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Know The Opening: The Najdorf: Episode 2

Know The Opening: The Najdorf: Episode 2

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thechessbrewer
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Ok, let's get on with it! First thing we'll look at in depth is 6.Be3 which can lead to the English Attack for White. First let's lay the foundation with some key concepts to keep in mind when playing this position.

Key Concepts

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We'll see these in action throughout so right now we're making a list of what to look for. Complete understanding will come.

  1. In the English Attack White castles Queen side and we end up in both sides trying to attack on opposite sides of the board. This isn't as much about a flat out race as it dictating the initiative on the Queen side so that White is occupied and unable to advance on the king side. 
  2. Control of d5 proves crucial in most variations. If White can sink a Knight on d5 he's probably in a winning position.
  3. Most of the time Black has two pawn breaks he can play to free himself from a bunched position or to create counter-play or both; d5 and b5.
  4. Move order is important to avoid more aggressive lines from White.

With these ideas in mind let's look at some games.

What White's Up To
The following game illustrates what we're up against as Black and helps us to understand the importance of the key concepts.

An Improvement
In the game above we can see Black failed to initiate play on the Queen side before White began marching his pawns. So what else can we play instead of Nbd7? There are a few options but there's one move in particular I like here, see if you can find it.

Example Games

Here's one of my most recent games with this move. This is by no means a "model game" upon leaving the opening but it illustrates the danger a5 presents. Also it's blitz, and I'm not that great at blitz.

Here is a game from the Chigorin open in 1999 where GM Loginov plays 10... a5.

In this game from this years world open, we see the positional play from white by moving the Knight to f3 and castles king side. This makes the directness of engaging on the queen side less important for black since we have the kings on the same side of the board. 

Recap

If 6. Be3 then we're playing e5 kicking the Knight out immediately. 
If white castles long (English Attack) we're playing a5 and immediately taking initiative on the queen side.

Checkpoints

Reach the Najdorf!



Find Black's best moves in the following position according to what we have looked at thus far.