SWJediknight wrote on 02/25/09 at 18:53:07:
Instead, 5.Bc4 is the usual response but I doubt that it gives full compensation. 5...exf3 (5...b5!?- Bacrot) 6.Nxf3 Bf5 7.Bg5 (7.Ne5 e6 8.0-0 Bg6! =+) 7...e6 8.Qe2 works fine against 8...Be7 (9.0-0-0 and 10.Rhf1) but I can't find anything convincing against 8...Bb4!. Perhaps White might be able to find something after 9.a3 Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 Nbd7 11.0-0 0-0.
After
1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 c6 5.Bc4 exf3 6.Nxf3 Bf5, your variation may be an acceptable emergency solution. I agree with you that
7.Bg5 e6 8.Qe2 Be7 9.0-0-0! gives White sufficient compensation. Unfortunately your second remark seems also right:
8...Bb4! is better. Instead of your 9.a3 I'd rather try
9.0-0 (obviously White would have preferred to castle long, but at least now he saves a tempo: a2-a3)
9...0-0! (9...Be7!? 10.Rae1 0-0 11.Ne5! unclear; 9...Nbd7 10.Ne5 0-0 11.Nxf7)
10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Ne4. An interesting position, e. g. 11...Bg6 12.c3 Be7 13.a4 a5 14.g4 Nd7 15.Nh4 Bxe4! 16.Qxe4 f5 17.Nxf5, but this may not be entirely correct, and there are several alternatives for Black.
Nothing of the above deserves a diagram, I fear.
Is there a clear refutation, by the way, of
7.g4!?? in the BDG folios?
Black may reply:
7...Nxg4 (7...Bxg4 8.Bxf7+; 7...Bg6 8.h4)
8.Nh4, and now:
(a)
8...e6 9.Nxf5 exf5 10.0-0 Nf6 11.Rxf5 etc.
(b)
8...Bd7 9.Ne4 b5 10.Qe2 e5 11.Bxf7+ Kxf7 12.Qf3+ Nf6 13.0-0 exd4 14.Qb3+ Ke7 15.Re1.
(c)
8...g6 9.Nxf5 gxf5 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 Ne3 12.Bxf7+ Kxf7 13.Qh5+ Kg8 (13...Ke6 14.d5+) 14.Qg6+ Bg7 15.Qe6+ Kh7 16.Rg1 Rg8 17.Qxe3 Qxd4 18.Qxd4 Bxd4 19.Rxg8 Kxg8 20.0-0-0.
(d)
8...Bc8 9.Ne4 Nf6 10.Rf1 Nbd7 11.Qe2 e6 12.Bg5 Qa5+ 13.Bd2 Qh5 14.Nxf6+ Nxf6 15.Nf3 Bd7 16.0-0-0 0-0-0 17.Rde1
For the two sacrificed pawns, White has full compensation.