Maybe 8... Rc8 is rare for a reason? I have no clue on any deep analysis here but its just a thought. Its for sure not a bad move.
Also, Your 15... g4 refresh accident. Would you have played that again if you had the choice? What else were you looking at?
Here is the specific note I took on the move:
"I want to test the following moves for white after g4. hxg4 Bxe6 exd5 or Be2 somehow I played the move before I was ready.. crap."
I was also looking at dxe and Bxg3, but was looking at g4 first before the mishap.
In the exchange variation of the slav, I don't think it takes "the game of your life" to make a draw.
Even I pulled off a draw again at GM in the exchange slav. I would recommend looking at some krammik games where he plays an early ne5. Also, another more common line, is to play it like it was an a6 slav and just attack the e4 square by putting bishop on b7. White really needs e4 to get play but it will be dangerous under that system.
If memory serves, 7.rc1 and 7.ne5 are preferred in this line. equal chances of course but black must play a bit more accurately.
Yeah, I think you might be right. 7. Rc1 might follow similar development lines as the game since g4 is still open for the bishop.
I'm not so sure about 7. Ne5. Black can force a change to the pawn structure making it into a non-symmetrical game. If white were hoping to play this completely semmetrical down to a draw then he might avoid that. 7. ...Qb6 forces NxN and there you go. Dynamic queenside play.
I use a the tool at chesszen.com to guage my progress as a chess player. I was going to ask you guys for help on this one because I couldn't seem to find any improvement in the post game or with a computer. It was following a Nakamura game for the first 15 moves before we deviated. I usually score between 2200 and 2500 performance wise on chesszen, but this time the game came back 2793!
Well junk.. do I have to scrap this line because it is too easy for white to play well? My opponent's performance was over 2650. Did he just have the game of his life to make this draw? Take a look and tell me if these moves for white are the same that you would choose? (or if you can improve my game any I'm all ears.. (I've checked it with stockfish, but not any other analysis software)