 Rg8 25.Qe2 Qc7 26.Ne4 Bb7 27.Nd6




27…Raf8 (illustrative, Black may have something a little better here)

[However 27...Bxd6 is not the answer to Black's problems: 28.exd6 Qd7 29.Rh3 f6 




30.Bxf6! (I'm not even sure if this is White's best, but it's pretty and it's clearly winning) 30...gxf6 31.f5 Qh7 32.Qxe6 Rgf8 33.d7 Rad8 34.Qe3 h5 35.Qe2 Qh6+ 36.Kb1 Kg8 37.Rxh5 Qg7 38.Qe6+ Rf7 39.Rh3 Kf8 40.Rg3+-]

28.Bc3

[28.Rh3 looks like another strong option.]

28...Bc5

[If 28...a5 then 29.Bxb4 (29.Rh3!?) 29…axb4 30.Qxc4 looks pretty convincing.  Black is a pawn down and the b4-pawn will soon fall as well.]

29.f5 exf5

[29...Ba8 30.Qh5+-; 29...Bc8 30.f6+-]

30.Qh5 f4

[30...Be4 31.Rh3+-]

31.Rh3 and White wins.

This probably doesn't definitively prove anything, but it's enough to convince me that 17…b4 is probably not a good option for Black.  I think it also illustrates what kind of danger Black faces if he cannot generate sufficient queenside play in time.

After (17.Bd4 Nc4 18.Qe2) 18…b4 19.axb4 Bxb4 I think that 20.Rf3 looks strong, but I’m haven’t worked through the analysis of this line yet.

Trying to find a possible improvement in the 13.g4 Nb6 line, I took a look at:

14.a3 (Analogous to Anand-Morozevich except that g4 has been played instead of Rhf1, so a pretty obvious try; no practical examples though)

14...Be7 15.Nd4 Qc7 16.Nxc6 Qxc6

And now:
17.f5 Shipov's suggestion in the Anand-Morozevich game.

[17.Bd4 I haven't looked at yet.] 

17...b4?!

[17...f6 may be best.  I’m looking at 18.fxe6 Bxe6 19.Bf5 Bxf5 20.gxf5 (and other lines) trying to find a strong answer for White.] 

And here:
18.axb4 Bxb4 19.Bxb6 Qxb6 20.f6  still seems to be crushing. 

20...Bxc3 21.bxc3 h6 (what else?) 

[21...Rb8?? 22.Qg5+-]
[21...g6?? 22.Qh6 and mate next move.] 

22.Qf4 Qd8  

[22...g5 23.Qd4 Rb8 24.h4 Qb2+ 25.Kd2+-] 

23.g5 g6 

[23...h5 24.g6 fxg6 25.Qg5+-] 

24.gxh6 Kh7 25.h4+- 

Still more work to do, but it looks like 14.a3 deserves serious consideration.

Keano wrote on 08/01/06 at 10:08:27:

Nice point.  I think you make a good case against 13...Bb7 in the 13.Rhf1 line.

Keano wrote on 08/01/06 at 10:08:27:
 
Keano, if you will focus on finding improvements in Anand-Moro, then I will focus on 13.g4

Keano wrote on 08/01/06 at 10:08:27:


OstapBender wrote on 07/29/06 at 14:15:20:


I was thinking along similar lines regarding Shipov's 17.f5 suggestion, but hadn't gotten to the point where I was ready to add the exclamation marks - but, then again, it is ...f6 after all.

I'm very interested to hear your analysis on 17...f6.  Although I thought it merited consideration, my own 'analysis' went no further than 18.fxe6 Bxe6 and to wonder whether or not White should exchange on b6.  

Hello, 

  It is a nice theory that 13. Rhf1 is a refinement of 13 g4, except that there was a Bareev game with Rhf1 in 1988, whilst Nijboer didn't start playing 13g4 until 2001 or so... 
           Anyway, have noticed in Taimanov Sicillians too, have probably a over ambious idea of having this e6 sicillian and French in my Rep,  that in lines with Bb4, BxN is only rarely a serious threat, which is a shame for my straightforward way of thinking. If get the chance to show ideas of how ...h6 gets beaten up would be great. Will have to check out your 17...f6, looks useful though! 

Bye John S

Hello,

In the 13g4 line based around Nijboer-Glek again, have been various improvements suggested earlier 13 ...f6, 14 ...f6, and even 15...Qh4. Have been looking at 16 ..h6, instead of 16...g6 with the idea 17Qf2 BxN. Would be nice to find some line for black, where BxN was helping the cause. Trying to avoid black square problems around the king, with 16..h6. Also Rh3,g5, Qh4 is not such a threat. 

Bye John S