MNb wrote on 09/17/06 at 23:00:13:


In the line I mentioned here: 16..Qh4 17.Bd4 Rfc8 18.f5 a5 19.Nd2 Bxc3 (Actually, I'm not completely comfortable with this move, giving up black's good bishop) 20.Bxc3 Nxd2 21.Qxd2, I don't think 21...b4 22.Bd4 b3 23.axb3 a4!? quite works, as I think 24.b4 just consolidates white's extra pawn sufficiently. 

And I think one refutation of 18...Qxh2 might be: 19.Kb1 Qh4 (going back to black's obstruction square) 20.Nd2 Nxd2 (otherwise white's knight can go to f3) 21.Rxd2 Nc5 (keeping the pin on the knight. I don't know what else is better) 22.Qg1 (with Rh2 coming) and I think white has a nice advantage. I only rarely would take the pawn on h2 in these positions.

I still haven't found a way for white to get a clear advantage (or at least yet) against 21...Nc5 though. After 22.Bd4 Ne4, if white plays 23.Qf4 I think black has to play 23...b4 (as I think 23...Nxg3 and 23...Qxh2 both lose) and if 24.Rf3 (preparing the doubling of rooks on the f file. I don't know what's better) then I think white does best to exchange queens with 24...Qg5 (softening white's attack). And if 25.h4 Qxf4 26.Rxf4 a4 I think black is ok, although I'm not 100 percent sure. The knight on e4 covers a lot of squares, making it hard for white's king and bishops to break through black's fortress, and if white takes the knight with his light-squared bishop, then the opposite coloured bishops are a strong drawing force. 

Regarding your line from another post: 16..Qh4 17.Bd4 Rfc8 18.Qf1 Qe7 19.Kb1 g6 20.h4 a5 21.h5 a4 22.Bxc4 bxc4 23.Nd2 a3 24.b3, I think black is fine after 24...cxb3 e.g. (25.cxb3 Ba6 26.Qf3 (If 26.Qf1 Nc5 seems to give black a nice advantage with a lot of good piece play.) Bc5 27.Qe3 Bxd4 28.Qxd4 Qc5 29.Qxc5 Bxc5 with Nd3 to follow and I think black is much better here as well.

White has other options on move 21, such as 21.Nxb5 and 21.f5. After 21.Nxb5 I like 21...a4 and if 22.Nc1 (I like this better than 22.Na1) then after 22.Ba6 23.Nd6 (23.c3 is a possible improvement, but I doubt it's better) Bxd6 24.exd6 Qxd6 25.Rh3 (I don't know what's better) Rab8 26.Bxc4 Rxc4 I think black is fine.

Thanks Klick!

Personally, I'm not convinced that 16...Qh4 is best, but I'm not ready to commit to a specific move yet.   

(I'm still trying to get back into rhythm at work, which for some unknown reason is a higher priority for me.)

How about some of the nice diagrams some you guys stick in every once in awhile?   

Actually, now I'm not so sure that black is fine in one of the lines in my last post. In the line: 16..Qh4 17.Bd4 Rfc8 18.f5 a5 19.Nd2 Bxc3 20.Bxc3 Nxd2 21.Qxd2 I'm not sure that black is fine after ...b4 22.Bd4 Ba6. Despite the reduction of material, I think white still has a formidable attack. For instance, after 23.Kb1 Bxd3 (what else?) 24.Qxd3 (supporting Rh3) Nf8 25.f6 gxf6 (if ...g6 then white plays Qd2 and Be3 trapping white's queen.) 26.Rh3 Qg5 (Qxg4 27.Rg1 wins the queen for a rook) 27.Rh5 and now my analyses of both 27...Qg6 and 27...Qf5 are looking bad for black.

I'm now thinking that a better line for black might be, after 21.Qxd2: 21...Nc5. If now 22.Bd4 then I prefer 22...Ne4 (forking the queen and rook) to ...Nxd3. After 23.Bxe4 dxe4 the pawn structure has been altered and I think black has better queenside attacking chances here. For instance, black's bishop can come to d5, supporting the advance of the a and b pawns. I would say that black's o.k. here.

Hello, 

In OstapVender's line 16...Qh4 17.g5 d4 18.Nxd4 Bxc3 19.bxc3 Nc5 20.Qe2 Ne4 21.Bxe4 Bxe4 22.Nf3
maybe 22 ...Qh5 is an improvement with some sort of white-aquare blockade for black.

Bye John S

After 16...Qh4 17.Bd4 Rfc8 18.Qf1 Qe7 19.Kb1 g6 (I like this move order better than 19...a5 For instance: 19...a5 20.Qh3 Nf8 (20...g6 21.Qh6+/-) 21.Qh5 g6 (21...a4 22.Bxh7 Nxh7 23.Rh3 Kf8 24.Qxh7 Ke8 Nc1+/-) 22.Qh6 Bxc3 (22...a4 23.Bxc4+- if 23...bxc4 24.f5+-) 23.Bxc3+/-

Quote:

Nice contribution whiteatak shredder!

Answering 16...Qh4 with an immediate 17.g5 in an interesting - and very tempting! - idea.  Based on your analysis it looks like 17.g5 might be premature with 17...d4 being a good reply.  I will certainly take a serious look at this idea, however, and see if White's play can be improved.  It may be a longshot, but if 16...Qh4 can be definitively refuted this seriously limits Black's defensive resources.

One thing I'm wondering for starters is whether 19.bxc3 (instead of 19.Qxc3) has any merit.

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 09/12/06 at 00:28:45:

I understand this week-from-hell business all too well.  

The time which allowed for that wonderful summer game-pace no longer exists after Labor Day.  On the positive side, this provides more scope for analysis/kibitzing between moves.