Kasim-Karpov. 1-0
Kasim now played b4!? White is willing to sac the exchange (Knight for Rook)
Will your engine play it? I think this move is one of the types of moves that highlights the presence of superior chess understanding in an engine (latest HIARCS, Fritz, Shredder, Junior and Rybka). No hair-raising Kingside attack is present, but what mattered was positional compensation for the sacrifice of the exchange. A "Petrosian-like" move maybe.
Fritz 6, Junior 6, Nimzo 8, Tiger 14 era engines (1999-2001) cannot yet fully comprehend this type of move.
Some of the 2002-2005 (pre-rybka/fruit 2.2.1) engines would momentarily showcase b4!? but would soon shrug it off. Some exceptions are Junior and Fritz.
The latest generation of top engines will at least consider b4!? up to their 2nd candidate move choices, whereas older engines will only consider the move when you look at their 4th candidate selection.
I believe Rybka 2.3.2a gives b4!? the highest eval for White among the analyses of the top engines (something around -0.13 after just a few seconds of thought on a dual core rig)
GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan)-GM Anatoly Karpov (Russia), Vitoria-Gasteiz 2007: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2 Capablanca's system against the Nimzo-Indian Defense. d5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 Qxc3 Ne4 7 Qc2 c5 8 dxc5 Nc6 9 cxd5 Most common is 9 e3 Qa5+ 10 Bd2 Nxd2 11 Qxd2 dxc4, with even chances. exd5 10 e3 Or 10 Nf3 Bf5 11 b4 d4! 12 g4 Bg6 13 Qc4 d3!, as in Kramnik-Anand, Dortmund 1999. Qa5+ 11 b4!? New. Nxb4 12 axb4 Qxa1 13 Bb5+ Kf8 Also 13 . . . Bd7 14 Bxd7+ Kxd7 15 Ne2 gives White adequate compensation for the exchange. 14 Ne2 a5 Plausible. White would not mind 14 . . . Bf5 15 Qb3. 15 f3 Nf6 16 0-0 Qe5 Probably best, as 16 . . . axb4 17 Bb2 Qa5 18 Ra1 Qxa1+ 19 Bxa1 favors White slightly. 17 e4!? Black's backward development justifies White's aggression. dxe4 18 Bf4 Qf5 Not 18 . . . Qe6? 19 Rd1 Bd7 because 20 Bxd7 Nxd7 21 Bd6+ Kg8 22 Nf4 Qh6 23 Nd5 f5 24 Nc7 threatens 25 Qc4+ and 25 Nxa8. 19 g4 Qg6 Now 19 . . . Qe6? drops the Queen to 20 Bd6+ Kg8 21 Nf4. 20 Qd2 Be6 21 Bb8! Relying on 21 . . . Rxb8?? 22 Qd6+. Nd5?? Losing. After 21 . . . Bd5! 22 Nf4 Qh6 23 Bd6+ Kg8, White has nothing better than 24 Nxd5 Qxd2 25 Ne7+ Kf8 26 Ng6+ Kg8 27 Ne7+, drawing.
