Learning the Najdorf/Schevenigan

So...I have been playing the  Sicilian Accl Dragon and Dragon with mixed results for a while now but now I want to switch to the Najdorf or Schevenigan?

How should I go about learning these openings? I know that GM Rep book on these openings came out recently but it seems that this book is probably too advanced for me and although I may eventually memorize the lines, I don't know if I would understand the ideas behind the moves especially if im new to these openings.

I want to gain a good understanding of these openings so that I can begin using them OTB but without buying an opening book and using just databases. Are there any particular games (preferably annotated but they don't have to be) I should look at so I get a basic idea of what to do in the middlegames arising from these openings?

Oh and I would prefer to avoid very highly theoretical variations such as the Poisoned Pawn...

Bump.

When I am learning a new and theoretical system I find that a good opening book, like the one that just came out, goes a long way to increase my understanding of the opening. I also prefer books to databases as it is easier to tell which lines are more current or better from a theoretical perspective (you cannot rely on statistics alone to tell you this).

However if you really are against a book then I would recommend you find top players who play or have played the Najdorf/Scheveningen (Fischer, Kasparov, Anand come to mind, there are many others too) and make databases of their games, and then study them thoroughly. If they are annotated then that is good, but if not then a good exercise might be to annotate them yourself, taking your time to really understand the tactical nuances and plans, and then checking the tactics with an engine afterwards. Also, make sure you look at the entire game so you can see how the typical endgames that arise from the opening are handled. 

Which structure are you planning to play anyway? The Najdorf (d6/e5) or the more fluid Scheveningen (d6/e6)? Are you planning to use a Najdorf move order to reach a Scheveningen? Or are you going to play a pure Scheveningen move order? If you could give us a basic outline of the repertoire you have in mind by answering the above questions, then I and other members may be able to recommend some games or lines that you might like to study.

Im not sure which one I will use yet-I want to get a feel for both first but if I decide to choose the Scheveningen, I will use the Najdorf move order. As of now it seems that the Najdorf is more aggressive while the Scheveningen is relatively less aggressive but more solid.

I may buy an opening book on one of these later but I want to get a feel for the opening first.

That sounds like a good plan. Playing through a couple dozen GM games with both types of pawn structures and trying the openings out in some blitz games would probably be a good start.

LavaRook - I just thought I would let you know that my copy of GM Repertoire: The Sicilian arrived yesterday in the mail, and so far it has been excellent!

The reason I am saying this is because you were looking to avoid super theory lines, and in some places the auther does just that. Against 6.Bg5 he avoids the poisoned pawn and the somewhat over-analyzed 6...e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 and instead recommends both 6...e6 7.f4 h6!? and the even more interesting IMO 6...Nbd7 with the idea of 7.f4 Qc7 8.Qf3 h6!? 9.Bh4 g5!? an interesting pawn sac to fight for the initiative. These ideas are both slightly offbeat, and the latter is quite new in high level games so there is a lot more room for creativity, and a lot less need for memorization (at least for now).

Most of the repertoire is a Scheveningen style Najdorf. Against the English attack (6.Be3) the book gives you a choice of 6...e5 and 6...e6, and seems to avoid the most heavily analyzed variations of both, although there is still a lot to know here. There are plenty of novelties in the book and new ideas even against the anti-sicilians. Despite the fact that this book is probably best suited for 2000+ players, the auther doesn't bombard you with tonnes of variations, and there is a lot of explanatory text. Some minor lines were missed from what I can see, but overall this is a great work. Perhaps not the best "introduction" to this opening, but if you have the plans and ideas down good, then I highly recommend it. I think players 1600 strength and up who are ambitious can make good use of this book.

The things that books do well don't mesh well with fluid, fast-paced, quickly changing opening lines.

Books do well when they're timeless, not obsolete on their way to the press.

Thanks for all the replies :) As of now I am leaning more towards the Najdorf

@Laskerfan: I like databases lol. I meant "without using books and using databases instead"

Yea that GM6 Book looks pretty appealing though and ive also heard that its worth buying just for the coverage of all the anti-Sicilians even if one doesn't play the Najdorf or Scheveningan! Where did you get it from btw?

Im considering getting GM6 once ive played over enough games from strong players (2200+). I haven't found any annotated ones yet and im just kinda downloading TWIC every week and playing through the games from there and also some from the 365chess database.

Ozzie - It is true that the Najdorf theory changes often, but for most players below master level, like myself, a new novelty found on move 22 in some line will probably not mean the end of the world as most of my opponents probably won't possess the theoretical knowledge to even get that far. Of course as I get stronger this may become more of a problem.

LavaRook - I ordered it directly from Quality Chess because I knew getting it from some other place such as amazon would take months. It had to come over seas though and was expensive (over 50$). It was worth it for me though.

So I recently purchased GM 6 and I have to say its quite interesting. That h6/g5!? pawn sac idea in the 6.Bg5 Nbd7 line looks really appealing and I'm thinking many will be unprepared for it.

Has anyone actually trotted out this line (or any other lines in this book such as the lines vs. the Alapin and what not) in their own games?

Personally, I have decided to go with the Najdorf for now (I feel that Black has more central space here and I love having that bishop at e6)

But a problem I see (and I knew about this before I bought it after looking at chesspub) is that the book doesn't seem to cover 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.Be2 (or 6.Be2 e5...) and often white may keep options of 0-0 or 0-0-0 open? What do you Najdorf players prefer to play here? Like whats your plan? I'd rather avoid an opposite side castling middlegame where I'm 100% on my own especially as I like the 8. f3 h5 line which keeps White's kingside attack at bay...