NOTE: This is the position just before Shulman's 21st move in the infamous
tiebreaker that determined the 2010 U.S. Championship winner.

If Shulman had played 21. Nb2 instead as Shahade and Ashley suggested could
he have won or would Kamsky have drawn anyway?

Remember, Kamsky was behind on time and according to the rules only had to
draw as black to win the title.  The complete game can be viewed under the
"News" heading by author SonofPearl.

well i remember watching the game as it was played....I dont see why nb6 would have to be so clearly better than whatever he played (i dont remember exactly what it was)...white had very strong pressure well into the endgame, with constant winning chances...kamsky got into serious time pressure (and remember they both really didnt have much time in this game anyway)...the only moment white's advantage was blown was when they both started having to blitz their moves...this is not suprising since kamsky is an excellent blitz player.

My gut feeling is that if one has more time on the clock than the opponent, and if the opponent is under time pressure, one should avoid simplifying the position. Nb2 in this position keeps more pieces on the board, which IMO should be an asset in the game.

oh nevermind nc6 IS what he played...and you wanted nb2...well...to play good chess you need a more sophisticated plan than just always refusing to exchange. The reason he had a time edge in the 1st place, and a good position for the whole game, is precisely because he followed a clear plan with simple moves and simple objectives. If he happened to have some plan about what do with  the knight on b2 then maybe he wouldve played that, but I dont see why it should necessarily change the result. Without having any clear way to start getting into the black position (like via c6) its hard to see how Nb2 is necessarily even trying to play for a win.

Nb2 is not my suggestion.  It was the suggestion of the announcers Shahade and
Ashley.

I believe part of their reasoning was it avoided the queen exchange in addition
to the time difference.  I believe at this point Kamsky was down to only about 8 minutes while Shulman had about 15 minutes.