Variations Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation

1 variations

1.1 main line: 6. bg5

1.1.1 classical main line: 6...e6
1.1.2 verbeterde list: 6...nbd7


1.2 english attack: 6.be3
1.3 fischer–sozin attack: 6.bc4
1.4 classical/opocensky variation: 6.be2
1.5 amsterdam variation: 6.f4
1.6 adams attack: 6.h3
1.7 other sixth moves white

variations
main line: 6. bg5
classical main line: 6...e6

the main move. in days of najdorf 7.qf3 popular, reply 7...h6 did not allow white obtain real advantage. nowadays, white players universally respond move: 7. f4. white threatens 8. e5, black has several options:

7... be7 8. qf3 , now:

8... qc7 9. 0-0-0 nbd7, called old main line. @ point white responds 10. g4 or 10. bd3. after each of these moves there huge body of opening theory.
8... h6 9. bh4 g5. known argentine/goteborg variation. first played in round 14 of 1955 goteborg interzonal simultaneously argentine players panno, pilnik , najdorf facing soviet grandmasters geller, spassky , keres. games in question proceeded follows: 10. fxg5 nfd7 black aims route knight e5, , knight @ d7 or c6. 11. nxe6!? (efim geller s discovery). 11... fxe6 12. qh5+ kf8 13. bb5 here panno played 13...ne5, while pilnik , najdorf chose 13...kg7. however, 3 argentine players lost in short order , line was, while, considered refuted. in 1958 bobby fischer introduced defensive resource 13... rh7!, versus svetozar gligorić @ portorož interzonal, in critical last-round game. according modern opening theory, position draw @ best white.


7... qb6 1 of popular choices @ master level.

8. qd2 extremely complicated poisoned pawn variation: 8... qxb2 9. rb1 (9.nb3 other less common option) 9... qa3 , here white has played both 10. f5 , 10. e5. both lead extremely sharp play slightest inaccuracy fatal either side. since 2006, when played in several high level games, 10. e5 has become popular. standpoint of theory regarded white s attempt play win against poisoned pawn variation since other variations (and includes other pawn move: 10. f5) have been analysed draw best play. example game vallejo pons–kasparov, moscow 2004, called model modern grandmaster draw! kasparov himself in revolution in 70s (page 164).
8. nb3 white opts quiet game, black has nothing worry about: 8... be7 9. qf3 nbd7 10. 0-0-0 qc7 have reached set similar of old main line mentioned above. however, without d4-knight white find hard organise attack.
8. a3 more challenging reply white. protects pawn indirectly 8. ...qxb2?? met 9.na4! winning queen. black plays 8. ... nc6, although 8. ... nbd7 playable. 8. ...a3 line has been seen several times @ grandmaster level recently.


7... b5 ultra-sharp polugaevsky variation. black ignores white s threat , expands in queenside. 8. e5 dxe5 9. fxe5 qc7 here white either plays 10. exf6 qe5+ 11. be2 qxg5 or 10. qe2 nfd7 11. 0-0-0 bb7.
7... qc7 championed garry kasparov before switched playing 7...qb6 exclusively.
7... nbd7 popularised boris gelfand.
7... nc6?! risky , of dubious theoretical reputation due response: 8. e5!
7... h6!? poisoned pawn deferred. variation popular @ moment. line 8. bh4 qb6 9.a3 played twice in 2016 london chess classic (caruana–nakamura , nakamura–vachier-lagrave ), though white won both games.

verbeterde list: 6...nbd7

historically speaking, usual reply until mid-1960s, when rejoinder 7.bc4 put move out of business . however, ideas have been found dutch players call variation de verbeterde list ( improved strategem ). idea black postpone ...e6 in order retain more dynamic options (for example, play ...e7–e5 in 1 move). idea tested petrosian, belov, , others, received popular attention , developed rapidly after use dutch player lody kuling in 2007. important developments include:

7. f4 qc7 8. qf3:

8... h6 9. bh4 e5. setup discovered lody kuling.(this variation covered ufuk tuncer , twan burg in new in chess, yearbook 102.) idea gain time on ...e6 playing ...e7–e5 in 1 move. later on turned out 9...g5! better.
8... b5 neo verbeterde list. new way play verbeterde list. includes fianchetting bishop b7. (the variation covered ufuk tuncer in new in chess, yearbook 101.)


7. bc4 qb6 move introduced lenier dominguez. idea win tempo attacking b2, after black can finish development beginning 8...e6. last word on line has not yet been given. whole variation 6... nbd7 covered in book Ľubomír ftáčnik in chapter blood diamond .
7. f4/qe2 g6: grischuk s verbeterde list. modern way meet both 7.f4 , 7.qe2. idea castle kingside rapidly , start attack ...b5–b4, while wasting no time e-pawn.

english attack: 6.be3

this has become modern main line. since 1990s, english attack, 6. be3 followed f3, g4, qd2 , 0-0-0 in order, has become extremely popular , has been intensively analysed. black has 3 main options:

the classical 6... e5. after 7. nb3, black continues 7... be6, trying control d5-square. common move 8. f3, allowing white play qd2 next move. if white had tried play 8. qd2, black respond 8... ng4. instead white can play 7.nf3, in case black s main choices 7...be7 , 7...qc7.
trying transpose scheveningen playing 6... e6. white can either opt standard english attack playing 7. f3 or try sharper hungarian attack (also known perenyi attack) playing 7. g4.
the knight move: 6... ng4. white continues with: 7. bg5 h6 8. bh4 g5 9. bg3 bg7 nature of position quite different ones arising after 6... e6 , 6... e5 white tries avoid knight jump playing 6. f3 instead of 6. be3. however, aside eliminating option play hungarian attack mentioned above, gives black other possibilities such 6... qb6 , 6... b5 instead.
the verbeterde list approach: 6... nbd7. idea of move english attack while avoiding perenyi attack. 7. g4 less dangerous because 6... nbd7 black more flexible bishop on c8 can attack g4 , knight on d7 can jump interesting squares.

fischer–sozin attack: 6.bc4

introduced veniamin sozin in 1930s, received little attention until fischer regularly adopted it, , frequent guest @ top level through 1970s. white plays 6. bc4 idea of playing against f7, black counters 6... e6 7. bb3 b5. sozin has become less popular because of 6... e6 7. bb3 nbd7 black intends follow ...nc5 later. possible avoid nbd7 option 7. 0-0, cuts aggressive possibility castle long.

classical/opocensky variation: 6.be2

because of success of various players these variations, white plays 6. be2 , goes quieter, more positional game, whereupon black has option of transposing scheveningen variation playing 6... e6 or keeping game in najdorf lines playing 6... e5. option play 6... nbd7, in spirit of verbeterde list. reason variation called verbeterde list unlimited.

amsterdam variation: 6.f4

some lines include:

6...e5 7.nf3 nbd7 8.a4 be7 9.bd3 0-0
6...qc7 7.bd3
6...e6 7.be2

gm daniel king recommends 6...g6 against amsterdam variation, leading more defensive kingside pawn structure. idea counterattack on g1-a7 diagonal move qb6, preventing white castling. example line 6...g6 7.nf3 bg7 8.a4 nc6 (note 8...nc6 opposed usual najdorf nbd7, c6 more flexible square knight queen on b6) 9.bd3 qb6.

the adams attack: 6.h3

introduced weaver adams during middle of twentieth century, odd-looking pawn move has been used surprise weapon combat najdorf. should black continue 6...e5 anyway, white can respond 7.nde2 following g4 , ng3, fighting weak light squares playing g5. recommended black prevents g4 altogether 7...h5.

black can employ scheveningen setup 6...e6 followed 7.g4 b5 8.bg2 bb7, forcing white lose more time defending e4-pawn, since ...b4 threat. not until 2008 answer black found. after 9.0-0 b4, white has positional sacrifice 10.nd5!, gives black long-term weaknesses , open e-file white play on. since then, has been popular on levels of play.

other sixth moves white

beside main lines mentioned above white has other options: 6. f3 , 6. g3 less common, respected responses najdorf. moves such 6. a4, 6. bd3, 6. a3, 6. nb3, 6. rg1 (the petronic attack), 6. qf3, , 6. qe2 played, not bad , may used surprise value.