GuggleBuf wrote on 06/01/13 at 20:41:50:


NICE!!

I have to admit the win I gained from using this move was vitally important as I'm now going to secure 1st place in the 19th USA CCC with a + 6 score after my last opponent resigns. 

I'm in the process of writing full analysis notes to this win and several other key games I played in the tournament. They will likely be posted in Alex Dunne's CC articles over at USCF after the tournament is mostly finished.

14.Nxb5 has to do with popularity. In my ICCF archives, it still holds a 30% greater usage than c3.

Now my own approach to attacking the Sveshnikov in CC is to go for the most complex possible line I can. I recently won a game on my way to the IM title (which I will get after a couple more opponents finally resign) in the MN-093 tournament:



My opponent was at a loss for a plan in the ultra-complex middlegame, and subsequently made a mistake playing 23...fxe4? when this assured that black wouldn't have the usual counterplay with a pawn storm down the kingside. From there, it was a fairly simple matter of winning by brute force in the center.

Really interesting post - thanks for bringing this one up! 

Even the best CC players miss golden opportunities:

Recently in the Witold Bielecki Memorial/ Top players GM Voss (2657) missed a golden opportunity to play a hot novelty against World Champion Langeveld (2681) that has scored wins for black in two ICCF games thus far (one of them being my own).

Here's the Langeveld - Voss game:



Langeveld played 18.Bb3, which is a normal theory move, except there is now a move for black that puts Bb3 into serious question! This move is 18...f4! as discovered by SIM Sváček, Pavel (2525) in WCCC31CT06:



Although his opponent responded poorly to the move and was quickly losing for the rest of the game, I was nevertheless very intrigued by the idea of f4 basically refuting 18.Bb3. Sure enough, I had an opportunity to play it myself in the ongoing 19th USA CC. This time around, my opponent played very deeply calculated moves, and I had to virtually map out every reasonable defense for white over the course of several weeks. In the end, I was able to force a won endgame in spite of my opponent's mistake-free play:



Will 18...f4 continue to refute Bb3? Only time will tell...