Interesting double edged game. The line following 8...Nxh2 is known and perfectly fine (8...Qf6 may be better).

17...c5 was not quite WC stuff (planning long castle) since it gives white a nicely placed group of queenside pawns. In light of this, 21...Be6 22.Ra3 a6 was a bad plan, after 24.c5 white has a winning attack.

1.d4 d5; 2.c4 c6; 3.Nf3 Nf6; 4.Nc3 e6; 5.e3 Nbd7; 6.Qc2,

According to my default database,
(based on "Big '08 - but I have
made many additions, it's now at
almost eight million games);
Chajes played this against Kashdan
in 1924, the Soviets were already
experiementing with this line in the
late 1940's.

[For the lines of:
6.Bd3 dxc4; 7.Bxc4 b5;
8.Bd3 a6; 9.e4 c5;
see column 01, beginning on
page # 463.]

6...Bd6;

This is standard, although many players also will try 6...Be7; as well.

7.g4!?,

The Shabalov-Shirov System.

[ Or White could try: 7.Be2 0-0; 8.0-0 dxc4;
9.Bxc4 b5; 10.Be2, 10...Bb7; PB]

7...Bb4; 8.Bd2 Qe7; 9.g5 Bxc3; 10.Bxc3,
This was forced.

[ </= 10.gxf6? Bxd2+ ]

10...Ne4; 11.Bd3 Nxc3; 12.Qxc3 dxc4;

The end of column # 33, page # 474.

13.Bxc4 b6!?; 14.0-0-0 Bb7; 15.e4 0-0; 16.Rhe1 Rfd8; 17.Qe3 Rac8; (Good now - 18.Kb1.)

De Firmian is calling this equal ... Black has no major problems.

This is the game:
GM Michal Krasenkow (2635) -
IM Thomas Henrichs (2491); [D45]
10th HZ Open
Vlissingen, NED; (R# 4), 07,08,2006.
(This game was a long draw.)

[ See MCO-15, page # 474;
column # 33, and all applicable notes.
See especially note (l.) for this line. ]

click for larger view

21...Bd7-e6 simply gave up control of the white diagonal d7-a4 especially squares c6,b5. Black hopes to exchange rooks on the d-file but White does not oblige and instead 22.Rd3-a3 puts pressure on the a-file by attacking the a7-pawn.

22...a6 just allows 23.c6 breaking up the Black king's pawn cover.

It is funny how the Black king runs to the queen side for safety on move 19...O-O-O only to return to the king side on move 25...Kd7 and 28...Ke8.

He looks like an international playboy, got that sleek look of the super-wealthy, film star looks so - who knows? - maybe like Capablanca he's a bit of a ladies man and is unable to attend sufficiently to the mandatory chores of cutting edge theory (not requiring too much effort in Capa's day) preferring other, less cerebral, 'pursuits? ('s ok i'm very legalistic folks - that's not sue-able). Great player - i wish him well and hope he finds time to storm the top 10 once more while still in his prime.

According to the new "Power-Book" there are now like eight moves BEFORE 7...NxP/g4. [Some of the better alternatives are A.) 7...Bb4; the main line. B.) 7...a6 C.) 7...dxc4; and D.) 7...h6.]

Granted, other moves are totally playable but Nxg4 is no in way inferior theoretically and objectively it could be the strongest (if all black wants to achieve is a draw).

As with any tool, but good luck in trying to persuade <DrNICHEVO> to anything which doesn't agree with his point of view.

<Would you hold up a copy of MCO 1 and tell the guy with MCO 15 he's wrong? No one would.>

The above-named poster certainly would, so great are his certitude and determination to force-feed his thoughts down the throats of others.

<However to learn ideas, concepts and inspiration... (or just fun) then books are a treasure trove.>

I am thinking I could quote 10 books - and you would just wave your hand. (I have already quoted MCO-15 and "Power-Book" and you blew off both of those. Just one problem, they were assembled by ALL masters ... most are GM's and a few are recognized as being top experts in the lines that they were chosen to analyze.)

You SAY "Shirov said" (blah-blah-blah) but I don't see you bothering to quote any links or any books.

The internet is full of absolute falsehooods. Every day in my SPAM folder, (which I check daily to make sure that no real chess e-mails get lost in the shuffle, this has happened on occasion); I won the lottery, some guy is going to give me a gazillion dollars for letting him use my bank account for a few days, (illegal AND stupid!); someone wants to sell me VIAGRA, dirt-cheap; someone else is claiming to be a master when its blatantly obvious that he is not ... the list goes on and on and on.

Your loss. My gain.