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.g4 Bb7 14.Rhg1



... and 14...Na5 continues to be the leading contender among the candidate moves.  This would be my first inclination as well, although I would put 14...Rc8 followed by 15...Na5 as a close second.

14...Na5 15.Rg3 Nc4 16.Qe1 Nxe3 17.Rxe3 ...
with the ideas:
- White can't put his Q+R on h file because h4 is controlled by Qd8
- if White try weaking castle then, Black exchanges the darksquare bishop: 16.Rh3 h6 17.Qe1 Nxe3 18.Rxe3 Rc8 19.g5 Bxc3 20.bxc3 hxg5 21.Rh3 f5 or 20...h5

I was only one week away. This thread develops too fast for me
Perhabs I will come back to some lines. 
I apologize Marin_Fan for giving your line a ? without concrete analyse. 
In the actual position Khalifmans mainline is Rc8 15. Rg3 Na5 16. Rh3
His alternative is Qc7 with the following moves: Rg3 Rfc8 Rh3 g6 Qf2 Be7(see the game)
He evaluates the position after 24. Na5 as +/-

Netzer,J (2325) - Vallin,G (2419) [C11]
TCh-FRA Nat1 GpA Evry FRA (4), 01.04.2004

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.g4 Bb7 14.Rhg1 Qc7 15.Rg3 Rfc8 16.Rh3 g6 17.Qf2 Be7 18.Kb1 Nb4 19.Rc1 Nxd3 20.cxd3 Qd8 21.Rf1 Qe8 22.Bd4 f5 23.gxf5 exf5 24.Na5 b4 25.Nd1 Nf8 26.Nxb7 Qc6 27.Ne3 Qxb7 28.Rg1 Qd7 29.Qg2 Rd8 30.Rh6 Qb5 31.e6 Qxd3+ 32.Nc2 Rac8 33.Rh3 Qe4 34.Rxh7 Qxd4 35.Nxd4 Kxh7 36.Nxf5 Rc7 37.Qh3+ Kg8 38.Qh6 Bf6 39.Rxg6+ Nxg6 40.Qxg6+ Bg7 41.e7 1-0
-------------------------------------------------------------
Khalifman gives as an improvement 17...Bxc3 18.bxc3 Na5 19.Nc5 instead of whiteatak shredders suggestion 17...Be7 


Cheers 
Tom

memers wrote on 08/13/06 at 08:19:51:

Does this mean you are no longer advocating 14...a5, I wonder?

I like the 16...Nc5 suggestion in dom's line A.  There might also be some merit to playing 16...Bc5 in this position (I think Keano might have suggested this at one point).

So 14...Na5 seems to be building up a little momentum, while 14...a5 and 14...f6 have yet to be recommended (since SF's candidate move post, that is).

I haven't had a chance yet to look at whiteatak shredder's suggested improvement in the Nijboer-Glek game, but will count this as support of 14...Rc8.

Based on what I'm seeing I guess I will focus my efforts on trying to bust up 14...Na5 — at least until I see another choice appear here.

14.Rhg1 Na5!

A) 15.Bd4 Nxb3 16.axb3 Qc7 or 16.cxb3 Bc5
B) 15.Nxa5 Qxa5 (...Dashibalov-Provotorov,Russie 2006)

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 08/12/06 at 00:28:36:

SF,

Since you've been SO generous with advice when I had to move, I feel it would be remiss of me not to reciprocate.

What was that advice you offered me earlier in this game when I was struggling to decide on a move?  

... Wait!  Now I remember!  Here is is:

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 07/17/06 at 03:09:00:

But maybe we could play it out at least a couple more moves.

Actually, I think the ...Na5 idea may have potential (either 14...Na5 above or 14...Rc8 followed by 15...Na5) but I haven't examined it beyond the analysis posted so I'm not entirely sure.

I like the idea behind 14...a5!?, but my hunch is that it is too risky and won't stand up to close scrutiny (and it will certainly be scrutinized closely should it appear on the board).

I agree with you about 14...f6, which I have started to look at.  Maybe it's still too unclear to reject completely, though.

I hope to see a lot of analysis posted here when I get back ...

... but I'll settle for a 14th move.

Cheers,
Ostap      

Hi all, 

I'm going to need some help here.  I had planned to play 14...f6, but a deeper look has me thinking it's a mistake.  

I know Black has other options including

• 14...Rc8  (the most popular
• 14...a5!? (suggested by memers as an interesting gambit)
• 14...Na5
• 14...f6 and others.

Here's some analysis of 14...f6:



Nijboer,F (2553) - Glek,I (2576) [C11]
FRA-chT France (2.1), 01.02.2003
[and,Dan]

14...Rc8 (Nijboer-Glek)

[14...f6 15.exf6

(15.Bf5?! Re8 16.exf6 Qxf6 (16...Bxc3 17.f7+ Kxf7 18.bxc3 Kg8 and White is winning) 17.Bd3 Bxc3 18.Qxc3 Qxc3-+; 

(15...Nxf6 16.g5 Nd7 17.a3 Be7 (17...Bd6?! 18.Ne4!) 18.Qg2±;

15...Qxf6 This is the key move in the 14...f6 line.
16.a3 Bxc3 17.Qxc3 Qxc3 18.bxc3 Rae8 19.h3 e5 20.Bf5! exf4 21.Bxf4 Nb6

(21...Nf6 22.Bd6 Rf7 23.g5 Ne4 24.Bxh7+ Kh8 25.Bg6 Nxd6 26.Rxd5 Rd8 27.Rxd6 Rxd6 28.Bxf7± I thought at first this is simply winning.  Black still has some resources, but why go into this?) 

22.Bd6 Rf6 23.Bc5 Nc4 24.Rge1 Although Fritz considers this line to be equal (perhaps favoring Black), I think White is to be preferred in the middle game. White's playing almost a full piece up for the time being, and the two Bishops are dominating.] 

Back to the Nijboer-Glek game.
15.Rg3 Re8 16.Rh3 g6 17.Qf2 Bf8 18.g5 Nb4 19.Kb1 Nxd3 20.cxd3 Bc6 21.Ne2 b4 22.Nbd4 Ba4 23.b3 Bb5 24.Nxb5 axb5 25.Nd4 Qa5 26.Qh4 h5 27.gxh6 Rc3 28.h7+ Kh8 29.Qf2 Ra8 30.Qb2 Nc5 31.Bf2 Rc8 32.Bh4 Nd7 33.Be1 Qb6 34.Nf3 Be7 35.d4 1-0

Ostap, 

You may be right about the pedigree of 14.Rhf1.  I was looking at a personal database in which I had added the idea as a possible improvement.  I analysed it separately twice, making it seem that it had been successful at least twice.  I'm not sure if the idea came from parthenogenesis or from some real game.