Would you take the b-pawn?

Originally posted by aginis
i definetly prefer white after 9...Qxb2 10.O-O Qxa1? 11.Qb3 Na5 12.Kf8 Qxa5 13.Qb2 Nbd2 14.Rc8? Qxd5 15.Nh6 Bb5 (your "messy" line plus 15.Nh6)

Indeed. I didn't see the Na5 move protecting the b-pawn.

I saw something like Qb3 Nh6 Qxb7 attacking the knight and rook,
0-0, Qxc6 etc...

My king was causing me a headache in the lines I saw so I thought it would take the safe way out with Nh6.

Taking the pawn is tempting but if you aren't a computer there are so many ways to go wrong as that analysis shows. Is all that trouble seriously worth it for a pawn?

Originally posted by RahimK
Indeed. I didn't see the Na5 move protecting the b-pawn.

I saw something like Qb3 Nh6 Qxb7 attacking the knight and rook,
0-0, Qxc6 etc...

My king was causing me a headache in the lines I saw so I thought it would take the safe way out with Nh6.

Taking the pawn is tempting but if you aren't a computer there are so many ways to go wrong as that analysis shows. Is all that trouble seriously worth it for a pawn?

definetly, thats how you win games. Waiting for your opp to make a mistake feels wrong to me.BTW please see my above post for a stronger continuation for black after Qxb2 O-O Bxf3!! Bxf3 Qxa1

Originally posted by aginis
on the topic of 1...Qxb2 2.O-O

1...Qxb2 2.O-O Qxa1 3.Qb3 (threatening Qxb7 which pretty nasty) Rb8 4.Nc3 Qxf1 5.Kxf1 would make me pretty nervous as black considering that my kingside is completely undeveloped and my king uncastled.

however 1...Qxb2 2.O-O Bxf3! 3.Bxf3 Qxa1 4.Qb3 Nxd4 5.Qa4+ (Qxb7 Rd8) b5 6.Bxd4 bxa4 7.Bxa1 e6 leaves black up an exchange (discounting the weak pawn on a4 as its half dead already)

Second line with the Bxf3

4.Qb3 instead 4.Qd2 and all is good in merry land.

4.Qd2 e6 5.Nc3 Qxf1+ 6.Kxf1 Nge7 -0.48 I got.

Qb3 is a blunder in that position. Qd2 is much better.

Originally posted by RahimK
Second line with the Bxf3

4.Qb3 instead 4.Qd2 and all is good in merry land.

4.Qd2 e6 5.Nc3 Qxf1+ 6.Kxf1 Nge7 -0.48 I got.

Qb3 is a blunder in that position. Qd2 is much better.

how does the computer rate 1...Qxb2 2.Nbd2 etc.

Originally posted by aginis
how does the computer rate 1...Qxb2 2.Nbd2 etc.

(9... Qxb2 10. O-O (10. Nbd2 Nh6 11.
Nb3 Bf5 12. Nh4 Be4 13. Qc1 Qxc1+ 14. Rxc1 O-O 15. Nc5 Nb4 {
This line looks equal. -0.21})

I belive that is the line there, so -0.21 .

Maybe this is chess program thing but initially it was -0.87 or so for Qxb2 but as you go further down the line it gets less and less to -0.21.

9.Nh6 the move I played was next with -0.40 so in the end maybe Nh6 was better assume I had the absolute best moves for both sides in the above line.

I only spend 20sec-1 min on each of those moves so it wasn't great analysis.