TL Chess Match - Page 17

7.... d5
8 Ne5 is no real threat for black, nothing to worry about.

why do you want to play Bxc3 now, if we spennt 2 days arguing about why it shouldn't be played before ?? to play Bxc3 now, it would have been played before

I think there is a fair bit of difference between playing it now and playing it before we both castled. It isn't a bad move now although I personally don't want to do it.

I don't see what is wrong with 7...Bxc3. It is just as sound as any of the other options we have available. In fact it is probably the most played move recently at the grandmaster level. It makes no sense to say that just because we didn't play it before that we shouldn't play it now.
I prefer 7...c5 but any of the following moves are completely viable and depend solely on the type of midgame position we want to reach: Bxc3, d5, h6. Also Qc8, Nc6, d6 have also seen play at the grandmaster level within the past 10 years or so and might be worth considering if we wish get out of opening preparations.

I'm prepared to play d6 and the bishop becomes useless. Castling also allows us to now immediately support the e pawn. Black will have the option of creating play along e or c files. A lot of these moves look equally good now, I could also support d5 or h6, although I think h6 is better.

With the idea of d5 and then Nd7

d5 would not be as good a continuation because it then allows his knight to take the beautiful e5 square, a much better follow up is d6, this would makes blacks position slightly better

I quite like ...Bxc3 in the current position, for the reasons given by Tangeng. The dark square bind AND the doubled pawns is quite a nice grab for giving up the dark square bishop. We probably wouldnt want to exchange our c-pawn for the d-pawn in that line though, instead we would want to play for an eventual e5 and really grip those dark squares, then focus on making more out of our knights than white can out of his bishops. See many of the Dzindihasvilli or Christiansen games in this line for examples (its a Nimzo-Indian, uncommon 4th white moves, E13 i believe)

Bxc3 is better now that previously, because of the castling. White can move the knight next turn, then play a3, and we are at a timing disadvantage, over the lines where we take. We are only disadvantaged if white plays EXACTLY that line, but why give him the option? Thats how the argument runs.

yes its a slow move, but what exactly can white do? He is very limited in options, and rapid exchanges from here just lead to a draw. White is forced to play very riskily and creatively to play for an edge, which is great, because we could just defend than when an endgame. Its a boring line though, I admit