I can beat you all on this condition

Bc5

Stockfish @33 ply likes:

1st: Nbd7 

2nd: Qb6

3rd: Bc5

All of them get almost the same evaluation, around 1.00

solskytz, will see about the match :)

Well at least the position isn't a mate in one. You sir must have a large e-penis. 

What's Erik laughing at?

<advertisment>

There is a precedent.

</advertisment>

9...Nbd7

10.Nc3

<Irontiger> interesting and enlightening!!

<Ajian> saw your 10th... :-) more detailed commentary and 'my' own next move will follow

p.s. clever of you to make the move with the best Houdini eval AT MOVE NINE at move ten... :-)

I guess that at some point this "policy", if you keep to it, will spell disaster, so better watch out (but I do know that you're doing your best)

Cheers!

Solskytz

Houdini and I share the task: Houdini is responsible for the 3139-rated play -I'm responsible only for the trash talk...

Stockfish 5 @36 ply: 10...Bc5 Evaluation: +0.82

You are right, he shouldn't survive the first 30 moves. I've been testing Stockfish with some friends rated from 1200 to 1600 in 30 minute games, and they lost every single time even with knight and rook odds. Evaluation was -8. Here is how we did it: I put white in a very bad position by losing my king knight and my king rook (a very similar position you encounter in the Damiano Defence), then let Stockfish take control. What follows is amazing: it forms a cluster around the centre squares with every single piece it has been left with, yes, king included. It reminded me of the movie 300 or that scene in the Avengers where they stay close together in the Battle of New York. Within 12 moves, the 1200 players were dead. They didn't even get the chance to try and throw another blow.

With queen odds against the 1600 players they didn't even survive the first 35 moves. I crushed the white queen into black's f-pawn right at the beginning of the game, and then let Stockfish take control. Same thing, the pieces form a cluster of pieces where they support each other and work in total synergy; the human opponent suddenly doesn't see any weak spot, and bit by bit the evaluation goes from -7 to a crushing victory for the engine.

It's very interesting to observe, because you'll never see GMs defend such bad positions, but we have defended positions this bad, and the engines can give you an idea of how to do it. If I have to summarise what they do, I'd say just one word: Synergy.

When I play Houdini, Rook odds is where we break even, give or take... however I grant myself an additional time advantage: I play with 5 minutes + 10 seconds/move, where Houdini only gets 5 minutes flat... 

Now to the game at hand. 

<Ajian> With your move, 9. Nc3, you have selected Houdini's top choice! Which is closely followed by 9. Ng5 and 9. Nd4. 

Houdini is now a bit more optimistic about your chances, evaluating your advantage at +0.55. 

It could be that at its previous evaluation, Houdini thought: "This player, who doesn't even understand that he has to play Nc3, can't be more that +0.49 against me in this position". It can be seen that now it appreciates you more, and it certainly should!

As far as answering you goes, Houdini was seriously considering 9...Qb6, but after due reflection (at 17 ply this time) it settled on 9...Bc5. No other move came even close. 

Can't we just be happy that he's laughing?

11. Be2

I have no idea what move to do next.

But I can't stress enough that c6 is "hanging"!!!

Thus, we need to do something about it, ASAP!

You're in for a surprise: Stockfish 5 @37 ply likes 11...0-0  +0.85

Thus, totally disregarding the c6 pawn. I wonder if I would had done the same. I guess I would have tried to protect the pawn, the white queen would look too scary this deep in my camp.

It is to white credit (or did he, too, switch to engine mode??! And that without telling us?!?!?!?!), that he disregards the pawn for now... :-) such self control, just busying himself with quiet, relatively unambitious development before attempting further snatching and grabbing...

Houdini appreciates your play, <Ajian>. You have again found its recommended move, which he slightly prefers over 10. h3, and really nothing else. Its evaluation of your position rises even further, and is now standing at a (relatively) staggering +0.60. Very well done!!

As for its answer, Houdini Preferred 10...0-0 over ...Qc7, ...Ng4, ...h6, ...Qb6, ...Rb8 and ...Qb8 - in this order, and all within just nine centipawns (!!) of its main move at 18 ply. Incredible!

Well, it's kind of easy to match engine moves in the opening if you have a good grasp of the opening principles. I'm sure he'll match the engines' first choice again (I would).

i have bad experiences going pawn grabbing against computers... c6 is weak anyway and my development is lagging so I need to catch up.

11...O-O

12. 0-0

He was happy because Baba Ji didn´t enter to chess.com yesterday.

<Ajian> re. your bad experiences - I can definitely relate to that - and not only against computers!!

I'm not sure I've outgrown that greedy habit, though... not completely... 

Pawns in the opening may not be good for your health, but they're definitely YUMMY!!!! :-)

- - - - - - - - - -

Now to the task at hand - It was immediately obvious to Houdini that 12. 0-0 was the one and only move here at +0.59 - with 12. h3 lagging somewhat behind, and moves such as Qc2 and even Qxc6 (in this order, as usual) still a bit further off...

As regarding its answer to you, Houdini thought and thought (at 17 ply today) and finally decided that as basic development was largely taken care of, this could be a good moment to go 12...Qb8. 

As second best it saw 12...Qc7, third was ...Re8 and fourth, ...h6. 

What was surprising to me was that 12...Qb6 was not even on the list.

I would expect 12...Qb6 to be the chosen move - but perhaps the chip-monster felt that his Q could be too exposed (maybe to Na4 at some point? or to a3 or Rb1 at some point, followed by b4 and Be3?) on b6... go figure!