hai how are you nice games well sacrifices all the very best to you

A last option: 13 Ng2 b4 14 Na4( I see nothing terrible after 14 Nxe4 dxe4 15 Qxe4+ Ne7 16 Bxb4 with piece by three pawns but the white pieces are not well placed and now 16.... Nf6 17 Qc2 the white queen doesn´t have good squares 17... Ned5 threat bishop 18 Bd2 Qe7 and now threaten 19 ...Ne4) 14...a5 and If 15 Be2 Ba6 and we prevent f3....

Edit: If 16 Bxa6 Rxa6 17 Rdf1 we have "the paradoxical" 17...Qf6(threaten placing the queen on f3 if the opportunity presents)

your first idea is interesting, with b4-a5 instead of f5. then if white plays rg1 in order to play f3, black might be able to go ba6 next, and trade be2 before white can use it to push f3. although white still has a bit more space, and black some issues with the king, this is looking better than any of the other lines.

the h5 pawn sacrifice i don't like as much. i think the critical response would be f3, rather than taking the pawn. and does black want to trade hg hg rh1 rh1? i don't think so, bc white is the one who will have use of the h-file in that line.

and yeah, i'm sure i missed various things. it was not exhaustive analysis; i just tried out a few lines, and then gave my impressions.

I read your lines(I missed some details but I think you also)

master Pruess a "better line" (I hope so):  11... e4 12 Nh4 Ng8 13 Nf5 g6 14 Ng3 Ne7 15 Be2 b4!? 16 Na4 a5 and now it doesn´t is possible f3 because the knigth in g3 is attack by the bishop in c7(this gives us critical time in this position dangerous)......

It seems more dangerous line with 13 Ng2 Ne7 14 Be2 h5!? (sacrifice pawn but hindering the check from the bishop on h5 and desviating pawn g for play f5) 15 gxh5?¡(may be better 15 g5 f5 16 gxf6a.p. Nxf6 17 f3 b4 18 Na4 a5 19 fxe4 Nxe4) 15...b4 16 Na4 a5 17 f3 f5 preparing Nf6..... and the advantage pawn I do not think a "real" advantage....

ozzie- i don't have a particular preference between cd Bd3 and Bd3 dc Bc4. maybe if i knew more of the wrinkles of theory i would. more often i have this position as white than as black, but i'm happy to play it with either color. iqps are really rich, an important part of chess that my coach had me work on from a fairly early point in my development.

kurodo- thought provoking ideas. thanks! i have edited the blog to add your lines to my game, and then i did some analysis and shared some of my thoughts about it.

hahaha, hilarious wise words from your "brother" I'm assuming?

I´m crazy maybe but I  think it´s playable in first game  11...e4 12 Nh4 Ng8!? 13 Ng2 (or 13 Nf5 g6 14 Ng3 Ne7 15 Be2 f5 16 gxf5 ) 13...  Ne7 14 Ae2 g6 15 f3 f5 16 gxf5 Nxf5 and if now 17 fxe3 Ng3 18 Rhe1 b5 19 Na4(or Nb1) Nxe4 and looks good for black....Like I am wrong... If 20 Bxb4 Ndf6 preparing Bf5 and advance pawns king flank. I believe there is compensation for the pawn...

g

the b5 move was played by shabalov v. esserman. nice game won by marc, posted on the uscf.

thank you for sharing your games with us D

Maybe possible 11... e4 12 Nh4 Nh5?! 13 Ng2 (or 13 Nf5 g6) a5!? 14 gxh5 Ba6(in first game) and by the piece there is some positional pressure....(equal seems that the position is lost)

IM Pruess, do you prefer to play as black the positions after cxd5 Nxd5 or after Bd3 dxc4 Bxc4?

I've always been led to believe that white should prefer the cxd5 Nxd5 positions, but GM Speelman in a C-K book says that white should prefer the Bd3 lines.

it's possible to take on g4, and as far as i know, it's neither great for black nor terrible. for example, after your moves rg1 h5, white can play h3, and it looks like they regain their pawn.

yeah, there is a bunch of theory on ng4, for example there are possible variations like:

nxg4 rg1 qf6

nxg4 rg1 f5 h3 nf6 rxg7

nxg4 rg1 nxh2

In the first game is there something wrong with 7. g4 Nxg4 then if 8. Rg1 h5

I'm assuming because you didn't take the pawn that there's some theory against this direct approach?

yeah, the exact iqp position we had here can come from a variety of openings including this semi tarrasch and the panov botvinnik you mention. i've had it with both colors.

and the rf8 line suggested by potkin is definitely correct, as you say. i hope that's clear from my notes.

The suggested 18...Rf8 is better. Chessbase calls this move order D42, but after 6.Nc3 it is the same as B14, the Panov Attack. The exchange  4...cxd4 5. exd4 in this game removes Black's c-pawn and White's e-pawn which is what 3.exd5 cxd5 does in the Panov. The next move in the game, 5...d5, reached the same pawn structure. Showing losses is generous. Books with titles such as "How to Beat Player X" are never written by Player X.

I totally think one of my biggest problems is underestamating inferior variations

i'm not sweating it too much, though obviously i didn't enjoy the first game with milanovic all that much.

i don't think that the couple games i play in echess have hurt my game. blitz probably does a little, especially when i'm not playing with im/gms like i will have to face in my tournaments.

i could def. use some better opening prep for black, although the rd 9 game with potkin my opening knowledge was fine.

by the way, i've now added the annotations to the king's gambit game in the previous post. and i'll do a wrap up of the tournament in a few days when i'm home. sam and i both finished with 6/9.

That just goes to show ya how important black piece opening preparation is...