but this was based more on feelings than on specific analysis.

I respectfully disagree. Exactly what does the ♖ do on b2? Kingside expansion is better with the ♖ on c1, and rb2 dosen't seem to give us any meaningful queenside play.

<i thought white had the advantage as simplification occurred, but i am not convinced by the tactical sequence which was inaugurated by bf4. i had the impression that white was trying to force matters by tactics, which allowed black to move his h pawn forwards and ultimately eliminate the weakness.

if i had been playing white i wd have looked around the bf4 stage for something that reduced tactics to a minimum and got white a long term strategic dark square grip.>

Specific analysis would help. 30. Bf4 did increase our influence on the dark squares.

I looked briefly on yours, and other White team members, analysis on 22.Rc1 option. it seems that most of them concentrated at 22...Bd7 replay.

but the Black team intends to answer 22...Nf7 on both 22.Ra2 or 22.Rc1.

you can check the Black team analysis and see that in most of them we intends to leave our bishop at a4 as long as it needed.

I guess that after 22.Rc1 Nf7 the White team would continue with 23.Nf2 and now the question is how should Black proceed?

after 23...Qd8, as in the real game, I think that you are correct and the rook is placed better at c1.

my point is that for true evaluation which move is better (22.Rc1 or 22.Ra2) we need more then White team analysis. our team intends to retreat the a4 bishop to d7, only as a respond to Rf2-e2 maneuver. in few other line, especially if White play g3(4), we consider a retreat to c6 to support the d5 pawn and Nd6-e4 maneuver.

I think that for solving (or at least getting close for solving) the 22.Rc1 or 22.Ra2 question, we need a lot of time and engines power.

there were also some interesting cases when one team was surprised by the other team move. from reading White team posts, I have the impression that almost all our moves between 17-22 were a surprise for them. on the other hand the Black team wasn't ready for 30.Bf4 (which I think is a good move) and underestimate the power of 33.Bg5.

I must say that even now those moves 17-22 of Black leave good impression and I am happy with the way we (team Black) played this part of the game.

<on the other hand the Black team wasn't ready for 30.Bf4 (which I think is a good move) and underestimate the power of 33.Bg5.>

Yes, the forcing maneuvers Bf4 Bg5 Be7 put us under a great deal of pressure and we almost blew it with 37...Ke7(?) that we originally intended to play.

It is quite interesting that in this part of the game, we (Blacks) were finding the game moves as if by braile, while <TCE> on the White side had the game variation spelled out practically a month ahead of its time.

Perhaps this was so because the Black position was clearly the more difficult one to play and we were searching for a more immediate, more forcing solutions to get to safer watters?

--

there are few other interesting moments in the game that I will be glad to have engine evaluation on them:

1. 28.Qe2 instead of Qxh4 - was it better for White to leave the queens on board?

2. 23...h5 instead of 23...Qd8 - keeping the game in close nature.

3. 29...Kh7 instead of 29...29...Nf6 - I thought at the time that Kh7 is the simplest way to draw.

4. 41...Re4 instead of 41...Nd6 - I think that the Black team took good practical decision to avoid Re4, which looks to risky, and enter into slightly worse ending. but it will be interesting to see the best continueation after 41...Re4.

<TCE> After 22...Nf7:

click for larger view

Up to 19-ply, <23.Nf2> was leading, but then,

1. it is interesting that the same position in the line you gave (22.Rc1 Nf7 23. g3 Bc6 24. Nf2 h5 25. Ra1 Ba4 26. Ra2) can be reached by 22.Ra2 Nf7 23.Nf2 h5 24.g3 Bc6 with the difference that in the second case it is White to move!

click for larger view

[+0.11] d=19 25...Qa4 26.Ra2 Qa5 27.Bg2 N7d6 28.Qe5 Nf7 29.Qe2 (4:13.34)

[+0.11] d=18 25...Ba4 26.Ra2 Bc6 27.Bg2 N7d6 28.Qe5 Nf7 29.Qe2 (3:48.58)

[+0.11] d=18 25...N7d6 26.Nh3 Ba4 27.Ra2 Nf7 28.Bg2 Bc6 29.Qe2 Qa4 30.Bf3 Qa5 31.Bg2 Qa4 32.Bf3 Qa5 33.Bg2 Qa4 34.Bf3 Qa5 35.Bg2 Qa4 36.Bf3 Qa5 37.Bg2 Qa4 38.Bf3 Qa5 39.Bg2 Qa4 40.Bf3 Qa5 (3:51.00)

it seems to me that Rybka doesn't have any plan for both sides :)

<<What does 31...Rc8 do there to make progress? It undoubles the rook onto a pretty closed file. If this is the best move we can make in that position, I really hope that line doesn't win the votes.> The idea is Rc8-c6-a6. Attacking the a pawn (after our bishop has gone to d7 or e8), defending e6 and defending d6 (for our knight)>.