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White can construct a system of defense by placing his king on a1 and at
the right moment playing c3-c4, allowing this to be captured by Black's
b-pawn, and then playing his own remaining c-pawn from c2 to c3. Then White
would have to monitor the pressure on the new c3 pawn (e.g., from a Black
knight on d5 or the Black queen on a5). Benjamin's challenge is to find a move which gets the attack going as
efficiently as possible. Thus, he should be looking for a move that is better
than 19 ... h6. 19 ... Nd5 20 Nxe4, and 19 ... Qa5 20 c4 do not fit the bill.
If 19 ... Bd5, White might be able to get away with 20 Bxb5 (20 ... Qa5 21
c4), or if not, 20 Rb1. Therefore, 19 ... h6 still seems critical, and 20 Nxe4
Bxe4 21 Rxe4 Nd5 22 c4 bxc4 23 c3 Qa5 still looks nice for Black, who will
follow with ... Rc8-c6, ... Rf8-b8 and ... Bg7-f8. The following question was received during the game: To: GM Rohde
From: Patrick Wolff
Mike,
I am working much too late, and have taken a break for dinner and
chess. I have a question. If White plays 19.c4 bxc4 20.c3, tucks the
king
into the queenside, and then picks off the e-pawn, do you think White
has a
clear advantage, or do you see compensation for Black?
Patrick
Pat,
Good to hear from you. Sorry you couldn't make it to the
Championship. You were in Hawaii though, weren't you? Well, we are all
working late here, especially the players who keep playing incredible
games. After Benjamin's 18 ... b5! it is clear that White will have to
follow the plan you outlined, giving the front c-pawn back and then
playing c2-c3 with the second c-pawn. The question is how efficiently
each side can achieve their objectives. I thought Black was better in
this position, but now I am not so sure, as per the game continuation,
where deFirmian brilliantly untangled (although things got wild from
moves 35-40). deFirmian's 19 Ka1! was best, not doing anything before it
is necessary. I am not convinced by Benjamin's 19 ... Bd5, which was
effectively the same as 19 ... h6, in that White just played 20 Nxe4 and
Black had to capture 20 ... Bxe4. Perhaps 19 ... Qc7 is an effort to
steal another tempo for the attack. 19 ... Qa5 20 c4 would not be the
right way for Black.
Still, if I had the opportunity to get this position as Black, I
certainly do not see how I could resist the temptation to sac a couple
of pawns ...
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