sicilian najdorf main line

The Najdorf Variation [1] of the Sicilian Defence is one of the most respected and deeply studied of all chess openings. Be3 w/ 8. f3 Kasparov vs Fischer - Sicilian Defence - Najdorf Variation - English Attack - 6. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. [WhiteElo "1557"] Rb2+ 0:38:12 Kg1 0:06:19 67. On the day of the famous "massacre" (USSR v. Argentina, WTC 1955) Najdorf had prepared this crazy line as a surprise weapon against the Soviets. I’ve often noted on this site that if black can push d5 comfortably, they can even the game. Black was crushed on all boards. Qd2 0:40:19 Nxd5 0:23:47 – RemcoGerlich Dec 13 '16 at 16:00. The Najdorf got its name from Moishe Mieczslaw (Miquel) Najdorf in the late 1940s. This has been white’s most popular move over the years against the Najdorf variation, by a small margin. then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion. Some of the variations that can occur are e.g. Another possible trap to remember also occurs with the scheveningen. Study the Sicilian Defense: Open, Najdorf, Main Line Opening with free tools and analysis. 0:38:08 Nd7 0:05:35 32. a4 0:37:02 Bf7 0:04:13 33. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited. 104 lines you can learn with ease! [Round "2"] Similar to the previous note, and a common theme in all Sicilian variations, black wants to push d5. It truly has something for every type of player and is important for every chess player to learn and study. In many lines of the Sicilian, b5 becomes a tense square for black to gain control of because there are three white pieces eyeing it up early on: Both knights and the bishop on c1. Nowadays Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is considered the main theoretician in the Najdorf. Bxe6 0:43:03 fxe6 0:44:17 12. 54. It is quite popular in the Najdorf, but against the Rauzer it is not so dangerous for Black: Compared to the Najdorf, Black has a knight on c6 instead of a pawn on ...a6, which is an improvement. However, I was excited during the game because it was the deepest into the main line I've ever played in a blitz game online. Jorge Mendez. The Najdorf Variation in the Sicilian Defense is the most popular line and has been favorited by some of the greatest chess minds that have ever played the game. Adams Attack; English Attack; Main line Bg5; Fischer Sozin Attack; Classical opocensky Variation; O’Kelly … Najdorf: The Poisoned Pawn Variation. 1-0. Rhe1+ Because the d pawn has already been captured, the only way to defend it with a pawn is the f pawn. The Sicilian defence is undoubtedly the most popular opening in modern chess, to such an extent that it makes up a quarter of all games in the Chess Informant database. Sicilian Najdorf 6. Nxd4 0:45:28 Nf6 0:47:34 5. The variations are very complicated and I'm not au courant enough to say much more. The Najdorf variation is the most popular line of the Sicilian defense. Obviously the d7 square must not be occupied by the queen knight for the king knight to drop back there. It is also a flexible idea, one that can transpose into many other Sicilian systems. [Result "1-0"] Messages posted by Chessgames members Rxg8 Bxe7+ 0:44:45 Kxe7 0:42:07 17. If black can ever successfully play d5 under favorable circumstances, they will have evened the game and taken away white’s small edge. The 6. Rb1 0:37:29 Rf8+ 0:29:42 Kxd7 0:42:14 Kc1 0:09:37 73. Kg3 0:38:42 Kf1 It may seem strange, and go against opening principles, by playing a wing pawn move so early, but it has given white some trouble for years and is still one of the strongest ways to play the sicilian for black. Bg5 – “Main Line” Sicilian Najdorf. As far as I know black is still just hanging on here. 0:35:13 Nd7 0:01:56 39. h4 0:34:00 Bb3 0:01:30 40. 0:31:11 Nf6 0:01:09 48. Sound good? Kf3 0:40:52 Kc1 0:08:26 71. Blow the whistle and inform a moderator. [Date "2010.08.13"] Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times. The main idea behind this line is to prepare the move e7-e5, which offers Black a majority in the centre and lots of ambitious attacking ideas. The Chameleon Variation Confronting the Sicilian on Your Own Terms (Carsten Hansen) (1) It is aggressive and yet positional at times. But Mohammed's gotta come to the mountain, you know? ... Download main line. ♗lack resigns In the early days of the Najdorf 7.Qf3 was popular, but the reply 7...h6 did not allow White to obtain any advantage. He had many successes with the opening and thus it was named after him. Named after Grandmaster Miguel Najdorf, this system is designed to exert control over b5 and later put pressure on White's e4 pawn. the Poisened Pawn Variation, the English Attack and the Fischer-Sozin Attack. Rd5 0:41:53 Rc5 Nbd7 0:46:58 9. That’s one of the reasons it’s so solid. But oddly enough, in the Richter-Rauzer (5...Nc6 instead of 5...a6), 7.Qd2 is the main line by far. Kxh3 0:39:24 Ke1 0:07:00 69. Kf4 0:35:46 Kh3 0:06:49 62. a6) is today the most popular line in the Sicilian. Jonathan Schrantz teaches how to play the "Cadillac" of openings, the Sicilian Najdorf. Download 1_4909238204483239997.pdf. Good luck, you'll learn a lot about defense holding that. And his compatriots followed suit. 0:45:02 Kf8 0:40:37 18. visit the Kibitzer's Café. If black does capture the knight on f5, then white can still get the knight into d5 by playing Bg5 or beginning a pawn storm via g2-g4-g5. Najdorf Variation. Ask Question Asked 3 years, 9 months ago. 36. d6 0:34:50 a5 0:01:53 37. bxa5 0:35:09 bxa5 0:02:30 38. g5 Now the idea is to somehow get the knight to d5 rather than the rook where it completely cramps black. [Opening "Sicilian: Najdorf, 7...Be7"] The answer is to eventually trade a knight on d7. The Sicilian Defence – main line and the Najdorf As an introduction to the Sicilian Defence, this follows the most popular line chosen in some 700,000 games on the 365Chess.com website. When this happens, it may seem like the bishop is now cut off from any hope of influencing the light squares, but there are many instances you can sacrifice on e6 to open the king, particularly when the black knight on b8 moves to d7. Save 1_4909238204483239997.pdf For Later. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Rh2 0:41:35 Kd1 0:08:58 72. But years later Bobby found 13…Rh7! Active 3 years, 9 months ago. Bg5 line. and it's a game again. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! Black's kingside defense demands at least one knight. Below are some great games to check out played by Bobby Fischer and Gary Kasparov, There are tons of variations in the Sicilian Najdorf, but below are some of my favorites I will be diving further into in future articles. O-O-O 0:43:38 O-O 0:46:44 10. [BlackElo "1454"] Nowadays, White players almost universally respond with the move: 7. f4. Kd4 0:36:16 Nf6 rnbqkb1r/1p2pppp/p2p1n2/8/3NP3/2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq – 0 1. Rf2+ 0:35:21 Kg4 0:05:46 60. White was able to trade all minor pieces except the “good knight” and black’s bad bishop. Click on a move to follow the opening, and I hope the notes below help! Anyway, the difference is that in this position: White can (and, if he wants any advantage, should) snap right away here: 11. Save Opening_Repertoire_The_Sicilian_Najdorf (1).pdf For Later. White threatens 8.e5, but Black has several options: [ECO "B98"] Kd3 0:42:57 Kb1 0:10:20 74. 0:33:16 Kf7 0:03:42 57. Nc3 a6. The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the following moves: . There are a few variations in chess pawn structures that can arise in the Najdorf. If the Najdorf and the other main Sicilians are a bit too much on the sharp side for your tastings, one of variations mentioned above may well be a great alternative that suits your style. 0:01:20 43. f5 0:31:26 h6 0:01:02 44. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members. All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration. Nf3 0:44:56 d6 0:46:16 3. d4 0:44:47 Modern Chess Openings calls it the Cadillac or Rolls Royce of chess openings. Nothing in violation of United States law. Here, I considered 19.Rg3, 19.Rd3, 19.Kb1 or 19.Rg2 as well, but in the end I went for the wildest one. Because of this, should the game go to an endgame, black will be able to tighten the grip on the queen side and potentially break through. The main idea is that any of these structures can arise and you will want to familiarize yourself with the main ideas of what the pawns tell you your plans should be. This Sicilian opening (can be open or closed) has been used by top Grandmasters including Bobby Fischer and Gary Kasparov, and for good reason. Najdorf Sidelines and Variations. The main lines and strategies would be much more useful. The Najdorf comes from this very interesting prophylaxis move 5…a6. It began to get more popular by top players in the late 1900s and was used by the likes of Bobby Fischer and Gary Kasparov. Ra7 0:31:34 Ke8 0:01:38 45. Nc3 0:45:44 a6 0:48:12 It’s solid, tough to crack, and is filled with small positional advantages for both sides. Definitions of Sicilian, Najdorf, 7...Be7 Main line, synonyms, antonyms, derivatives of Sicilian, Najdorf, 7...Be7 Main line, analogical dictionary of Sicilian, Najdorf, 7...Be7 Main line (English) Goading white to attack in this manner is, to paraphrase a crude American comedian, "like putting bacon on your ---- and teasing a pit bull." The main line goes 6...e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Be3 0-0! Najdorf Defense. 1. e4 c5. 0:44:11 Qc4 0:41:24 16. If you already have a username, The database can be searched via many criteria, including chess players, chess opening, player ratings, game result, and the year the chess game was played. Copyright 2001-2020, Chessgames Services LLC. In the main line Black has no counter-play-his only plan of attack-b5 is useless as White will take with the bishop thus ... That author sounds like an idiot (unless it was a very old book, of course), because e5 is not a 'problem' in the sicilian najdorf. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Nxe6 fxe6 12.Qh5+ Kf8. This forum is for this specific opening only. najdffrof. Starting position of the Najdorf. Re5 0:35:25 Nd7 0:03:20 35. MODULE 1: Sicilian - Najdorf (Main Lines) - Najdorf Main Line - 6.Bg5 - Najdorf English Attack - 6.Be3 or 6.f3 - Najdorf Classical Variation - 6.Be2 - Najdorf Sozin Attack - 6.Bc4. Since the pawn is on e5, this knight can never be kicked by a pawn. Rxd6 Rf7 0:29:35 The resulting exchange is three pawns for a piece, but black’s position is much worse in this position. So, why 13.Bb5! Well, clearly the bishop is immune from immediate capture due to the threat of 14.0-0 mating, but why put it en prise to begin with? h3 0:08:42 66. 0:31:27 20. h3 0:40:58 Bf5 0:31:38 21. If the pawn captures, white will win back the piece and more. Opening 1.d4 is a statistically more successful opening for White because of the high success rate of the Sicilian defence against 1.e4. Kf3 0:35:56 h5 0:07:05 63. If black plays an early e5 with the knight in the center, the white knight can move to f5 (because b5 is no longer available). Kd5 0:34:37 Ng8 0:00:57 50. d7+ 0:29:36 Kd8 0:01:40 51. Najdorf Variation. NOTE: Create an account today Rg2 0:33:53 Kf6 0:04:24 58. Grandmaster Mauricio Flores, in his book “Chess Structures”, devotes three chapters to games with these structures. 13. Bg5 Main Line of the Sicilian Najdorf is one of the most thoroughly researched and investigated lines in opening theory, as the naturally forcing nature of white's aggressive set-up leads to extremely complicated positions very early in the opening and middlegame. Ra7 0:30:52 Ke8 0:02:57 47. g6 The basic ideas behind the Gothenburg are quite simple, and can be found on many webpages and, likely, youtube videos. NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. Qf3 0:44:22 With a6 and b5 played, black has gained more space on the queenside. Rxa5 0:31:29 Kf7 [White "Rapidcitychess"] See something that violates our rules? You can browse our entire chess database from this line, move by move. Sicilian, Najdorf, 7...Be7 Main line (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4 Be7 8 Qf3 Qc7 9 O-O-O Nbd7) : chess opening performance statistics, strategy and tactics, famous games, PGN download, discussion forum, and more. Once again, white wants to play actively on the kingside. White often attempts to control this square and maintain a knight on d5.  If black ever captures, the structure can transpose into what Flores calls “Najdorf type 1” and is the first skeleton structure listed above (with the white pawn on e5). Kc3 0:40:15 Bg6 0:07:46 30. In the above situation, black’s pieces are all coordinated very well to be able to push d5. Kc3 0:43:40 [Site "Internet Chess Club"] I think that you have confused two similar lines in the Najdorf. Kc4 0:38:58 b6 0:06:19 31. b4 No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members. This prevents black from accomplishing the thematic d6-d5 break in the center easily. Ke4 0:35:06 Kxh4 Nxd4 Nf6 5. There are tons of variations and we won’t be able to cover all of them, but this article will give you some main ideas about the Sicilian Najdorf to begin practicing. Rh8 0:31:51 Ke7 0:02:14 55. g8=Q 0:32:32 Bxg8 0:02:58 56. Rxg7 0:31:28 Bc2 0:01:40 49. The Najdorf Variation (/ ˈ n aɪ d ɔːr f /) of the Sicilian Defence is one of the most respected and deeply studied of all chess openings. 0:06:25 61. Nxe6 0:43:42 Qc6 0:42:25 In this book, FIDE Master John Doknjas and NM Joshua Doknjas navigate through the main lines of the Najdorf and provide the reader … Bg5 Nbd7, after which interesting theoretical battles are probable to appear on the board. 29. Once again I find myself having to explore 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4 Qb6 8 Qd2 Qxb2 9 Rb1 Qa3 10 e5 h6 11 Bh4. Black many times plays b5 to gain space, but this also gives the light squared bishops the long diagonal and an additional attacker on e4 (in addition to helping control d5). 0:10:41 27. g4 0:40:44 Rxd5 0:10:14 28. cxd5 0:41:27 Nc5 0:09:47 6. Then we know you're for real. It is the most successful of all Black's defences to 1.e4, although this success has resulted in the opening accumulating a … It leads to interesting play and Magnus Carlsen has used this many times. Nd5 0:43:29 Nxd5 0:41:47 15. exd5 B99: Sicilian, Najdorf, 7...Be7 main line - 1. e4 c5 2. 3. 0:45:33 11. After a long think here: Kotov banged out 13.Bb5! Kb2 0:40:14 Nf6 0:16:35 23. [Event "Team 45 45 League T46"] Save main line For Later. There are many games where white’s goal is to place a knight d5. Rb2 0:31:30 Najdorf; Sveshnikov; Download PGN of November '07 Open Sicilian games. Kf5 0:05:08 59. Ke3 You've been a member for five weeks and I don't know how serious you are. If you’re wondering how to have a solid game as black against e4, consider the Sicilian Najdorf. Many of the ideas in the next section occur in this book and it’s worth a read! 0:41:33 Rc8 0:16:18 25. c4 0:41:26 Ne4 0:14:42 26. Uploaded by. 0:06:17 68. Opening book: GM Alex Colovic's exclusive Chessable repertoire on the Najdorf Sicilian. Qf3 Qc7 9. Black’s goals are to push d5 and if the e4 pawn captures, an eventual e5-e4 pawn push can cramp white’s space and gain a huge initiative. Often, white will work on a kingside pawn thrust and play f4, leaving the e pawn fixed and a potential target. O-O-O Nbd7 - Chess Opening explorer. One way is the ingenious route of c2-e3-d5. The key idea is if black does not capture the knight on f5, then it can remaneuver to e3 where it white will be guaranteed to place a knight on d5. Credit for these two positions to Mile-lile on lichess. As is usually the case for black when playing the Sicilian, there is a big hole on d5. do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors. Unlike the Sicilian Dragon, it is not generally a sharp opening (though there are some very sharp side lines like the poisoned pawn variation), so you won’t find a ton of tactical “quick wins” in this opening. When playing 6 Bc4, black may sometimes counter with e6 (transposing into the Scheveningen). [Time "18:00:25"] Main Line Mednis vs Fischer, 1959 (B99) Sicilian, Najdorf, 7...Be7 Main line, 40 moves, 0-1. The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4. Rf1 0:36:33 Kh2 0:07:34 64. Black will most often play e5 to kick the knight from d4 and gain more influence in the center. Moreover, with pawns on d6 and e5, black’s dark squared bishop is forever stuck behind them without too much to do, as seen in Vladimir Eduardovich Akopian vs Alexander Morozevich. It was a hard decision, maybe I went wrong, but other moves probably don't help in the long run.>) b4 20.axb4 Qxb4 21.Nxe6 Bxe6 22.fxe6 fxe6 23.f7+ Kd7 24.Bxa6 Rh7 25.Rgf1 Qxb2+ 26.Kd2 Qb4 27.Bd3 () Bg7 28.Bf6 Bxf6 29.Rxf6 Rf8 30.Rb1 Qd4 31.Rb7+ Kc8 32.Rc7+ Kb8 33.Rf1 Qe5 34.Nb5 Rg7 35.Rc6 Kb7 36.Rc7+ Kb6 0-1, 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.O-O-O Nbd7 10.Bd3 h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.fxg5 Ne5 13.gxf6 Nxf3 14.gxf3 Bf8 15.Rhg1 Bd7 16.f4 d5 17.e5 O-O-O 18.Be2 Kb8 19.Bh5 Bc8 20.Rd3 Rh7 21.a3 Bd7 22.f5 exf5 23.Nxd5 Qc5 24.Ne7 Ba4 25.Bd1 Bxe7 26.fxe7 Rc8 27.Bf6 Re8 28.Rg2 Rxe7 29.Bxe7 Qxe7 30.Nxf5 Qxe5 31.Rg8+ Ka7 32.Nd6 Bd7 33.Bf3 Rg7 34.Rxg7 Qxg7 35.Bxb7 Qg1+ 36.Rd1 Qxh2 0-1. This can give black a lot of chances to gain the upper hand early positionally. [TimeControl "2700+45"], 1. e4 0:45:00 c5 0:45:36 2. Perhaps I should give up, but I'm not, maybe only players that are very good play the h6-g5 line. Qxd6+ 0:40:50 Qxd6 0:17:17 24. The main move. If the queen moves, black will develop the Bishop to g5 and continue with a slight advantage. It begins thus: 1. e4 c5 2. There are tons of variations in the Sicilian Najdorf, but below are some of my favorites I will be diving further into in future articles. Bxa4 0:01:43 41. The FEN you have shown looks more typical of a Browne variation, though usually the moves Bd3 and …Qc7 are thrown in before black expands on the kingside. 70. Ra2 0:30:56 Bb3 0:02:02 42. All reached above position, at which point two of them left the boards, not to return until they saw how Kotov, their best opening theoretician, handled the position.