Last time, I asked you White should recapture in the following position:
In the game, White erroneously captured with the pawn, 35.bxc3? – more on that position later. But for now I will say that White is down a pawn for less than nothing there.
35.Bxc3! would have been basically fine for White!
Originally, I had written that White should have exchanged off Black’s more active dark squared bishop. Fair enough, but now I realize there is a far more significant reason for this move: King safety! Black’s bishop is the guardian of his kingside dark squares, which have been compromised by the White pawn on h6. If it gets traded, the weakness of Black’s king will prevent him from making use of his extra pawn. There also won’t be a way to dislodge White’s active queen. This will probably be clear if you try moving the pieces around; Black is tied down to the defense of his king.
After the incorrect 35.bxc3?, the following position was reached.
How would you play for Black? Solution coming soon!