I don't know who your coach is but there is a more fundamental lesson to be learned here. White should have played Rc7 instead in order to double rooks.
b3 was the most valuable square here, not b2.
when should he have payed Rc7?
And how is b3 the most important square? a3 is.
In your analysis, why not just 3...Rxa7 (capturing the bishop instead of the pawn)
Oh, I see now.
Anyways, this was to merely show the power of the pawn on b2, not what my opponent could have played. Nice analysis, though!
"the power of the pawn on b2"
I can't see how keeping the pawn on b2 is powerful. I am wondering if there is some queenside castle theory that has a3 and the pawn stays at b2. Perhaps, whoever is "promoting" this pawn on b2 idea is mixing up their middle game strategies.
If the pawn was not on b2, then the queen would be able to move to a3 and defend the bishop on f8.
"the power of the pawn on b2"
I can't see how keeping the pawn on b2 is powerful. I am wondering if there is some queenside castle theory that has a3 and the pawn stays at b2. Perhaps, whoever is "promoting" this pawn on b2 idea is mixing up their middle game strategies.
If the pawn was not on b2, then the queen would be able to move to a3 and defend the bishop on f8.
Can you show me what you mean? I don't understand how black queen gets to a3 and why would bishop go to f8?
@tigerprowl5: I don't know how you missed everything 2000mushroom posted in the first post...
@2000mushroom: simply brilliant. Though Black can refuse the sacrifice, but I doubt he could bring himself to do it.
"the power of the pawn on b2"
I can't see how keeping the pawn on b2 is powerful. I am wondering if there is some queenside castle theory that has a3 and the pawn stays at b2. Perhaps, whoever is "promoting" this pawn on b2 idea is mixing up their middle game strategies.
If the pawn was not on b2, then the queen would be able to move to a3 and defend the bishop on f8.
Can you show me what you mean? I don't understand how black queen gets to a3 and why would bishop go to f8?
I was playing in an OTB tournament against a 1900, and I managed to beat him in the end, but when I analyzed the game after with my chess coach, I realized that my opponent had a different move that would have given him a better position (a better position than he ended up with, anyways). This would be the position:
In this position, my opponent played 21. Rc2. However, my chess coach pointed out that instead 21. Be3 would have provided as a better alternative. But then I pointed out that I could just play Qxa2. After a few minutes of looking at the position, we noticed an amazing tactic.
Now my queen is completely on the other side of the board, and my queen cannot even defend the pinned bishop by moving to a3 because of the b2 pawn! Rh1+ could be tried of course, but there is no way for the queen to even move back to g7 because of the b2 pawn in its way! After giving up a rook and a queen, white has victory because of a pawn on b2.