Sicilian Najdorf - why do I keep getting destroyed in the first 20 moves?

I played this rapid game recently. The computer says that I'm 10 pawns down by move 20 (ie. I'm completely doomed and have virtually no hope), and yet I'm struggling to see where I went wrong.

Could someone please give me advice?

I actually ended up winning this game because white blundered twice after this, although that's besides the point. I'm still really unhappy about the way I played this opening, and frankly, I deserved to lose this game.

General comments from someone who's played a bit of Najdorf but a very long way from being an expert in it:

1. 6...b5 and 7...Bb7 is an unusual way to respond to 6.Be3. Those moves usually don't come until later. 6...e5 and 7...Be6 is the usual Najdorf plan. If you really hate having a hole on d5 6...e6 with the bishop coming to e7 later is also playable.

2. It's unusual to put the dark square bishop on g7 in the Najdorf. I've certainly seen this type of 'dragondorf' set up used, and I've probably lost horribly to it with white on occasion. In general though it's not considered very good. See point 1 for more typical developments of the DSB.

3. It does seem like you panicked when White started the king side pawn storm and started making moves in that part of the board to try and prevent the attack. In the Najdorf its usually better to try to get your own counterattack going against white's queenside castle instead of trying to fight on the Kings side, where they are stronger. HOWEVER I would add that this is just a general rule which I'm sure has many exceptions. No rule should be taken as 100% true in an opening this complicated.

Thank you! This is really helpful and answers a lot of the things I've been confused about.

In my opinion there is nothing wrong with g6 and Bg7 in order to go for a Dragondorf. But then you should play it more in the spirit of the dragon.  ...e5 doesn't make much sense with this setup as it blocks your strong bishop and weakens the d6-pawn. (You even had to play Ne8 to protect the pawn, which isn't what you want to do...) Something like Nbd7-b6 seems to be more appropriate.

I am trying to get a good grip on the Najdorf myself and I would say, that´s just how the opening goes if you don´t pay attention. The English Attack setup your opponent used in the game is just that dangerous. As above stated, e5 seems like a blunder, instead it was probably correct to search for a way to advance the a and b pawns. Nbd7 maybe even Nc6. You can´t really defend against the English Attack IMO you have to counterattack.

yeah, I need some help in this opening too. My problem is even worse. I am getting destroyed in English attack when I am white and when I am black. What the heck! I also play some kind of Dragondorf setup against closed Sicilians. But, my opponents then go to opposite side castling and simply pawn storm and destroy my king safety and finally checkmate me. Sometimes, they don't even castle, just pawn storm my kingside and checkmate me. But, when I am white and I try the same thing on my black opponents, they just manage to hold my attack and then launch a counter attack on me. 🤒🤕

Its not the opening. Its the subject of pawn storms(computer chess: strategy). Its the rite of passage for class players to undergo this lesson...and there is no 100% completion on it even to computer level.

I googled it and there are a number of links to it. Even chess.com....different people giving the correct answer and yet there will be another thread asking the same question.

I have the same problem with this opening

Najdorf is very difficult thing for low rated or beginners. The one must be very accurate in long lines calculation and more there is no direct contact between opposite side forces over some number of moves and so there is lots of room to go wrong even without knowing about that, untill it enters into forcing lines when is too late and many times when loosing the one has impression that is just one or two tempo far from winning strikeFor example we all know by theory that in najdorf or english attack black queenside knight go c8 d7 b6, bishoop normally b7 ...  but many older tournament and club blitz players put this knight on c6, after Bc8-b7 and they change on d4. Also Kasparov adviced in one of his book that black should always control white centralised knight, either on d4 or sometime d5, it means this knight must always be attacked by one  piece so that in critical event when its function becomes important for white attack it may be captured down.

However think lower rated should avoid najdorf setups, maybe better e6 variations like paulsen or similar

a fascinate opening

study very hard

do a lot of tactics

because this is a complex opening

and have fun!!!

believe in yourself

good luck

my friend

Indeed. I'm very offended. Not just because you didn't play the opening in a principled way (against 6. Be3 e5) in a blitz game, no less, soo nonchalantly...is that you blame the opening itself. In an age of opening explorers, databases, classic & contemporary books, treatises etc.

You should be studying and annotating games played by Najdorf savants not only your own games (which speaks to your own level of experience as a player)