lg wrote on 02/09/07 at 16:00:53:


White is better but not necessarily won, I think.  After your 24. g4. 24...Bg6 may be best, the point being that after 25. Bc4 Bd2 26. Bxe6+ Kb8, White's Bf5 isn't effective.  Instead 27. Rf3 Be4  28. Rd1 Bxf3  29. Rxd2 c5 and although White is better, the win doesn't look easy to this player of, I admit, only middling strength.

I don't know if the line can be saved by such considerations, but perhaps it can.  However, I don't have an answer for 20. Bg5 Rdf8  21. Nxh8 Rxh8  22. Qc3 h6  23. Bh4! when it looks like Black doesn't have much except the pawn to compensate for the lost exchange.  Perhaps Black can hold after 23...Qe4  24. Bg3 Ne2  25. Bxe2 Qxe2  26. Rae1 Qb5  27. Rxf5 exf5  28. e6 Rg8.

lg wrote on 01/23/07 at 15:07:59:


I just found some time to look at your very generously offered ideas.

I disagree that 19. Nxh8 is good for White: 19...Nc2  20. Bxe6+ Bxe6  21. Bxc5 Nxa1  22. Bxa7 (22. Nf7 Rd5 =) 22...Qxc1  23. Rxc1 Rxh8 =.

I agree that 19. Kh2 is a strong move, indeed it seems best.  Black should play 19...Bb6 (so as to enable ...Nc2) and Black appears to have some compensation for his exchange.  For example 20. Nxh8 Rxh8  21. Rf4 Rd8 is almost O.K. for Black, perhaps not quite.  Or 20. b3 h6  21. Nxh8 Rxh8  22. Qd2 Rd8  23. Qf2 Nc2  24. Bxb6 Nxa1  25. Bxa7 Nc2.

It's late, so I'll address your other ideas still later. 

Markovich

One thing i noticed in our discussions is that in many lines Black's black bishop does not leave
its original square. 

perhaps you could try (I am analysing it now) moving the other bishop with
9...Qd7  10. Be2 0-0-0  11. 0-0 Bb4 and get rid of the bishop with BxN

lg

Markovich

here are some variations:

after 9...Qd7  10. Be2 0-0-0  11. 0-0 Bg4 12. c5 Nd5  13. Nxd5 Qxd5 14 h3! (which in my opinion
appears to be a good move)

i) 14... h5 ?! (!?) - well, this sacrifice does not appear to lead to the worst variation for Black. Play can continue as follows 15 hxB hxg 16 Ng5 Bxc5 (Black gives another piece) 17 dxc (Nxf7 seems to be OK for Black) Qxe5 18 Qb3 Nd4 (I think this is better than play 18 ... Qh2+) 19 BxN RxB 20 c6 (better than
Rxf7 I think) Qh2+ 21 Kf2 Qh4+ 22 Nf3 bxc (this appears to be better than b6) 23 Rh1 RxR 24 RxR gxN
(Black recovers one piece) and we have Black with 3 pawns for a piece. What do you think

ii) 14 ... BxN 15 BxB Qc4 (as suggested by Hort as unclear and mentioned in many other books). This 
puzzles me. I agree with you and cannot see why it is unclear after 16 BxN PxB 17 R(a) c1.
I tried 17 ... Qb5 18 Rxf7 Bxc5 19 Qg4 and White is much better. By the way, note also the variation
17....Qd5 (?!) 18 Qa4 f6 19 exf (?!) gxf 20 Rxf Rg8 and although White appears to be better I think
Black should be happy to have some attach along the king side

iii) 14 ... Bh5. I agree with what you said that after 15 Ng5 this can transpose to "known" lines where
White benefits (a lot) by having the luft given by h2. Note, however, that Black can play (after 15 Ng5)
15 ... Bg6 and here I think 16 Bf3 is Ok for White but teh3 greedy 16 Nxf appers to be Ok
for Black

iv) 14... Qe4. Then 15. Qb3 Nxd4  16. Nxd4 Bxe7  17. Rf4 Qxe5  18. Nxe2 Bxc5 gives 3 pawns for a
piece for Black and I dont know how to access this. Perhaps playing a bit with a computer might
tell us what one can do with each side.

v) 14... Qe4. Then 15. Qb3 Nxd4  16. Nxd4 Bxe7 17. Rf4 Qxf4 (!?) 18 Bxf4 Bxc5 19 Be3 Rxd4 20 Bxd4
Bxd4 + and Black has two bishops and two pawns for a queen

vi) 14... Qe4. Then 15. Qb3 Nxd4  16. Nxd4 Bxe7 17. Rf4 Qxf4 (!?) 18 c6 Qxe3 (18 ... b6) 19 QxQ Bc5
20 cxb+ Kxc 21 QxB Bxd + and Black has a Rook, bishop and Pawn for a Queen

vii) 14... Qe4. Then 15 Qc1 Bf5 (can we do something different here? I really dont like to push back the bishop) 16. Ng5 Nxd4 17. Bc4 Qc6 18. Nxf7 Bxc5 19. Qc3 appears to be bad because of 19 ... b5!.
However, I dont understand why White plays 19 Qc3. For instance 19 Kh2 appears to be (much) better.
Then, if 19 ... b5 20 Bb3 and Black, now, does not have the Knight check on e2. I also think that 
19 NxR(h) is playable and gives White the better game.

viii) (your latest) 14 ... Qe4 15 Qc1 f6  17. exf6 gxf6  18. Rae1 Rag8  19. Kh1 might be playable but
by taking the pawn, White is allowing Black a an attack on the g column. Perhaps 17 Bc4 fxe 18 dxe is
better

to summarize, I think 14 h3 is better than it ha sbeen advertised. My preferred Balck lines are
the gambit lines and I dont like to push back the bishop to f5. Well, I dont like to push the bishop
to g4 either (neither in the 9th move).

lg

Markovich

After

"He should play instead  15. Qc1 after which Black has no better than 15...Bf5.  Then 16. Ng5 Nxd4  17. Bc4 Qc6 (17...Qh4  18. c6 is even worse) 18. Nxf7 Bxc5  19. Qc3"

Black can play 19 ... B5!

After 20 Nxd8 Rxd8 21 Rad1 (White has no good place to move the Bishop) bxB 22 RxN BxR 23 BxB
I think Black is better, no?

lg

and finally (for the moment) you should analise the piece (or 2 pieces) sacrifice
after 14 h3 as follows: 14... h5 15 hxB hxg 16 Ng5 Bxc5 17 dxc Qxe5 18 Qb3 Nd4 19 BxN RxB

I think Black may not gain anything with this but perhaps a better look should be taken

lg

Sorry, on

"can't black play 17 ... Qxf4 ? and then play with 2 Bishops and Rook for a Queen?"

I meant either Bishop and Rook for a Queen or a 2 Bishops for a Queen

lg