I strongly recommend taking your focus on memorization and using it to learn more tactical patterns than your brain has room for. Then you'll break 2000 and can study openings, when you are actually more likely to get into them. You won't see many actual Najdorf's at your level, and when you do you are much more likely to lose after going out of theory because your opponent will have better development and easier attacks.
Picking up the Sicilian Najdorf. Can anyone list some variations?
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jposthuma wrote:
I jsut looked up the theory to that one line in post 22, and was not surprized at all. The opening is nonsense.
Yeah, that Polugaevsky guy was a real goof.
Nonsense? Are you out of your mind or what!
Heidrich wrote:
My teacher told me to pick up the Najdorf and to do some pre studying. So far i know i wont always get the open sicilian so ive studied for some of the main non open lines for instance, Grand prix attack, 2. c3 sicilian, and a few other 2.Nc3 closed side lines. What other non open sicilian lines do i have to study that are fairly common? As for Najdorf itself ive done some extensive studying into the Old mainline of 6.Bg5 and the English attack.Oh ive also studied the morra. What lines am i missing?
What other non open sicilian lines do i have to study that are fairly common?
You need to know the g3 line: 1.e4 c5 2.g3 or 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.g3 (there are alot of transpositions from this line into Nc3 Closed Sicilian, Grand Prix Attack, and c3 Sicilian.
What lines am i missing?
You need to know the following 2 anti-Sicilians
Moscow: 1.e4 c5 2.Bb5+
Rossolimo: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+
You can combine,"... also studied the morra...." and the "...2.c3 Sicilian..." by studying the Alapin 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6. With the Smith-Morra the move order is usually 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 Nf6.
As for Najdorf itself ive done some extensive studying into the Old mainline of 6.Bg5
After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 (the Poisoned Pawn Variation) I know 400 variations 35-40 moves deep cold.
and the English attack.
After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 you also need to know 7.g4 (The Perenyi Attack- the little brother of the Keres Attack in the Scheveningen) Also I would recommend studying a book titled, "Play the Najdorf/Scheveningen Style"
In addition I would recommend that you purchase GM John Nunn's 2 books:
The Complete Najdorf: Modern Lines
The Complete Najdorf: 6.Bg5
Nunn's books are full of errors. For a serious player I would recommend Ftacnik's book from Grandmaster Repertoire, but these books are not appropriate for players under master level.
The Moscow is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ and the Rossolimo comes from 2...Nc6 so you wouldn't have to know it, 1.e4 c5 2.Bb5 is not check and not threatening as Black can just play 2...a6.
Estragon, it is spelled 'Najdorf,' not 'Nadjorf' as you wrote it every time in your post.
You should probably know the Wing Gambit as well. I play it occasionally, and it is sound.
I jsut looked up the theory to that one line in post 22, and was not surprized at all. The opening is nonsense. If you ever want to play this against somebody more than 200 rating points less than you, or over 1600 USCF, you're going to end up in a lot of trouble very quickly. Of course, the opposite will be true if you play against weak opponents.