HOW about a diagram
Unknown Sicilian line
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May 31, 2010
0
#3
e5 is considered ''bad'' because you have a backwards pawn on a half-open file (the one on d6). White might try and exploit it with 5. Nf5 and this puts lots of pressure on that d6 pawn.
Ravi
Diagram added
If White plays Nb5, what's to stop Black from playing a6? This forces the knight onto either a3 (which is useless) or c3 (which takes the square away from the other knight). It also prevents Bb5+ in the future, much like in the Najdorf.
...e5 is strategically a fine move for black, but it allows positional tactics after Bb5+. Since black doesn't want to trade his good bishop immediately, he's going to have a cramped game after ...Nd7.
This is why most GMs who intend to play ...e5 will play ...a6 first, a.k.a. the Najdorf variation.
May 31, 2010
0
#8
ah good point. my bad, i learned that e5 was positionally bad for the d6 pawn but but i must be wrong lol
Remember !!! White must gain the advantage on d5 square. It's very simple teory for all sicilian.
Here's a line I came up with that starts like a normal Sicilian but transposes back to a King's Pawn Game:
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5?!
It is very rarely played at the master level (only 70 games in the Chess.com database), but it follows very simple logic: The move ...e5 aims to control the center and gain a tempo against White's well-placed knight.
If White simply retreats the knight, Black can just develop pieces normally: ...Nf6 to attack the e4 pawn, ...Nc6 to prevent Bb5+, ...Be6, etc. Black can also try to push f5. After exf5 Bxf5, Black has a commanding pawn center and two open files with which to launch minority attacks, but White's bishops have access to the dangerous g5 and b5 squares.
If White tries to delay the retreat of the knight with an immediate 5. Bb5+, black has two responses:
After 5. ... Bd7, White must play 6. Bxd7, after which Black recaptures with either the knight or the queen and white retreats his knight on d4. The problem with 5. ... Bd7 is that it trades off Black's good bishop very early. The benefit is that Black is ahead in development after 5. ... Bd7 6. Bxd7+ Qxd7 7. Nf3 Nf6.
After 5. ... Nd7, White has the interesting move 6. Nf5, which threatens Nxd6 Bxd6 Qxd6 and Black is a pawn down and is in serious danger already. The best plan for black is to threaten White's bishop, giving one of several lines:
6. ... a6 7. Ba4 b5 8. Bb3 and Black has two options: ... Nc5 or ... Nb6. In both cases, the d6 problem has been addressed. Nc5 puts pressure on the e4 pawn but allows white to play Bd5, getting a well-placed bishop and threatening black's rook. Nb6 protects both the rook and the d5 square.
6. ... a6 7. Bxd7 Qxd7 and Black has addressed the d6 problem and gains the bishop pair. However, Black is behind in minor piece development and already has to deal with a fifth-rank white knight outpost. Black might kick the knight with g6, but a fianchettoed bishop on g7 wouldn't be great due to the center pawns. Also, White might be able to exploit the weak dark squares with his remaining bishop.
Thoughts?