Stockfish gives my 9...0-0 here a ?! mark and suggests 9...Na6
What ?! Please enlighten me.
What ?! Please enlighten me.
I'm as puzzled as you are. I can offer no help.
My guess is that it is one of this cases of "not deep enough", rather than "so deep we do not get it".
Low rated non-positional player here, though
Low rated non-positional player here, though
I thought this was some troll post when I saw that name...
But anyway, looks like there's a sac line with Bxh7+ if you castle right away. (for example Bf4 Re8 Bxh7+)
But anyway, looks like there's a sac line with Bxh7+ if you castle right away. (for example Bf4 Re8 Bxh7+)
If you looked through the engine line the idea was to move the knight to c5 afterward to try to trade for that really strong light squared bishop. If the bishop moves the night can reposition to e6 where it is really useful for blocking the open file and taking control of the center.
Not simple, but not impenetrable. I did a bit of analysis here, and concluded that SF is correct: Na6 is the best move and O-O is inaccurate.
After O-O Bf4 Na6 Bxa6! and White wins. bxa6 Qxd8 Bxd8 Bd6 and the rook is trapped; White wins an exchange.
If Na6 right away on the other hand, Bf4?! Nc5 and Black is a little better. Rxd1 Raxd1 Be6 with, perhaps, a faster king. So White goes Qe2 and it's equal... perhaps Black has to untangle a little still but he has no serious problems.
The crux of it is that Na6 is essential to Black's development, and after O-O Bf4! it's impossible due to the Bd6 tactic. If the N has to go to d7 instead the light-squared bishop is blocked and White can build some serious pressure with Qe2/d2 and Rad1; the N is also simply better-placed on a6, since it can hop to c5 with tempo.
The importance of time in these open-centre positions, even as subtly as here, cannot be underestimated.
After O-O Bf4 Na6 Bxa6! and White wins. bxa6 Qxd8 Bxd8 Bd6 and the rook is trapped; White wins an exchange.
If Na6 right away on the other hand, Bf4?! Nc5 and Black is a little better. Rxd1 Raxd1 Be6 with, perhaps, a faster king. So White goes Qe2 and it's equal... perhaps Black has to untangle a little still but he has no serious problems.
The crux of it is that Na6 is essential to Black's development, and after O-O Bf4! it's impossible due to the Bd6 tactic. If the N has to go to d7 instead the light-squared bishop is blocked and White can build some serious pressure with Qe2/d2 and Rad1; the N is also simply better-placed on a6, since it can hop to c5 with tempo.
The importance of time in these open-centre positions, even as subtly as here, cannot be underestimated.
I checked it on my PC at a greater depth and the server seems to be right, the very subtle point of 9 ... Na6 is to play 10 ... Nc5 to 10 Bf4, and if you 9 ... 0-0, you do allow 10 Bf4. And if white plays 10. Bxa6 Qxd1 11 Rxd1 bxa6 you get the better part of it with the bishop pair advantage. Or in case of 10. Qe2 Nc5 11 Bc4 Ne6 your knight of e6 is better placed than on b8. In any case you get a slightly better version of it because you develop the knight with the "Nc5 tempo" (threatning the bishop).
Interesting stuff! Great analysis #6 @Rrhyddhad and #7 @kenzaburo!
I have let my engine ponder on this while i was buying food (seven lines, depth 33 each) and 9...c5! looks like the most precise move. For example 9...c5 10.Bf4 Nc6 11.Qe2 Be6 12.Rad1 Qc8 =+
the 'disadvantage' of 9...0-0 is that black can not get his queen to c8 like in the above line but must move her to b6 after Rad1. Still this is also more or less even.
Nd7 and Na6 can lead to the same lines if white doesnt take on a6 (which is suboptimal): 9...Nd7 10.Qe2 Nc5 11.Bc4 Ne6 12.Nh4! and now both 12...0-0 and 12...Nd4 can lead to quick perpetuals, if white wants that. I leave it to you to figure it out.
9...Be6?! 10.Nd4! Qxd4 11.Rxe6! leads to a slight advantage for white due to his bishoppair
9...Bg4? 10.Qe2 Nd7 11.Bf4 Nc5 12.Rad1 Ne6 13.Bf5 and black loses the queen for rook and bishop.
So, 9...c5! This is the move.
Edit: this fits also into Viktor Korchnois general rule "If you have the possibility to put your piece on the natural development square (me: c6 in this case) you should do so".
the 'disadvantage' of 9...0-0 is that black can not get his queen to c8 like in the above line but must move her to b6 after Rad1. Still this is also more or less even.
Nd7 and Na6 can lead to the same lines if white doesnt take on a6 (which is suboptimal): 9...Nd7 10.Qe2 Nc5 11.Bc4 Ne6 12.Nh4! and now both 12...0-0 and 12...Nd4 can lead to quick perpetuals, if white wants that. I leave it to you to figure it out.
9...Be6?! 10.Nd4! Qxd4 11.Rxe6! leads to a slight advantage for white due to his bishoppair
9...Bg4? 10.Qe2 Nd7 11.Bf4 Nc5 12.Rad1 Ne6 13.Bf5 and black loses the queen for rook and bishop.
So, 9...c5! This is the move.
Edit: this fits also into Viktor Korchnois general rule "If you have the possibility to put your piece on the natural development square (me: c6 in this case) you should do so".
#9 @nh78 what engine did you use to evaluate this?
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