Best way to attack the Najdorf as White?

A Heroic Defense in the Sicilian Najdorf - Kids, don't try this at home! - Chess Forums - Chess.com

At lower levels studying exact lines is not so important as it's unlikely the opponent will be so booked-up either. It's more important to understand ideas and improve tactical awareness. Theory is more important at higher levels.

Cool stuff ! Did you find this OTB or was it home preparation?

It was all home prep, based on an improvement that I had found over Sznapik vs Ljangov, Sandomeirz, Poland, 1976. We were still in my prep when my opponent resigned on move 33.

 Great work & point well earned !

Thanks!

My rating went up 108 points in one game (and 52 points in the next). I hadn't played in two years and my Glicko RD was over 200 so any win against a high-rated opponent was going to sky-rocket my rating.

This was a nice game for it, though. Especially as this was a country-vs-country match, Malaysia vs Canada.

Oh sorry, I didn't realise you were trying to show me a game lol. Well played.

Seems like this f4 line against the flank variation doesn't score well for white because of Bc5.

Those two Black Bishops on neighboring diagonals are just brutal after the center opens up.

White gets a hilariously strong-looking attack out of it, but I'm convinced that it falls short of being a winning attack, and that sooner or later Black's extra piece will start to tell.

Like others suggested: Play Bg5 if you intend to try to destroy the black position. The pawn storm line is still very strong for white and there are options that you can experiment with like 11. f5 (before Bxf6) or 11. Bh4 (rather than Bxf6) that can be interesting too.

Another really interesting line is 10. Qg3. It was a footnote in my first Najdorf book and seems now to be a main line.

But the main line pawn storm is the reason some Najdorf players delay Be7. So try it! 

-Bill

Playing Bd3 / Rhe1 / Nd5 can also be interesting.

Bg5 Najdorf is my absolute favourite.

And goddamn, that queen sac is gorgeous. There is also the queen sac line that Fabi played against Hikaru. This is why I love the sicilian.

It's 17. Be6 that does it for me. Mate in two if he takes it.

6. g3 Zagreb variation is a more quiet, positional line of the Najdorf. Instead of launching a kingside attack you reinforce e4 with Bg2 and clamp down on the d5 square.

6. h3 Adams Attack has some similar ideas but it's a bit more aggressive as you are playing for g4 kingside expansion and often castle queenside. If black plays an early h5 to prevent g4 you just play g3, Bg2, 0-0 and play it like a Zagreb where black has made a concession on the kingside.

There is also a line with 6. Bd3 with the idea of overdefending e4 (and x-raying h7) so after 6. ...e5 white wants to play Nd5, c4 clamping down on d5. 6. ...g6 is the second line of this variation, simply blunting the bishop.

There is also something to be said for the Opocensky Be2 variation. There is an aggressive line for white where instead of 0-0 on move 8, play Be3 and if black castles then g4.

Playing Black, against the 6. Be2 line I play a Scheveningen formation with 6, ,,, e6 rather than entering the more positional lines with 6. ... e5

Just pick a line with easy to understand plans against ...e5 as well as ...e6, with little theory to absorb.

6.Bd3 fits that descrition just fine, although you will have to prepare something for ...g6 setups as well.

I also like the Scheveningen structure for black with b5, Bb7. You can build up pressure on e4 with ideas like b5-b4, Nbd7-Nc5, Rc8-Rxc3 without dealing with the d5 hole.

e5 can be more principled as you gain a tempo on the knight, kicking it out the centre, and immobilise the e4 pawn, restraining some of white's kingside play.

Here's an old game from an OTB tournament more than 30 years ago:

great game blueemu!

Nice game! Very instructive. It was interesting what you said about how b4, kicking the c3 knight, was the difference between lost and equal.