Move 34: The Conditional Move Thread

After

33.Qb3 Rb8

34.Bc4 (most likely)

We have to come up with a satisfactory move.

A safe candidate appears to be 34...h6

This is my posting in the last move 33 thread (showing riskiness of 34...b5?!):

This is the posting of Estragon showing yet another hazard of 34...b5?!:

And Savyma's reply/modification to Estragon's line:

34...h6 appears better, but we have to come up with a follow-up

We have to come up with a good continuation after

35.g4, 35.Bd5, 35.Rg3

Alenka's continuation after 35.Bd5 of 35...Rc5 is good and OK

We have to mainly focus on finding a suitable reply for 35.g4

What about 34...Kf8 to get our king off the sensitive diagonal?

Riga, glad to see you here.

what will be the continuation after 34...Kf8 35.g4 h6 36.h4 (36...Qd7 37.g5) ?

In dsarkar's line after 34...b5, what if White plays 35 Bd5 Rc5 36 c4?  That looks pretty good for White to me.

bigdoug,

thank you very much for pointing out a threat from a new direction!

A very pertinent line indeed!

@bigdoug: this line seems to place white in a good position.

one question I have is, what if, Natalia plays Rg3 for her 34th move and delays Bc4?

Riga, I have a diagram for you. (above)

ivan_the_truble,

What about 46. Rxc1

Or maybe I lined the bored up wrong, but can't white just take the rook..

I was trying to make a diagram from the diagram above.  What is the initial move order?

So we are saying Bc4 h6 Bd5 Rc5, then what if she play Ra4 first, the c4 adding support to the bishop and giving the queen freedom to move along the 3rd rank without leaving the a-pawn vulnerable

Evan,

I have to disagree with you on a number of moves:

(1) 38.Bd3 is not forced - white can play 38.Bc4

(2) 40.Bc2 is an inferior move - better is 40.Bc4

(3) white wouldn't play 41.Qd5 to exchange queens - earlier Rc3 is more agressive

(4) 45...Rc1? is a bad move: white can play (instead of 46.f3) 46.Rxd6! getting two passed pawns!

(5) after 45...Ba5?? white can play 46.b4!! (Bxb4 47.b6!! and black cannot stop white's b-pawn from queening) 46...Bd8 47.Rc8 white gets the bishop

I am not posting a diagram of your moves right now - hopefully you shall change your moves, and then we can proceed.

Savyma,

I gave 5 points - you discussed only the first move.

OK, let us do your line again:

b5 should not be played before h6. b5 is our 35th move with h6 being our 34th.

I am doing a "notepad tree analysis" on this position - will take some time...

please use Pogonina Game Analysis Board to study the lines

We might be able to play b5 after

34.Bc4 h6

    35.g4 b5* 36. axb6 Rcxb6

        37.Bxa6 d5!!** 38.exd5 e4!!***

            39.Re3 Bd4!!

                40.cxd4 Rxb4

                40.Rxb6 Rxb6 41.Qc4 Qxc4 42.Bxc4 Bxe3 43.fxe3 Rxb2

            39.Rf5 Qd6!! 40.Rxb6 Rxb6

            39.Rxf6!? (may be best reply to 37...d5 line) gxf6 (Rxb4 not good)

                    40.Rxb6 Rxb6 41.Qc4 Qxc4 42.Bxc4 Rxb2

                    40.Qc4 Qxc4 41.Bxc4 Rxb4 42.cxb4 Rxb4 43.b3

                    40.Bc4 Rxb4 41.cxb4 e3!! (42.fxe3 Qg3+)

                    40.Be2 e3! 41.Rxb6 Rxb6 42.Qc2 exf2+ 43.Kg2 Qb7!

                    40.Bf1 ...

                    40.Kg2 ...

        37.Rxb6 Rxb6

            38.Qa2

            38.Qa4 Qc6!

    35.Bd5 Rc5

        36.Ra4

        36.Bxb7 Rxa5

        36.Rxb7 Rxb7 37.Qxb7 Qxb7 38.Bxb7 Rxa5

* b5 is (1) only option currently left to us (Kf8 just falls short), as white's pawn-storm is otherwise unstoppable.

(2) slightly more hopeful because of the new d5 option open to us.

** d5 here is playable just because white has played (1) g4 (2) Bxa6

with her pawn still on g2, and the bishop at c4, d5 is useless/harmful.

*** e4 (1) displaces white's rook, (2) opens black's queen's diagonal h2-c7 for counter-play along with (3) possible participation of black's bishop.

isn't there a threat we can't stop without b5?

I believe it's 3 attackers and 2 defenders on b7.

I agree with ivan.  b5 is disastrous.  h6 is much better.

While I agree that ...b5 is very risky on this move to take, I still cannot quite explain to myself (or to anyone else, for that matter) why ...h6 would be preparing the ground for ...b5 next (and why ...b5 may be better on the next move).  After all, in none of the direct ...b5 variations I saw was there a direct checkmating threat that made the difference in white's favor (or a quick g4-g5 threat), so why would ...h6 matter?

Can any of you put that into simple words, rather than long lines?  I don't think I can do that even after reviewing the lines offered here, and it's a necessary thing for us to do in order to explain to people on the main forum, since it's definitely not obvious...

BTW, in case of 34...h6 35.g4 b5 36.a:b6 Rc:b6 37.R:b6 (from what I have seen so far, this seems strongest for white) R:b6 38.Qa2 (one of dsarkar's notepad variations above), I propose 38...a5!?, so that in response to 39.Q:a5 we have 39...Rc6 40.Qa8+ Qc8 41.Q:c8 R:c8, and even though a pawn down, we can work on blocking the b-pawn and simultaneously defending our weak d-pawn and or the f7-pawn, so there are drawing chances here definitely.

b5 then take the white b pawn on a6 with the b rook and press up to b4 for RxR , if Bxa6 R(c)xB