easy guide

to the

Najdorf

by Tony Kosten
EVERYMAN CHESS
Published by Everyman Publishers, London
First published in 1999 by Everyman Publishers plc, formerly Cadogan B ooks plc,
Gloucester Mansions, 140A Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8HD in
association with Gambit Publications Ltd, 69 Masbro Road, London Wl4 OLS.

Copyright © 1999 Tony Kosten

The right of Tony Kosten to be identified as the author of this work has been as­
serted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Printed in Great Britain by Redwood Books, Trowbridge, Wilts.

Contents

Symbols and Bibliography 4

Preface 5
Introduction 6

1 6 .ie3 12
2 6 .igS 29
3 6 .ic4 45
4 6 .ie2 71
5 6 g3 94
6 6 f4 101
7 Other 6th Moves 115
8 Najdorf Quiz 123

Solutions 1 26
Index of Variations 127
Symbols

+ check Ct candidates event

++ double check IZ interzonal event
# checkmate z zonal event
x capture OL olympiad
!! brilliant move jr junior event
! good move worn women's event
!? interesting move mem memorial event
?!. dubious move rpd rapidplay game
? bad move 1-0 the game ends in a win for White
?? blunder lf2_lh the game ends in a draw
Ch championship 0- 1 the game ends in a win for Black
Cht team championship (n) nth match game
Wch world championship (D) see next diagram

Bibliography

Books
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, vol. B ( Sahovski Informator 1984)
Informator ( 1-74) (Sahovski Informator, 1972-99)
The Complete Najdorf: Modern Lines, John Nunn and Joe Gallagher
(Batsford 1998)
The Complete Najdorf: 6 i.g5, John Nunn (Batsford 1996)
Winning With the Najdorf, Daniel King (Batsford 1993)
The Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence, Yefim Geller, Svetozar Gligoric,
Lubosh Kavalek and Boris Spassky (RHM Press 1976)

Electronic
ChessBase 7, with the analysis modules Fritz 5 and Crafty 16, using games
drawn mainly from The Week in Chess (edited by Mark Crowther)
Preface

The Easy Guide to the Najdorj? Fine, that they have withstood the ravages
but, the Najdorf is not an 'easy' open­ of time, and are likely to continue to
ing to learn. It is complex, both strate­ do so. I have also used my computer to
gically and tactically. check critical lines, wherever it seemed
This book is part of the 'Easy Guide' necessary, and have found many im­
series, which serve as introductions to provements myself.
popular openings. The aim of this se­ I do not consider myself a Najdorf
ries is to explain the opening in ques­ 'expert' , whatever that is, although I
tion and to provide concise theoretical have played it many times in the past. I
coverage, generally with a repertoire took on this project with the goal of
slant. Every author has his own style building a solid repertoire for myself,
and his own preference for the way a with Black, against 1 e4. As I like to
book should be written, and I am no win games with Black, as much as
exception to this rule. I personally feel with White, I have attempted to pick
that a book should try, as far as possi­ variations that offer excellent winning
ble, to cover all the moves that a reader chances to Black, with minimum risk.
is likely to face. There is nothing worse In short, studying all the variations
than buying a new book, assiduously in this book may prove hard work, but
studying the authm's recommenda­ it should also prove very rewarding to
tions, springing your knowledge on an the diligent reader.
unsuspecting opponent, only to be hit And, almost finally, a little word
by some perfectly sound counter, concerning move-order. The traditional
which slipped the author's attention, move-order, 1 e4 c5 2 tllf3 d6 3 d4
and lose. However, this may mean cxd4 4 lllxd4 tllf6 5 lllc3 a6, is used
that the book might appear a little throughout the book, for reasons of
'dense', but it is the price to be paid, conformity, even though many of the
I'm afraid. games started with the alternative
The Najdorf is also incredibly pop­ move-order 1 e4 c5 2 lllf3 d6 3 d4 lllf6
ular, and is therefore subject to a lot of 4 lllc3 cxd4 5 lllxd4 a6, which is used
theoretical interest. As a consequence, by many players in order to avoid the
it changes almost daily, with new moves line 1 e4 c5 2 lllf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4
and improvements being played all the "i!Yxd4.
time. To get around this problem, I Lastly, many thanks to Mickey Ad­
have tried to pick sound, established ams and John Nunn for their respec­
variations wherever suitable, knowing tive input.
Introduction

1 e4 c5 2 lLlf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4 deal with opening theory, but he was

lLlf6 5 l2Jc3 a6 (D) adamant that he was only interested
in covering 'sound' openings. When
pressed about this, he said that against
1 e4, that would be l . ..e5 and the Naj­
w dorf Sicilian - nothing else!

A Brief History
The 'Najdorf' was originally played
by Karel Opocensky and other Czech
masters, and was taken up by Moishe
Mieczslaw (later Miguel) Najdorf in
the late 1940s, and, because of his suc­
cesses, the opening took his name.
The Najdorf is an excellent way of The idea of this little move 5 ... a6 is to
meeting 1 e4. Often, if you know what control the b5-square, so that Black
you are doing, and your opponent does might be able to play . . .e5, driving
not, you can be successful with almost away the advanced white knight on d4
any opening. With the Najdorf, you and gaining greater central influence,
can win with Black even if your oppo­ much as in the Boleslavsky Sicilian.
nent does know what he is doing. It is The immediate 5 ... e5 is possible, but
completely sound, even at the very after 6 i.b5+ i.d7 7 i.xd7+ 'ifxd7 the
highest levels. Kasparov's recent (at move 8 lLlf5 is strong. Therefore, in
the time of writing) string of outstand­ the Najdorf, by avoiding the exchange
ing tournament successes was often of light-squared bishops, Black main­
due to his extraordinary score with tains control of his light squares, in
Black, especially against 1 e4, using particular f5 and d5.
the Najdorf. Perhaps I can illustrate Other strong players soon recog­
this further. Many years ago, I was at nized the strength of this variation,
the late Lev Polugaevsky's Paris apart­ and it quickly became one of Black's
ment, with him and another GM, most fashionable defences. During the
Viktor Gavrikov. We were finalizing 1 960s it was popularized by Fischer,
details for a new pedagogical maga­ and nowadays it is possibly the most
zine, which would bear the great Sicil­ fashionable 'defence' to 1 e4 at the
ian specialist's name. Gavrikov was to highest level, being played by Gelfand,
 Introduction 7

Anand, Shirov, Topalov, lvanchuk, ready to attack it further with . . . ll:\c5

Svidler, amongst others, and, of course, (one of the points of developing this
espoused by the current World No. 1 , piece on d7, instead of the more com­
Garry Kasparov. mon Sicilian square, c6), and the f8-
rook may be able to bear down on this
Strategic Ideas same pawn along the e-file, from e8.
If that were not enough, the b5-pawn
Without going into great detail here, can also join in the fun by advancing
specific strategic ideas are often lirn­ and dislodging the c3-knight, and the
ited to a particular type of position, queen' s rook can often go to c8, and
and in modern chess less is made of then take on c3.
general rules and more of the concrete
appraisal of each position's peculiari­ Black's Extra Central Pawn
ties. In other words, you will have to White's third move sometimes comes
learn your theory ! Nonetheless there in for criticism because it willingly
are themes that run throughout the swaps an important central pawn for
book. the black c-pawn. In the subsequent
play Black will enjoy various advan­
Pressure on the e-pawn tages because of his extra central pawn
The N ajdorf Variation is an attack on and open c-file. In Chapter 7, for in­
White's e-pawn. Already, after White's stance, the following position arises.
third move (the anti-positional swap
of White's central pawn for Black's c­
pawn), he can no longer defend e4
with his d-pawn, and later, should he B
play f4, the poor e-pawn will be on its
own. Here is a position from Chapter
6:

Zso. Polgar - Browne

San Francisco 1995

White has started advancing on the

kingside, and the standard reaction to
a wing attack, a counterattack in the
centre, is made that much easier for
Black already presses on e4 with Black because of his central prepon­
his f6-knight and b7-bishop, and is derance.
8 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

7 ... d5! 8 exd5 tllxd5 9 .id2 tllc6 10

tllde2 e5 11 .ig2 .ie6 (D)
B

Sax - Gallagher
Mitropa Cup (Baden) 1999

Black has achieved a good position. .i.xc4 'iil xc4 20 g6 tlld7 21 gxh7+
He has plenty of space for his pieces �h8 22 1:1.hgl b3! (D)
and a useful central presence because White has made real headway on
of his e5-pawn, which controls two the kingside, and so Black cannot af­
important squares in the white half of ford to hang around.
the board, d4 and f4.

The Minority Attack

As mentioned above, the advance of w
the black b-pawn constitutes an impor­
tant part of Black's strategic arsenal.
This minority attack can achieve vari­
ous positional objectives, such as dis­
placing the c3-knight, exposing the
c2-pawn, etc. Moreover, it is often a
useful weapon for attacking the white
queenside in the endgame. It can also
be a very effective battering-ram to ex­
pose the white king if he decides to 23 axb3? axb3 24 tllxb3 'iil a4 25
shelter on the queenside. 'iil g2 .i.f6 26 .i.g5?! tllc5 ! 27 .ixf6
In the following diagram, White has 'iil a2+ 28 �cl tllxb3+ 29 cxb3 1:!.fc8+
castled long, with the intention of hurl­ Black forces a quick mate.
ing his g- and h-pawns up the board, As pointed out previously, the b­
but Black has free-moving pawns of pawn also plays a useful role in the at­
his own. tack on the white e-pawn and the fight
10 ...b5 11 g4 b4 12 tlld5 .i.xd5 13 for control of the d5-square. Often, the
exd5 a5 14 �bl 'iil c7 15 g5 tllfd7 16 b-pawn can be advanced at just the
h4 tllb6 17 h5 a4 18 tllcl tllc4 19 right moment to thwart White's plans.
 Introduction 9

Here, even the fact that White has The Exchange Sacrifice
played a3 does not stop Black' s b­ A common device for Black is the ex­
pawn. change sacrifice. By giving up the rook
for the knight on c3, Black shatters the
white queenside pawn-structure, and
if he can then take the e4-pawn as
B well, this normally represents suffi­
cient compensation. It is generally
used by Black as a device to derail
White's strategic plans. Of course, if
White has castled queenside, it will be
even stronger, and Black might not
even need to win the e-pawn.

Suta - Stoica B
Bucharest 1 972

White is threatening either g4-g5 or

i.g5xf6, with every chance to estab­
lish a minor piece on d5, but, as they
say, it is Black to move:
13...a5!
The pawn cannot be taken because
of 14 ... 'iVb6+, but even if this tactic
were not possible, the b-pawn would Arencibia - lvanchuk
still be immune because capturing it Lucerne Wcht 1997
would leave the e4-pawn with insuffi­
cient defence. Black continued forcefully:
14 g4?! b4 12 .. Jhc3! 13 bxc3 tl:ic5 14 i.xf6
Just in time to avoid conceding the i.xf6 15 l:thel lia5
d5-square. White is already lost, as he will
15 tl:id5 tl:ixd5 16 i.xd5 i.xd5 17 soon be mated.
exd5 i.g5 16 e5 dxe5 17 fxe5 i.g5+ 18 �bl
Stopping the white attack in its i.d5 19 tl:ib3 'iVxa3 20 i.xb5+ axb5
tracks. The weakness of White's king­ 21 �xd5 tl:ia4 0-1
side and the c2-pawn, fixed by the ad­
vance of Black's b-pawn, proved fatal. An Influential Game
White often plays an early a4 in the
positional lines to restrain the black The first opening I can remember
queenside, although even then, it often playing with Black is the Najdorf, for
manages to advance ! the simple reason that the then World
10 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

Champion, Bobby Fischer, was my guards, then 14 ... tl'ixh5 1 5 �xh5 l:!.xc3 !
first chess hero, and he played it all the 16 bxc3 tl'if6 is an example of the
time. His games still demonstrate a aforementioned exchange sacrifice.
purity that few other players could ever Black wrecks the white queenside and
match. The following game impressed wins the e-pawn, which is generally
me greatly the first time I saw it, for more than enough in terms of compen­
Black' s so-called 'bad' bishop sud­ sation.
denly became the powerful possessor 14 ...tl'ib6
of the dark squares. The knight threatens to come to c4,
where it blocks the a2-g8 diagonal and
Robatsch - Fischer threatens the white queenside. White's
Havana 1965 reply is obligatory.
15 .ixb6 �xb6+ 16 <tihl ife3! (D)
1 e4 c5 2 tl'if3 d6 3 d4 tl'if6 4 tl'ic3
cxd4 S tl'ixd4 a6 6 .ic4 e6 7 a3 .ie7 8
.ia2 0-0 9 0-0 bS 10 f4 .ib7 11 fS eS
12 tl'ide2 tl'ibd7 13 tl'ig3 l:!.c8 (D) w

A marvellous move, centralizing the

queen, and envisaging bringing it to
the kingside. The absence of White's
dark-squared bishop will have nega­
This black set-up is, in many ways, tive repercussions: he no longer con­
ideal, and occurs regularly throughout trols his own dark squares.
this book. The e4-pawn is under fire, 17 tl'idS .ixdS! 18 .ixdS .id8!!
and the black rook is on the half-open (DJ
c-file. This impedes the movement of Momentarily, the d6-pawn is not
the white queen and c3-knight because under attack, so Black takes the oppor­
of the c2-pawn, and also introduces tunity to activate his 'bad' bishop on
the possibility of the famous exchange the gl -a7 diagonal.
sacrifice on c3, either to win the e4- 19 a4 .ib6 20 axbS axbS 21 l:!.a6
pawn, or to fight for control of d5 . b4
14 .ie3 Both fixing the c2-pawn, and mak­
If 14 tl'ih5 instead, to attempt to win ing sure that White can never play b4
control of d5 by exchanging one of its himself.
 Introduction 11

The c2-pawn has been left without

defence, and is lost.
25 fxg6 hxg6 26 lbf6+ ri;g7 27
lbh5+ ri;h6
Black avoids the attempt at a per­
petual check.
28 lLlf6 l:i.f2!
White's back rank is weak, and the
game will not last long.
29 l:i.aal l:i.a8! 30 �xb4 ri;g7 31
�xd6 �e2 32 lbe8+ l:i.xe8 33 l:i.fel
�g4 0-1
22 tllh5 l2Jxd5 23 �g4 g6 24 exd5 For the theory of this line, see
l:i.xc2 Chapter 3, Line B .
1 6 �e3

1 e4 cS 2 lllf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lllxd4 White Attacks on the Kingside

lllf6 S lll c3 a6 6 �e3 (D) I suppose that the main reason for the
status of this line, at all levels, is that it
gives White the opportunity to throw
his g- and h-pawns up the board, lever
B open the black king's protection, and
force a rapid mate. The following game
is a case in point:

This move, preparing �d2 and 0-0-0,

has been increasing in popularity over
the last decade, to the point where Joe
Gallagher now considers it to be the
main line. Indeed, in recent copies of
Jnformator there were more games in
this variation than for all of White's Tolnai - Kuczynski
other sixth moves put together! Stara Zagara Z 1 990
The disadvantage of many other
lines, the early advance of the f-pawn 12 g4 lll b6 13 gS lllfd7 14 h4 'filc7
to f4, and consequent undermining of lS hS .l:i.fc8 16 g6
e4, is not a problem here, as White can White has managed to strike first.
continue his plan while maintaining a 16... b4 17 tlldS lllxdS 18 exd5 �rs
sound pawn formation. He will soon 19 gxf7+ @h8 20 �d3 �xd3 21
play f3, which not only prepares to at­ 'filxd3 .l:i.f8 22 �g6! �f6 23 .l:i.dgl
tack with g4, but also defends the e4- Black managed to avoid mate, by
pawn. clever defence, but could not avoid de­
Current World No. 1 Garry Kaspa­ feat.
rov plays this with White and Black, Actually, at higher levels, games of
which has meant that the theory has this type are surprisingly rare. Black's
developed in giant strides of late. queenside counterplay can be at least
 6 �e3 13

as quick, and often Black steers clear chapter ! White first brings his e4-pawn
of premature kingside castling, so as to to d5, to cover the c6-square.
avoid giving White a target. Strangely, 13 lLld5 tbxd5 14 exd5 ..ltd7 15
in a way, White is more often inter­ tba5
ested in playing on the queenside, even The queen on d2 is ideally placed,
when his king is there. and controls the a5-square, so that the
passively-placed b3-knight can hop to
White Attacks on the a5, where it eyes the c6-square. Now it
Oueenside simply remains for White to exchange
Apart from the 'standard plot', where light-squared bishops, and the outpost
White castles kingside and plays on on c6 will belong to his knight.
the queenside with moves such as a4, 15 ...0-0 16 �bl 'VJ/lc7 17 c4 l:!.ac8
there is one very effective plan that 18 l:!.cl tbf4 19 h4 'VJilb8 20 ..ltxf4 exf4
wins a lot of games for White, and (D)
which occurs even in positions where
he has castled queenside and advanced
his kingside pawns. In effect, he uses
the fact that his queen, on d2, covers w
the a5-square, to support a knight there.
This piece can then go to c6, provided
that there is a white pawn on d5 to sup­
port it. Be careful to keep a look-out
for this possibility, as once this piece
successfully arrives on c6, things will
look very grim for Black indeed.

21 ..lth3! ..ltxh3 22 l:!.xh3 bxc4 23

w tbc6
Now Black is positionally lost. He
decides to give the exchange to liqui­
date the oppressive white knight, but it
is quite insufficient.
23 ... l:!.xc6 24 dxc6 iVc8 25 l:!.h2
'VJ/lxc6 26 iVe2 iVb7 27 l:!.xc4 d5 28
l:!.cl ..ltd8 29 'iVe5 ..ltb6 30 iVxf4 l:!.e8
31 l:!.hc2 g6 32 l:!.c7 ..ltxc7 33 l:!.xc7
l:!.el+ 34 �c2 l:!.e2+ 35 �dl 1-0
Kobaliya - Dvoi rys
St Petersburg 1998 The Theory of 6 .te3
A fairly typical position, but one 1 e4 c5 2 tbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tbxd4
which we will certainly avoid in this tbf6 5 tbc3 a6 6 ..lte3 e5 (D)
14 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

6 ... lLlg4 is also very much at the Miller-Rowson, Erevan OL 1 996)

cutting edge of theory at the moment. 8 ... J. e6 9 lLlg3 g6 (leaving the knight
The continuation 7 J. g5 h6 8 J.h4 g5 on g3 misplaced) 1 0 J.d3 lLlbd7 1 1 0-0
9 J. g3 J. g7 leads to a very active posi­ 0-0 12 'iVf3 'it>h8 13 nad l b5 14 'iie 2
tion for Black, and I was tempted to �a5 15 a3 l:ab8 16 nfe l 'it'c7 17 lLlfl
recommend it, but there are two prob­ lLl b6, with good play for Black, Ros­
lems with this. Firstly, White can play solimo-Fischer, USA Ch (New York)
7 J.c l lLlf6 8 J.e3 with a likely draw by l 966n.
repetition, if he is peaceably minded.
Secondly, a lot of strong players (Mor­ A)
ozevich for one) have turned to 6 f3 as 7 lLl b3
a means of avoiding 6 . . . lLlg4, when, This is the best move. White in­
after 6 ... e5 7 lLlb3 we reach the main tends to play f3, �d2 and 0-0-0, fol­
line considered in this chapter. It is lowed by the inevitable kingside pawn
true that by playing this way White charge, g4-g5, h4-h5, etc. However,
no longer has the option of playing one of the attractions of this line is
Line B , with 7 lLlf3, but as this is not that White can also turn his attention
very popular at the moment, and not to the queenside. Although he is un­
particularly frightening for Black ei­ likely ever to establish a piece on d5,
ther, it seems simpler to consider only as Black can keep this square well
6 . . . e5 . controlled, White can often reply to
Black's . . .b5 by playing lLld5, recap­
ture on d5 with his e-pawn, and then
manoeuvre his b3-knight to c6 via a5,
w as it is supported by the queen on d2.
Furthermore, if Black tries to attack on
the queenside too soon, White will be
able to change plans, and avoid cas­
tling long in favour of playing a4 and
castling short.
7 J.e6 (D)
...

At this point White has two main w

replies:
A: 7 lLlb3 14
B: 7 lLlf3 26

There is also 7 lLlde2 (aiming for

the f5-square, but too slow) 7 . . .J.e7 8
h3 (8 'iid2 0-0 9 f3 J.e6 1 0 0-0-0 b5
leads to an inferior version of Line A,
 6 ile3 15

As White will probably castle long, perpetual check. However, Black can,
Black will want to get his queenside and should, be more ambitious, since
play underway quickly, and therefore 20 ... �e4 ! seems very strong, e.g. 2 1
this seems the most accurate move. 'it>xb3 �xd5+ 2 2 'it>a3 b5, when the
There is a second point in that the white king appears somewhat awk­
bishop also surveys d5 and the freeing wardly placed, and the white kingside
move . . . d5 might be possible if White is still undeveloped. I imagine that, by
plays inaccurately. simply doubling rooks on the c-file,
8 f3 this is just winning for Black.
Essential preparation for iVd2 and a2) 12 ll'ixd5 ! ? (it is difficult to
0-0-0, followed by g4, etc. White might believe that this is really playable)
be able to delay this move a little, but 12 . . . ll'ixe4 1 3 iVe2 ( 1 3 iVa5?! is a cop­
he will probably play it quite soon. out: 1 3 ...iVxa5+ 14 l:.xa5 ll'id6 1 5 �d2
This position is doubly important, as ll'ixf5 16 �d3 ll'id4 and White has little
far as we are concerned, for if White to show for his pawn, Paneque-Her­
plays 6 f3, then this exact position will rera, Bayamo 1 990) 1 3 . . .iVh4+ ! ? (this
be reached after 6 ...e5 7 ll'ib3 �e6 8 wins material, but allows White some
�e3, but without allowing White to attack; other moves are no doubt pos­
play any of the other 8th move alterna­ sible, e.g. 1 3 ... tt:'idf6 14 ll'ixf6+ ll'ixf6
tives. They are: { this stops White castling long } 1 5
a) 8 iVd2 tt:'ibd7 is likely to trans­ l:.d l iVc7 with a fine position) 14 g3
pose back to the main line after 9 f3 ll'ixg3 15 hxg3 iVxh l 16 0-0-0 �e4 17
(the most popular move by far in this �h3 ll'if6 1 8 ll'ixf6+ gxf6 1 9 �g2
position) 9 . . . b5. White can also play 9 iVb4 20 'i!Vd3 'iie7 2 1 �e4 'iic7 22 'it>bl
0-0-0?! b5 10 f3 - see the note to �c5 and, in Nikolenko-Odeev, USSR
White's 10th move in Line A l . White Cht (Naberezhnye Chelny) 1988, Black
does have one other possibility, viz. 9 next played his king to e7 , when
f4 l:!.c8 (although Black has plenty of White's compensation for the material
good replies, I think that this is the sacrificed was insufficient.
most logical) 10 f5 (this is White's b) 8 f4 (this is another attempt to
idea, trying to clamp down on the light embarrass the e6-bishop, but it loos­
squares, but the drawback is the time ens the white position, and, just as in
wasted) 10 ...�xb3 ! 1 1 axb3 d5 ! , when Chapter 4 Line A 1, Black has a simple
Black has a strong initiative: method of equalizing) 8 . . . exf4 9 �xf4
al) 12 exd5 �b4 13 'ti'd3 tUc5 14 ll'ic6 and now:
1Wc4 �xc3+ 15 iVxc3 0-0 1 6 0-0-0 (16 b l ) 10 �d2 (this is the idea behind
�xc5 ll'ixd5 17 iVa5 b6 1 8 �xb6 White's play; he intends 0-0-0, with
ll'ixb6 with the unpleasant threat of great pressure on the d6-pawn) 10 ... d5
...iVh4+) 16 . . .ll'ixd5 17 �e l tt:'ixb3+ (unfortunately for White, the d6-pawn
1 8 'it>bl �c7 19 l:.xd5 'iixc2+ 20 'it>a2 has moved ! Once again, the standard
and now 20 ... ll'ic l + 1h-1h was E.Gon­ equalizing move does what it is sup­
zales-Hmadi, Thessaloniki OL 1 984; posed to do ! ) 1 1 exd5 ( 1 1 0-0-0 ll'ixe4
21 �xc l 'it'a4+ 22 'it>bl 'it'c2+ is a 1 2 ll'ixe4 dxe4 1 3 iVe3 'i*'f6! 1 4 'ti'xe4
 16 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

j_e7 1 5 j_d3 j_d5 1 6 f*'xd5 'ilixf4+ 17 capture) 10 exd5 j_f5 1 1 f*'d2 (with
'it>b 1 1h-1h Sax-Sadler, Pula Echt 1 997) the positional threat tLia5, followed by
1 1 . . .tlJxd5 1 2 tLixd5 ( 1 2 0-0-0? j_b4 c4, setting the queenside pawns in mo­
1 3 f*'e l j_xc3 14 bxc3 �e7 is better tion; 1 1 j_d3 j_xd3 1 2 f*'xd3 j_e7 13
for Black, Hellers-Malishauskas, Oslo 0-0 0-0 14 a4 .l:tc8 1 5 a5 j_g5 1 6 .l:tfc l
1 992) 1 2 . . .f*'xd5 13 f*'xd5 j_xd5 14 f5 is easy for Black, Short-Chandler,
0-0-0 0-0-0 1 5 g3 ! ? ( 1 5 j_d3 g6 1 6 Brighton Z 1 984) 1 1 ....l:tc8 1 2 c4 b6 !
.l:td2 j_d6 1 7 j_xd6 .l:txd6 1 8 j_e4 (both stopping tLia5 and preparing to
.l:thd8 1 9 .l:thdl tlJb4 is totally equal, set up a dark-square pawn barrier;
Szalanczy-Loginov, Kecskemet 1 993, 1 2. . . j_e7 ? ! is the sort of move White is
as is 15 j_e2 g6 16 .l:thg l j_e7 17 g3 hoping for: 13 tLia5 f*'c7 14 b4 with a
.l:the8 18 .l:tgfl f5 19 j_f3 1h-1h Yuda­ large advantage, as the a5-knight can
sin-Gelfand, Biel IZ 1993) 15 . . .j_d6 no longer be evicted, with ... b6 allow­
1 6 j_h3+ 'it>c7 1 7 .l:thfl j_xf4+ 1 8 ing tLic6, Ehlvest-Szekely, Leningrad
.l:txf4 j_xb3 1 9 axb3 .l:txd l+ 2 0 'it>xdl 1 984) 1 3 j_e2 j_e7 1 4 0-0 j_g6 1 5 f4
.l:td8+ 21 'it>c l tlJe5 is, if anything, a exf4 1 6 j_xf4 tlJe5 1 7 tlJd4 0-0 1 8 b3
little better for Black because of his .l:te8 19 .l:tad l j_f6 and Black is active,
potential passed kingside pawn, Klo­ Short-Marjanovic, Thessaloniki OL
van-Dvoirys, Budapest 1 992. 1 984.
b2) 10 f*'e2 (this is artificial; White d) 8 f*'e2 (this move keeps the d­
stops Black playing . . . d5, but on the file open for the white rook, but blocks
other hand long castling is no longer the fl-bishop) 8 . . .tlJbd7 (D) and now:
possible without preparation, because
of the reply ...j_g4) 10. .. j_e7 1 1 h3
(necessary if White wants to castle)
1 1 .. .tlJd7 ! 1 2 0-0-0 tLice5 ! (the knight w
hops in to the fine square e5, and at the
same time masks the d6 weakness) 1 3
tlJd5 j_xd5 1 4 .l:txd5 0-0 1 5 h4 ! .l:tc8
and Black has plenty of possibilities,
with open files for his rooks, and good
squares for his minor pieces, Shirov­
Gelfand, Khalkidhiki 1993.
c) 8 tlJd5 (White introduces a more
positional approach : he wishes to
create a mobile queenside majority) d l ) Nevednichy proposes 9 0-0-0
8 ... tlJbd7 (a typical Najdorf idea; Black .l:tc8 1 0 f3 .l:txc3 ! 1 1 bxc3 d5 1 2 'it>b2 !
'ignores' the d5-knight, and, by cover­ (trying to guard the dark squares
ing the b6-square, forces White to pro­ around the king) 12 . . .dxe4 13 j_g5
tect his e-pawn; obviously, the pawn is and now, instead of his 1 3 . . . exf3, I
not en prise immediately, because would play 1 3 . . . f*'c7 ! as then 14 fxe4?
8 . . . tLixe4?? loses to 9 j_b6 and 10 loses to 14 . . .j_g4 and meanwhile both
tLic7+) 9 f3 tLixd5 (now is the time to ... tLib6-a4 and . . .tLid5 are on the cards.
 6 if..e3 17

Therefore we can conclude that White the most accurate, but White can also
is struggling. attempt to 'cross up' Black's develop­
d2) 9 f4 exf4 10 ..ltxf4 lLie5 1 1 h3 ment by 9 g4, the point being that
..lte7 12 0-0-0 (Nevednichy-Olafsson, 9 ... b5 can now be answered by 10 g5
Erevan OL 1 996) and now 12 ... lLifd7 (instead, 10 li'd2 lLi b6 transposes to
transposes to the note 'b2'. Line A l , and although 10 a4 ? ! is pos­
e) 8 ..lte2 ..lte7 transposes to note sible, this looks worse than the similar
'a' to White's 8th move in Chapter 4, Line A2 as White has loosened his
Line A. Likewise ..lte2 on the next few kingside pawn-structure; for example,
moves will effect a similar transposi­ 1 0. . . b4 l 1 lLid5 ..ltxd5 1 2 exd5 lLib6 1 3
tion. ..ltf2! ? h6 1 4 f4 exf4 1 5 'i*'e2+ ..lte7 1 6
8 ... l2Jbd7 (D) 0-0-0, but White' s play looks fishy to
me, Sakaev-Doroshkevich, Russia Cup
1 997) and, unlike the main line, the
square d7 is no longer available to the
w black king' s knight. 10 ... b4 ! (a useful
resource) and now:
a) 1 1 gxf6 bxc3 1 2 fxg7 ..ltxg7 1 3
bxc3 (White has won a pawn, but his
pawn-structure is a wreck) 1 3 . . ...lth6
(Black immediately activates his dark­
squared bishop) 14 ..ltf2 ( 1 4 ..ltxh6?!
'ir'h4+ 15 �d2 l1k xh6+ is even worse)
14 . . . l1kc7 gives Black a promising po­
sition.
At the time of writing, there is no b) 1 1 lLie2 ! ? (this might be more
clear consensus about which line is dangerous, as although Black no lon­
Black's best here. Several different ger has to worry about the positional
plans are possible, and each one has its threat of lLid5, he has driven White's
defenders. I prefer the text-move, fol­ queen's knight to the kingside, where
lowed by a swift ... b5, for several rea­ it may well become useful) 1 l . . . lLih5
sons. Firstly, White is probably going 1 2 �d2 ..lte7 ( 1 2 ... a5 !? is interesting,
to castle queenside, in which case planning ... a4, driving the b3-knight to
Black should get his counterplay go­ who knows where, and dissuading
ing in that sector. Secondly, I do not White from castling long; then both 1 3
like to castle kingside too soon, as this lLi g3 lLixg3 1 4 hxg3 a4 1 5 lLic l and 1 3
invites the standard kingside pawn­ a4 .l:i.c8 1 4 lLig3 l2Jf4 seem to give im­
storm; nor do I like lines with ... h6 proved versions of the game) 1 3 l2Jg3
(played to stop White's g5 move), as lLif4 14 h4 h6 1 5 ..ltxf4 exf4 1 6 l2Jh5
this weakens Black's kingside. ..ltxb3 1 7 axb3 g6 18 lLixf4 hxg5 1 9
9 'i*'d2 lLid5 does not look very clear here, but
After this White is ready to castle soon favoured White in Adams-Svid­
queenside next move. This is probably ler, Dos Hermanas 1999.
 18 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

c) 1 1 tt:\d5 tt:\xd5 1 2 exd5 .tf5 A1)

(thus, not only does Black avoid hav­ 10 g4
ing to move his king's knight offside, Not only does this move indicate an
but he also finds a good square for his intention to storm the kingside pawns
queen's bishop, as White can no lon­ up the board, with g5, h4-h5 and then
ger control f5 with a pawn) 1 3 .td3 g6, but there are also positional impli­
..li.xd3 14 li'xd3 ..li.e7 15 ngl ( 1 5 h4 cations associated with the move g5 .
0-0 16 0-0-0 a5 17 tt:\d2 f5 1 8 gxf6 For this threatens to sideline the f6-
tt:\xf6 1 9 h5 is very similar, Shirov­ knight, and, more importantly, gain
Svidler, Wijk aan Zee 1 999) 15 ... 0-0 control of d5 for the c3-knight, itself
1 6 0-0-0 a5 17 tt:\d2 f5 1 8 gxf6 tt:\xf6 menaced by Black's b-pawn.
1 9 'it>bl tt:\h5 20 ng4 li'd7 2 1 nc4 li'f5 The other kingside attack idea is 10
and Black exchanges queens, with 0-0-0? ! but this is inferior, because
comfortable equality, Leko-Kasparov, Black can set his queenside play in
' Linares 1 999. motion without having to concern him­
9 b5 (D)
... self with White's g4-g5 . Black contin­
ues 10 . . .tt:\b6 ! (coming immediately to
c4) and now:
a) 1 1 �bl should be answered by
w 1 1 . . .tt:\c4 12 ..li.xc4 bxc4 1 3 tt:\c l nb8,
rather than l l .. .b4 1 2 .txb6 li'xb6 1 3
tt:\d5 ..li.xd5 1 4 exd5 g6 1 5 g 4 ..li.g7, as
in Campora-Grunenwald, Mendrisio
1 988, although even this is quite rea­
sonable.
b) 1 1 ..li.xb6 li'xb6 1 2 g4 b4 1 3 tt:\d5
..li.xd5 14 exd5 is similar, although in
Kieran-lstrati, Mureck girls U- 1 6 Ech
1 998 Black sent her queenside pawns
Not only is Black fighting for the up the board: 14 .....li.e7 1 5 h4 a5 1 6
initiative on the queenside with this °ikd3 0-0 1 7 h 5 tt:\d7 1 8 'it> b1 a4 1 9
move, but also in the centre, as a later tt:\d2 tt:\c5 and the black attack was in
. . . b4 can help to control the d5-square, full swing, while White's had not even
by driving the c3-knight away. Now started.
White has two separate plans: c) 1 1 g4 transposes to note 'c ' to
Al: 10 g4 (and 10 0-0-0) 1 8 White's 1 1th move.
A2: 1 0 a4 (and 1 0 tt:\d5) 2 1 d) 1 1 'ikf2 tt:\c4 1 2 ..li.xc4 bxc4
(White's position looks suspicious to
The logic of this organization i s that me, or, at least, I would not care to
in Line A 1 we consider variations play it, as Black has a ready-made at­
where White attacks on the kingside, tack along the b-file) 1 3 tt:\c5 li'c7 14
and in Line A2, those where he attacks tt:\5a4 ( 1 4 tt:\xe6 fxe6 strengthens the
on the queenside. black centre) 14 . . . nb8 1 5 g4 li'c6 (by
 6 ile3 19

attacking the a4-knight, Black stops b) 1 1 tt:'ia5? (this is too artificial)

White occupying d5 with his other 1 l .. .b4 12 tt:'ie2 d5 (Black is already
knight) 16 g5 tt:'id7 1 7 f4 exf4 1 8 �xf4 better) 1 3 g5 tt:'ifd7 14 c3 bxc3 15 bxc3
nb4 1 9 b3 cxb3 20 axb3 nxa4 ! ? (this �c5 16 �xc5 tt:'ixc5 17 'iie 3 '1Wc7 1 8
is fun, but 20... tt:'ib6 ! is simpler, and tt:'ig3 0-0 and White's ragged structure
strong, e.g. 2 1 '1Wg3 { 2 1 tt:'ixb6? loses is indefensible, Svidler-Kasparov, Blitz
to 2 1 . . .'1Wxc3 } 2 1 . . .tt:'ixa4 22 bxa4 nc4, Match, ICC 1 998.
when the white king must be wonder­ c) 1 1 0-0-0 �e7 (this could arise
ing what happened to its pawn cover) from 10 0-0-0? ! , and I suppose that
2 1 tt:'ixa4 �xb3 22 tt:'ib2 (Tiviakov­ Black could play 1 1 . . . tt:'ic4 ! here as
Van Wely, Holland 1 998) and now well, e.g. 1 2 �xc4 bxc4, when the ugly
Van Wely suggests that 22 ... tt:'ic5 is move 13 tt:'ial is forced; however, in
strongest, with an attack. Svidler-Kasparov, Wijk aan Zee 1 999,
10 tt:'ib6! (D)
... the World Champion played the text­
move instead, but as this was a blitz
game, it is difficult to read much into
this decision) 12 '1Wf2 tt:'ifd7 1 3 'it>bl
'ikc7 14 h4 0-0 15 g5 b4 16 tt:'id5 tt:'ixd5
17 exd5 �f5 1 8 �d3 �xd3 and now,
instead of the bizarre move 1 9 cxd3 ? ! ,
when White lost his lonely d5-pawn,
1 9 nxd3 seems equal.
1 1 tt:'ifd7 12 tt:'id5
...

Alternatives:
a) 12 tt:'ia5 and now:
a l ) 12 . . .nc8 13 0-0-0 '1Wc7 14 �bl
�e7 15 tt:'id5 tt:'ixd5 16 exd5 �xd5 1 7
This move is the palpable advan­ '1Wxd5 '1Wxa5 1 8 c4 0-0 leads to compli­
tage of playing an early . . . b5. Black cations, Lukianov-Kuporosov, USSR
further controls the d5-square, vacates 1 988.
a square on d7 for the f6-knight, and a2) l 2 . . . b4 !? is tempting, as in note
threatens action on the queenside with 'b' to White's 1 1 th move, e.g. 1 3 tt:'id5
. . . tt:'ic4 or . . . b4. ( 1 3 tt:'ie2 d5) 1 3 ... tt:'ixd5 14 tt:'ic6 ( 1 4
11 g5 exd5 'iixa5 1 5 dxe6 fxe6 1 6 �h3
Certainly this move is critical, for '1Wd5 ! ?) 14 . . .tt:'ixe3 15 tt:'ixd8 tt:'ixfl 1 6
the other tries have not fared too well, nxfl nxd8 gives Black a lot o f pieces
although that has as much to do with for his queen.
the strength of the player of the black b) 12 f4 ! ? g6 (else White plays f5)
pieces in two of the games: 1 3 0-0-0 tt:'ic4 14 �xc4 bxc4 15 tt:'id4 ! ?
a) 11 �xb6?! 'ikxb6 1 2 g5 tt:'ih5 13 (this leads to interesting play; 1 5 tt:'ial ,
0-0-0 �e7 1 4 h4 0-0 is very pleasant while legal, does not appear especially
for Black, Arnold-Weis, 2nd Bundes­ tempting) 15 ... exd4 16 �xd4 f6 17
liga 1 990. gxf6 �h6 18 f7+ 'it>xf7 1 9 �e3 ? ! ( 1 9
20 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

i.xh8 'ti'xh8 20 'i*'xd6 'ti'e5 is similar:

Black's two bishops should have the
edge over the rook and two pawns)
1 9 . . . i.g4 20 'it'd5+ �g7 21 i.d4+
tbf6 22 'it'b7+ 'fi'd7 23 'i*'xd7+ i.xd7
24 tbd5 l:thf8 and after the exchange
of the white bishop and knight for the
black rook and knight, Black' s bishop­
pair proved the dominant factor in
Leko-Shirov, Sarajevo 1 999.
c) 12 0-0-0? ! tbc4 (once again
White has allowed this move, although
this time he really dare not capture the 'i*'xa5+, winning a pawn, although af­
c4-knight) 1 3 'fi'f2 i.e7 14 l:tgl 'ti'c7 (I ter 1 6 c3 i.e7 1 7 a4, White has some
prefer 1 4 . . .tbxe3 1 5 'ti'xe3 'it' b6! 1 6 compensation : 1 7 ... 0-0 ( 1 7 ...l:txc3 ap­
'ilt'xb6 tbxb6, which keeps control of pears strong, but after 18 i.d2 l:tc5 1 9
d5 ; then Black has a promising end­ 'i*'xc5 'i*'xd2+ 2 0 �xd2 tbxc5 White
game as he threatens to play . . .h6, ex­ has the surprising resource 2 1 axb5 ! !
posing the white kingside, and can tbb3+ 22 �c3 tbxa l 23 bxa6 as the
happily leave his king in the centre) 15 al -knight is trapped) 1 8 i.d3 'ti'd8 1 9
tbd5 i.xd5 16 l:txd5 tbdb6? ( 1 6 ... tbxe3 h4 tb c5 20 i.f5 tbxa4 ! ? 2 1 i.xc8
1 7 'ti'xe3 lbb6 1 8 l:tdl 0-0 stops White 'it'xc8, with plenty of compensation
establishing a piece on d5) 17 i.xc4 for the exchange, Diaz-Herrera, Cien­
tbxc4 1 8 tbd2 0-0 1 9 tbxc4 'it'xc4 and fuegos 1 996.
White has a clear advantage, Zayas­ b) 13 h4 i.xd5 14 exd5 tbc4 15
Herrera, Havana 1996. i.xc4 bxc4 1 6 tbc 1 c3 ! ? 17 bxc3 lbb6
d) 12 a4 ?! is too late as 12 . . . tbc4 18 i.xb6 'ti'xb6 19 tbd3 h6 and Black
1 3 i.xc4 bxc4 is better for Black, is attacking White's weak pawns on
Hartston-Stean, Hastings 1972/3. both sides of the board, Kalod-Vaulin,
12.. l:t c8! (D)
. Pardubice 1 997.
This seems to be the most accurate . c) 13 tbxb6? ! tbxb6 14 tba5 i.e7
If 12 ... tbxd5 instead, then 1 3 exd5 15 a4 ?! (Reichenbach-Lapienis, Gries­
i.f5 14 tba5 is White's idea, planning kirchen 1 998) and now 15 . . .tb xa4 is
to float in to c6. To be fair, this does simplest: 16 c4 i.d7 17 b3 tbc5 with a
not seem that frightening, as Black pawn more.
has the resource ... tbb8; for instance, 13 ..i.xd5 14 exd5 tbc4 15 'ti'f2
.

14 . . . 'i*'c7 15 tbc6 tbb8. However, the This concession is forced, since if

text-move is certainly simpler for 15 i.xc4? then 1 5 ... bxc4 forces the
Black. grovelling move 1 6 tba l , as 1 6 tb a5??
13 0-0-0 loses on the spot to 16 . . .c3.
Other moves: 15 ...i.e7 16 h4
a) 1 3 tba5 ! ? can now be met by More accurate than 1 6 l:t g l , as
1 3 ... tbxd5 14 exd5 i.xd5 15 'ti'xd5 Black can then force the queens off
 6 il..e3 21

b y 1 6... tt:'ixe3 17 'ij'xe3 'ij'b6 ! , 'skew­ A2)

ering' the queen against the g l-rook. 10 a4
16... tt:'ixe3! 17 'ij'xe3 h6 18 g6 (DJ White attempts to demonstrate that
Best, as 18 i.h3 ? ! hxg5 19 i.xd7+ Black's previous move was premature,
is met by 19 ... 'it>xd7, with advantage. and rather than pursue his planned
kingside attack, turns his attention to
the queenside. The 'queenside' alter­
native is 1 0 tl'i d5 (this is similar, and
B can often transpose) 10 . . . i.xd5 1 1
exd5 tt:'ib6 1 2 i.xb6 'ij'xb6 1 3 tl'i a5? !
( 1 3 a4 ! b4 1 4 a5 'ij'b7 brings us to the
main line) 13 ... tt:'ixd5 14 'ij'xd5 'i!i'xa5+
1 5 c3 �c8 1 6 a4 i.e7 (DJ and now:

A critical position for this line.

18 fS
•..

Black decides to keep his pawn­

structure intact, but both 1 8 ...i.xh4 !?
19 gxf7+ 'it>xf7 20 f4 ! i.f6 2 1 i.h3
.l:!:e8 and 18 .. .fxg6 ! ? 19 'ij'e4 0-0 seem
viable attempts to win material, al­
though White has some compensation
in both instances. a) 17 .l:!: a2 (this is slightly inferior
19 f4 0-0 20 i.h3 i.xh4 21 �bl to putting the rook on a3) 17 ... 'ij'b6 1 8
'filc7 axb5 a5 1 9 .l:!: a4 0-0 (White is very
2 1 . . . 11Vf6 !? is an interesting alterna­ strong on the light squares, and has a
tive. strong passed b-pawn, but unfortu­
22 c3 .l:!:ce8 23 'V/ii d3 e4 24 'filc2 nately, he is unable to castle, and this
Now, instead of 24 ...i.f6? 25 i.xf5 is rather more important) 20 'it>dl .l:!:c5
tl'ic5 ?! 26 tt:'ixc5 'ij'xc5 27 i.e6+ 'it>h8, 2 1 'ij'd2 d5 22 i.d3 f5 23 .l:!:el e4 and
when 28 .l:!:h3 ! is winning because of White is being pushed back, Peters­
the threat of 'filh2 and .l:!:xh6+, Lastin­ Browne, USA Ch 1 980.
Vaulin, Russia Cup 1997, the immedi­ b) 17 .l:!: a3 provides a retreat-square
ate 24 ... tl'ic5 is good: 25 tt:'id4 (if 25 on a2 for the white queen, if need be.
tt:'ixc5? 'ij'xc5 26 i.xf5 .l:!: xf5 27 .l:!:xh4 17 ... 'ij'b6 1 8 axb5 a5 19 i.e2 0-0 20 g3
then 27 ...11Ve3 ! is strong) 25 . . .i.f6 ! 26 .l:!:c5 21 1\Va2 (the point of 17 .l:!: a3 - the
tt:'ixf5 'ij'b6 intending . . . b4, with or a5-pawn is now attacked) 2 1 . . .e4 ! ?
without ... tt:'id3, and a subsequent at­ (21 ... .i.d8 !?) 2 2 fxe4 .l:!:e5 2 3 .l:!: a4 d5
tack on b2. 24 .l:i:d4 i.c5 25 .l:!:xd5 .l:!:xe4 with an
22 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

attack for Black, Gipslis-Kaiumov, very enticing to Black's dark-squared

USSR 1 98 1 . bishop.
c ) 1 7 'ii b7 ! ? (this might be best, 14 a5
and may lead to a draw, but it is a path White continues his queenside ac­
strewn with obstacles) 1 7 . . . l:i.xc3 ! and tion, cutting off Black's b4-pawn, and
now: fixing the a6-pawn on a light square.
c l ) 1 8 bxc3 'iWxc3+ 19 'it>f2 'iid4+ Other moves seem less relevant:
20 'iti>e2 'ii b2+ 2 1 Wd3 ..tg5 ! ? 22 a) 14 0-0-0? ! g6 ! (as the d-file is no
'iic8+ We7 23 'iWc3 e4+ 24 fxe4 �xc3+ longer open, and the d6-pawn is com­
25 'it>xc3 ..tf6+ and Black has a pawn pletely immune from attack, it makes
more. sense to develop the black dark­
c2) 1 8 ..txb5+ axb5 19 bxc3 'iixc3+ squared bishop on the a l -h8 diagonal,
20 'it>e2 is also possible, but if nothing where it has a great future) 15 g4 ..tg7
better, Black can always continue 16 ..td3 0-0 17 a5 'iWb7 1 8 'it>bl .l:Ifc8
20. . .'i!Vc4+ 21 'it>dl bxa4 22 'iia8+ 'it>d7 19 h4 ?! e4 ! (a completely thematic
23 'iixa4+ (23 'i'xh8? ! 'iid3+ 24 'it>el move, opening up the key diagonal)
..th4+ 25 g3 'iie 3+ 26 'it>fl �xf3+ 27 20 fxe4 lt:Jxg4 2 1 h5 'iie7 22 Wa2 'iie5
'it>g l ..td8 keeps Black's attack going) gives Black what should be a decisive
23 . . . 'i!Vxa4+ 24 .l:Ixa4 .l:Ib8, with an attack on the dark squares, Perenyi­
edge for Black. T.Horvath, Hungary 1 982.
We return to the position after 10 a4 b) 14 g4 ! ? (of course, having seen
(D): the previous line, you should have no
problem finding Black's next move)
14 . . . g6! 1 5 h4 ..tg7 16 h5 0-0 (there is
a rule pertaining to these kingside
B fianchetto positions, that states that
Black rarely gets mated if he retains
his g7-bishop; here White has no
dark-squared bishop, and so he cannot
exchange Black's defensive piece by
..th6, and therefore Black can safely
castle kingside) 1 7 h6? ! (after this
move, White will not even be able to
open the h-file) 17 . . ...th8 1 8 0-0-0 e4 !
(again, it is more important to free the
10...b4 11 lt:Jd5 ..txd5 12 exd5 lt:Jb6 diagonal than to worry about the loss
13 ..tx b6 'ii'xb6 of a pawn) 19 a5 'fkc7 20 g5 lt:Jd7 2 1
Thus far play is virtually forced. fxe4 lt:Jc5 2 2 lbxc5 'iixc5 23 l:i.h3
Opposite-coloured bishops are on the 'iixa5 and Black won comfortably, by
board, and this can either make the combining threats along the long
game drawish, or can favour attacking dark-square diagonal with the advance
prospects. White's dark squares are of his a- and b-pawns, in Hartrnann­
especially weak, and these can prove Georgadze, Hannover 1 983.
 6 i.e3 23

14 'it'b7 15 i.. c4 (D)

... al) 17 ....l:i.aS 18 '1Wd2 .l:i.b8 19 '1Wd3
The other way to protect d5, 15 ( 19 ttJc l transposes back to 17 tDc 1
0-0-0, suffers from the same defects as with two extra moves on the score­
in the previous note: 1 5 . . .g6! 1 6 �bl sheet, and so may be used by players
i.. g7 17 f4 ! ? ( 1 7 g4 0-0 1 8 i..d3 trans­ trying to avoid time-trouble) is possi­
poses to note 'a' to White's 14th bly a problem with this line from
move) 17 . . .e4 1 8 i.. c 4? (this bishop is Black's point of view, as White can
passively placed; 18 ltJd4 is better, but thereby try to force a draw by repeti­
even here the complications favour tion of position.
Black after 18 .. Jk8 with both 1 9 �e2 If Black needs to win then he can
.l:i.c5 and 19 tDc6 lDxd5 20 'i!Vxd5 'i!Vxc6) try either:
1 8 . . . 0-0 19 ltJd4 lDxd5 20 tDb3 ttJe7 a2) 1 7 . . .�a7 ! ? (riskily gambiting
21 �xd6 lDf5 22 �d2 �e7 23 �c l the a-pawn, but confining the white
lDd6 24 i..d5 .l:i.ac8 with a clear advan­ king to the centre) 1 8 ..li xa6 0-0 1 9
tage to Black, Hazai-Nunn, Lugano ..li b5 ! (the most precise: the bishop i s
1983. coming to c 6 to help the a-pawn o n its
way; if 19 ..li c4 then 19 ... e4 ! 20 �d4
�d7 21 .l:i. a2 exf3 22 gxf3 �h3 23
tiJd2 tiJd7 with a dangerous initiative
B for Black, Khalafian-Gaprindashvili,
USSR 1 983) 19 . . . e4 20 �d4 �c7 21
..lic6 exf3 22 gxf3 (22 0-0 fxg2 23 .l:i.e 1
is a better idea, but, for instance, after
23 . . . h5 ! ? 24 a6 ltJg4 25 a7 ..lif6 26
�d2 .l:i.a8 27 ..lixa8 .l:i.xa8 Black is not
without chances) 22 ... lDd7 and now:
a2 1 ) 23 �d 1 ? (a peculiar move)
23 . . .tiJe5 24 .l:i.gl g6 25 .l:i.fl tDxc6 26
dxc6 d5 and Black is taking over con­
15 �e7 16 .l:i.a4
... trol, Govedarica-Raicevic, Belgrade
The obvious move, 16 0-0?!, is too 1984.
helpful for Black: 16 ...0-0 17 .l:i.a4 .l:i.fb8 a22) 23 0-0 is better: 23 .....li f6 24
1 8 �h l (after 1 8 tDc l i..d 8, 19 tDa2? �f2 liJe5 25 tiJd4 �a7 ! and, with care,
allows 19 ... �xa5) 18 ... lDd7 1 9 f4 ..lif6 White might have a small edge, al­
20 �d3 e4 21 ..lixe4 i..xb2 and Black though the coming opposite-coloured
is on top, Agnos-Timoshenko, Lon­ bishops make a draw a likely result.
don Lloyds Bank 1990. a23) 23 f4 ..lif6 24 �f2 i.. xb2 25
16 .l:i.bS 17 ltJcl
... a6 tDb6 should be OK for Black.
The knight is coming to a2, to in­ a3) 17 . . . 0-0 might be playable: 1 8
tensify the pressure on the b4-pawn. i..x a6 (not 18 0-0? ! .l:i.a8 19 �d2 .l:i.fb8,
Others: avoiding the draw, and transposing to
a) 1 7 �d3 and now Black can con­ the note to White's 1 6th move, with the
tinue: move-number greater by 2) 18 . . . �xd5
24 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

( 1 8 ... 'i*'a7 ! ? transposes to line 'a2') 1 9 or two queenside pawns in return for a
'ifxd5 tl'i xd5 20 'it;f2 tl'ic7 2 1 i.e2 d5 useful initiative. 1 8 tl'i a2 (after 1 8 b3
22 a6 .l:tb6 23 .l:tc l i.g5 24 .l:tcal .l:ta8 tl'id7, 1 9 tl'ia2 transposes, while 1 9
and, although the a7-pawn looks dan­ tl'id3 tl'ic5 20 tl'i xc5 dxc5 2 1 0-0 i.d6
gerous, that did not stop Black from should be alright for B lack) 18 . . . tl'i d7
rounding it up in Pinski-Szabo, Buda­ and now:
pest 1997 . a) 19 b3 might be best: 19 . . .e4 ! ? 20
a4) 1 7 . . . 'ifa8 ! ? 18 0-0 0-0 is un­ fxe4 (20 .l:txb4 'ifc7 21 .l:txb8 .l:txb8 22
tried. fxe4 tl'ie5 23 i.xa6 .l:ta8 24 i.e2 .l:txa5
Still, lines 'a2', 'a3' and 'a4' should 25 tl'ic l h6 also allows Black a strong
carry a public health warning as far as initiative on the dark squares) 20 ...i.d8
Black is concerned. 21 'it;d l 'ifc8 22 .l:txb4 .l:t a8 with the
b) 17 0-0?! (this avoids the prob­ threat of . . . i.xa5, and if 23 .l:ta4? ! then
lem of finding a place for the white 23 . . . tl'ic5 24 .l:ta3 tl'ixe4 with advan­
king, but also eases Black's difficul­ tage.
ties) 17 ... 0-0 18 'i!Vd3 .l:ta8 19 'it;h l (now b) 19 tl'i xb4? loses a piece after
1 9 'ifd2 can be answered not only by 1 9 ... tl'ic5 20 i.xa6 tl'i xa6.
19 ... .l:tab8, but also by 19 ... .l:tfb8 avoid­ c) 19 'i!Vxb4 'i*'a7 is also very awk­
ing a repetition, as in the note to ward for White, e.g. 20 'i*'a3 .l:tfc8 2 1
White 's 1 6th move) I9 . . . tl'id7 20 'i!Vd2 'it;e2 e4 ! 2 2 fxe4? ! tl'ie5 with advan­
.l:tab8 21 'ife2 .l:t a8 22 .l:taal i.g5 is tage.
level, Campora-Brunner, Biel 1 990. d) 1 9 .l:txb4 'ifc7 ! (the ' normal'
Now we return to the position after 19 . . . 'i!Va7? fails this time because of
17 tl'i c l (D): 20 .l:txb8 .l:txb8 21 b4 ! consolidating
the extra queenside pawn, McShane­
Wach, Cappelle la Grande 1999) 20
.l:t xb8 (otherwise 20 b3 i.g5 ! 2 1 'it'xg5
{21 'i!Vc3 .l:tbc8 } 21 . . . 'ifxa5 22 0-0
.l:txb4 23 tl'ixb4 'if xb4 with some com­
pensation, or 20 i.xa6 .l:txb4 2 1 'ifxb4
.l:ta8 22 i.d3 .l:txa5 23 tl'ic3 .l:t al + 24
tl'id l 'ifa7 restricting the white king to
the centre) 20 ... .l:txb8 2 1 b3 'i!Vc5 ! 22
i.xa6 'ifa3 23 tl'ic 1 1h-1h Magem­
Zhang Zhong, Beijing 1998, and, de­
spite the lack of pawns, the final posi­
tion is actually quite pleasant for
17 i.dS
...
Black, e.g. 23 . . .i.d8 ! 24 0-0 i.xa5 25
This is the normal move here, by 'ife2 'ifc5+ 26 'it;hl 'i*'xd5. All this
which Black sets up various tactics analysis is mine, of course, and until
against the a5-pawn. there are more games in this line it is
17 ...0-0 ! ? is an exciting alternative, difficult to say for sure if Black is really
whereby Black prefers to sacrifice one doing well.
 6 il..e3 25

Now we return to the position after 0-0 lbxd5 23 .l:!.el f6 24 .l:!.e4 'iib5 with
1 7. . . i.d8 (D): equality, Shirov-Gelfand, Vienna 1 996.
d) 1 8 0-0? ! (although it is easy to
see why White would want to bring
his king to safety, the tempo lost is too
w significant) 1 8 . . . 0-0 19 'iit>h l e4 20
lbb3 exf3 2 1 gxf3 lbd7 22 lbd4 lbc5
23 .l:!.a2 'iVe7 ! 24 lbc6 'iVh4 25 lbxb8
"fl/xc4 26 .l:!.aal i.f6 and Black's pieces
are in perfect harmony, fully compen­
sating for the exchange, Gufeld-Gap­
rindashvili, USSR 1 98 1 .
1 8...0-0 1 9 lba2
Alternatives:
a) 19 0-0?! is a mistake: 1 9 . . .i.xa5
18 b3! 20 'iit>h l i..c7 21 lbe2 g6 22 .l:!.fal (Kor­
By protecting the c4-bishop and neev-Vaulin, Smolensk 1 997) 22 ... a5
keeping open the option of lba2 or with a solid pawn advantage.
lbd3, White sets Black the most prob­ b) 1 9'ltd 1 ! ? 'iVa7 20 lba2 (20 lbd3
lems. Other moves offer nothing: 'iVd4 !) 20 . . ..l:!.b5 ! 21 lbxb4 .l:!.xa5 22
a) 18 lba2 lbd7 19 'iit>d 1 ( 1 9 0-0? ! lbc6 .l:!.xa4 23 lbxa7 .l:!.al+ 24 'iVcl
i.xa5) 19 ...'iVc8 ! 20 b3? ! lbc5 21 l:hb4 .l:!.xc 1 + 25 'iit>xc 1 i..b6 26 lbc6 .l:!.a8 27
.l:!.a8 22 f4 (Tseshkovsky-Georgadze, 'iit>b 2 and White should be a little
Erevan 1 982) 22 . . . 0-0 23 fxe5 'iVg4+ better because of the weak a-pawn, but
wins for Black. was ground down anyway in Sulipa­
b) 1 8'1td l ? ! and now: Neverov, Donetsk Z 1 998.
bl) 18 . . . 0-0?! allows 19 b3 ! with 19 lbd7
...

an advantage. Instead, 19 lba2? ! was This is not completely satisfactory,

played in Georgadze-Griinfeld, Dort­ but neither is 19 . . .e4 20'ltd 1 (20 lbxb4
mund 1 984, when Black could have is also good) 20. . . .l:!.e8 2 1 .l:!.xb4 'iVa7
played 1 9 ...i.xa5 ! 20 .l:!.xa5 'iVc7 . 22 .l:!.xb8 "flixb8 23 .l:!.el .l:!.e5 24 f4 .l:!.h5
b2) 1 8 . . . i.xa5 1 9 .l:!.xa5 "flic7 20 25 h3 'iVc7 26 lbc3 'iVxa5 27 lbxe4
.l:!.xa6 'iVxc4 2 1 .l:!.xd6 'iVc5 and . . . 'iVxd6 1Wxd2+ 28 'iit> xd2 lbxe4+ 29 .l:!.xe4
is equal. 'itf8, although Black managed to draw
c) 18 lbd3 i.xa5 ! (once again we in Blehm-Sadvakasov, Calicut jr Wch
see why defending the white light­ 1 998.
squared bishop is so important) 1 9 20 'itdl! (D)
.l:!.xa5 "VJ!/c7 2 0 .l:!.xa6 (or 20 .l:!.a4 'iVxc4 This odd move again. The white
2 1 lbxb4 0-0 22 b3 �b5 23 lbc6, and king has to go to a light square to avoid
now Yudasin suggests 23 ...'iVxa4 24 the tactics involving . . . 1'.xa5. Now,
bxa4 .l:!.bl + 25 'iit>t2 .l:!.xhl , but 23 ....l:!.be8 Black has no way to delay the loss of
24 .l:!.a5 'iVb6 looks satisfactory, and the b4-pawn, and must seek counter­
less risky) 20. . . 'iVxc4 2 1 .l:!.xd6 0-0 22 play somewhere.
26 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

a-pawn. This is similar to the line 6

i.e2 e5 7 lbf3 (Chapter 4), except that
here, White will lose a move by play­
ing a later .i g5, so Black does not
have to worry so much about stopping
this by playing . . . h6. Indeed, it is
better not to weaken the kingside light
squares this way.
7 ... .ie7
The simplest move, getting on with
development.
8 .ic4
20...�c8 21 lbxb4 ttJcS 22 1fa2 The most consistent, taking a firm
�g5! 23 lbc6 grip on d5 . White's subsequent play
23 'tixg5 l:txb4 gives Black chances will involve attempting to exchange,
based on his dark-squared control. or deflect, the defending pieces so as
23 ... �xc6 24 dxc6 .ixd2 25 �xd2 to gain outright control of this crucial
l:tfc8 26 i.dS ttJe6 27 l:ta4 tiJd8 28 square. However, the other side of the
l:thal ttJxc6 29 l:tc4 coin is that this bishop stands on an ex­
White retains an edge because of posed square and Black will gain time
the weakness of the a-pawn, RotSa­ attacking it.
gov-de Firmian, Stockholm 1 998. If I 8 a4 is sometimes played, but with
had this line as Black, I would be the king's knight on f3, rather than on
sorely tempted to try 1 7 ... 0-0. b3, the queenside attack has less force,
and the a-pawn can often prove to be a
B) weakness. White often loses because
7 lbf3 (D) he has to spend time bringing his f3-
knight over to help, and finds himself
too far behind with his development.
8 . . . 0-0 (8 ... .i e6 is wrong because of 9
ltJg5) and now:
a) 9 a5 lbc6 10 .i b6 'tie8 1 1 lbd2
i.e6 12 lbc4 'tid7 (White's manoeuv­
res have proved very time-consuming;
Black is ready to expand in the centre
with ... d5) 1 3 'tid2 l:tac8 14 lbe3 .i d8 !
(a typical scheme, exchanging Black's
lesser bishop) 1 5 .ixd8 'tixd8 1 6
ltJed5 ? ! (White should instead acqui­
esce to the loss of his a-pawn; Black
White aims for piece play, as the now wins brilliantly) 1 6 . . . ttJxe4 ! 1 7
only white pawn liable to take an ac­ ltJxe4 .i xd5 1 8 'i!!Vxd5 tiJb4 1 9 'tidl
tive part in the proceedings is the ltJxc2+ 20 �d2 lbxal 21 'tixal d5 22
 6 ile3 27

ltJg3 f.t'g5+ 23 'it>dl .l:tc7 24 fkhl .l:tfc8 c3, White had confirmed his control of
25 ltJe2 .l:tc2 and the white position is d5.
quite hopeless, Arnason-Kengis, Rey­ b) 9 .ig5 ltJbd7 10 0-0 b5 1 1 .ib3
kjavik 1 994. .ib7 12 .l:tel .l:tc8 13 .l:te2 b4 14 ltJd5
b) 9 .ie2 is safer, even though ltJxd5 15 .ixd5 .ixd5 1 6 .ixe7 fkxe7
9 ... h6 10 0-0 .ie6 is pleasant for 17 f.t'xd5 lDf6 1 8 f.t'd3 a5 and Black
Black, K.Miiller-Ostermeyer, Bundes­ has solved all his problems, Korneev­
liga 1 988/9. Ehlvest, Linares 1 994.
c) 9 .ic4 (this attempt to return to c) 9 h3 .ie6 10 .ib3 b5 1 1 0-0 h6
the main line fares less well) 9. . . .ie6! 1 2 lDh4 ltJc6 1 3 lDf5 .ixf5 14 exf5
10 .ib3 (trying to continue the fight ltJa5 1 5 ltJd5 ltJxb3 1 6 axb3 ltJxd5 1 7
for d5 ; 10 .ixe6? ! strengthens the 'tixd5 'tics, forking c 2 and f5 , with
black centre and opens the f-file for equality, Timman-Kengis, Pula Echt
his f8-rook: 10 . . . fxe6 1 1 a5 ltJc6 1 2 1 997. There are, no doubt, other satis­
.ib6 'ties 1 3 0-0 f.t'g6 14 ltJd2 d 5 1 5 factory ways to play for Black .
.l:tel d 4 1 6 ltJe2 ltJg4 1 7 n n fih6 1 8 d) 9 a4? ! .ie6 transposes to note
h 3 lDxf2 ! winning, Sindik-Gallagher, 'c' to White's 8th move.
Isle of Man 1 997) 10 . . .ltJc6 1 1 0-0 ltJa5
1 2 .ixe6 (so White has to play this
anyway; 12 .ia2 .l:tc8 and . . .ltJc4 would
be fine for Black) 12 ...fxe6 1 3 f.t'd3 B
.l:tc8 14 .l:tad l h6 15 'tie2 'ir'e8 ! (the
same plan again; g6 is a useful square
for the black queen) 16 ltJd2 d5 17
.ib6 .ib4 and Black is very active,
Sebastianelli-Dorfman, Turin 1 998.
...8 0-0
This is the most accurate, for the
immediate 8 ....ie6 can be met by 9
.ixe6 fxe6 10 ltJg5 followed by 'tif3-
h3 and 0-0-0. 9 .ie6
..•

9 0-0 (D) Opposing White's control of the

Alternatives are very rare: a2-g8 diagonal in the most direct man­
a) 9 fke2 is possible, protecting c4 ner.
and keeping the option of 0-0-0. Then, 10 .ib3
however, 9. . . b5 10 .id5 lDxd5 1 1 This appears to be the most accu­
ltJxd5 ltJd7 is fine for Black, as he will rate move. Others:
win back control of d5 after the moves a) 1 0 'tid3 and 1 0 fke2 can both be
. . . .ib7 and . . . ltJf6. This must be better met by 10 . . . .ixc4 1 1 fkxc4 b5 . Zai­
than the 9 . . . ltJc6 1 0 .l:tdl .ig4 of tsev-Neverov, Moscow 1 989 contin­
Carlier-Fernandez Aguado, Benidorm ued 1 2 'tid3 ltJbd7 1 3 .l:tad l b4 14 ltJd5
1 989, which is quite irrelevant, and ltJxd5 15 fkxd5 fkc7 16 .l:tfel ?! lDf6 17
after 1 1 lDd5 ltJxd5 12 .ixd5 .l:tc8 1 3 f.t'd3 .l:tfc8 18 .l:td2 fka5, when White
28 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

was in big trouble as 19 .l:!.a l ? allows 11. ltJaS (D)

..

19 ... d5 ! .
b) 1 0 .i xe6 fxe6 only helps the
black position, and, from what we have
seen so far, it is no great surprise that w
Black is better after ...lLlc6, ...'it'e8-g6,
etc.
10 lLlc6
.•.

Played with the intention of hop­

ping to a5 and embarrassing the b3-
bishop. Note that . . . lLlbd7 is often a
mistake unless Black has played ... h6;
thus 10 ... lLlbd7? loses to 1 1 .i xe6 fxe6
1 2 lLlg5, since the black queen can no
longer defend e6. 12 .ixf6
1 1 .ig5 White continues with his plan. 1 2
This is all part of White 's typical 'i*'d3 .l:!.c8 1 3 .l:!.fd l lLlxb3 14 axb3 .l:!.c6
plan for domination of d5 : the f6- 15 .i xf6 .ixf6 16 lLld5 .ixd5 17 'iVxd5
knight, guardian of d5, will be ex­ .l:!.xc2 1h-1h Kotronias-Gelfand, Khal­
changed. The alternative is 1 1 'it'e2 kidhiki 1 993.
and after 1 1 .. . lLla5 1 2 .l:!.fd l lLlxb3 13 12....ixf6 13 lLld5 .ig5 14 'iVd3
axb3 (13 cxb3 'tWb8 14 .ig5 b5 15 lbe l , .l:!.c8! 15 .l:!.fdl 'iii>h8! 16 lLlc3
Mainka-S kembris, Dortmund 1 992, If 1 6 c3 then 17 . . . lLlxb3 17 axb3
and now 1 5 . . ..i g4 ! ? is interesting, for .ih6, intending .. .f5, with good play
if White plays 1 6 f3 then after 1 6 ... .ie6 for the two black bishops.
he will have somewhat weakened his 16 .ie7 17 lLld5 .ig5 18 'iii>hl .ih6
••.

dark squares, and will be loathe to 19 lLlc3 lLlxb3 20 axb3 'iVb6 21 'iii>g l
give up his dark-squared bishop by 17 .l:!.c6 22 'iVe2 'iVc7 23 lLlel f5 24 lLld3
.i xf6 .i xf6 18 lLld5 due to 18 ... .ig5) fxe4 25 'iVxe4
13 . . .'iVc7 (instead of this, I wonder if Anand-Gelfand, Dos Hermanas
13 . . . 'i*' b8 is not better here too, e.g. 14 1996. Now Gelfand suggests 25 ... .i f5
.ig5 b5 15 .i xf6 .ixf6 16 lLld5 .i d8, 26 'it'e2 .l:!.xc3 ! ? 27 bxc3 'tWxc3, with
preparing to bring the dark-squared good compensation for the exchange.
bishop to the g l -a7 diagonal, to lend At any rate, although the white knights
.. .f5 extra force) 14 .ig5 .l:!.fc8 15 .ixf6 have good squares, the two bishops
.ixf6 16 lLle l .ie7 17 lLld5 'iVd8 18 c3 are always liable to become powerful,
with a pull, lsupov-Titlianov, Kemer­ and Black should always have good
ovo 1 99 1 . chances.
2 6 iLg5

1 e4 c5 2 lLif3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4

lLif6 5 l2Jc3 a6 6 ii.gs (D)
w

Also, on d7 it does not hinder the

queen ' s bishop along the h l -a8 diago­
nal, and is ready to play to c5, and take
6 i.g5 is one of White's most ag­ its part in the attack on the white e4-
gressive possibilities. He both gains the pawn. Why, then, am I suggesting this
option of doubling the black pawns, move, which has only recently come
and stops Black playing . . .e5 (because into fashion? If you look at the dia­
he would thereby lose control over d5 gram you will notice that White ' s last
due to the pin on the h4-d8 diagonal). two moves have weakened his dark
This move seems to have lost its status squares, and in particular the g 1 -a7 di­
as White's main line in the last few agonal, on which his king's knight
years but is still popular at the lower resides. In the meantime, his dark­
levels, where it remains dangerous. squared defender, the queen' s bishop,
is locked outside his pawn-chain. If
The Richter-Rauzer Move White needed to defend his d4-knight
I think that one of the best ways to a second time, he would be hard­
counter 6 i.g5 e6 7 f4 is the move pressed to do so. We may compare
7 ...l2Jc6 (D). this position with the one arising from
This is a very 'un-Najdorf-looking' the Main Line Richter-Rauzer after
move. The black queen's knight is nor­ 5 . . . lLic6 6 i.g5 e6 7 °iVd2 a6 (to stop
mally developed to d7 in the Najdorf, the possibility of l2Jb5) 8 0-0-0 h6 (D):
where it assists its brother on f6, prin­ White has three moves here: 9 i.f4
cipally in the fight for control of d5, in hitting d6, which is quite dangerous
lines where Black has played . . . e5 . for Black; 9 i.e3, which is White's
30 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

w w

strongest move, defending d4 and re­ After 8 lbxc6 bxc6 9 e5, for in­
taining the queen' s bishop for use on stance, Black replies 9 ... h6 1 0 i.h4 g5
both wings; and 9 i.h4, which is not and following 1 1 fxg5 lbd5 ! it is sud­
very good, and obliges White to em­ denly the white g5-pawn that is pinned
bark on a dubious pawn sacrifice after against the h4-bishop.
9. . . lbxe4 ! . What exactly has Black gained from
However, in the Najdorf, with the this tactical operation? Firstly, White
f-pawn on f4, the first two possibilities will soon have no central pawns what­
are impossible. I think the conclusion soever, while Black often retains two
should be evident: in the Najdorf, after or three, which will give him a strategic
White has played i.g5 and f4, unless advantage, especially in any endgame.
there is a tactical drawback, 7 ... lbc6 Secondly, White's dark squares are
must be good. If you look at the theory very sensitive. Black normally con­
on the following pages you will ob­ tinues with a quick ... 1\Vb6, both at­
serve that White tries his utmost to tacking b2 and controlling the gl -a7
generate tactics, and that when these diagonal.
fail Black often finds himself with a Actually, this . . . g5 move proves use­
serious advantage. ful in many positions to break White's
On top of all this, in my databases at hold on the central dark squares, and is
least, Black actually scores over 53%, often used by Black to gain absolute
which is quite rare. control of e5, for use by a knight.
However, a word of warning: as is
The Radical 'Unpinning' often the case with 6 i.g5 lines, it is
If White is to achieve anything at all, imperative that Black learn his theory,
then he is obliged to try to exploit as the slightest faux pas is likely to
Black's 'insolent' refusal to break the prove costly.
pin on his f6-knight. He can do this in
a number of ways, but each time Black
The Theory of 6 .ll g 5
has a very typical Najdorf manner of
breaking the pin, and allowing his 1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4
king's knight to move. lbf6 5 lbc3 a6 6 i.g5 e6 (D)
 6 j_g5

1 4 f5 d4 15 tbe4, which is far froni.

clear, Schaffarczyk-Fenner, Werther
w 1 999, 1 1 . . . tbd7 is interesting, intend­
ing to play . . . tLlc5 and . . . a5 or . . . �b4 .
If the f8-bishop can get onto the a l -h8
diagonal, Black will probably win.

The almost invariable continuation,

and the subject of much theoretical de­
bate over the last few decades, is 7 f4,
Line A. White does have some rarer
alternatives, and these are covered later
on in the chapter, in Line B .
A : 7 f4 31
B: Seventh Move Alternatives 40 9 . h6 10 �h4
..

The alternatives are in Black's fa­

A) vour:
7 f4 tbc6 a) 10 exf6? hxg5 1 1 fxg5 gxf6 1 2
Now there are four moves, but only �f3 d 5 1 3 0-0-0 fxg5 14 �c4 (14 tbe4
the two that attempt to exploit the pin .l:th6) 14 . . . g4 ! 15 �f2 �g7 1 6 �b3
along the h4-d8 diagonal by tactical .l:t b8 17 h3 .l:t b4 18 a3 �b6 19 �g3
means, Lines A l and A2, are critical: �b8 and White is lost, Hector-011,
Al: 8 tbxc6 31 Debrecen 1989.
A2: 8 es 37 b) 10 �xf6 gxf6 1 1 exd6 �xd6 12
A3: 8 �e2 38 �xd6 �xd6 13 g3 f5 ! (controlling
A4: 8 �d2?! 39 e4 and fixing the f4-pawn on a dark
square) 14 0-0-0 �d7 ! 15 �g2 �c7
A1 ) 1 6 .l:td3 �b7 17 .l:th d l (1h-1h Sax­
8 tbxc6 Ruck, Perenyi mem, Gyula 1 997)
Exchanging knights is White's most 17 . . . .l:tad8 18 tba4 h5 is fine for Black,
significant reply. with his two bishops; in Ruz-Martin
8.. bxc6 9 eS (D)
. del Campo, Merida 1997 he went on
This is the key to White's play. Al­ to win.
though other moves are possible, they 10 ... gS
certainly should not cause Black any Radically breaking the pin.
problems. For example, 9 �f3 �b6 11 fxgS
10 0-0-0 .l:tb8 1 1 b3 and now, instead Not 1 1 exf6? as 1 l . ..gxh4 is very
of l 1 . . .d5 12 �xf6 gxf6 1 3 exd5 cxd5 good for Black, nor 1 1 �f2?! tbd5 1 2
32 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

tlie4 gxf4 1 3 exd6 (Belozerov-Rabino­ b) 1 2 'iWd4 hxg5 1 3 .li.g3 dxe5 14

vich, Tallinn 1 997), when 1 3 . . ..li.xd6 'i*'xe5 ng8 1 5 tlixd5 cxd5 16 'i!i'c3 .li.b7
seems the simplest to me, with a solid 17 0-0-0 .li.g7 18 'i*'a3 nc8 19 .li.xa6? !
pawn more. .li.xb2+! 20 'i*'xb2 .li.xa6 gives Black a
Alternatively, after 1 1 .li.g3?! tlid5 clear advantage, despite the opposite­
1 2 tlixd5, 12 ...exd5? ! 1 3 'i*'e2 .li.e6? ! coloured bishops, Semprun-Am.Rod­
( 1 3 . . .dxe5 14 'i!i'xe5+ 'i*'e7 is simpler) riguez, Linares open 1 994.
1 4 exd6 gxf4 1 5 .li.xf4 .li.xd6 16 .li.xd6
'i*'xd6 17 0-0-0 gives White a small A1 1 )
plus, as the black king is awkwardly 12 tlie4
placed, Zjukin-Shishkov, Tallinn 1 998, White keeps up the pressure on
but 12 ... cxd5 is superior, keeping the Black's dark squares.
central pawns intact. 12 'i!i'b6
...

1 1 tlidS (D)
... As in Line A l 2, the black queen
quits the h4-d8 diagonal before some­
thing unpleasant happens, and finds a
good post on b6.
w 13 .li.d3 (D)
Developing a piece is always a
good idea. Alternatively:
a) 13 c3 ! ? dxe5 14 .li.g3 hxg5 1 5
.li.xe5 nh4 1 6 .li.d3 ( 1 6 'i!i'f3 ? ! i s force­
fully countered by 16 .. .f5 ! 17 tlif6+
tlixf6 1 8 .li.xf6 'i*'xb2 1 9 nd l ne4+ 20
.li.e2 g4, when White is all tied up)
16 .. .f5 ! 17 tlid2! ? .li.c5 (this is OK, but,
obj ectively speaking, 17 ... 'i*'xb2 ! ? is
Now there is a further division, in probably best, e.g. 1 8 0-0 'i*'b6+ 19
descending order of relevance: 'iti>h 1 tlie3 20 'i!i'e2 tlixfl 21 nxn .li.e7
A l l : 12 tlie4 32 22 tlic4 'i*'d8, and I expect a computer
A12: 12 tlixd5 35 would win this position fairly easily)
1 8 't4Ve2? 'i*'xb2 19 nbl 'i*'xa2 20 g3
Or: (Oil-Gelfand, Debrecen 1989) and now
a) 12 exd6 hxg5 13 .li.f2 .li.xd6 14 20 . . . nh6 21 c4 tlib4 is Black's surest
'iWd4 f6 ! (threatening ....li.e5) 15 0-0-0? route towards victory.
(allowing Black to obtain a winning b) 1 3 c4? ! (this move is dubious, as
endgame by force !) 15 . . ..li.f4+ 16 'iti>bl there is no real threat to capture on d5
.li.e5 17 'ikd3 tlixc3+ 18 bxc3 nb8+ 1 9 - Black can always reply . . .'i!i'b4+,
�c l .li.f4+ 2 0 .li.e3 .li.xe3+ 2 1 'i*'xe3 winning one of the white pieces on the
l:tbl+ 22 �xbl 'iWxd l + 23 'i*'c l 'i!i'xcl+ fourth rank) 1 3 . . . 'i*'xb2 14 exd6 tlie3
24 �xc 1 rJi;e7 and the doubled c-pawns (this leads to a pleasant endgame, but
mean that, in effect, Black is a pawn 14 . . .�e5 would be my choice: 15 .li.d3
up, Meyers-Savchenko, Bern 1 993. hxg5 16 .li.g3 tlif4 17 0-0 f5 18 tlif2
 6 ilgS 33

�xd6, and I imagine that Black should mate on f7) 1 8 c4 Black is in trouble,
win) 15 d7+ ! i.xd7 16 lLif6+ �xf6 17 Blazkova-Buldrova, Czech worn Ch
gxf6 lLixdl 18 .l:f.xdl .l:f.g8 should be (Klatovy) 1998. However, the obvious
level, although in Enders- King, B un­ 17 . . . i.e7, which does threaten the
desliga 1 994/5 Black soon had the ad­ knight, and forces the reply 1 8 i.xe7,
vantage. would have kept a large plus for Black
after 1 8 . . . lLixe7 .
b) 14 i.g3 (defending e5 has its
points, and may be White's best bet)
B 14 ... dxe5 (I am not too keen on either
14 . . . �xb2 15 0-0, when 15 . . . dxe5 1 6
.l:f.bl �d4+ 1 7 i.f2 �a4 1 8 'iWg4 ! is
awkward and 15 ... lLie3? 16 �d2 lLixfl ?
17 lLif6+ leads to mate, or 14 . . . 1\Vb4+
1 5 c3 �x b2 1 6 0-0 lLie3 17 �f3 lLixfl
18 .l:f.xfl, when White has tons of com­
pensation for the exchange; however,
14 . . . �e3+ is a perfectly playable al­
ternative, as 15 �e2 �xe2+ 16 i.xe2
13...hxgS 14 i.f2 dxe5 17 i.xe5 .l:f.h4 18 liJf6+ lLixf6 1 9
It is not clear which move repre­ i.xf6 i.e7 i s close t o equality) 1 5
sents White's best bet here, although i.xe5 .l:f.h4 16 �f3 i.e7 17 0-0-0, with
this one does have the merit of allow­ an edge, Lendwai-Ermenkov, Miskolc
ing White to castle next move. Others 1990.
possibilities: 14...�xb2 15 0-0
a) 14 i.xg5 �xb2 ! ( 14 ....l:f.xh2?? Black gains the advantage after both
loses rather prettily to 15 .l:f.xh2 1\Vg l + 15 lLixd6+ i.xd6 16 exd6 1\Ve5+ and
16 i.fl �xh2 17 �xd5 ! exd5 1 8 liJf6+ 1 5 exd6 f5 .
ct;e7 1 9 lLig4+, Castaneda-Browne, 15 ...�xeS 16 i.g3 (D)
Philadelphia 1 997) 15 0-0 (or 15 liJf6+
lLixf6 16 i.xf6 �c3+ 17 ct;e2 .l:f.g8,
and in Solomon-Leskiewicz, Brisbane
1995, White played the awful 18 .l:f.bl ?,
when Black should have continued
18 . . . .l:f.xg2+ 19 cj;fl .l:f.d2 20 �e l .l:f.xd3
2 1 cxd3 �xd3+ 22 cj;f2 dxe5, ripping
the white king's pawn cover to shreds;
however, even after the more sensible
choice 18 g3, Black can play 18 ... i.e7
with an edge, for example 19 i.xe7?
�xe5+) 15 . . .�xe5 ! 16 h3 f5 17 �f3
and after 17 . . . i.d7 ?? (this does not
threaten to take on e4, because of the 16...�d4+
34 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

This is the established main line, in threat on h2), and 1 8 tt::lxg5 i.g7 19
which Black has no real problems. l:tbl ( 1 9 'i:Vf3 'tWe3) 1 9 ... tt::le3 20 'tWf3
However, I consider it much more sen­ tt::lx fl ! 2 1 'i:Vxc6+ (2 1 l:txfl i.d7 22
sible to avoid moving the black queen l:f.el i.e5) 2 1 . . .i.d7 22 'tWxa8+ 'it>e7
too much and to play 1 6 . . . tt::lf4 !, as 23 'tWf3 tt::lxg3+ 24 'tWxg3 i.e5 are quite
Black can afford to give back one hopeless for White.
pawn to stop any attack. Some varia­ 18...tt::lxc3 19 tt::lxc3 'il'xc3 (D)
tions:
a) 17 tt::lxg5 'ti'xg5 18 i.xf4 ( 1 8
l:hf4 d5 1 9 li'f3 i.c5+) and now
Black has several reasonable moves, w
but 1 8 ... 'tWc5+ might be simplest, e.g.
19 'it>h l e5 ! ? 20 'i:Ve2 i.h6 2 1 i.xh6
nxh6 22 nabl i.e6 23 nb7 na7 24
nb8+ 'it>d7 and Black is better.
b) 1 7 'tWf3 i.e7 ! 1 8 tt::lx g5? ( 1 8
tt::lf6+ 'it>f8 ! 1 9 li'xc6 'tWc5+ 20 'tWxc5
dxc5 2 1 tt::le4 f5 is also winning for
Black) 1 8 ... i.xg5 1 9 li'xc6+ (the end­
ing is hopeless for White after 1 9
i.xf4 i.xf4 20 li'xf4 'ti'xf4 2 1 nxf4 20 net 'il'as 21 l:txc6!
e5) 1 9. . . 'it>e7 20 'tWxa8 (20 'it>h l 'tWd5 ! Following 21 'tWe2 ! ? i.e7, instead
2 1 'i:Vc7+ 'it>e8 22 i.xf4 i.b7 does not of 22 i.xf5? ! exf5 23 i.xd6 'tWd8 ! 24
help White) 20 . . . tt::le2+ 21 i.xe2 i.e3+ l:f.cdl l:th6 ! 25 i.e5 'iia5 , Shabalov­
22 'it>h l li'xg3 wins. Worth a try ! Browne, USA Ch 1994, which should
17 'it>hl win for Black with care, 22 nxc6
If 17 i.f2?! then Black can repeat, could be played, as per the next note.
of course, with 17 ...'tWe5, but 17 ...'tWg7 ! 21...i.b7
is stronger, e.g. 1 8 c4 tt::lf4 19 i.c2 e5 ! 2 1 .. .i.e7 22 'tWe2 and now 22 ... nh6
with a huge black advantage. Note that might be worth trying, although 23
the d6-pawn is immune here, as 20 i.xd6 i.xd6 24 l:txd6 'tWc5 25 nd l ! ?
tt::lxd6+? i.xd6 2 1 'tWxd6 allows a stan­ nxh2+ 26 'it>xh2 �xd6+ 27 'it>hl is a
dard mating combination: 2 1 . . .tt::le2+ bit wild. Alternatively, 22 . . . 'it>f7 23
22 'it>h l nxh2+! 23 'it>xh2 'tWh8+, etc. nfc l f4 24 nc7 'il'e5 25 'tWc2 fxg3 26
17 fS!
•.. nn+ 'itig8 27 i.h7+ l:txh7 28 'il'g6+
This is safer than 17 . . . tt::le 3, when l:tg7 29 'i:Ve8+ 'it>h7 30 'tWh5+ 'it>g8 is a
1 8 'tWf3 tt::lx fl 1 9 l:txfl f5 20 c3 ! al­ perpetual .
lowed White a strong positional attack 22 'il'b3! i.xc6 23 li'xe6+ 'it>d8 24
in two games by Vitolins. nxf5!?
18 c3! Interesting, but White risks little
White's best chance, as both 1 8 with 24 'tWf6+, e.g. 24 . . . i.e7 25 'tWxh8+
tt::lxd6+?? i.xd6 1 9 i.xd6 tt::le3 20 'tWe2 'it>d7 26 'tWh5 f4 27 i.xf4, as Black
'il'xd6 (winning because of the mate should take a draw with 27 ...i.xg2+.
 6 ilg5 35

24.....Wc3 totally equal, Yermolinsky-Browne,

This led to a draw in Arencibia­ USA Ch 1 992.
Martin del Campo, Matanzas 1 994. 13 ..Wh5
However, the suggested improvement Defending the h4-bishop and the
24 . . .'Yia3 is little better after the won­ g5-pawn, and thereby threatening to
derful 'backwards' move 25 .ie 1 ! ! , in­ play g6, discovering an attack on the
tending .ia5+. black queen. The only other move
25 l:txf8+ l:txf8 26 ..Wxd6+ worth considering is 13 �g4 ! ? (other­
After 26 ... 'itie8 White should give wise Black will capture the pawn on
perpetual check by 27 �e6+ 'itid8 28 g5, and his strong centre will give him
�d6+, etc., as attempting to get more the advantage), but this seems inferior.
than a draw by 27 .ig6+ leads no­ Unfortunately, the only game I have
where: 27 . . . l:tf7 28 �e6+ 'itid8 29 with this move continued 1 3 . . . dxe5? !
i.xf7 �c l + 30 i.el l:tb8 ! . ( 1 3 . . ..ie7 ! ? has been suggested, but I
prefer the simple 1 3 ... hxg5 ! , which is
A12) not possible with the white queen on
12 ll:\xd5 h5, e.g. 14 .ixg5 l:tg8 15 .ixd8 l:txg4
This is a major alternative, refusing 16 .if6 dxe5 and I would favour the
to waste time with the queen's knight, enormous black centre over the white
but it does have the defect of strength­ wing pawns) 14 g6 f5 1 5 .ixd8 ! fxg4
ening the black centre. 1 6 i.f6 l:tg8 1 7 i.xe5, Panaiotov­
12...cxd5 Sandler, Alhena 1 989, when Black
'Capturing toward the centre ' is could not take the g6-pawn because of
Black's most ambitious choice, but for 1 8 .id3, winning the exchange, and he
those who are not too keen on some of was therefore worse.
the following sharp variations, there is 13 .....Wb6! (D)
another possibility, which, while less
explored, seems very sound: 12 ... exd5
1 3 �e2 ( 1 3 exd6 hxg5 14 �e2+ .ie6
15 .ig3 .ixd6 16 .ixd6 �xd6 17 g3,
Howell-Saravanan, Calcutta 1996, and
now 17 ... �b4+ 1 8 c3 �e4 would give
Black a promising ending; otherwise,
Black can now answer 1 3 'Yih5 �b6
14 i.e2 with 14 ....if5, controlling g6,
with advantage) 1 3 ... hxg5 14 i.g3 ( 1 4
exd6+ .ie6 transposes to Howell-Sar­
avanan earlier in this note) 14 ... �a5+!?
(14 . . .l:th6 ! 15 0-0-0 l:te6 appears to
win a pawn) 1 5 ..Wd2 'Yixd2+ 16 'itixd2 A key move. Black will avoid try­
.ie6 ! 17 .id3 'itid7 18 l:tae 1 .ig7 1 9 ing to win back material immediately,
h 3 ! dxe5 2 0 i.xe5 i.xe5 2 1 l:txe5 but will instead aim to gain various
l:thg8 22 g3 'itid6 with an ending that is positional pluses, while nullifying any
36 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

white tactics. White now has two main himself, then . . . d3 completes the de­
continuations: molition of the white queenside.
A121: 14 ..te2 36 b) 15 c3? ! (this is hardly relevant)
A122: 14 i.d3 36 1 5 . . . dxe5 1 6 ..tf2 'tWxb2 1 7 0-0 'tWb7
1 8 ..tc5 'tWc7 gives White insufficient
Or: compensation, Jonsson-Maksimenko,
a) 14 0-0-0? (this is a mistake, as Odessa student Wch 1 990.
the white king will prove more vulner­ 15 ...0-0! (D)
able than the black, strangely) 14. . . .l:.b8
15 b3 'tWe3+ 16 'it>bl 'tWxe5 and Black
has a clear advantage: the g5-pawn is
pinned, and there is a powerful threat w
of 17 ... i.g7.
b) 1 4 g6 is more dangerous. Still,
after 1 4 . . . 'tWb4+ 15 'it>d l 'tWxb2 16
gxf7+ 'it>d7 17 .l:.c 1 dxe5 18 c3 i.a3 19
.l:.c2 'tWbl + 20 'it>d2 e4 Black has many
reasons to be happy with his position.
21 ..tf2 seems almost forced, to avoid
... e3+ and to finish his kingside devel­
opment. Then Black plays 2 1 . ...l:.f8,
when he should be able to take the f7- The black king is quite safe here.
pawn soon, whereupon his centre will 16 i.f6 .l:.a7!
give him the edge. Bringing the reserves to the king's
aid. White's problem is that capturing
A121) on f7 only serves to open the f-file for
1 4 i. e2 Black's rooks.
The most popular move, stopping 17 ..txg7 'it>xg7 18 gxf7 .l:.axf7 19
. . . 'tWe3+. 'i*'g4+
14 i.g7 15 g6
•. . The immediate 19 0-0-0? ! favours
There are two other possibilities for Black after 1 9 . . .'tWe3+ 20 'it>bl .l:.f5 2 1
White: .l:.d3 'tWxe5 2 2 .l:.g3+ 'tWxg3 ! .
a) 15 :n .l:.a7 16 ..tf2 ( 1 6 0-0-0? is 19 . 'it>hS 20 0-0-0 'i*'e3+ 21 'it>bl
. .

an error because of 1 6 ...i.xe5, with dxe5

designs o n the b2-square, e.g. 1 7 c3 Black's pawn centre gives him the
.l:.b7 1 8 :d2 i.xc3, winning) 1 6 ... d4 edge, Mackic-Maksimenko, Yugosla­
17 0-0-0 dxe5 1 8 g6 (White must play via 1994.
sharply, for after 1 8 'it>bl .l:tb7 1 9 b3 e4
the black central pawn-mass starts ad­ A122)
vancing) 1 8 . . .f5 1 9 i.c4 .l:.b7 20 ..tb3 14 ..td3
0-0 ! , and Black is winning, Sakha­ This is similar to 1 4 i.e2, and ap­
rov- Odeev, USSR 1 989. He threatens pears more aggressive, but the possi­
...a5-a4, and if White replies with a4 bility of a black check on e3 and the
 6 il..g5 37

lack of white control over g4 does give

Black some extra options.
14. ..ig7 1s nn
.. B
Others:
a) 1 5 exd6 �e3+ 16 'it>dl hxg5 17
�xg5 �xg5 18 ..ixg5 ..ixb2 1 9 l:tbl
..ie5 gives Black a good endgame.
b) 15 g6 ! ? is interesting, as with
the white king's bishop on d3 instead
of e2 (compare Line A 1 2 1 ) , 1 5 . . . 0-0 ! ?
can be met by 16 ..ie7, picking up the
exchange. Still, following 16 ... dxe5 17
..ltxf8 'it>xf8 1 8 gxf7 e4 1 9 ..ie2 l:ta7 !?, 9...ll:ixd4!
Black has good compensation, be­ A suggestion of Behl, which sim-
cause his dark-squared bishop is very plifies matters for Black.
strong. 10 'ii'xd4
c) 15 0-0-0? is much worse, as Otherwise:
15 . . .hxg5 wins on the spot! a) Unfortunately for White, after
15...l:ta7 16 ..if2 the logical sequence 10 exf6? lLif5 ! 1 1
Not 16 g6 0-0 1 7 exd6? ! because fxg7 he gets mated: l 1 . . .�xh4+ 1 2 g3
17 .....Wb4+ ! 1 8 '&t>e2 e5 19 l:tf3 e4 wins ll:ixg3 13 gxh8..W ll:ie4+ 14 'it>e2 �f2+
for Black. 15 'it>d3 ll:ic5+ 16 '&t>c4 b5+ 17 ll:ixb5
16.. 'ii' b4+
. ( 17 '&t>b4 a5+ 1 8 'it>xb5 l:tb8+ 19 '&t>xa5
This works well when the white ll:ib3+ 20 cxb3 ..Wa7+) 17 ... axb5+ 1 8
rook is on fl ; otherwise White would '&t>c3 b4+ 1 9 '&t>xb4 l:ta4+ and mate in 4.
reply c3, and then castle short. b) 10 ..ltxf6? (this is also weak)
17 '&t>e2 10 . . . �b6 1 1 ..ih4 'ii'xb2 (or 1 l . . .dxe5,
17 c3 ! ? �xb2 1 8 ..ixa7 �xal+ 1 9 e.g. 12 fxe5 ? ! lLif5 1 3 ..if2 'ii'xb2) 1 2
'&t> f2 'ii'xc3 2 0 '&t> g l l:tf8 2 1 gxh6 ..ixe5 'ii'xd4 �xal + 1 3 'it>d2 ..id7 1 4 exd6
ought to be good for Black. l:tc8, preparing to give back the ex­
17...l:tc7 change on c3, if necessary, to achieve
This should be OK, e.g. 1 8 g6 0-0 a winning endgame.
19 exd6 e5 20 h3 'i!'Vxd6 2 1 gxf7+ 10...dxeS 11 'ii'xd8+
l:tcxf7 and the white king turns out to After the exchange of queens, Black
be the more exposed. should have no problems, as the pow­
erful bishop-pair offers him a certain
A2) margin of security. For instance, if
8 eS!? (D) things go wrong, the exchange of his
Another attempt to punish Black, light-squared bishop for the white
but it is less effective than Line A l . knight will bring about an opposite­
8...h6 9 ..ih4 coloured bishop ending. This is com­
9 ll:ixc6 bxc6 10 ..ih4 might be best, monly known as 'the power of the ex­
as it transposes to Line A 1 . change' .
38 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

However, avoiding the ending gives al3) 21 l2Jxf7 i.g3+ 22 'itie2 l:t.f8
White nothing: 1 1 'iWxe5 i.e7 (the al­ 23 l2Jg5 l:t.xf6 24 'itid3 e5 25 i.e2 i.h4
ternative l 1 . . .i.d6 1 2 'iWd4 ilc7 1 3 26 l2Je4 l:t.f4, with a strong initiative
'iWxd8+ 'itixd8 14 g3 'itie7 1 5 i.g2 l:t.d8 for Black.
is also tempting) 1 2 i.d3 (if 1 2 l:t.dl a2) 20 i.g2 i.h6 21 'iii'e 2 l:t.g8 22
then Black replies 12 . . . 'iWb6) 12 . . . l2Jd7 i.f3 i.xe4 (or 22 . . . l:t.g6) 23 i.xe4 l:t.g3
1 3 i.xe7 l2Jxe5 14 ii.. xd8 l2Jxd3+ 15 24 l:t.d3 l:t.xd3 25 'itixd3 i.g5 26 c3
cxd3 'iii'xd8, and White must take care. i.xf6 should be a draw, although
1 1 .'itixd8 12 fxe5 g5 (D)
.. Black's two protected passed pawns
could make life difficult for White.
a3) 20 i.d3 i.h6 2 1 'itie2 l:t.g8 22 a3
l:t.g6 (or 22 . . .i.xe4) is likewise equal.
w b) 1 3 0-0-0+? ! l2Jd7 14 i.g3 i.g7
is a position reached by transposition
in Ma.Tseitlin-Smirin, Israeli Ch 1 992.
Play continued 15 i.c4 (or 15 h4 'itie7
1 6 hxg5 hxg5 1 7 l:t.xh8 i.xh8 1 8 l2Je4
l2Jxe5 1 9 l2Jxg5 i.d7 with a positional
advantage to Black) 15 . . .b5 1 6 i.e2
'itie7 17 i.f3 l:t.a7 1 8 l:t.hel i.b7 1 9
lbe4 i.xe4 2 0 l:t.xe4 l:t.c7 (the e5-pawn
is weak and will be lost) 2 1 i.e2 l:t.hc8
In this odd position, White has three 22 c3 l:t.c5 23 l:t.d6 a5 24 l:t.a6 b4 25 i.f2
possible moves: l:t.xe5 26 l:t.xe5 i.xe5, which should
a) 13 i.xg5 hxg5 14 exf6 i.d7 ! 15 have been winning for Black.
l2Je4 g4 16 l:t.d l 'iii'c7 17 h4 112-112 Sax­ c) 13 exf6 (this is similar to Line
Adorjan, Szeged 1 997 . Black could B l ) 1 3 . . . gxh4 14 0-0-0+ <l;c7 (far su­
certainly consider continuing; for ex­ perior to 14 . . .i.d7 ? ! , when 15 l2Ja4
ample, 17 . . . gxh3 1 8 l:t.xh3 l:t.xh3 1 9 l:t.c8 1 6 l2Jb6 l:t.c7 17 i.e2 i.c5 1 8
gxh3 i.c6 and now: l2Ja8 ! i s inconvenient) 1 5 l:t.d4 i.d7 1 6
al) 20 l2Jg5 i.d6 ! and then: i.e2 (grabbing the pawn by 1 6 l:t.xh4
al l ) 21 'itif2? ! demonstrates the ilc6 17 l2Je4 { 1 7 i.e2 i.xg2 1 8 l:t.gl
dangers facing White in these end­ i.c6 19 i.h5 l:t.h7 } 17 . . . l:t.g8 18 g3
games: 2 1 . . .i.e5 22 l2Jxf7 .ixf6 23 l:t.g6 19 i.g2 i.xe4 20 l:t.xe4 l:t.xf6 2 1
i.c4 i.d7 24 'itie3 l:t.f8 25 l2Jd6 i.g5+ l:t.c4+ 'itib6 leads to equality) 1 6 . . . h3
26 'iii'e 2 i.c6 (threatening . . .i.f4) 27 17 gxh3 i.c6 18 l:t.hd 1 i.c5 1 9 l:t.4d3
l:t.d4 i.f6 28 l:t.d3 i.e5, and the hapless h5 and White's extra pawn (on the h­
white knight is lost. file) is practically useless.
al2) 2 1 l:t.xd6 'iii'xd6 22 l2Jxf7+ can
only be good for Black, or equal at A3)
best, e.g. 22 . . . 'iii'd7 23 i.d3 l:t.f8 24 8 i.e2 (D)
ilg6 ile4 25 ilxe4 l:t.xf7 26 i.xb7 a5 This line is solid, but uninspiring.
27 'itie2 l:t.xf6. 8 ...JL.e7
 6 il..g5 39

15 'ii' xd6 e5 16 fxe5 i.xe5 gives

Black good play for the pawn.
B 15 ... .l:tdS 16 .l:thel
Kamsky-Gelfand, Moscow Ale­
khine mem 1992. Now I like the look
of 16 ... i.d7 with the point 17 'i/j'xd6 b5
18 l2Jc3 .i xc3 19 bxc3 b4 with an at­
tack.

A4)
8 'i*'d2?!
White tries to enter a Richter-Rauzer
Black is threatening 9 . . .h6 1 0 i.h4 Attack.
l2Jxe4, as usual. 8 ...h6!
9 �d3 From the preamble it should be
Others: clear that White is not well placed to
a) 9 'ii'd2 h6 10 l2Jxc6 bxc6 1 1 i.h4 counter this move, as he cannot play 9
.l:tb8 12 b3 'i!Va5 1 3 0-0-0 d5 14 'i/j'd4 .ie3 !
and now 14 . . .0-0, Gild.Garcia-Grosz­ 9 i.xf6
peter, Novi Sad OL 1 990, is fine for 9 i.h4 is not to be recommended:
Black, but instead 14 ... .l:tb4 ! 1 5 'i/j'e3 9 ... l2Jxe4 ! 10 l2Jxe4 ( 1 0 i.xd8 l2Jxd2
g5 ! 16 fxg5 l2Jxe4 would have been 1 1 .i b6 l2Jxf l ) 10 . . .'ii'xh4+ 1 1 g3 'i!Vd8
overwhelming. 12 0-0-0 d5, when Black enjoys a solid
b) 9 i.f3 .i d7 10 l2Jxc6 (just to pawn advantage, Hagarova-Dwora­
highlight the point I made earlier about kowska, Zagan girls U-20 Wch 1997 .
the weak gl -a7 diagonal, 10 0-0?? 9 ...'i!Vxf6 10 l2Jf3
loses on the spot to 10 . . . 'ii' b6 1 1 l2Je2 Black has the two bishops, and ev­
e5) 1 0. . . i.xc6 1 1 �d4 0-0 12 0-0 'i!Vc7 ery reason to feel happy with himself.
1 3 'ito>hl .l:tad8 14 �e3? ! h6 1 5 i.h4 White must play this move to keep an
l2Jg4 1 6 i.xg4 i.xh4, with an edge, eye on g5 , else he will lose all the
Wittmann-Groszpeter, Mitropa Cup kingside dark squares:
1990. a) 10 l2Jb3?! g5 ! 1 1 fxg5 'i!Vxg5
9 ... 'i!Vb6 10 l2Jb3 a5 !? 11 a3 h6 12 (heading for the ending, but l 1 ... hxg5
i.xf6 is also good) 1 2 0-0-0 b5 1 3 'ito>bl
Of course, 12 .ih4 allows 1 2...l2Jxe4 �xd2 14 .l:txd2 'ito>e7 1 5 l2Je2 .i b7 1 6
although this is not the end of the l2Jf4 l2Je5 17 .i d3 .l:tc8 1 8 l2Jh5 .l:tg8 1 9
world here: 1 3 l2Jxe4 ( 1 3 i.xe7? 'i/j'f2+ .l:tfl .l:tg5 and Black quickly achieved a
14 'ito>dl l2Jxc3+) 1 3 . . .i.xh4+ 14 g3 winning advantage by manoeuvring
i.e7 1 5 l2Jxd6+ .i xd6 1 6 'i!Vxd6 a4 17 his dark-squared bishop to e5 in de la
'ilj'c5 'i/j'a7 18 'i/j'xa7 .l:txa7 1 9 l2Jd2 'ito>e7 Paz-Martin del Campo, Cienfuegos
with equality. Capablanca mem 1 997.
12 ... .ixf6 13 0-0-0 0-0 14 l2Ja4 'i!Va7 b) 10 l2Jxc6 bxc6 1 1 0-0-0 'i*'d8 1 2
15 i.f3 i.c4 i.e7 1 3 i.b3 a5 i s fine for Black,
40 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

with his strong centre and bishops, Or:

Egger-Am.Rodriguez, Moscow OL a) Following 8 i.. xf6 Black can
1 994. play 8 . . .lWxf6 when, after 9 'ii'xf6 gxf6
10... bS 11 0-0-0 'Cffd8 12 i..d3 i.. b7 he achieves a position typical of cer­
13 rs 'iias 14 'iti>bl 0-0-0 lS liJe2 tain Richter-Rauzer lines, except that
'Cffxd2 16 �xd2 exfS 17 exfS liJeS 18 queens have been exchanged, which is
liJed4 i..e7 19 �e2 i..f6 to Black's advantage, as he no longer
This position is pleasant for Black, has to worry so much about his king.
Hartrnan-Olafsson, Katrineholm 1 995. For example, 10 0-0-0 ( 10 i..e2 h5 { or
else White plays i..h5 } 1 1 0-0-0 i..d7
Bl Seventh Move Alternatives 1 2 'iti>bl 'iti>d8 ! ? 1 3 f4 liJc6 14 �hfl 'iti>c7
B l : 7 'Cfff3 40 is equal, Bokuchava-Platonov, USSR
B2: 7 'Cffd3 41 1 97 1 ) 10 ... i..d7 1 1 f4 liJc6 12 i..e 2
B3: 7 'Cffe2 42 liJxd4 13 �xd4 h5 1 4 �fl 0-0-0 15
B4: 7 'Cffd 2?! 42 �d3 i..c6 16 f5 i.. h6+ 17 'iti>bl i.. g5 1 8
BS: 7 i..e2 43 g3 h4 and Black has an advantage due
to his two bishops and strong pawn
81) centre, Bjerring-Magnusson, Gausdal
7 'Cfff3 (D) 1 990.
b) 8 i..e 3 is well met by 8 ... e5 ! 9
tiJb3 (9 liJf5 ? ! g6 forces the awkward
1 0 liJh4 as 10 liJg3? allows 10. . . i.. g4)
9 ... i..e6 1 0 a4 liJc6 1 1 i..d3 tiJb4 1 2
tiJd2 i..e7 1 3 0-0 0-0 14 a5 liJxd3 15
cxd3 d5 which favours Black, Van
Riemsdijk-Stean, Sao Paulo 1 979.
8...tiJbd7 9 0-0-0 'Cffc7
A useful reflex, removing the queen
from the d-file.
10 i..e2
This is White's best bet. Neither 10
lWh3 (to stop ...g5) 10 . . .i..e7 1 1 f4 b5
Before playing f4, White will place 1 2 i..d3 b4 1 3 liJa4 liJc5 14 liJxc5
his queen on the g3-square, pressuriz­ dxc5, when Black is winning, Martor­
ing g7 and d6, and in the meantime de­ elli-Ortega, Saint Vincent 1 999, nor
terring . . . b5. However, it allows Black 1 0 i..d 3 i..e7 1 1 'iie 2 b5 1 2 f4 b4 1 3
an easy game. liJd5 ! ? ( 1 3 liJbl i..b7 1 4 liJd2 liJc5 is
7 ...h6! also good for Black, Kagan-Nunn,
This is the most accurate reply, dis­ Hastings 1 977/8) 13 . . .exd5 14 tiJf5
comforting the g5-bishop. Black may liJc5, when Black fends off the attack
be able to unpin and gain control of the easily enough, Milov-Savon, Alushta
e5-square by a later ... g5. 1 992, is satisfactory.
8 i..h4 10...i..e7
 6 i..g5 41

Black should be aware that the im­

mediate 10 ... b5? loses to 1 1 e5 ! .ib7
12 tt:'ixe6 ! 'it'c8 (the reason Black could
not play 12 ...fxe6 is tha.t it is hit by the
surprising tactic 1 3 �h5+ 'it>d8 14
exf6, Cao-Lingnau, Budapest 1 997)
1 3 tt:'ixg7+ .ixg7 14 �g3 and Black is
crushed, Rakowiecki-Kuligowski, Pol­
ish Ch 1 98 1 .
1 1 .l:f.hel
1 1 �e3 g5 12 .ig3 tt:'ie5 1 3 h4 .l:f.g8
14 hxg5 hxg5 15 f3 ( 1 5 'it'd2 .id7 16
tt:'if3 tt:'ifg4 1 7 tt:'ixe5 tt:'ixe5 is too easy and one that Black should waste no
for Black, Liberzon-Portisch, Skara time exploiting.
Echt 1980) 15 ... .id7 16 .if2 b5 (the 8 a3
alternative 16 ... 0-0-0 is also perfectly This stops the annoying ... b4 move,
reasonable) 17 g3 b4 18 tt:'ibl d5 19 but it is passive and weakens the queen­
exd5 tt:'ixd5 20 �b3 �a5 2 1 tt:'id2 .l:f.c8 side pawn formation. Alternatively,
22 tt:'ic4 (Thorhallsson-Coleman, Co­ there is 8 0-0-0 b4 (chasing away the
penhagen 1 998) 22 ....l:f.xc4 ! 23 .ixc4 knight reduces White's attacking pos­
.ia4 wins the white queen. sibilities and weakens the e4-pawn) 9
1 1 ... gS! tt:'ice2 (9 e5? ! bxc3 1 0 exf6 gxf6 1 1
Often in the Najdorf, Black has to �f3 fxg5 1 2 'it'xa8 �b6 ! , intending to
sacrifice a pawn to get this move in, trap the white queen, Neuronov-Zai­
but here he wins the e5-square for his chik, USSR 1 979) 9 ....ib7 10 f4 tt:'ibd7
knight for free, and with gain of ( 1 0. . . .ie7 1 1 .ixf6 .ixf6 1 2 g4 tt:'id7
tempo. 1 3 g5 tt:'ic5 14 �e3 .ie7 15 .ig2 �b6
12 .ig3 tt:'ieS 13 'it'e3 bS 14 a3 .l:f.b8 1 6 h4 0-0-0 is also promising, Tis­
15 f3 tt:'ifd7 16 f4 gxf4 17 .ixf4 b4 18 dall-Olafsson, Torshavn 1 987) 1 1 tt:'ig3
axb4 .l:f.xb4 19 .l:f.fl 'it'b6 20 b3 tt:'ig6 �a5 12 'it>bl tt:'ic5 13 �e3 tt:'ifxe4 and
Black, with his strong centre and White is lost, Martin Gonzalez-Gual,
active pieces, has the edge, Tal-Pla­ Barcelona 1990.
tonov, USSR 1 969. 8...tt:'ibd7 9 f4
Similar play results from 9 0-0-0
82) .ib7 10 �h3 .ie7 1 1 .id3 .l:f.c8 1 2
7 'it'd3 (D) .l:f.hel .l:f.xc3 ! 1 3 bxc3 'it'a5 14 tt:'ib3
With the same idea as in Line B 1 , �xa3+ 15 'it>bl 0-0, with a winning at­
namely, to play 'it'g3 and a later f4, but tack for Black, Sareen-Howell, Cal­
the fact that the f2-pawn is no longer cutta 1 996.
blocked may prove an advantage. 9 ....ib7 10 'it'h3
7 ... bS! 10 .ie2 .ie7 1 1 .if3 'ii' b6 12 0-0-0
However, the fact that ... b5 is not h6 1 3 .ixf6 .ixf6 14 h4 0-0-0 1 5 'it>bl
prevented may prove a disadvantage, is great for Black, Linskiy-Novikov,
42 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

Toronto 1 998. In fact, he won quickly b) 9 i.g3 attempts to avoid the

after 15 . . .tl'ie5 ! . coming combination, but it just wastes
1 0...i.e7 1 1 i.d3 nc8 1 2 0-0-0?! too much time. Smyslov-Portisch, Til­
The white king does not prove to be burg 1 979 continued 9 . . .e5 ! 10 tl'ib3
comfortable here, but Black is on top b5 1 1 f4 0-0 12 'tid3 ( 1 2 fxe5 dxe5 1 3
anyway. i.xe5 ll'ic6 14 i.g3 i.b4 allows Black
12 ... nxc3! 13 bxc3 tl'ic5 14 .txf6 a dangerous initiative) 12 . . .ll'ibd7 1 3
i.xf6 15 nhel 'ii'a5 16 e5 dxe5 17 fxe5 .te2 .tb7 14 0-0 nc8 1 5 nad l lie?
i.g5+ 18 �bl i.d5 19 ll'ib3 'ii'xa3 20 with an ideal set-up for Black .
.txb5+ axb5 21 nxd5 tl'ia4 9 ... tl'ixe4! 10 .txe7
0- 1 Arencibia-1 vanchuk, Lucerne Or 10 tl'ixe4 i.xh4.
Wcht 1 997. 10...tl'ixc3 11 i.xd8 tl'ixe2+ 12
ll'ixe2 �xd8 13 nxd6+ �e7
83) I suppose that this might be equal
7 'ii'e2 with best play, but Black's extra cen­
This move has very few redeeming tral pawn, which allows his king to re­
features, and it is no great surprise that main well centralized, means that if
it is very rarely tried. anyone is better, it is he.
7...h6 8 i.h4 i.e7 (D) 14 nd2 b5 15 ll'ic3 .tb7 16 i.d3 b4
17 ll'ie4 tl'id7 18 net g6 19 .tc4 tl'ib6
20 .th3 nhd8
Wirschell-Van Wely, Antwerp 1 996.
w Black gradually took control of the
game, and won.

84)
7 'ii'd 2?!
This is the invariable move in the
Richter-Rauzer, but with the pawn on
a6, instead of a7, and the queen's
knight on b8, instead of c6, it is a mis­
take. Still, that does not stop players
Threatening the typical . . . ll'ixe4, from playing it with White, and often
which normally equalizes, or more. losing!
9 0-0-0 7 ...h6!
Or: This is White's problem, for in the
a) 9 f4 (similarly fine for Black) Richter-Rauzer this would now be met
9 . . .tl'ixe4 ! 10 i.xe7 tl'ixc3 1 1 'tic4 ! ? by 8 i.xf6 'tixf6? 9 tl'idb5, winning the
( 1 1 i.xd8 ll'ixe2 1 2 i.xe2 �xd8 1 3 d-pawn. Thus we see the advantage of
ndl '3i;e7 leaves Black a good pawn up the 5 ... a6 move, controlling b5, once
in the ending) 1 l .. .'3i;xe7 1 2 'ii'xc3 ne8, again !
followed by . . . �f8, affords White in­ 8 .txf6
sufficient compensation. Or:
 6 ilg5 43

a) 8 i.h4 ? ! loses a pawn: 8 . . .tt:\xe4 ! is that the bishop might be less well
9 'iif4 tt:\f6 10 'iif3 d5 1 1 0-0-0 tt:\c6 placed on g5 than on e3 .
12 tt:\b3 i..e7 13 h3 i.d7 14 g4 .l:!:c8 15 7...i.e7 (D)
'it>bl 0-0 gives Black a good extra
pawn and a strong centre; he won con­
vincingly in Gavrilov-Vaulin, Novgo­
rod 1 995. w
b) 8 i.e3 tt:\g4 (this move also
gains White's important dark-squared
bishop) 9 0-0-0 (9 i.e2 tt:\xe3 10 'iixe3
tt:\c6 1 1 0-0-0 'iib6 12 g4 i.e7 1 3 h4
tt:\xd4 14 'iixd4 'iixd4 1 5 .l:!:xd4 i.. d7
16 f4 0-0-0, with the bishop-pair,
Naimanye-Ki.Georgiev, Manila OL
1992) 9 ...i.e7 10 'it>bl tt:\c6 l l f4 tt:\xe3
12 'iixe3 i.d7 1 3 e5 d5 14 'iig 3 0-0 15
h4 f5 16 exf6 i..xf6 1 7 tt:\ce2 'iib6 and 8 0-0
Black's dark-squared bishop is very Other options:
strong, Pinkas-Buturin, Frydek Mistek a) 8 'iid2 (keeping the possibility
1996. of 0-0-0 open) 8 ... b5 ! 9 a3 i.b7 10
8 'iixf6 9 f4
•.. i.f3 'iib6 (not bad, but there is noth­
9 0-0-0 tt:\c6 10 tt:\b3 'iid8 1 1 f4 ing wrong with the natural 10 . . . tt:\bd7,
i..e7 1 2 i.e2 i.d7 1 3 g4 'iic7 14 h4 since 1 1 e5 i.. xf3 12 exf6 is met by
0-0-0 1 5 'it>bl 'it>b8 is equal, Gibbs­ l 2. . .gxf6) 1 1 i.e3 'iic7 1 2 g4 tt:\c6 1 3
Kengis, Adelaide 1 990. g5 tt:\d7 14 tt:\xc6 i.. xc6 1 5 .l:!: g l a5 1 6
9 g5!
... i.e2 'ii b7 17 f3 0-0 1 8 i.d4 b4 1 9
A thematic strike, attacking White tt:\dl e5 ! 20 i. f2 d5 and White's posi­
just where he is weakest, on the dark tion is a mess, Nicevski-Nemet, Yugo­
squares. slav Ch 1975.
10 fxg5 hxg5 11 0-0-0 tt:\c6 12 i.e2 b) 8 'iid3 is similar, but the exposed
tt:\xd4 13 'iixd4 'iixd4 14 .l:!:xd4 i.d7 position of the white queen allows
15 h3 i..c6 16 i..f3 0-0-0 17 .l:i:d3 i.g7 8 . . . tt:\bd7 9 f4 h6 10 i.h4 g5 ! (this typ­
18 .l:i:hdl i.e5 ical Najdorf idea is very effective
Black's king's bishop dominates here) 1 1 fxg5 tt:\e5 1 2 'iid2 tt:\fd7 1 3
the board, Kummerow-Mi.Pavlovic, 0-0-0 hxg5 14 i..g 3 b5 1 5 a 3 i.b7 1 6
B iel 1 997. tt:\f3 .l:!:c8 with a strong hold o n e5, and
possibilities on both wings for Black,
BS) Aginian-Wojtkiewicz, Erevan open
7 i.e2 1 996.
This is not quite as insipid as it 8...tt:\bd7 9 'iid3
seems. White's idea is to play a 6 i.e2- Aiming for the g3-square. 9 a4 may
style position without permitting the seem more sensible, but, unfortunately
reply ... e5. The obvious disadvantage for White, rather than the 9. . . 'iic7? ! 10
44 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

a5 b5 1 1 axb6 lllxb6 12 3'.f3 i.b7 of

Yurtaev-Dvoirys, Russia Cup 1997,
when White played the strong move w
1 3 i.xf6 ! with advantage (as Black is
unable to recapture with the bishop
because of 14 llldb5), simply 9 ...ll'icS !
is strong, as White has no reasonable
way to defend his e-pawn, e.g. 10 f3?1
lllfxe4 1 , which shows up one of the
potential disadvantages of having the
white queen' s bishop on g5.
9 h6 (D)
...

Good timing 1 10 ... i.xf6 11 l:!.adl 0-0 12 lllb 3

10 i.xf6 i.e7 13 a4 'iVc7 14 'iith l llle S 15 'iVg3
After this White is worse, but what lllc4 16 i.xc4 'iVxc4 17 as i.d7
else? 10 i.e3? loses the e4-pawn, and In AP.Smith-Short, British Ch (Tor­
if 1 0 i.h4 then 10 . llle5 1 1 'iWh3 lllg6
. .
quay) 1 998, Black quickly made his
1 2 i.g3 'iVb6 is strong. bishops count.
3 6 ilc4

1 e4 c5 2 tl:if3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tl:ixd4 always bolster the e-pawn by an ap­

tl:if6 5 tl:ic3 a6 6 1'.c4 (D) propriate f3 .

The Fight for the a2-g8 Diagonal

In order to increase the scope of his
B queen' s bishop, White has to find a
way to soften up the a2-g8 diagonal.
The obvious method of achieving this
goal is to advance the f-pawn to f5 , at­
tacking e6. In the following situation,
which is a key position from Line A l 2,
White can play:

This is an aggressive move, point­ w

ing the bishop along the diagonal lead­
ing to f7 and g8. The problem is that if
White does not manage to weaken this
diagonal, then the bishop may find it­
self 'biting on granite' (i.e. the e6-
pawn) whereas its black counterpart
can become the uncontested master of
the h l-a8 diagonal, attacking e4 or
even g2.
The 'all or nothing' nature of many 10 f5
of White' s most forcing lines meant This forces 10 ... e5, when White has
that as soon as the right defensive attained his goal, as 1 0 ... b4? allows 1 1
moves were found White was theoreti­ fxe6! bxc3 1 2 exf7+ with an attack.
cally worse, and 6 ]l_c4 fell into dis­ The bishop now points directly to f7,
use. and the d5-square is enfeebled. How­
This has changed with the advent, ever, this is hardly the end of the story,
and popularization, of the less com­ as, with precise play, Black's resources
mittal 9 'ir'f3 variation (Line Al l ), are more than adequate; in fact he is
where White aims for piece play, and probably better. This is why White
keeps his f-pawn on f2 so that he can now prefers other continuations.
46 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

The Fight for dS

In the previous diagram we saw White
obliging Black to forego pawn control B
of the crucial d5-square. He who wins
the battle for command of this square
may well be on the way to winning the
game.

A blunder, losing the rook to a check

on d5, but his position was pretty lousy
anyway.
23 ttJxe7+ 1-0
This example may well be one of
the exceptions rather than the rule, as
Black's defensive resources, well es­
tablished in the games of Fischer him­
Fischer - Gadia self in particular, are now known to be
Mar del Plata 1 960 more than sufficient. Black firstly
plays his queen's knight to d7, so as to
Black has misplayed the opening. maintain control of d5 should White
In particular he has developed his capture the f6-knight. He can use his
queen's knight to c6 instead of d7, b-pawn to dislodge the c3-knight at a
which allows White to gain control of judicious moment, and he can often
d5 in the following, well-established sacrifice the exchange on c3. You will
manner. come across the specifics many times
15 .ixf6 .ixf6 16 .id5 in this chapter.
1 6 tiJd5 ? ! .ixd5 17 .txd5 is a little
better for White, but the opposite­ Explosion on e6
coloured bishops would make the po­ Another, more dramatic , method of
sition drawish. No, it is much, much freeing the white king's bishop is to
better to establish the knight on d5. sacrifice it!
16 ...l:t.acS 17 .ixc6 l:t.xc6 18 l:t.adl The following diagram features a
l:t.fc8 19 tiJdS (D) comparatively normal position. Black
The simple fact that the white knight wishes to complete his development,
is on d5 renders the position almost of course, but how?
unplayable for Black despite his other 12...tiJbd7?
active pieces. Not like this ! 1 2 . . .0-0 is indicated,
19 ...�dS 20 c3 .te7 21 l:t.al f6 22 for after 1 3 .txe6 fxe6 1 4 ltJxe6 'fr'b6
a4 l:t.b8?? 15 ltJxf8 .txf8 White has acquired a
 6 .i.c4 47

give White serious long-term attack­

ing chances.
B 16 ... tllc5 17 i.g5 'it'e6 18 tllxe7
'V/kxe7 19 l:te3
Bringing up the reserves.
19 ... l:thg8 20 i.xf6 <l;xf6 21 tlld5+
i.xd5 22 exd5 'iid7 23 'it'd4+ ri;f7 24
l:tf3+ <l;e8 25 b4 tlla4 26 'fif6 (D)

B
Kaminski - Bosboom
Groningen 1 991

rook and two pawns for his two minor

pieces, which is OK from a material
viewpoint, but the extra black pieces
will probably prove more valuable in
the middlegame. This type of material
balance often favours Black in this
variation. The end is nigh !
13 i.xe6! 26 ... 'iig7 27 l:tel+ ri;d7 28 'iie6+
The point: the b3-bishop sells itself ri;d8 29 l:tg3 1-0
dearly. A couple of points worth noting:
13 ...fxe6 14 tllxe6 'fic8 15 tllxg7+ with the white f-pawn on f4 or f5, the
<t;c1 16 tllr5 (D) i.xe6 trick will not work if Black has a
check on b6, and, with Black's king's
bishop still on f8, it is also unlikely to
work as the g7-pawn is protected.
B When studying the theory, you will
see that Black's move-order is contin­
ually concerned with this sacrificial
possibility. Sometimes he must leave
his queen's bishop on c8 to keep his
e6-pawn covered, and sometimes he is
unable to move his f8-bishop for fear
of allowing it. Always be on the look­
out for this in your games. Very often
you can use this fact to help remember
White has garnered three pawns a variation at the board: if two moves
for his piece, but he has also managed allow the possibility and a third does
to expose the black king, which will not, then the third is probably best!
48 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

Al: 8 0-0 48
The Theory of 6 .1c4
A2: 8 f4 60
1 e4 c5 2 lllf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lllxd4 A3: 8 �e2 63
lllf6 5 lllc3 a6 6 .ic4 e6 (D) A4: 8 �f3 64
AS: 8 .i g5 65

Of these, the first is by far the most

w common, and most important. The
second is historically significant, and
the next three are tricky lines that crop
up occasionally. Others:
a) 8 a3? ! (White has already placed
his king's bishop on b3, so this ap­
pears to have less point than the line
with 7 a3 { Line B } , when the bishop
could go straight to the safer square
a2) 8 ....ie7 9 .ie3 0-0 1 0 'i'e2 .ib7 1 1
White has the following moves : f3 lllbd7 1 2 g4 lllc5 1 3 .ia2 Ik8 14
A: 7 .i b3 48 0-0-0 'i'a5 1 5 g5 lllfd7 16 h4 b4 1 7
B : 7 a3 66 axb4 'ilr'xb4 1 8 h 5 l:i.b8 and Black's at­
C: 7 a4 69 tack strikes first, Rajna-B arczay, Hun­
gary 1 977.
Alternatively: b) 8 .ie3 is a favourite of Velim­
a) 7 0-0 b5 and now 8 .ib3 trans­ irovic's, and similar to his attack in the
poses to Line A, while 8 .id3 looks Sozin. It is most simply met by 8 . . . b4
rather pointless, playing a 6 .id3 line 9 llla4 .ib7 10 f4 ! ? (if 1 0 f3 then
with a tempo less. 8 ... .ib7 9 a4 b4 10 1 0... lllbd7 1 1 g4 h6 planning 1 2. . . d5)
llla2 lllxe4 1 l lllxb4 lllf6 1 2 c3 .ie7 1 3 10 . . ..ixe4 1 1 0-0 .ie7, as in Forster-
a 5 0-0 should b e fine for Black. Gavrikov, Biel 1 994, which transposes
b) 7 .ie3 b5 8 .ib3 transposes to to Line A 1 22, note 'a' to White's 1 1th
note 'b' to White's 8th move in Line A. move.
c) 8 f3 .ie7 9 .ie3 0-0 1 0 'Wd2 and
A) now 1 0. . . .id7 ! ? deters White from
7 .ib3 castling queenside due to . . . b4 . 1 1 g4
The most common move, removing b4 1 2 lllce2 a5 1 3 g5 llle 8 14 .ic4 a4
the bishop from the exposed c4-square. 1 5 lllg3 lllc 6 Ujtumen-Geller, Palma
7 b5
... de Mallorca IZ 1 970.
With this active retort, Black starts
operations against the white e-pawn, A1)
by moves such as . . . .ib7 and . . . b4, and 8 0-0 .ie7 (D)
also prepares the fight for d5 with With another important crossroads:
these same two moves. Now White A l l : 9 �f3 50
has a number of options: Al2: 9 f4 54
 6 il..c4 49

i.d5 i.xd5 14 'i:Vxd5 tt::ld7 15 'i:Vxe4,

and White is better, Mi.Pavlovic-Shi­
w pov, Greek Cht (Athens) 1996, while
1 1 . . .1Wb6?? is this time a clear blunder
in view of 12 tt::lxe6) 1 2 tt::lxb4 a5 1 3
tt::ld 3 i.xe4 ! 1 4 c3 tt::lbd7 1 5 tt::lb5 d5
(Black' s light-squared bishop is on the
right side of his pawn-chain, and, from
g6, can both help Black's centre ad­
vance, and counter any attack on his
king) 1 6 i.c2 'itb8 17 i.f4 e5 1 8 i.g3
i.g6 19 i.b3 !Id8 20 !Ie l i.xd3 2 1
These are both important, popular 'i:Vxd3 tt::lc5 2 2 'i:Vd l tt::lce4 23 i.h4
moves. There are some lesser alterna­ 'i:Vb6 24 'i:Ve2 i.c5 25 !!fl g5 ! 26 i.g3
tives, but they cause Black little incon­ tt::lx g3 27 hxg3 tt::le4 28 i.xd5, Bosch­
venience, and, by straightforward Ligterink, Wijk aan Zee 1997, and
development ( . . .0-0, . . . i.b7, . . . tt::lbd7, now 28 . . . i.xf2+ ! 29 ..t>xf2 tt::lxf2 is
etc.), Black is assured of a good game: strong.
a) 9 'i:Ve2 (this and line 'b' are infe­ c) 9 a4 (it seems odd that White
rior to Lines A3 and note 'b' to should turn his attention to the queen­
White's 8th move in Line A respec­ side like this, now that his king's
tively, because White has already cas­ bishop is pointing in the other direc­
tled short, and no longer has the tion, and Black equalizes easily) 9 . . . b4
possibility of putting his king on the 10 tt::la2 'i:Vb6 1 1 i.e3 ( 1 1 c3 bxc3 1 2
other side and advancing his kingside tt::lxc3 0-0 1 3 a5 'i:Vb7 1 4 f4 tt::lc6 1 5
pawns - although, as we shall see, tt::lxc6 'i:Vxc6 i s fine for Black, as
even this is no problem for Black if he White's centre and queenside are very
reacts well) 9 . . . 0-0 1 0 a3 i.b7 1 1 !Idl loose, Sznapik-Pytel, Polish Ch 1 972)
tt::lbd7 12 i.g5 !Ic8 13 f3 'i:Vb6 14 ..t>hl l l . . .'i:Vb7 12 f3 and now 12 . . .tt::lbd7 1 3
tt::lc5 1 5 i.a2 !Ife8 1 6 i.e3 'i:Vc7 17 'i:Ve l !Ib8 1 4 'i:Vg3 g6 is not very clear,
'i'f2 lLicd7 1 8 'i:Vg3 i.f8 1 9 !Id2 tt::le5 Zso.Polgar-Amason, Reykjavik 1995,
20 !Iad 1 'i:Vb8 2 1 tt::lde2 tt::lc4 22 i.xc4 but 12 ...i.d7 13 'i:Ve l a5 14 'i:Vg3 0-0 is
!Ixc4 and, without having done any­ also possible, intending . . . tt::lc 6, with a
thing earth-shattering, Black already sound position.
enjoys a plus, Giustolisi-Petrosian, d) 9 !!el 0-0 10 i.g5 ( 1 0 'i'f3 has
Lugano OL 1 968. little point now, as, instead of playing
b) 9 i.e3 0-0 10 a4 (10 f4 trans­ 10 . . . 'i:Vc7, transposing to Line A 1 1 ,
poses to Line A l 22, while the text­ Black can simply continue 10 . . . i.b7)
move is similar to variation 'c' but 10 . . . h6 1 1 i.h4 i.b7 12 a3 tt::lc6 1 3
with some subtle differences) 10 . . . b4 tt::lxc6 i.xc6 1 4 'i:Vd4 'i:Vc7 1 5 !Iad l
1 1 llia2 i.b7 (simplest; l 1 . . .tt::lxe4? is !Ifd8 16 !Id3 a5 17 !If3 'i:Va7 18 'i:Vd2
countered by the stunning move 12 b4 is better for Black, Vasiukov-Pla­
llixe6 ! i.xe6 { 12 . . .fxe6 1 3 i.d5 ! } 13 tonov, USSR 197 1 .
50 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

A1 1 ) What about the other possibilities?

9 'f#'f3 (D) The most obvious, 9 ... �b7?, is a mis­
take as 10 �xe6 fxe6 1 1 tUxe6 and 1 2
tbxg7+ is horrible for Black, s o Black's
choice is between the text-move and
B 9 ...'ii' b6. The latter is the more popular
alternative, but, apart from the fact that
the attack on d4 is purely illusory ( 1 0
�g5 ! ? being possible, for instance, as
10 ... ..Wxd4 ! ? allows 1 1 e5, when Black
is living dangerously, e.g. l l . . . tbe4 1 2
tUxe4 d5 1 3 tbd6+) , there i s also 1 0
�e3, which obliges the black queen to
move again. After 10 ... 'it'b7 1 1 'ti'g3
tbc6 (for example) 1 2 tUxc6 'it'xc6,
When Black's best defences were Black is a whole tempo down on the
worked out, and it became clear that position arising after move 1 1 of the
attempting to 'blow Black away' , by main line.
means of f4 and then f5 or e5, was 10 'tWg3 (D)
more than likely to backfire, White White attacks the undefended g­
turned to this move, which was first pawn, but he does have other, less ag­
played by Vasiukov, against Kavalek. gressive, moves:
White intends to attack with his pieces, a) 10 e5 ? can be met by the stan­
while maintaining a solid pawn-struc­ dard reply l 0 ...�b7, of course.
ture. In particular, the e4-pawn is al­ b) 10 a3 tbc6 1 1 tUxc6 ( 1 1 e5
ways solidly defended (f3 is still tbxd4 12 'i#'xa8 dxe5 is even more
possible) which deadens the effect of promising for Black than after 1 0 l:te 1 )
Black's light-squared bishop on the 1 1 ...'tWxc6 1 2 l:te l �b7 1 3 'ii' g3 trans­
h 1 -a8 diagonal, much as the black e6- poses to the main line.
f7 tandem constrain the b3-bishop. c) 10 l:te 1 is a good idea; bearing in
This continuation became responsible mind that Black does not seem to
for the renaissance of 6 �c4. worry about the defence of his g-pawn
9 'ti'c7!
... in the main line, then White might just
This move, Kasparov's choice in as well keep the queen where it is !
his PCA World Championship match Now, rather than play 10 ... 0-0, when
against Short, is, I feel, the strongest. 1 1 'ii'g3 tbc6 1 2 tbxc6 'tWxc6 1 3 �h6
Black defuses the immediate threat of tbe8 14 tbd5 is possible, why not play
e5, forking a8-rook and f6-knight, and 10 ... tbc6 ! ? with the following two
will continue with ...tbc6, exchanging possibilities:
the annoying d4-knight, after which he c l ) 1 1 e5 is often given as the refu­
will be able to castle and play ... �b7, tation of this, but if so, why has no one
completing his development with a played it? After 1 1 ... tbxd4 1 2 'it'xa8
sound position. dxe5 it seems that Black has good
 6 �c4 51

compensation for the exchange, and is hoping that White will have to de­
following . . .0-0 there is a powerful velop his queen' s bishop (to e3, prob­
threat of . . ..1b7, winning the trapped ably) so that Black can then castle,
white queen. Therefore, play might knowing that a subsequent .1h6 will
continue 1 3 .1g5 ! ( 1 3 ll'le2? 0-0 14 lose a key tempo.
ll'lxd4 .1b7 should be good for Black) 11 ll'lxc6
13 . . . 0-0 14 .1xf6 .1xf6 ( 1 4 . . . gxf6 15 The other choices are rare:
li'e4 .1b7 1 6 li'd3 �c6 17 ll'le4 'it>h8 a) 1 1 .1e3 0-0 12 ll'lxc6 'ifxc6 1 3
18 f3 f5 19 ll'lf2 .l:f.g8 is also worth con­ .1h6 (reaching a known position with
sideration; then 20 <&tin seems forced) White having wasted a move, but 1 3
15 �e4 .1b7 16 �g4 b4 with good i.d4 .1b7 14 .l:f.adl b4 1 5 .1xf6 .1xf6
play. 16 .l:f.xd6 'iic 7, lvanov-Zhidkov, USSR
c2) 1 1 ll'lxc6 'iixc6 12 .1g5 ! ? (a 1 977, is already slightly better for
tricky move; 1 2 �g3 .1b7 transposes Black) 1 3 ... ll'le8 14 a4 .1b7 (if 14 . . . b4
to the main line) 1 2 . . . .l:f.a7 ! ( 1 2 ... 0-0 is then 15 ll'ld5 ! with sharp play, J.Pol­
met by 13 ll'ld5 ! exd5 14 .1xd5 ll'lxd5 gar-Olafsson, Egilsstadir 1 988; this is
15 exd5 'ir'xc2 16 .1xe7 with a clear White's typical idea, exploiting the
advantage, Martens-Vanheste, Am­ fact that 1 5 . . .exd5 ? 1 6 .1xd5 skewers
sterdam 1 988, and 1 2 . . . .1b7 allows 1 3 the black queen) 1 5 axb5 axb5 1 6
.1xf6, when 1 3 . . ..1xf6? loses to 1 4 .l:f.xa8 .1xa8 1 7 .l:f.e l ..tf6 1 8 ..tg5 °iVc5
.1d5) and Black i s fine: the rook can 1 9 ..te3 °iVh5 20 f3 b4 2 1 ll'la4 ..tc6 22
go to d7, when Black can continue .l:f.al ..te5 and, if anything, Black has
with . . . 0-0 and . . ..1b7. the edge, Nikolenko-Yuferov, Moscow
1 990.
b) Retreating the knight from the
centre by 1 1 ll'lde2 is hardly critical.
B Following 1 1 . . .0-0 12 ..th6 ll'le8 1 3
.l:f.ad 1 (Virostko-Jirovsky, Plzen 1 998),
1 3 . . . ll'la5, with the intention of obtain­
ing the bishop-pair, has much to be
said for it.
c) 1 1 ll'lf5 ? ! (verging on the reck­
less) l l .. .exf5 1 2 'iixg7 .l:f.f8 and now:
c l ) 13 ..tg5 b4 14 ll'ld5 ll'lxd5 15
..txd5 ? ! (the ending arising after 1 5
exd5 ll'le5 1 6 ..txe7 'iVxe7 17 f4 f6 1 8
10 ll'lc6
... �xe7+ 'it>xe7 19 fxe5 fxe5 i s favour­
Pressurizing, and thereby exchang­ able for Black due to his strong centre
ing, the unguarded knight. The obvi­ and better minor piece) 15 . . . ..txg5 1 6
ous alternative 10 . . .0-0 allows 1 1 .1h6, °iVxg5 f4 i s better for Black, whose ex­
when l 1 ...ll'le8 is necessary. This is tra piece is worth more than the two
fine for Black, if a little passive, but pawns, Guseinov-Magerramov, Baku
the text-move is more ambitious. Black 1 986.
52 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

c2) 1 3 exf5 .txf5 14 i.g5 b4 1 5 1 5 f4? ! (this weakens e4; 1 5 l:td3 ? ! is

i.xf6 bxc3 1 6 l:tael 0-0-0 17 i.xe7 hardly better because of 1 5 ... b4 16
ti:Jxe7 18 l:te3 cxb2 19 'iYf6 i.e6 20 l:tc3 ti:Jd5 exd5 1 7 exd5, Strzalka-Kaczma­
ti:Jc6 affords White inadequate com­ rek, Wroclaw 1987, and now 17 . . . 'iVd7
pensation, Mukhutdinov-Shneider, St holds out hopes of an advantage; 15 a3
Petersburg 1 993. and 1 5 f3 are possible, with typical
11 'iixc6 (D)
... play) 1 5 . . .'iVb6+ (both 1 5 . . . b4 and
15 ... a5 are tempting, as White has un­
dermined his e-pawn) 16 'iti>h l b4 17
ti:Ja4 'i!i'a5 18 c3 i.c6 19 cxb4 'iVxb4 20
w ti:Jc3 a5 2 1 i.h6 i.f8 22 i.g5 i.e7 23
i.h6 i.f8 24 i.g5 .te7 1h-1h Kuzmin­
Polugaevsky, USSR Ch (Leningrad)
1 977.
12 i.b7!
...

Black offers to gambit his g-pawn,

as the alternative 1 2 ... 0-0 allows 1 3
i.h6 ti:Je8 1 4 ti:Jd5 with interesting play
for White. I always prefer to keep the
'interesting play' to myself!
12 .:tel 13 a3
Defending e4; others: Essentially, this is a useful waiting
a) 12 f3 also protects e4, but is a move . ... b4 is never a threat so long as
little more passive. Black has no trou­ Black has not castled and White can
ble after 12 ....tb7 1 3 i.e3, and now reply to ... b4?? with i.a4, pinning the
1 3 ... l:tg8 appears to be strong, intend­ queen against her king.
ing . . . g5, followed by . . . ti:Jh5-f4 or a) 13 f3 is another sensible waiting
... g4. Compare this with note ' a' to move. White hopes that he thereby im­
White's next move. proves his position, and anticipates
b) 1 2 'iixg7 is a mistake, as after that Black will castle before White is
1 2 ... l:tg8 1 3 'iYh6 ti:Jxe4 1 4 ti:Jxe4 'iYxe4 forced to develop his queen's bishop.
1 5 f3 Black can play 1 5 . . .'iYe2 1 6 l:tf2 However, rather than the ' normal '
'i!i'e l + with a likely draw, or go for 1 3 . . .0-0, when 14 i.h6 ti:Je8 15 l:tadl
more with 1 5 ...'i!i'g6, as the ending af­ l:td8 is fairly level, Black has a strong
ter 1 6 'iixg6 hxg6 is very satisfactory. positional move: 1 3 . . . l:tg8 ! (Black in­
c) 1 2 i.g5 (this resigns White to tends ... g5, controlling the key central
conceding the tempo that he tries so dark squares, f4 and e5, thereby kill­
hard to avoid losing in the main varia­ ing any possibility of White playing in
tion) 1 2 ... .tb7 1 3 l:tad l 0-0 ( 1 3 ... l:td8 ! the centre) 14 ti:Je2 ( 1 4 a4 b4 15 a5 can
is sounder) 14 l:tfe l (14 i.h6 ti:Je8 1 5 be met by 15 . . .0-0-0 and . . . g5 , and
l:tfel 'iti>h8 1 6 i.g5 i.xg5 17 'ifxg5 ti:Jf6 even 15 . . .'iti>f8 is reasonable, as the
1 8 l:td3 is equal, Moutousis-Cvetko­ king should be quite safe here) 14 . . . g5
vic, Vrnjacka Banja 1 990) 14 .. .l:tfd8 15 ti:Jd4 'iVc5 16 i.e3 'ii'e5 1 7 i.f2
 6 j,.c4 53

tt::lh5 ! 18 'iWxe5 dxe5 19 tlle2 g4 20

'it>fl .l:!.g6 and Black controls the end-
game, R.Anderson-Browne, Los An- B
geles 1 996.
b) 13 "flixg7 (obviously the acid test
of Black's play, but few players enjoy
taking such pawns and being obliged
to spend the next phase of the game
defending against a strong kingside at­
tack) 1 3 . . . .l:!.g8 14 "flih6 0-0-0 15 "flih3
( 15 f3 .l:!.g6 1 6 llVh4 .l:!.dg8 17 .l:!.e2 i.d8
18 'iWe l i.b6+ 19 ..t>h l , Krason-Schur­
ade, Olomouc 1 989, seems worse; then 13 .l:!.dS!
...

1 9 . . . h5, planning . . . h4 followed by Black manages to find another use­

. . .tt::lh 5-g3, is good) 15 ... ..t>b8 1 6 a3 ( 1 6 ful move before castling !
f3 i s similar: 1 6....l:!.g6 17 i.e3 .l:!.dg8 1 8 14 f3
.l:!.e2 and now, instead o f 1 8 . . . tt::ld7? ! Another delaying move and this
which met the reply 19 tt::ld5 ! i n lvan­ time successful, as Black has run out
chuk-Polugaevsky, Monaco blindfold of waiting moves himself. Still, he has
1 993, 1 8 . . .i.d8 or 1 8 . . . h5, as in the managed to improve his position as
main line of this note, is best) 1 6 . . ..l:!.g6 much as possible. Alternatives:
17 .l:!.e2 .l:!.dg8 18 f3 (this solid move is a) 14 "flixg7? (almost certainly los­
required sooner or later; the active 1 8 ing) 14 . . ..l:!.g8 15 'i!Vh6 d5 ! (breaking
f4? was punished b y 18 ... d5 ! i n Droz­ open the diagonal that leads to the g2-
dov-Shneider, USSR 1 987, opening square) 16 exd5 ( 1 6 f3 might hold out
the h l-a8 diagonal towards the g2- some chances) 1 6 . . . tt::lxd5 17 tt::lxd5 ( 1 7
square) 18 ... h5 ! (Black intends to play i.xd5 .l:!.xd5 18 tt::le4 .l:!. d l ! 19 .l:!.xd l
. . . h4 and ... tt::lh5, but 1 8 . . . i.d8 is also a "flixe4 and Black wins) 17 . . . :xd5 1 8
good choice, activating another piece, i.xd5 l!Vxd5 1 9 'iWh3 :xg2+ looks
e.g. 19 i.e3 i.b6 20 i.xb6 'iWxb6+ 2 1 good!
'it>fl ? tt::lg4 ! 22 fxg4 .l:!.f6+ winning) 1 9 b) 14 tlld5 !? is an interesting pos­
'it>h l �c7 2 0 tlld l h4 2 1 tlle 3 tt::lh5 22 sibility: 14 ...exd5 15 exd5 tt::lxd5 1 6
tt::lg4 "flid8 ! 23 i.d2 i.g5 (Black's plan "flixg7 'it>d7 17 llVg4+ ( 1 7 'ii' xf7 .l:!.de8
is a complete success: he will exchange 18 i.g5 only fails as, after 1 8 ... tt::lf6,
dark-squared bishops, and plant his mate on g2 is threatened; still, this
knight on f4) 24 g3 f5 25 tt::le3 fxe4 26 point is certainly not to be neglected !)
f4 i.xf4 winning, Ki.Georgiev-Ivan­ 17 ... ..t>c7 ! ? ( 1 7 ... 'it>e8 draws) 1 8 i.xd5
chuk, Tilburg rpd 1 993. l!Vxd5 19 .l:!.xe7+ ..t>b8 (threatening
c) 1 3 i.g5 0-0 is likely to trans­ . . . :gs, although this is far from clear)
pose, after White plays .l:!.ad l , to note 20 "flif3 ! 'iWxf3 21 gxf3 .l:!.de8 22
'c' to White's 12th move. .l:!.xe8+ .l:!.xe8 23 i.f4 ..t>c7 24 ..t>g2
Returning to the position after 1 3 .l:!.g8+ 1h-1h Sion Castro-Gi.Hernan­
a 3 (D): dez, Seville 1 994.
54 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

c) 14 i.g5 0-0 (once again, Black 25 exd5 llixd5 26 .l:i.ed3 llif6, with
can happily castle now that he has equality.
'won' his tempo) 15 .l:i. adl llih5 16
�h4 i.xg5 17 �xg5 llif6 1 8 .l:i.d3 h6 A12)
19 �h4 �c5 20 �f4 .l:i.d7 21 .l:i.ed l 9 f4 (D)
.l:i.fd8 22 �e3 'it>f8 23 f3 �xe3+ 24
.l:i.xe3 .l:i.c8 25 .l:i.ed3 'it>e7 and Black en­
joys comfortable equality, Kudrin­
Browne, USA Ch (Modesto) 1 995. B
14 0-0 15 i.h6 llie8 16 'it>hl
•..

1 6 llie2? ! �c5+ 17 'it>h 1 i.f6 18 c3

i.e5 19 f4?! (exactly what White has
been trying to avoid; 1 9 �g4 leaves
the e-pawn solidly defended) 1 9 ... i.f6
20 llid4 'it>h8 2 1 i.g5 h6 22 e5? (going
from bad to worse; 22 ixf6 llixf6 23
i.c2 is only slightly better for Black)
22. . .dxe5 23 i.xf6 gxf6 ! , threatening
... .l:i.g8, and winning, Shtyrenkov-Mag­ 9... i.b7
erramov, Smolensk 1 99 1 . In established theory there are two
1 6...'it>hS 17 i.g5 i.xg5 18 �xg5 main moves here. The alternative to
tllf6 (D) 9 ... i.b7 is 9 ... 0-0, which is also solid
and good, but I cannot recommend it,
as I am not sure that Black can force
this position. The problem for some­
w one who wishes to play the position
that arises after 9 ... 0-0 is that he must
also know 9 ... i.b7, and it seems like a
waste of time to learn the theory of
both variations.
The predicament arises after 8 f4
i.b7 (Line A2) if White should can­
nily play the obvious, and natural, 9
0-0. Amazingly enough, this does not
seem to be mentioned by any of my
19 .l:i.adl .l:i.d7 20 .l:i.d3 .l:i.fd8 sources ! If Black now wants to play
The game is equal, although both 9... i.e7 (as I recommend) then he will
sides can still play to win, of course. transpose to the above diagram. The
21 .l:i.edl �cS! 22 �e3 'it>g8 23 'it>gl only alternative is 9 ... b4 ! ?, but what
Short-Kasparov, London PCA Wch about the obvious reply 1 0 e5 (instead
( 1 6) 1 993. Now, instead of 23 ...'it>f8, of 10 llia4 ? ! i.xe4, when Black man­
the simplest plan was 23 ...�xe3+ 24 ages to take the e-pawn with his
.l:i.xe3 d5 (or 24 ...'it>f8 intending ,,,rj;;e7) bishop, which is much better than with
 6 .i..c4 55

the knight, as, for one thing d5 is still .i.xf6 1 3 bxc3 0-0 14 lib l 'fic7 15 'fig4
well protected)? This certainly seems ll:lc6 1 6 f5 ll:lxd4 17 cxd4 exf5 ! 1 8
to throw a 'spanner in the works' : 'fixf5 .i.xd4 1 9 1If4 1Iae8 2 0 .i.a3 g6
a) 1 0. . . bxc3 seems dangerous for 21 'fid3 .i.e5 22 1If2 'fie7 23 l::tbfl
Black: 1 1 exf6 'f/xf6 ( 1 1 . ..lLld7? 1 2 f5 'iVh4 24 h3 ..lig3, winning material,
e5 1 3 .i.xf7 + 'it>xf7 14 'fih5+ winning, Mrden-V.Gurevich, Pula 1994.
Dely-Szabo, Hungary 1 962) 12 bxc3
ll:ld7 13 f5 e5 14 ll:le6 fxe6 15 fxe6 A121)
'ii'g6 1 6 exd7+. 10 e5
b) 10 ... dxe5 1 1 fxe5 ll:lfd7 (although The sharpest possibility. White tries
1 1 . . . .i.c5 seems similar to the position to crush Black before he has time to
after move 1 1 of Line A 1 2 1 , there is bring his king to safety.
an important difference: the a4-e8 di­ 10 ... dxeS 1 1 fxe5 .i.c5
agonal is open and this gives White a This is forced, but good. 1 1 . ..lLlfd7?
significant resource, i.e. 1 2 .i.e3 bxc3 loses after 12 1Ixf7 ! 'it>xf7 1 3 ll:lxe6
1 3 exf6 cxb2 14 libl gxf6 15 1Ixb2 'fib6+ 14 'it>h l ; for example, 14 ...ll:lxe5
ll:lc6 16 .i.a4) 12 ll:la4 (even after the 15 'fih5+ ll:lg6 16 ll:lxg7 + and the poor
speculative 1 2 1Ixf7 ! ? 'it>xf7 1 3 ll:lxe6 black king is in big trouble.
Black has problems, e.g. 13 ... 'f/b6+ 12 .i.e3 (D)
14 'it>h l 'it>e8 { 14 ...'it>e7 15 .i.g5+ } 15
ll:ld5 .txd5 1 6 'fixd5) 1 2...ll:lc5 1 3 .i.e3
ll:lxb3 14 axb3 and Black is in diffi­
culty, Rosican-Tonteri, Brno 1 998. B
The upshot of this extended digres­
sion is that, for simplicity's sake, it is
better to learn just 9 ... .i.b7 !
White has two main options:
A121: 10 e5 55
A122: 10 .i.e3 58

Others:
a) Obviously, with the gl -a7 diag­
onal now open, 10 .i.xe6? fxe6 1 1 12.....ixd4!
ll:lxe6 is countered by 1 l . . .'fib6+ giv­ When I introduced this move nearly
ing Black time to escape from the fork, twenty years ago, it seemed to me to
and defend his g-pawn. be an ideal way to avoid the sharp vari­
b) 10 f5 e5 1 1 lLlde2 ll:lbd7 trans­ ation 1 2. . . ll:lc6 1 3 exf6 .i.xd4, which
poses to the note to White's 1 1 th move seemed far from clear all those years
in Line A2. ago, and has not changed too much
c) 10 'it>h l ?! has the same idea as since! Besides, even if it is good for
1 0 .i.e3 (that is, capturing on e6 with Black, why bother to learn all that the­
the bishop), but leaves White worse ory unnecessarily?
off after 10 ... b4 1 1 e5 bxc3 1 2 exf6 13 ..ixd4
56 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

This is invariably played, but 1 3 but there may well be improvements

'it'xd4 might b e superior: 1 3 . . .'it'xd4 along the way.
1 4 .txd4 (D). a32) 15 . . . lt::id7 ! 16 lt::ie4 ( 1 6 .td6
lt::idxe5 17 a4 lt::ic4 18 .ixc4 bxc4 1 9
.l:tf4 .l:td8 2 0 .l:t d l lt::ia5 2 1 .ib4 .l:txdl +
2 2 lt::ixd 1 e 5 2 3 .l:tg4 lt::ic 6 2 4 .l:txc4
B �d7, followed by the plan . . . <Ji>e6,
... .l:td8 and .. .f5, etc.; if anyone is better,
it is Black) 1 6 . . .lt::ixc5 1 7 lt::ixc5 lt::ia5
and, with his better structure and cen­
tralized king (after . . . �e7), Black has
an edge.
b) 14 . . .lt::ifd7 ! ? 15 .l:tad l <j;e7 is also
a possibility, refraining from captur­
ing the e-pawn, but hoping to tie White
to its defence. For example: 1 6 a4 b4
In this endgame, White has the 17 lt::ia2 a5 18 c3 bxc3 ( 1 8 . . . lt::ic6 1 9
bishop-pair, but Black can claim the .ie3 ! ? bxc3 2 0 nxn+ <Jl>xn 2 1 .l:txd7+
better pawn-structure - the e5-pawn is lt::ie7 22 .ic5 .l:the8 23 lt::ix c3 { 23
particularly weak. With care, Black .l:txb7? .l:tab8 } 23 . . . .ic6 24 .l:td6 .id5
cannot be worse, and might well be 25 lt::ixd5 lt::ixd5 26 .l:txd5 exd5 27
better. There are two possibilities in .ixd5+ �g6 28 .ixa8 .l:txa8 is at best
this relatively unexplored position: equal for White) 19 .ixc3 ( 1 9 lt::ixc3
a) 14 . . .lt::ic6 is the obvious move: lt::ic 6 20 .l:tfel .l:thc8 2 1 lt::ib5 .ia6 22
a l ) 15 .l:tad l ? ! .l:td8 1 6 exf6 ( 1 6 .ic3 .l:tab8, with an edge to Black due
.ib6 .l:txd l 17 .l:txd l lt::id7 1 8 lt::ie4? to his queenside pressure) 19 . . . .l:td8
lt::ixb6 19 lt::id6+ �e7 20 lt::ixb7 lt::ixe5, (played to allow Black to develop his
Nunn, leaves Black a good pawn up) b8-knight without permitting the com­
1 6. . . .l:txd4 17 a4 b4 18 fxg7 .l:tg8 19 bination 19 . . .lt::ic 6? 20 .l:txn+ <j;xn 2 1
lt::ia2 .l:txg7 is exactly the type of end­ .l:txd7+ and 22 .l:txb7) 20 .l:tf2 lt::ic6 2 1
ing Black is looking for: his pieces .l:te l .ia6 again with a good game.
dominate the board. 13...lt::ic6 14 exf6
a2) 15 exf6?! lt::ixd4 1 6 fxg7 .l:tg8, White acquiesces to an inferior po­
likewise. sition. Otherwise:
a3) 15 .ic5 ! - White can jettison a) 14 lt::ie2? ! (too passive) 14 ... lt::id7
his e-pawn to keep the black king in (14 ...lt::ig4 15 'it'd2 lt::igxe5 1 6 'it'f4 'it'd6
the centre. Now: amounts to the same thing) 1 5 'it'd2
a3 1 ) 15 . . .lt::i xe5 1 6 a4 lt::ifd7 (not lt::icxe5 ? ! ( 1 5 . . . lt::idxe5 ! 1 6 'it'f4 'it'd6
1 6. . .bxa4? 17 .txa4+ .ic6 18 .txc6+ seems good for Black) 1 6 'it'f4, Mam­
lt::ix c6 19 lt::ib 5) 17 .id6 ( 17 .id4 bxa4 edov-Mihalik, Tallinn 1 997, and Black
1 8 .ixa4 0-0) 17 . . . lt::ic4 1 8 .ib4 lt::id2 ! ? is still better after 1 6. . .'it'c7 or 1 6. . .'it'f6
1 9 lt::i xb5 axb5 20 .txd2 lt::ic5 2 1 axb5 17 .i.xe5 lt::ixe5 1 8 'it'xf6 gxf6 1 9 .l:txf6
lt::ixb3 22 cxb3 is probably only equal, .l:td8.
 6 Sl.c4 57

b) 14 �c5? ! (presumably hoping to 22 ...�b7, followed by 23 ... .l:!.c8 intend­

gain a tempo over note 'a3' to White's ing ....l:!.c5, attacking the e5-pawn, as
13th move) 14 ... lt:Jxe5 ! (14 ... �xdl ? ! favouring Black.
i s rather cooperative: 1 5 .l:!.fxd l lt:Jd7 c23) 16 �f2 .l:!.xd4 17 .l:!.xd4 lt:Jxd4
1 6 �d6 h5 ! ? { an imaginative plan, in­ 1 8 exf6 lt:Jxb3 1 9 cxb3 gxf6 20 .l:!.c 1
tending to attack g2 by transferring the �b8 21 .l:!.c2 .l:!.g8 22 lt:Jxb5 ..Wxc2 23
rook to g6 } 17 a4 b4 1 8 lt:Ja2 .l:!.h6 19 ..Wxc2 .l:!.xg2+ 24 �xg2 �xg2 gives
a5 lt:Jcxe5 20 �a4 0-0-0 21 .l:!.d4 .l:!.g6 Black a winning ending, Westerinen­
22 �xd7+ .l:!.xd7 23 �xe5 .l:!.xg2+ 24 Arnason, Helsinki 1 986.
�fl .l:!.xd4 25 �xd4, Voekler-Ruck, 14...'iVxd4+ 15 'iVxd4 lt:Jxd4
Vienna 1 996, and now 25 . . . .l:!.xc2 is The point of Black's play: he trans­
equal) 15 a4 (15 �e2? 'Vfic7 16 �d4? poses into an endgame that is well
{ 1 6 �f2 lt:Jeg4 17 �g3 �c5+ with a known to be in his favour. In fact Black
clear advantage } 16 ...lt:Jeg4 17 g3 'Vfic6 has reached a position that could arise
and White must resign) 15 ... �c7 (with after 12 . . . lt:Jc6 1 3 exf6 �xd4 if White
threats against the white king and c5- continued 14 �xd4? ..Wxd4+, and
bishop) 16 �d6 �xd6 17 �xd6 lt:Jc4 White never does that!
(by comparison with the note to move 16 fxg7
13, Black's king's knight is on the If 16 .l:!.adl then not 1 6 ....l:!.d8? 1 7
more active square f6, instead of d7, fxg7 .l:!.g8 1 8 �d5 ! lt:Je2+ 19 lt:Jxe2
and this offers him extra possibilities) .l:!.xd5 20 .l:!.xd5 �xd5 2 1 lt:Jf4 �c6 22
18 �b4 lt:Je3 19 .l:!.f2 lt:Jed5 with a solid lt:Jh5 �e7 23 g4, Szmigielska-Brust­
pawn more. man, Polish Cht (Jachranka) 1 987,
c) 14 .l:!.f4 �c7 ! and now: when White has a clear advantage
c l ) 1 5 'Vfifl is tricky, intending to (23 .. .f6 holds out some hope), but
answer 15 ... lt:Jxe5 with 16 .l:!.xf6 gxf6 16 ... lt:Jxb3 1 7 fxg7 .l:!.g8 transposing to
17 �xf6, Savereide-Gallagher, Lewis­ the main line.
ham 1 984, as 17 . . . lt:Jg6 18 .l:!.el gives 16 ....l:!.gS 17 .l:!.adl lt:Jxb3 18 axb3
White a strong attack, but 15 ... lt:Jh5 is .l:!.xg7 (D)
a better move, as after 16 .l:!.h4 lt:Jxd4
17 .l:!.xh5 the h5-rook is misplaced, and
Black is better.
c2) 1 5 �e2 0-0-0 and now:
c2 1 ) In the seminal game Nunn­
Kosten, London 1 980, 16 �e3? ..Wxe5
17 �f2 was played, when, as my op­
ponent pointed out after the game,
17 ... h5 1 8 h3 .l:!.h6, intending . . . .l:!.g6,
hitting g2, is crushing for Black.
c22) Alternatively there is 16 .l:!.d l ,
but after 16 . . . lt:Jxd4 1 7 .l:!.fxd4 .l:!.xd4 1 8
�xd4 �c5 19 �e3 lt:Jd7 2 0 lt:Je4 �xe4
21 � xe4 �xe3+ 22 .l:!.xe3, Nunn gives 19 g3 .l:!.d8
58 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

Black's bishop is the better minor move his king to f8 because of l2Je 6+)
piece, and he can advance his centre, 14 l2Jf5 (after 14 exf6 .ixf6 White
supported by the king, Alonso-Ortega, has little compensation for the pawn)
Camaguey 1 988. 14 . . . l2Je8 15 .ixd5 l2Jc6 (de Firmian­
Olafsson, New York 1 987) and now
A1 22) 1 6 .ixc6 .ixc6 17 iVxd8 .ixd8 1 8
10 .ie3 .ic5 l2Jc7 offers the best chances, al­
Now the g l -a7 diagonal is con­ though Black' s two bishops should
trolled and so .ixe6 becomes a real outgun White ' s rook and pawn.
threat. b) The obvious 1 1 l2Ja4 is met by
10 b4 (D)
... 1 1 ... .ixe4 ! . Whereas taking on e4 with
Attempting to drive the knight away the king's knight is very dangerous,
from the defence of e4. (Black must capturing with the bishop is often fine,
tread carefully; for instance, 10 ...0-0?! as the two pieces still control the cru­
1 1 e5 dxe5 12 fxe5 l2Jfd7 13 iVh5 g6 cial d5-square, after White plays f5,
14 iVh3 l2Jc5? 15 .l:txf7 ! .l:txf7 16 l2Jxe6 for instance. Now, without the possi­
is winning for White, Lukin-Zagreb­ bility of playing e5 , a certain amount
elny, Yalta 1995.) of dynamism has left the white posi­
tion. Play may continue:
bl) 1 2 c3 d5 (the safest move:
Black closes the a2-g8 diagonal) 13 f5
w e5 14 l2Jf3 l2Jbd7 1 5 l2Jg5 .l:tc8? (an in­
accuracy; first 15 . . . 0-0 16 l2Jxe4 dxe4
is best) 16 l2Jxe4 dxe4 17 iVe2? (White
misses his chance: 17 cxb4 is O K, as
17 . . . .ixb4?! allows 1 8 .ixf7+ �xf7
19 iVb3+; now the game returns to its
original plot) 17 . . .bxc3 1 8 bxc3 li'a5
19 c4 l2Jc5 20 l2Jxc5 .ixc5 and, a pawn
down with a bad bishop (on b3), White
is lost, Willemze-Bosboom, Vlissin­
1 1 e5 gen 1 997.
White is obliged to look for compli­ b2) 12 .ixe6? fxe6 13 l2Jxe6 li'd7
cations. Neither of the following is 14 l2Jxg7+ cj;f7 1 5 l2Jb6 iVb5 1 6 l2Jxa8
sufficient: .ixa8 and Black will capture the
a) 1 1 l2Jd5? (speculative) l 1 .. .exd5 trapped g7-knight, obtaining three
12 e5 dxe5? (unwisely opening the f­ pieces for a rook, which is obviously
file; 1 2 . . . l2Je4 ! must be winning, e.g. winning.
13 l2Jf5 dxe5 14 fxe5 .if8 and White b3) 12 f5 e5 13 l2Je6 ( 1 3 .i xf7+
has little compensation for his piece) cj;xf7 14 l2Je6 �d7 15 l2Jg5+ cj;f8 1 6
1 3 fxe5 0-0 (the simplest; now if l2Jxe4 l2Jxe4 1 7 l2Jb6 �c6 1 8 f6 tLixf6
13 ... l2Je4 then 14 .ia4+ is awkward, 1 9 l2Jxa8 �xa8 is equally disastrous
as the f-file is open and Black cannot for White, Rechlis-Pinter, Beersheba
 6 .i..c4 59

1 988) 1 3. .. fxe6 14 fxe6 0-0 15 ll'ib6 ll'id7 1 8 'iVd2 ll'ic5 1 9 lifb 1 I:rab8 20
ll'ic6 ! ? 1 6 ll'ixa8 'iVxa8 with a winning ll'ic3 ll'ixa4 2 1 ll'ixa4 .llc6 (21 . ...ie4 ! is
position, Alaan-Arnason, Novi Sad OL good, e.g. 22 ll'ic3 lixb2 23 I:rxb2 .ll c6
1 990. 24 ll'id5+ .ixd5 25 'iVxd5 l:rb8 ex­
l l ..bxc3 12 exf6 1Lxf6 (D)
. changing rooks for a winning ending)
22 .tb6 �d7 23 ll'ic5 'iVc8 24 lidl is
becoming messy, Borkowski-P.David,
Hradec Kralove 1 988.
w 13 0-0 14 �d2
.•.

1 4 f5 e5 1 5 ll'ie2 'iVc7 1 6 'iVd2 'ii'c6

1 7 ll'ig3 ll'id7 1 8 l:rad 1 I:rac8 1 9 t0h5
lifd8 20 'iVe2, A.Sokolov-Vaulin, Rus­
sia Cup 1 997, and now 20 . . .�c7 is
possibly best, when with care Black
should able to exploit his structural
advantage.
14 �c7 15 liadl (D)
.•.

13 bxc3
The dust has cleared, and White's
refusal to move his queen's knight has B
resulted in a position where he enjoys
free play for his pieces but has a
shabby pawn-structure, which may
prove to be a long-term problem. Two
important alternatives :
a) 1 3 .ia4+? ! ll'id7 14 f5 0-0 ! (this
defuses White's attack, and is superior
to 14 ... e5, when 1 5 ll'ie6 would trans­
pose into line 'b') 1 5 fxe6 ll'ic5 16
tZ:ic6 �c7 1 7 I:rxf6 cxb2 18 libl ll'ixa4 15 d5!
.•.

1 9 e7 'iVxc6 and White is completely So that f5 is no longer a threat, as

lost, Borkowski-Wojtkiewicz, Poland the reply . . .e5 offers Black control of
1 989. the centre. 1 5 . . . ll'id7 ? ! is a thematic
b) 1 3 f5 e5 14 .ta4+ ( 14 ll'ie2 cxb2 mistake: 1 6 f5 e5 1 7 ll'ie6 ! fxe6 1 8
15 libl 0-0 1 6 I:rxb2 'iVc7 17 .td5 fxe6 ll'ic5 1 9 e7+ and White is better,
iLxd5 1 8 'iVxd5 ll'ic6 1 9 .ib6 'iVd7 Velimirovic-Andersson, Moscow IZ
and, with a solid pawn more, Black is 1 982.
Winning, de Firmian-Pinter, Copenha­ 16 g4
gen 1 985) 14 ...�e7 ! (14... ll'id7 1 5 ll'ie6 This is daring, but otherwise what
fxe6 1 6 fxe6 0-0, A.Ku zmin-Shneider, can White do about the threat of . . . I:rc8
US SR 1 982, is less clear after 1 7 exd7) or . . . ll'id7-c5?
15 tZ:ie2 cxb2 1 6 lib 1 'iVc7 1 7 I:rxb2 16...ll'id7
60 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

The late Lembit 011 's preference. and while 8... ..ie7 9 e5 dxe5 10 fxe5
Instead, in Ivanov-Oil, USSR 1985, he lllfd7 1 1 ..ixe6 lll xe5 1 2 i.xc8 fixc8
played 1 6 .....ie7 ? ! (this is overly cau­ may be playable for Black, there seems
tious) 17 f5 e5 18 f6 i.xf6? ( 1 8 ... exd4 little point risking it.
1 9 fxe7 "flixe7 is safer) 1 9 lllf5, when 9 f5
White had an attack. This should be played now. Alter­
17 gS ..ie7 natives :
Black is better, e.g. 1 8 c4 dxc4 1 9 a) 9 ..ixe6? ! should not be good.
lllxe6 "flic6. 9 ... fxe6 10 lllxe6 'ii'c 8 1 1 llld5 ..ixd5
1 2 exd5 and now:
A2} al) 12 ... "flic4 is greedy. After 13 b3
8 f4 (D) 'ii'e4+ 14 ..ti>f2 ..ti>d7 15 c4 bxc4 16 bxc4
"flixc4 17 nbl "flixd5, White forced a
beautiful perpetual check by 18 nb7+ !
..tl>xe6 19 nel + llle4+ 20 nxe4+! "flixe4
B 2 1 'ii'b 3+ d5 22 'iih 3+ ..ti>f6 23 'it'h4+
..tl>e6 24 flg4+ ..ti>f6 25 fih4+ ..ti>e6 26
'iih 3+ 1h-1h in Gross-Bonsch, Decin
1 976.
a2) I propose the boring move
1 2 ... ..ti>f7, preparing to develop the
kingside, as the g7-pawn is now de­
fended. Black must be better.
b) 9 ..ie3 (a good idea of Velim­
irovic's, deterring Black from playing
This was the original method of 9 .....ie7 because of the reply 10 ..ixe6)
playing this variation, and caused 9 ... b4 ! 10 llla4 ..ixe4 1 1 0-0 trans-
Black a lot of problems. Eventually poses to Line A 1 22 if Black plays
the best defences were worked out, l L ...ie7, but 1 1 ...d5 is also a good
with the aid of games by Fischer, and possibility: 12 f5 ( 1 2 c3 bxc3 1 3 lllxc3
others, in the 1 960s, much as many of ..ic5 14 ..ti>hl is also better for Black,
the lines that worry Black nowadays Couso-Astrom, Stockholm Rilton Cup
are gradually being defused by Kas­ 1 994/5) 1 2 ... e5 1 3 lllf3 ( 1 3 llle 6? fxe6
parov. Anyway, if White wants to 14 lllb 6 exf5 ! 15 lllxa8 lllbd7 is crush­
adopt a plan based on f5, forcing the ing for Black) 1 3 ...lllbd7 14 lll g5 ..ie7
reply ... e5, and attempting to exploit 1 5 lllxe4 dxe4 1 6 nf2 'ii'c7 17 g4 h6
the d5-square, this is the best way to 18 h4 lllc5 19 nd2 'ii'c 6! 20 g5 hxg5
play it. 2 1 hxg5 lllxa4 ! 22 gxf6 ..ic5 ! with
8 .tb7
... complications favourable to Black,
Long established as Black's best Velimirovic-Ilincic, Jagodina 1 993.
move. 8 ... b4 9 lll a4 lllxe4 is greedy, 9 eS
...

and very risky - Black often gets mated This weakening of d5 is obligatory,
after taking this pawn prematurely, because 9 ... b4? allows 10 fxe6 bxc3
 6 i.. c4 61

11 exf7+ 'iti>d7 1 2 i.e6+ 'iti>c7 1 3 i.f5 to adopt a surprising plan in Ljubo­

with a powerful attack for White. jevic-Portisch, Wij k aan Zee 1 972:
10 tt::lde2 15 ... 't1Vb6+ 16 'iti>h l 't/Ve3 ! 1 7 .l:i.f3 't/Vg5
An important part of White's plan: 1 8 't/Vd3 't1Vh4 with good play) 14 i.xf6
the knight is heading for g3, thence h5, (if 14 h4, then 14 ... b4 15 i.xf6 i.xf6!
exchanging the f6-knight. In this re­ 16 tt::ld5 i.xh4 17 tt::lxh5 't/Vg5 18 f6
spect 1 0 tt::lf3 seems wrong, as the f3- g6 ! 1 9 tt::lg7+ 'iti>d8 20 .l:i.f3 i.g3 2 1
knight has no useful destination. After 't/Vd3 i.h2+ 2 2 Wfl tt::lc5 and White is
10 . . . i.e7 1 1 't/Ve2 tt::lbd7 12 a4 0-0 1 3 routed, R.Byrne-Fischer, Sousse IZ
axb5 axb5 1 4 .l:i. xa8 't/Vxa8 1 5 't1Vxb5 1967) 14 . . . tt::lxf6 and now:
tt::lc5 16 i.d5 'i!Val 1 7 0-0 i.a6, Black al) 15 tt::ld5 h4 16 tt::lxf6+ gxf6 17
wins the exchange for inadequate com­ tt::le2 ( 1 7 tt::lh 1 is no better as after
pensation, Tatai-Parma, Reggio Emi­ 1 7 ... i.xe4 18 'i!Vg4 d5 1 9 .l:i.ad l i.c5+
lia 1965. White 's days are numbered, Thor­
10 tt::lbd7 (D)
... steinsson-Ghitescu, Reykj avik 1 970)
17 ... i.xe4 18 i.d5 't1Vb6+ 19 'iti>hl
i.xd5 20 �xd5 .l:i. xc2 2 1 �d3 't/Vc6 22
.l:i.ac 1 h3 0- 1 Ciocaltea-Gheorghiu, Bu­
w charest 1967.
a2) 15 't/Vf3 .l:i.xc3 ! 16 'i!Vxc3 h4
(brushing away the e-pawn's defend­
ers, one by one) 17 tt::le2 'i!Vb6+ 18 'iti>hl
tt::lxe4 and White is lost, Bednarski­
Lehmann, Palma de Mallorca 1 967 .
a3) 15 i.d5 is the best chance,
even if 15 . . .h4 16 tt::lge2 b4 17 i.xb7
't/Vb6+ 18 Wh l 't1Vxb7 19 tt::ld5 tt::lxe4 is
quite awful for White.
11 i.gS b) 12 i.g5 .l:i.c8 and now:
This is best. The natural alternative bl) 13 i.xf6 tt::lxf6 14 tt::lg3 ( 1 4
1 1 0-0 brings White nothing but prob­ 't/Vd3 .l:i. c5 15 .l:i.adl 0-0 1 6 h 3 a5 was
lems . l 1 . . .i.e7 and then: very pleasant for Black in Andersson­
a) 1 2 tt::lg3 .l:i.c8 1 3 i.g5 h5 ! (this is Ree, Wijk aan Zee 1 97 1 , but 16 . . .�a8
Fis cher's move, both stopping the g3- and 17 . . . .l:i.fc8, as in note 'b2' , is also
knight from hopping to h5, now de­ worth serious consideration) 14 . . .h5 !
fended by the rook, and planning to transposes to note 'a' .
drive it away from its post; this is b2) 13 'iti>h l ! ? (interesting) 1 3 . . .0-0
much stronger than 1 3 . . . 0-0, although, 14 i.xf6 tt::lxf6 15 'i!Vd3 (note Black's
even here, after 14 i.xf6 tt::lxf6, 1 5 next three moves, as they constitute a
llih5 i s nothing for White, because of strong plan, controlling d5, doubling
15 . . . llixh5 1 6 't/Vxh5 b4 17 tt::ld5 i.xd5 rooks on the open file, and pressing
18 J. xd5 .l:i.xc2, Ciocaltea-Minic, Bu­ against e4) 15 ... .l:i.c5 ! 1 6 .l:i.adl �a8 17
charest 1966, and 15 a3 allowed Black tt::lg3 .l:i.fc8 18 'tWe2 a5 1 9 tt::lh5 .l:i. xc3 ! ?
62 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

( 1 9 ... a4, intending . . . a3, is also tempt­ eye on e4 and c2, but even so, after
ing) 20 bxc3 1Lxe4 2 1 lDxf6+ .ixf6 22 1 6 ... ltJf6 1 7 0-0 b4 1 8 lDd5 iLxd5 1 9
'iid2 .l:l:c5 23 lixd6? (Black is better .i xd5 lia7+ 20 'ith l 'tid4, Black has a
anyway, but this smacks of despera­ plus) 15 . . . b4 16 lDd5 iLxd5 1 7 exd5
tion) 23 . . ..i xg2+ 24 <it'g l , Mukhin­ (17 iLxd5? .l:txc2) 17 . . . lDc5 1 8 0-0-0
Zaichik, USSR 1 974, and now the ob­ a5 19 lig4 a4 20 .ic4 b3 and Black's
vious 24 . . . .i xfl would have ended the queenside attack hits home, R.Byrne­
game immediately. Bouaziz, Sousse IZ 1 967.
b3) 1 3 lDg3 transposes to line 'a' . 13 ... lDxf6 14 lDh5 (D)
11 ...JL.e7 12 lDg3 Finally, it seems that White will
All according to plan: the knight is achieve control of d5. Otherwise:
heading for h5. White hopes to ex­ a) 14 0-0?!, while apparently de­
change the two black knights, and then sirable, once again allows the strong
play .i d5, exchanging the b7-bishop, reply 14 ... h5 ! transposing to note 'a' to
when the d5-square will be his. 1 2 White's 1 l th move.
.ixf6 lDxf6 1 3 �d3 ( 1 3 lDg3 will sim­ b) 14 'iid3 (Tringov-Bukic, Skopje
ply transpose to the main line) is an 1 97 1) should again be met by 14 ...lib6
alternative strategy: White intends to 15 0-0-0 0-0 16 h3 .l:tc5, threatening
castle long and play lDd5 , but Black's ... a5-a4.
queenside play is too fast: 13 . . .lib6 !
(just in case White wants to castle
short) 14 h3 0-0 15 0-0-0 a5 ! (the b­
pawn is untouchable because of the B
pressure on e4) 1 6 lDd5 .i xd5 17
iLxd5 .l:tac8 1 8 'itbl .l:tc5 , preparing to
double rooks on the c-file, when Black
is better, not least because White is un­
able to maintain a piece on d5, Suetin­
Platonov, USSR 1 97 1 .
12 ....l:tcS
This is important for two reasons:
firstly, if White continues his plan
with lDh5, and then .i d5, lDd5, etc., 14....l:txc3 !
his c2-pawn may be left e n prise, and In the fight for control of d5, Black
secondly, Black always has the option spares no expense l
of sacrificing the exchange on c3, win­ 15 bxc3
ning the battle for d5 in the most radi­ Or 15 lDxf6+ .ixf6 1 6 bxc3 iLh4+
cal of manners. 17 <it>fl (after 17 g3 .ixe4 18 0-0? !
13 .ixf6 lib6+ 19 .l:tf2 .i g5, White's material
1 3 lDh5 ( 1 3 0-0? ! transposes to note advantage is no more) 1 7 ... 'iib 6 18
' a' to White's 1 lth move) 1 3 . . . lDxh5 .i xf7 + <it>e7, when Black is better:
14 'iixh5 0-0 15 h4? ! ( 1 5 .i xe7 lixe7 White's e-pawn is lost, and his king
16 'iie2 is more sensible, keeping an misplaced.
 6 !i.. c4 63

15 ... ..txe4 16 t'Lixg7+ '>t>f8 17 l'LihS the possibility of playing . . . ..td7

�g8 18 t'Lixf6 ..txf6 19 'ilkhS (D) and/or ... t'Lic6.
8 .....te7 (D)

B
w

Now the natural 19 ...�c7 ?! 20 0-0-0

l:tg7 21 ..We2 .ltxg2 22 l:thgl 'iic6 23 9 ..te3
�d3 is not so clear; d6 is difficult to Aiming for a position akin to the
defend, and Black went on to lose in Velimirovic Attack, but Black's queen­
Cosulich-Minic, Bari 1970. Instead, side counterplay seems to come too
19 ... d5 offers Black excellent compen­ quickly. Alternatives:
sation for the exchange - a strong cen­ a) 9 g4 0-0 10 g5 l'Lifd7 should be
tre and the bishop-pair against White 's followed by 1 1 h4, no doubt, as 1 1
shattered pawn formation. For exam­ .ltxe6? ! fxe6 1 2 t'Lixe6 'iVe8 ! 1 3 t'Lic7
ple, 20 l:tgl 'iVc8 2 1 0-0-0 �xc3, with a 'iig 6 14 l'Lixa8 l'Lie5 15 f4 .ltg4 1 6
strong attack, and if 22 '>t>b l ? then t'Lid5? t'Libc6 17 t'Lixe7 + t'Lixe7 1 8 'iVe3
22 ... .ltxc2+ ! 23 .ltxc2 e4 wins. l'Lif3+ 19 '>t>f2 lt:Jxg5 20 l:tgl l:txf4+ is
a disaster for White, Cuesta-Vera, Cu­
A3) ban Ch 1985.
8 °ir'e2 b) 9 .ltg5 (more dangerous, per­
This is one of various development haps, intending a quick f4 and e5)
possibilities for White, which he can 9 ... 0-0 and now:
combine with .ltg5 or .lte3, played in b l ) 10 f4 h6 1 1 .ltxf6 .ltxf6 1 2
any order. White may play 0-0-0 in 0-0-0 b4 1 3 l'Lia4 'it'a5 14 'iid2 .ltb7 1 5
each of these lines, and there are vari­ a 3 .ltxe4 1 6 axb4 'ir'c7 1 7 l:thel d5 1 8
ou s transpositional possibilities. In l'Lic5 .ltxd4 l 9 l'Lixe4 t'Lic6 i s clearly to
general, Black's safest is to play Black's taste, Radulov-Jakobsen, Hel­
... .lte7, and then . . . 0-0, deciding upon sinki 1972.
his subsequent plan depending on b2) 1 0 0-0-0 t'Lixe4 ! (10 . . . l'Lifd7 is
White's further play. I prefer deferring also possible: 1 1 .lte3 b4 12 l'Lia4 , Ep­
the development of the queenside in pinger-Chandler, Bundesliga l 986n,
these lines, firstly, to defend e6 against when 12 ... ..tb7 is unclear) 1 1 'iYxe4
piece sacrifices, and secondly, to have ..txg5+ 12 f4 d5 1 3 t'Lixd5 exd5 14
64 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

.lil.xd5 .lil.xf4+ 15 �bl .l:!.a7 1 6 'iVxf4 1 1 . .�aS

.

'iVxd5 1 7 'iVxb8 .l:!.d7 18 'iVg3 .l:!.fd8 19 This move is certainly very embar­
.l:!. d3 (Radulov-Padevsky, Sofia 1970) rassing for White, but l 1 . .. tLlxe4 also
and after 19 ... .lil.b7 if anyone is better, seems strong: 1 2 tLlxe6 .lll.x e6 1 3 .lil.b6
it is Black. 'iVe8 14 "iWxe4 .lil.xb3 15 'iVxa8 .lll. xa4
b3) 10 .l:!.dl b4 1 1 tLla4 'iVa5 12 i.d2 with a material advantage, Rajcsany i­
.lil.d7 13 a3 1'.xa4 14 .lil.xb4 �g5 15 f4 Zagrebelny, Budapest 1 992.
�xf4 1 6 .lll. xa4 tLlxe4 17 .l:!.fl .lil.h4+ 12 tLlf3
(this certainly looks as though it should Threatening to put something on
be good for Black, who has a pawn b6. Otherwise:
more, and the safer king, but 1 7 ... �e5 a) 12 g4 i.d7 13 tLlb6 'iVxb6 14 g5
1 8 tLlf3 'iVf4 19 tLld4 may be safer, tLlxe4 15 tLlxe6 'iVb5 1 6 .lil.c4 .lll. xe6 ! ?
with a likely draw by repetition) 18 g3 17 .lil. xb5 axb5 with plenty of material
.lll. xg3+ 19 hxg3 'iVxg3+ 20 .l:!.f2 tLlxf2 for the queen, and a strong attack for
2 1 "iWxf2 "iWe5+ 22 'it>fl and, in Aseev­ Black, Sznapik-Adamski, Polanica
Ki.Georgiev, Paris rpd 1 995, White Zdroj 1 972.
later managed to coordinate his pieces b) 12 c3 bxc3 1 3 tLlxc3 .lil.b7 14 f3
and win. tLlc6 1 5 �bl .l:!.ab8 is also good for
9 ... 0-0 10 0-0-0 Black, Bi:insch-Adamski, Decin 1 976.
10 f3 is slow. Then, instead of The only king in danger is White's.
10 . . . i.b7, B i:insch-Tal, Halle 1 974, 12...tLlbd7 13 tLld2 .lil.b7 14 f3 .lil.c6
1 0 ... .lil.d7 is best, threatening to roll 15 tLlc4 �c7 16 tLlab6 .l:!.ab8 17 tLlxd7
forward the queenside pawns, e.g. 1 1 i.xd7 18 �d2
0-0-0?! b4 1 2 tLla4 "iWa5 . 1 8 �f2 is no better: 1 8 . . . .lil.b5 19
10... b4 1 1 tLla4 (D) tLlb6 �c6! 20 �bl .lil.d8 catches the
unfortunate white knight, Ljubojevic­
Polugaevsky, Amsterdam 1 972.
18...aS! 19 e5 dxe5 20 tLlxeS �xe5
B 21 .lil.d4 �b5 22 .lil.xf6 .lil.xf6 23 �xd7
�es
Black is winning easily, Perenyi­
Szekely, Hungary 1974.

A4)
8 �f3 (D)
8 ...i.b7
For once this natural move is best.
Here g7 is defended and therefore
White has a serious problem, for he .lll.xe6 tricks no longer work, which
has to stop the further advance of the suggests that this was the wrong mo­
a-pawn, but does not really want his ment for the "iWf3 manoeuvre.
knight offside, and short of squares, 9 0-0
like this. Alternatives:
 6 J..c4 65

lt:Jxa4 bxa4 15 c4 .l:i.c8 16 .1'.. g5 ! and the

black king is too awkwardly placed,
B Meister-Svirin, USSR 1 987.
10 lt:Jxc6
10 e5 ? lt:Jxd4 1 1 �xb7 dxe5 is not
worth White's consideration.
10....1'..xc6 (D)

a) 9 a3 is passive. After 9 ... lt:Jbd7,

threatening . . . lt:Jc5, Black is doing
well.
b) 9 .1'..g5 lt:Jbd7 (not 9 ... .1'..e 7? of
course, due to 10 .1'.. xe6 !) 10 0-0-0 b4
1 1 lt:Ja4 �a5 (once more this typical
idea, discomforting the a4-knight, only
this time the bishop on g5 is also at­
tacked) 1 2 .1'.. xf6 lt:Jxf6 1 3 l!Ve3 .1'..e7 1 1 .l:i.el
14 f3 0-0 15 g4? lt:Jxe4 ! , K.Grosar­ e4 needed defence.
Wilhelmi, Bled 1999, wins an impor­ 11 ... .1'..e7 12 a3 0-0 13 .1'..f4 'Vlkc7 14
tant pawn as 1 6 fxe4 ?? loses the white .l:i.adl .l:i.fd8
queen to 16 ....1'..g 5. In fact this combi­ Lanc-Savon, Trnava 1 989. Black's
nation might even have been possible development is complete, his pieces
the move before. Black probably judged harmoniously placed, and he threatens
that White almost certainly had not queenside expansion by means of . . . a5
noticed it, and so Black could safely and ... b4.
wait a move, and remove his king from
the centre ! AS)
9...lt:Jc6! 8 ii.gs .1'..e7 9 'V/kf3 (DJ
The simplest move, exchanging the 9 �e2 transposes to note 'b' to
d4-knight and diminishing the pres­ White's 9th move in Line A3.
sure on e6 so that Black can complete The text-move cuts across Black's
his development with . . . .1'..e 7. Others natural development pattern by threat­
are worse: ening 10 e5 . This is very dangerous
a) 9 ... b4? ! (weakening the a4-e8 for Black, and before I reveal my pre­
diagonal too soon) 10 lt:Jd5 ! exd5 1 1 ferred move, let us have a look at the
�a4+ ! lt:Jbd7 12 exd5 .1'..e7 1 3 lt:Jc6 normal options:
with a strong attack. a) As Black has not yet castled,
b) 9 ... lt:Jbd7 10 .l:i.el lt:Jc5 1 1 .1'..d5 ! 9 ....1'.. b7? would lose to the thematic
exd5 12 exd5+ 'it>d7 1 3 b4 lt:Ja4 14 10 .1'..xe6 fxe6 1 1 lt:Jxe6 followed by 12
66 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

9 ... �d7! ?
Now, I have not been able t o find
B any games from this position, but the
idea is to prepare ... �b7, while keep­
ing e6 defended. Note also that the
black queen appears less exposed here.
10 a4
Attempting to exploit the a4-e8 di­
agonal. Both 10 0-0-0 �b7 and 10 0-0
�b7, followed by ... ll:ic6, will lead to
a position similar to Line A 1 1 .
10 ... b4 11 aS �c7!?
ll:ixg7+, ripping Black' s king position Not 1 l . . .bxc3 ? 1 , as 12 �a4 cxb2
to shreds. 1 3 �xd7+ ll:ifxd7 14 .l:tbl �xg5 15
b) Nor am I very keen on 9 ... 'ikb6, ll:ixe6 ! fxe6 16 °ilih5+ g6 17 'fkxg5
when both 10 0-0 and 10 0-0-0 are probably favours White.
tricky for Black. Ifwe continue the lat­ 12 ll:ice2 �b7
ter: 1 0... 'ir'b7 ! ? 1 1 .l:thel b4? 1 2 ll:if5 ! Here, the attack on e4, which can be
exf5 1 3 �xf6! �xf6 14 exf5+, with a augmented by ..."ikc5 ! ?-e5, gives Black
strong attack for White, Lazarev-Moi­ valuable breathing space.
seev, USSR 1989.
c) After 9. . . "ikc7, apart from the B)
normal move 1 0 0-0-0 there are also: 7 a3 (D)
c l ) 10 e5 and now, for example,
1 0... �b7 1 1 exd6 �xd6 12 'fke3 �c5
1 3 0-0-0 ll:ibd7 14 �xe6 0-0 15 �b3
leaves White with an extra pawn, B
K.Miiller-Wahls, German Ch (Gladen­
bach) 1997 .
c2) 10 �xf6 ! ? is a move that no­
body has noticed, as far as I am aware.
The point is 1 0 . . .�xf6 1 1 e5, when
l l .. .�b7 1 2 �d5 (or even 1 2 ll:id5)
1 2 ... dxe5 1 3 �xb7 exd4 14 �xa8 dxc3
15 b3 gives White a slight material ad­
vantage. 1 l . . .�xe5 ! is certainly play­
able though, e.g. 1 2 �xa8 �xd4 13 This move provides the c4-bishop
'i*'f3 �b7 with reasonable compensa­ with a useful retreat-square on a2, but
tion for the exchange. at the cost of a tempo. However, it is
So, it looks pretty grim for Black; not without its disciples, and has be­
indeed Miiller wins many quick games come reasonably popular over the last
with this line. However, all is not lost. two years.
I suggest: 7...�e7
 6 i.. c4 67

This is the safest move, although knight will dominate the black bishop,
7 ... ll:ixe4 is almost certainly playable; and the disruptive move f6 becomes a
it should be compared with Line C. serious threat. However, it is Black to
8 i.a2 move, and all his pieces are ready for
Or 8 0-0 b5 9 .ta2 0-0 transposing. action, so: 1 4 ... .l:!.xc3 ! (a powerful and
Be careful, for if 9 ... .tb7? instead, then thematic exchange sacrifice) 15 bxc3
White will not play the 10 f4? ! ll:ibd7 ll:ixe4 16 ll:ixe4 .txe4 17 .txe7 "i!Vxe7
1 1 f5 e5 12 ll:ide2 .l:!.c8 1 3 ll:ig3 h5 14 18 c4 .l:!.c8 1 9 °i!Ve2 ll:if6 20 .l:!.ac 1 h5 !
°i!Ve2 h4 1 5 ll:ih 1 .l:!.xc3 16 bxc3 ll:ixe4, (providing a bolt-hole for the black
with advantage to Black, of Sigurjons­ king, and signalling Black's intention
son-Hansson, Reykjavik 1 982, but to play not only on the queenside,
rather 10 .txe6 fxe6 1 1 ll:ixe6 °i!Vd7 1 2 where White ' s pawns are obviously
ll:ixg7+, with three pawns and a strong feeble, but also on the kingside) 2 1
attack for the piece. cxb5 axb5 22 °i!Vxb5 'ir'a7+ 23 �h l h4
8 0-0 9 0-0
... 24 �3 ll:ig4 25 h3 ll:ie3, with a quick
The most natural, but other moves mate in prospect, Ermenkov-Portisch,
are possible: Skara Echt 1 980.
a) 9 f4 (this is most in keeping with b) 9 .te3 b5 10 g4 ( 1 0 0-0 trans­
White's basic aim of weakening the poses to note 'a' to White's 10th move)
d5-square by means of f5 ) 9 ... b5 1 0 f5 10 ... .tb7 1 1 f3 ll:ic6 1 2 .l:!.gl ll:id7 1 3
e5 1 1 ll:ide2 .tb7 1 2 lbg3 ll:ibd7 1 3 g5 and now, instead of 1 3 . . .ll:ide5 ? ! 1 4
i.g5 .l:!.c8 14 0-0 (D). f4 ll:ixd4 1 5 .txd4 ll:ic6 1 6 .l:!.g3, when
White's attack proceeds unhindered,
Korchnoi-Bobotsov, Wijk aan Zee
1 968, 13 ... .l:!.c8 is better, intending to
scotch the a2-bishop's diagonal by
manoeuvring a knight to c4.
9 bS 10 f4
...

Once again, this is thematic. Other­

wise:
a) 10 .te3 .tb7 1 1 .txe6 ! ? ( 1 1 f3
ll:ibd7 12 'ir'e l ll:ie5 and now 13 °i!Vg3
offers White nothing, Minic-Nicevski,
Skopje 1968; similarly, 1 3 .l:!.d l .l:!.c8
14 i.c l °i!Vc7 15 �hl ll:ic4 gives Black
The key position. White is finally no real problems, Saltaev-Istratescu,
ready to proceed with his plan ( 1 5 Peristeri 1 994) 1 1 . ..fxe6 12 ll:ixe6 is a
i.xf6 and ll:ih5), gaining control o f d5 . playable combination, no doubt, swap­
Also, after 1 4 ... a5 for instance, 1 5 ping two pieces for a rook and two
i.xf6 ll:ixf6 1 6 ll:id5 .txd5 17 i.xd5, pawns, but after 1 2 ... °i!Ve8 1 3 f3 ll:ibd7
as in Stanec-King, Vienna 199 1 , is an 14 ll:ic7 °i!Vh5 1 5 lbxa8 .txa8 1 6 a4 b4
option, since 17 ... ll:ixd5 is answered 17 ll:ie2 d5 1 8 exd5 ll:ixd5 19 i.d4
by 1 8 exd5 intending ll:ie4, when the °i!Vh6 20 °i!Vd3 .td6 2 1 ll:ig3 ll:ie5 the
68 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

black minor pieces have become in­ b) 1 1 'i!Ve2 (indicating White's in­
credibly active, and, in Medina-Lju­ tention to keep his options open, for,
bojevic, Las Palmas 1 974, White soon apart from f5, the move e5 will also be
regretted his decision on move 1 1 . The a possibility) 1 1 . . .lllc6 (this seems the
game finished 22 'ifb3 �h8 23 lHel wisest choice, as l 1 . ..lllbd7 allows the
lllxf3+! 24 gxf3 tllf4 25 l:tadl tllh3+ dangerous thrust 1 2 e5, e.g. 1 2 ... dxe5
0- 1 . 1 3 fxe5 i.c5 14 i.e3 lllx e5? 15 lllxe6
b) 1 0 'tWf3 seems similar to Line i.xe3+ 16 'ifxe3 fxe6 1 7 'i!Vxe5 with a
A 1 1 , but can now be answered by clear advantage for White, Kuprei­
10 ... i.b7 with a good game, e.g. 1 1 chik-Shipov, Gistrup 1997) 12 tllf3 b4
'tWg3 (1 1 i.xe6 fxe6 1 2 lllxe6 is possi­ 1 3 axb4 lllxb4 14 i.b3 a5 1 5 l:tdl i.a6
ble, once again, but is likely to be 16 'tWel 'tWc7 17 �h l tlld7 1 8 i.e3
more fun for Black than for White; the tllc5 and the black pieces are swarm­
one idea Black should keep in mind is ing over White's queenside, Seeman­
to avoid too many exchanges, as the Morovic, Parnu 1 998.
rook and two pawns are likely to be­ c) 11 l:te l should, likewise, be met
come more influential in an ending) by 1 1 ...lllc6, rather than l 1 . . .lllbd7 ? ! ,
1 1 ...tllh5 ! 12 'tWh3 tllf6 1 3 l:tel ( 1 3 which invites wild complications af­
'ifg 3 could lead to a draw, o f course) ter 12 e5 dxe5 1 3 fxe5 llle 8 14 lllxe6
1 3 ... lllbd7 14 i.g5 l:tc8 15 l:tadl and fxe6 15 i.xe6+, Honfi-Schneider,
now, instead of 1 5 ... �h8?, allowing Hungary 1 976.
the shot 16 e5 ! lllxe5 1 7 lllxe6 fxe6 1 8 1 1 ...es 12 tllde2 lllbd7
l:txe5 with advantage, Korchnoi-Ribli, This knight needs to be able to cover
Reykjavik 1 988, Korchnoi indicates d5 at any moment, either by recaptur­
that 15 . . .llle5 ! is good. Then after 16 ing on f6, should White play i.g5xf6,
f4 lllc 4 1 7 e5 dxe5 1 8 fxe5 tlld5, 19 or by going to b6.
i.xe7 leaves Black better due to his 13 tllg3 l:tc8 (D)
superior structure, while 19 lllxe6?!
can be met by 1 9 ... 'tWb6+ 20 �h l
'tWxe6 21 'tWxe6 fxe6 22 i.xe7 lllxe7
23 l:td7 i.a8 24 l:txe7 l:tf2 25 l:tgl w
l:txc2, when the gl -rook is too passive.
10 ...i.b7 11 rs
Otherwise:
a) 1 1 'tWf3 tllbd7 12 f5 can now be
met by 12 . . .e5 13 tllde2 a5 ! (threat­
ening . . . b4, as 14 lllxb5?? loses to
14 ... 'i!Vb6+) 14 g4? ! (but White was
worse anyway) 14 . . . b4 1 5 tlld5 tllxd5
16 i.xd5 i.xd5 17 exd5 i.g5 18 axb4
'i!Yb6+ 19 l:tf2 i.xc l 20 tllxc l axb4 2 1 14 i.e3
l:tbl l:tfc8 2 2 �g2 l:tc4 and White is The alternatives are equally pros­
lost, Suta-Stoica, Bucharest 1 972. pectless for White:
 6 .ilc4 69

a) 14 ..ltg5 transposes to note 'a' to 7 tt:Jxe4 (D)

..•

White's 9th move. If Black desires a bit more fun, then

b) 14 lLih5 is met in similar fash­ 7 ... tLlc6 is a perfectly reasonable alter­
ion: 14 . . . tt:Jxh5 1 5 'iVxh5 nxc3 ! 1 6 native, especially since White can no
bxc3 lLif6, followed by the capture on longer contemplate the Velimirovic
e4, with the usual wonderful compen­ Attack. This is a little outside the scope
sation. of this book, perhaps, but briefly: 8
c) 14 °iVf3 a5 1 5 'iVe2 b4 1 6 axb4 0-0 ..lte7 9 ..lte3 (9 ..lta2 0-0 10 cJth 1
axb4 17 tLld5 tLlxd5 1 8 exd5 'iVc7 is 'iVb6 ! ? 1 1 lLide2 nd8 12 ..lte3 'iVa5 1 3
very awkward for White, Nunn-Sow­ ..ltd2 'iVc7 1 4 f4 d5 ! 15 e5 tLie4 1 6 lLixe4
ray, London 1 979. dxe4 grants Black good play, Saltaev-
14...tt:Jb6 15 ..ltxb6 'llkxb6+ 16 cJthl Dvoirys, Groningen 1 992) 9 ... 0-0 10
�e3! 17 l2Jd5 ..ltxd5 18 ..ltxd5 ..ltd8! cJth l ( 1 0 �e2? ! allows 10 . . . d5 ! 1 1
A famous Najdorf move: the bishop nfd l ..ltd6 1 2 exd5 exd5 1 3 tt:Jxd5
comes to the g l -a7 diagonal, and is tLlxd5 14 ..ltxd5 ..ltxh2+ 15 cJtxh2
transformed from 'bad' into 'monster' ! 'iVxd5 , which was equal in Ivanovic­
19 a4 ..ltb6 20 axb5 axb5 21 na6 Kasparov, Bugojno 1 982) 1 0. . . ne8 ! ?
b4 22 lLih5 tLlxd5 23 iVg4 g6 24 exd5 (this lends support to the e6-pawn and
nxc2 prepares a possible . . . d5 break) 1 1
In Robatsch-Fischer, Havana 1 965, ..ia2 (for instance, 1 1 f4? walks into
White's attack petered out in a few 1 1 .. .d5 ! 12 exd5 exd5 with a poten­
moves, and Black won quickly by ex­ tially embarrassing 'vis a vis' between
ploiting back-rank tactics. the e8-rook and the unguarded e3-
bishop) 1 1 ...tLlb4 ! ? ( l l . . .d5 12 exd5
C) exd5 is quite a respectable alternative)
7 a4 (D) 12 ..ltb3 e5 1 3 lLide2 ..lte6 14 l2Jd5 !
lLibxd5 15 exd5 ..ltf5 1 6 a5 ! tLld7 17
..lta4 nf8 1 8 b4 nc8 1 9 ..ltb3 ..ltg5 ! and
Black exchanges his weaker bishop,
B with good play, Kudrin-Browne, USA
Ch 1 983.

This move aims to put paid to

Black's queenside expansion in the
most radical of fashions, but weakens
b4. Black can equalize easily by:
70 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

8 tl:ixe4 and his pieces will have to retreat) 1 2

8 .ltxe6 is ludicrous; 8 . . . tl:ixc3 9 .lib3 dxe4 1 3 'ir'xe4 tl:id7 1 4 0-0 tl:ic5.
.lixf7+ 'it>xf7 10 'ir'h5+ g6 1 1 'ir'f3+ 9 ...dxe4 10 .ltxe4 tl:id7 (D)
'ir'f6 1 2 'ir'xc3 il.g7 won comfortably 10 ... e5 is also perfectly legitimate,
for Black in A.Schneider-Rademacher, e.g. 1 1 tl:if3 'ir'xdl + 1 2 'it>xd l .lid6,
Dortmund 1987. etc.
8...d5 9 .lid3
Or:
a) 9 tl:if3 tl:ic6 10 tl:ied2 dxc4 1 1
tl:ixc4 'ir'xdl + is equal, V.Gurevich­ w
Dvoirys, Le Touquet 1 997.
b) 9 tl:id2 dxc4 10 tl:ixc4 'ir'c7 (the
alternative 10 ... i.c5 seems better, as
1 1 .lte3 can be met by the awkward
move 1 l . . .�d5) 1 1 'ir'e2 and Black's
two bishops compensate for White's
lead in development, Galdunts-All­
wermann, Boblingen 1 998.

c) 9 .ltg5 is the critical test, but

after 9 ... .lte7 10 .ltxe7 'ir'xe7 1 1 'ir'g4 11 0-0 .lte7 12 c3 tl:ic5 13 .ltc2 e5
0-0 (despite White's unusual fourth­ 14 tl:if5 �xdl 15 .l:f.xdl .lixf5 16 .lixf5
rank set-up, Black is doing very well; tl:ib3
White's initiative has 'shot its bolt' Kavalek-Tarjan, USA Ch 1 9 8 1 .
4 6 Jle2

1 e4 c5 2 lLif3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lllxd4 his d6-pawn is no longer backward, on

tLlf6 5 lLic3 a6 6 .te2 (D) an open file, and d5 has become inac­
cessible to the white pieces.

A solid developing move. White in­

dicates his intention to complete his (This structure has arisen after
development before undertaking any White plays his c3-knight to d5, Black
active play. There are a number of captures with an f6-knight, or occa­
sharp, tactical possibilities, but in gen­ sionally an e6-bishop, and White re­
eral White will adopt a slower, posi­ captures with his e-pawn.)
tional plan, and try to exploit any However, as the technical exploita­
weaknesses in the black pawn ar­ tion of the d5-square often proves
rangement. This move was a favourite difficult, or impossible, White may ac­
of Anatoly Karpov, who turned it into a tually prefer the above type of posi­
formidable strategic weapon, literally tion, as his plan is much clearer: he
strangling his opponents' positions. advances his queenside majority, hop­
ing to create a passed pawn.
The Queenside Pawn-Majority At first, players such as Geller won
A common strategic theme, which many games this way, but Black's de­
runs throughout this book, is White's fensive plans have been considerably
attempt to bring a piece to d5. If Black refined since. Nowadays, Black will
is controlling this square sufficiently, not sit idly by; he will blockade the
and can force White to recapture on d5 queenside, if he can, by moves such as
with a pawn, then it would seem that ... b6 and ... a5 before advancing his
Black has won the first major battle, as own majority on the kingside.
72 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

Here is a typical example: White threatens a4-a5 , followed by

the preparation of b4, and then the
breakthrough c5, which can be very
effective, so Black hastens to stop this.
15... b6
So as to meet 1 6 a4? ! with 1 6 ... a5 ! ,
when the white queenside is blocked
on the dark squares.
16 .l:!.acl g6 17 'ttel h5 18 f3 a5
Having achieved his queenside aim,
Black then turned his attention to the
exploitation of his kingside majority,
and won.

Emelin - de Firmian The Portisch Plan

Elista OL 1998 This is a stratagem which solves many
of Black's problems 'at a stroke' in po­
First White creates the desired sitions where he has had to exchange
pawn- structure. his e5-pawn for White's f4-pawn. I
11 tlld5 i.xd5 12 exd5 .l:!.c8 am not certain that Portisch is the orig­
I prefer 1 2. . . tllc5 - see Line A2, inator of this manoeuvre, but I first
note to White's 1 0th move. became aware of it when I saw the fol­
13 c4 lowing game in a magazine, nearly
Ideally, White would have preferred two decades ago.
to play his a-pawn to a5 first, to 'ham­
string' the black queenside, but, be­
cause of Black's 1 2th move, 1 3 a4 is
met by 1 3 ... tllb6 forcing 14 i.xb6
�xb6, when White has lost his impor­
tant dark-squared bishop.
13....l:!.eS 14 .l:!.fdl i.fS 15 'itd2 (D)

Pritchett - Portisch
Malta OL 1980

This position is very similar to one

that occurs quite often in this chapter.
If you have a look at the black minor
 6 �e2 73

pieces, you should notice that the least As 25 ... l:!.xc3 26 l:hc3 l2Jxe4 is dev­
active one is the bishop on e7. In fact, astating.
this piece currently does not have any
moves whatsoever ! The Theory of 6 i.e2
Wouldn't it be desirable to have this
piece outside the black pawn-chain, 1 e4 c5 2 l2Jf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4
say on e5 instead? Sounds ridiculous, l2Jf6 5 l2Jc3 a6 6 �e2 e5 (D)
but Black can achieve just that:
13 ...llJeS!
This backwards move is necessary
to defend the d6-pawn. w
14 1:!.dl �h4
A little finesse, to drive the white
queen to a worse square.
15 'ti!Vd2 �f6
The passive dark-squared bishop
finds itself on a powerful diagonal.
16 �e3 �es 17 l2Jd4 l2Jxd4 18
�xd4 l2Jf6 (D)

Black strikes in the centre, and

drives the dangerous white knight away
w from its central post. There are two
main replies, although neither of them
puts the knight on a particularly good
square. In fact, in both cases, White
will probably need to make several
more moves with this piece, sooner or
later.
A: 7 l2Jb3 74
B: 7 l2Jf3 91

Amazingly, Black's king's bishop The only other sensible possibility,

really has 'hopped' from e7 to e5 ! 7 l2Jf5 ? ! , is simply met by 7 . . . d5 ! 8
Black already has an edge, and quickly �g5 d4 9 �xf6 'ti!Vxf6 10 l2Jd5 'it'd8 1 1
converted this to a win. c4 g6 (this forces the f5-knight to a
19 �xe5 dxe5 20 iVgS l2Jd7 poor square) 1 2 l2Jg3 �g7 1 3 0-0 0-0
White has the worse structure and 14 c5 (this move rebounds on White,
the worse bishop, so must avoid the in­ but otherwise he has little compensa­
ferior endgame. tion for the bishop-pair; 14 'ti!Vb3 l2Jc6
21 iVg3 'iVb6 22 �g4?! �xg4 23 15 l2Jb6 l:!.b8 is also better for Black)
iYxg4 l2Jf6 24 iVg3 iYxb2 25 l:!.d3? 14 ...�e6 15 l2Jb6 l:!.a7 16 l:!.c l ? �h6 17
0-1 l:!.al l2Jd7 18 l2Jxd7 'ii'xd7 1 9 b4 l:!.c8
74 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

20 .id3 'ft'c6 2 1 llle2 b6 and Black move, liquidating the central pawns
breaks open the c-file with a clear ad­ and liberating his pieces) and now:
vantage, Zelcic-Bukic, Bled 1 993. al l) 12 exd5 lllxd5 13 lll xd5 'ft'xd5
14 0-0-0 lllb4 ( 1 4 . . .'ft'e4 1 5 .if3 'fic4 !
A} 1 6 .ixc6+ bxc6 17 'fid4 0-0 18 'ft'xc4
7 lllb 3 .ixc4 1 9 l!hel l!fe8 is also promising
Although the knight has little scope for Black, whose two bishops are very
here, this move does allow White to strong, R.Byrne-King, London 1991)
play a4-a5, fixing the black queenside, 1 5 .if3 ? ! (not very good, but if 1 5 a3
as the b3-knight defends a5, and also then 15 . . . l!c8 with advantage, e.g. 16
permits White to play on the kingside 'fixd5 l!xc2+ 17 �bl .ixd5 1 8 llld2
with f4. .if6 19 axb4 l!xb2+ 20 �c 1 0-0, with
7 .ie7 8 0-0
... powerful threats against the loose white
Certainly, this is the most logical position) 1 5 ...'ft'c4 1 6 .ie2 lllxa2+ 17
move: White completes his kingside �bl 'fia4 1 8 iVd4 lllb4 19 'fixg7 llf8
development. Other ideas: 20 .ic4 l!c8 2 1 lld4 .ixc4 22 .id6
a) 8 .ie3 .ie6 (it is probably pru­ .ixb3 0- 1 Oms Pallise-B .Lalic, Ben­
dent to wait for White to castle before asque 1 996.
Black commits his king, else White al2) 12 0-0-0? ! dxe4 1 3 'ft'e3 'ft'c8
might be tempted to castle queenside, 14 'fig3 ( 1 4 lllxe4? lllxe4 15 'fixe4
and launch his kingside pawns up the .if5 1 6 'ft'e3 lllb4 is rather awkward
board) and now (D): for White, to say the least) 14 ... 0-0 15
.ih6 llle8 1 6 lllxe4? .ixb3 wins for
Black, G.Kuzmin-Zhelnin, Voroshil­
ovgrad 1989, as 17 axb3 'ft'e6 forks
w two pieces.
a13) 12 e5 llle4 1 3 lllxe4 dxe4 14
0-0-0 'fib6 seems very uncomfortable
for White, whose king is likely to be­
come quite exposed.
a2) 9 'fid2 lllbd7 10 f4 ( 1 0 0-0
transposes to Line A2) 10 ... b5 1 1 f5
( 1 1 0-0-0!? might be a better choice,
but Black's queenside play is already
well-advanced; then l 1 . . .l!c8 1 2 �bl
a l ) 9 f4 (Dolmatov's line; White 0-0 13 h3 'fic7 14 l!hel lllb6 1 5 f5
wishes to force Black to capture on f4, .id7 1 6 g4 .ic6 17 .ixb6 'fixb6 1 8
when he will continue 'fid2 and 0-0-0, .if3 b4 19 llld5 lllxd5 20 exd5 .id7
combining pressure on d6 with a king­ 2 1 .ie4 .ih4 22 l!fl f6 23 'fie2 a5 24
side attack) 9 ... exf4 10 .ixf4 lllc6 1 1 llld 2 a4 is better for Black, Ariz­
'fid2 d5 ! (this is the problem for White: mendi-Andersson, Pamplona 1997/8)
before he can castle long and control l l . . ..ic4 1 2 .if3? ! b4 13 llld5 lllxd5
the d-file, Black plays his freeing ...d5 14 exd5 a5 (the advance of the a-pawn
 6 �e2 75

reveals the clumsiness of the b3-

knight' s placement; Black is already
better) 1 5 a3 ( 1 5 'ili'f2 tbf6 ! 1 6 i.b6 w
'i!i'd7 17 tbxa5 i.xd5 1 8 tbc4 i.xf3 1 9
'i!i'xf3 0-0 and the black central pawns
are ready to roll, Zarnicki-Brunner,
Buenos Aires 1992) 15 . . . bxa3 1 6 l:!.xa3
a4 17 tbc l tbf6 ! 1 8 i.e2 i.xe2 1 9
tbxe2 'iWh8 ! with an excellent game
for Black, Dolmatov-Paunovic, Yu­
goslavia 1 992.
a3) 9 i.f3 tbbd7 10 g4 tbb6 1 1 g5
tbfd7 1 2 i.g4 tbc4 1 3 i. c l tbf8 14 h4 bl) 1 1 i.c4 ! ? is generally given as
'iWd7 15 i.xe6 fxe6 1 6 'tid3 'tic6 17 the reason that this line is not so popu­
tbd2 l:!.c8 1 8 'ij'f3 b5 1 9 a3 tbb6 20 lar for Black. For example, Matano­
tbb3 tba4 ! is a typical Najdorf idea, vic-Bronstein, Vrfac 1 979 continued
winning a pawn, Diaz-Marjanovic, 1 1 . ..0-0?! 12 'ili'd3 'ij'c7 1 3 l:!.ad l l:!.fc8
Vrnjacka Banj a 1 976. 14 i.xf6 tbxf6 1 5 tbd2, and White had
a4) 9 0-0 0-0 transposes to Line consolidated his hold on the centre.
A2. However, nobody seems to have no­
b) 8 i.g5 (White continues in the ticed that Black can play 1 l . . .tbxe4 ! ,
style of the Sveshnikov Sicilian, plan­ when 12 'tif3 ( 1 2 i.xe7 'tixe7 1 3 tbct5
ning to obtain the use of d5 for his 'tid8 14 'tig4 tbg5 ! ) 1 2 . . .0-0 1 3 i.xe7
pieces by exchanging its defender - 'tixe7 14 tbxe4 ( 1 4 tbd5 i.xd5 1 5
the f6-knight) 8 ... tbbd7 ! ? (8 ...i.e6 is i.xd5 tbg5) 14. . .d5 leaves Black better
the normal move, and after 9 i.xf6 in every case.
then 9 ... i.xf6, but I prefer to have the b2) 1 1 f3 0-0 1 2 'tiel d5 1 3 exd5
option of recapturing with the knight tbxd5 14 i.xe7 'tixe7 1 5 tbxd5 i.xd5
on f6, to keep control of d5 ; Black's with an edge to Black, Elarefi-Han,
queen's bishop will have a good Elista OL 1 998.
square on b7, and does not need to b3) 1 1 i.xf6 tbxf6 12 i.c4 0-0 1 3
come to e6) 9 a4 (9 'tid2? ! allows 'ikd3 tbxe4 ! 1 4 tbxe4 d5 1 5 tbed2,
Black to expand on the queenside; af­ Matanovic-Kramer, Beverwijk 1 956,
ter 9 . . . b5 10 f3 i.b7 1 1 l:!.d l 0-0 1 2 0-0 and now the obvious 15 . . . dxc4 1 6
l:!.c8 Black has every reason to feel tbxc4 'tic7 grants Black a clear advan­
happy with his position, Dreier-Sonn­ tage because of his bishops.
leitner, Dortmund 1 987) 9 . . . b6 10 0-0 c) 8 f4 (this seems premature, as
(10 i.f3 ? ! is a little passive; 10 . . .i.b7 Black has not yet played ... i.e6, and
1 1 i.xf6 tbxf6 1 2 tbd5 tbxd5 1 3 exd5 there is no threat of f5 for Black to
0-0 14 c4 l:!.c8 15 tbd2 i.g5 16 b3 f5 cope with) 8 ... 0-0 9 g4? ! (9 a4 could
sets Black's kingside pawn-majority transpose into one of the lines exam­
in motion, Dreier-Scholl, Dortmund ined later on, by 9 ... exf4 10 i.xf4 tbc6
1 987) 10 ... i.b7 (D) and now: 1 1 0-0 i.e6, etc., but as White has
76 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

committed himself to the pawn ad­ is unclear, Shirov-Van Wely, Tilburg

vance f4, Black might be able to prof­ 1 997.
itably change plans; 9 0-0 transposes e) 8 a4 0-0 9 0-0 transposes to Line
to Line A4) 9 . . . d5 ! (the natural central Al.
reaction to White's sharp pawn ad­ 8 0-0 (D)
...

vances) 10 tl:ixd5 (the only good move;

10 fxe5? tl:ixe4 1 1 'tWxd5 i.h4+ 1 2
'it>fl tl:ixc3 1 3 'iWxd8 I:txd8 14 bxc3
tl:ic6 wins the white e5-pawn, with a
huge advantage, while 1 0 exd5 i.b4
also leaves the white position in tat­
ters) 1 0. . . tl:ixd5 1 1 exd5 ( 1 1 'tWxd5 ? is
met by 1 l . . .i.b4+! 1 2 c3 'tWh4+ 1 3 'it>fl
I:td8 with a strong attack) 1 l . ...ih4+
1 2 'it>fl f5 13 'it>g2 tl:id7 ( 1 3 . . . b5 ! ? 14
fxe5 i.b7 was also effective after 15
c4? bxc4 16 i.xc4 tl:id7 17 e6 tl:ib6 1 8
tl:ic5 tl:ixc4 1 9 tl:ixb7 'tWb6, with a win­
ning attack for Black, in Dudik­ Black completes his kingside de­
Donka, Debrecen 1 998, but 15 I:tfl ! velopment, and he will plan his
is a better chance: 15 . . . .ixd5+ 16 i.f3 queenside development depending on
i.xf3+ 17 'tWxf3 fxg4 ! 1 8 'iWxf8+ White's future play. Here White has
'tWxf8 19 I:txf8+ 'it>xf8 is a little better several alternative plans:
for White) 14 I:tfl b5 1 5 a4 ! .ib7 ! 16 Al: 9 a4 77
axb5 axb5 17 I:txa8 'tWxa8 and now A2: 9 .ie3 81
White must go walking with his king, A3: 9 'it>hl 85
by 1 8 'it>h3 ! , in order to hang on, Tiv­ A4: 9 f4 89
iakov-Poluliakhov, Kropotkin 1995 . AS: 9 I:tel 91
d) 8 g4 ! ? (another very committal
move, planning to drive the f6-knight Or:
from its guard of d5) 8 . . . h6 9 f4 (9 a) 9 .ig5 . This 'pin' invites Black
i.e3 i.e6 10 'tWd2 tl:ibd7 1 1 f3, Liu-Al to play 9 . . . tl:ixe4 ! ?, although I have
Jamiat, Jakarta 1 997, is similar to the been unable to find any examples of
line we examine in Chapter 1 , and this. My analysis runs 1 0 i.xe7 ( 1 0
Black can continue in the same vein: tl:ixe4? ! i.xg5 i s too easy for Black)
1 1 .. .b5 and ...tl:ib6-c4) 9 ...exf4 10 .ixf4 10 . . . tl:ixc3 1 1 i.xd8 tl:ixd l 1 2 i.e7
tl:ic6 1 1 h3 i.e6 1 2 'tWd2 d5 1 3 0-0-0 tl:ixb2 ( 1 2 ...I:te8? ! 1 3 I:taxd l I:txe7 14
dxe4 14 'tWe3 'tWc8 1 5 tl:ixe4 (this is I:txd6 leads to an edge for White) 1 3
more logical than the alternative 15 i.xf8 'it>xf8 1 4 i.f3 tl:ic6, and Black
.id6 ? ! i.xd6 16 I:txd6 0-0 1 7 tl:ic5 has a solid pawn-structure and two
tl:ib4 1 8 g5 tl:ibd5 1 9 tl:ixd5 tl:ixd5, pawns for the exchange.
which favours Black, Rigo-Ribli, Bu­ b) With 9 'iWd3 White intends to
dapest 1 977) 1 5 . . .tl:ixe4 16 'iWxe4 0-0 bring his queen to g3, and decide on
 6 j(_e2 77

his pawn-play later. As is often the case

when White chooses a non-critical
set-up, B lack can opt for a more ambi­ w
tious piece placement than normally,
with his queen' s bishop developed on
b7: 9 ... l2Jbd7 10 a4 b6 1 1 �g3 �h8
(else White may play .1'.h6) 1 2 .1'.e3
.1'.b7 13 l2Jd2 �c7 ! 14 .l:i.ad l l2Jc5 (ap­
plying maximum pressure to e4) 15
f3 d5 1 6 exd5 l2Jxd5 17 l2Jxd5 .1'.xd5
18 b3 l2Je6, with an edge to Black,
Thipsay-Howell, London Lloyds Bank
1985. no great surprise that Black can more
than equalize after 1 2 ... .l:i.c8 1 3 �h l .
A1 ) Normally i t i s White' s go here; what
9 a4 can Black do with the extra tempo?
Constraining the black queenside, 1 3 . . . d5 is certainly good here, e.g. 1 4
and stopping any idea of Black play­ e 5 l2Jd7 15 l2Jxd5 l2Jdxe5 16 c4 .1'.g5,
ing . . . b5. The option of playing either and now 17 l2Jc5 runs into 17 . . . i.xd5
on the kingside, with f4, or on the 18 cxd5 i.xf4 19 .l:i.xf4 l2Je7, as the
queenside, is left open. The one disad­ c5-knight is hanging.
vantage of this move is the weakening a2) 1 2 .l:i.xf4 .l:i.c8 13 �h l l2Je8 14
of the b4-square (a3 is no longer possi­ .l:i.fl .1'.f6 1 5 �d2 .1'.e5 16 .1'.g5 l2Jf6 17
ble after this, of course), which allows .1'.d3 h6 1 8 i.f4 �e7 and Black has an
Black the possibility of playing almost perfect piece set-up, Thipsay­
... l2Jc6-b4 in several lines. Howell, British Ch (Brighton) 1 984.
9 i.e6
... b) 1 1 a5 ! ? (White blunders a pawn,
Black takes firm control of d5, and or is it a sacrifice?) l l ...i.xb3 ! 1 2 cxb3
is ready to react with . . . d5, if appropri­ ( 1 2 i.b6 i.xc2 13 �xc2 �d7 is worse;
ate. Black intends to continue with . . . .1'.d8,
10 f4 exchanging the dark-squared bishops)
If, instead, White plays 10 i.e3, 1 2 ... l2Jxa5 13 l2Jd5 ! (this is the only
then after 10 . . .l2Jbd7, 1 1 �d2 trans­ way White can obtain some compen­
poses to Line A2. Beware though, that sation for his pawn) 1 3 . . .l2Jc6 14 .1'.b6
White can also play 1 1 a5, which �d7 15 l2Jxf6+ i.xf6 16 i.g4 (the
takes us into a different line. Anyway, point behind White's play: he hopes to
. . .lbc6 is very logical now that the b4- exploit his light-squared bishop, as
square is weakened, and Black also Black's light squares are poorly con­
stops a5. So 10 . . . l2Jc6 (D) : trolled) l 6 . . .�e7 17 'iVd5 g6 ! (Black
a) 1 1 f4 (possible on this move as must fight for the light squares) and
well, if rare) l l . . .exf4 and now: now:
al) 1 2 i.xf4 leaves White a whole b l ) 18 .l:i.ac l (this may not be the
tempo down on the main line, and it is best) 1 8 ... h5 1 9 i.h3 a5 ! 20 .l:i.fdl .l:i.a6
78 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

21 ie3 ig5 (Black solves his 'bad but now Black threatens . . . d5 anew)
bishop' problem) 22 .l:tc3 (or 22 ixg5 1 3 ib6 'i!Vd7 14 .l:tel (so that the e5-
'i!Vxg5 23 id7 { 23 �xd6? loses to pawn would be hanging if Black con­
23 ... tt:id4 ) 23 ... tt:id4 24 'i!Vxb7 .l:taa8 tinued . . . d5) 14 ... id8 15 ie3 tt:ig4 1 6
and Black's powerful knight on d4 ixg4 ixg4 17 'iid2 ie7 1 8 tt:ic l
will dominate the bishop) 22. . . ixe3 (White finally errs, but it is difficult to
23 fxe3 .l:tb6 24 .l:td2 .l:tb4 25 g3 h4 and find anything much better; 18 .l:tecl
Black has consolidated his extra pawn, would keep c2 guarded, and after
Kodric-Rashkovsky, Bled 1992. l 8. . . .l:tc4 1 9 f3 ie6, 20 .l:td 1 would at
b2) 18 .l:tfdl !? h5 19 ih3 (the plan least prevent ... d5, but Black is doing
with ... a5 and ... .l:ta6, which was so ef­ well anyway) 18 . . .d5 ! 19 exd5 if5 20
fective after 18 .l:tac l , is not possible tt:id3 ixd3 21 cxd3 tt:ixd5 and the
now since the d6-pawn is threatened) backward d3-pawn assures Black a
19 ... tt:id4 20 �hl �g7 2 1 .l:tac l tt:ib5 certain advantage, Zapata-Milos, Mar
22 g3 ig5 23 .l:tc2 h4 is not too clear, del Plata 1 996.
but White certainly has some compen­ d) 1 1 'ili'd2, or indeed any other
sation for his pawn. move that does nothing to control d5,
b3) 1 8 .l:tadl h5 19 ih3 tt:id4 is illustrates why White often needs to
similar to 'b2' . put pressure on e5 by playing f4, for
c) 1 1 if3 (this type of restrictive Black can play his liberating central
move rarely achieves much; the f3- lunge:
bishop may stop ... d5 - temporarily, at d l ) l l . ..d5 (this move equalizes
any rate - but is hardly very active) immediately) 12 exd5 tt:ixd5 13 tt:ixd5
l l ...tt:ib4 ! (this is the point behind ixd5 14 .l:tfd l (14 c4 ie6 15 .l:tfdl
Black's 1 0th move: the knight is un­ 'i!Vxd2 would tempt Black to play on)
touchable here, and adds its weight to 14 . . .ixb3 ! 15 cxb3 'iixd2 16 .l:txd2
the liberating ... d5 thrust; there is also .l:tfd8 17 .l:tadl .l:txd2 18 .l:txd2 .l:td8 19
the attack on c2 to consider, which re­ .l:txd8+ ixd8 and Black's superior
stricts White's options and allows var­ structure more than compensates for
ious combinatory possibilities) and White 's two bishops; a draw was
now: agreed shortly in Hiibner-Anand, Wijk
c 1) 12 tt:id5 is not as bad as it aan Zee 1996.
looks. 12 ... ixd5 13 exd5 e4 is coun­ d2) If Black wishes to play for
tered by the surprising 14 ixe4 ! tt:ixe4 more, there is also l l . ..tt:ib4 1 2 .l:tfd l
15 c3, regaining the piece, whereupon .l:tc8, and now:
15 ... if6 1 6 cxb4 ixb2 17 .l:tbl ie5 d2 1 ) 13 a5? ! d5 (this is what Black
should be equal, so Black should pre­ is aiming for, of course, but he has
fer 1 2 . . . tt:ifxd5 1 3 exd5 if5 1 4 .l:tc l another option: 1 3 ... tt:ixe4 ! { I success­
.l:tc8 15 c3 tt:id3, with plenty of activ­ fully played this very same combina­
ity. tion against Hort once} 14 tt:ixe4 tt:ixc2
c2) 1 2 a5 ! .l:tc8 (White's last move 15 ib6 'iie8 and White is in big trou­
enables him to answer 1 2 ...d5 ?! by 1 3 ble: 1 6 tt:ixd6 ixd6 17 �xd6 ixb3
ib6 �d7 1 4 tt:ic5, with advantage, 1 8 .l:tacl .l:tc6 1 9 �d3 tt:id4 !, etc., with
 6 il.e2 79

advantage) 14 i.b6 'l!Ve8 15 exd5 This move is invariably played here

lLibxd5 16 lLixd5 i.xd5 ( 1 6 . . . tbxd5 ! ?) to remove the white king from the gl­
17 .l:tacl lia4 (Black has completely a7 diagonal. White often wants to bring
freed his position) 1 8 'ili'g5 ( 1 8 lie3? ! his offside knight into the game by
.l:txc2 ! 1 9 .l:txc2 i.xb3 20 .l:tcd2, Barua­ tbd4-f5, and this is impossible with the
Rashkovsky, Frunze 1 983, and now king on g l . 1 2 tbd4? meets 1 2 ...'ii'b6,
20 . . .i.b4 is best) 18 ... .l:tfe8 19 1lt'e3 of course. Otherwise, 12 tbd5 ? ! is far
i.f8 20 h3 .l:txc2 ! 2 1 .l:txc2 i.xb3 22 too ambitious: 1 2 ... tLixe4 1 3 tLixe7+
.l:tcc l tbd5 23 lixb3 ! (blow for blow ! ) tLixe7 14 i.f3 d5 15 tLid4 tbg6 16 i.xe4
2 3 . . . lixb3 24 i.c4 lixd l + (Black de­ dxe4 17 tLixe6 fxe6 1 8 i.e3 .l:txfl + 1 9
cides that it is most circumspect to go 'ii'x fl 'it'd5 and Black should win,
for the equal ending) 25 .l:txd l t2lf6, Olsson-Loginov, Budapest 1 993. 1 2
Klovans-de Firmian, Biel 1 994. i.d3 was played b y Botvinnik i n a
d22) It is better to defend e4 and similar position once, but it looks wrong
control d5 by playing 1 3 i.f3, although nowadays. 1 2 . . . d5 would be simplest,
1 3 . . . lbg4 ! ? 14 i.xg4 i.xg4 15 f3 i.e6 e.g. 1 3 exd5 tbxd5 with equality, but
1 6 a5 'ii'e8 17 .l:tacl f5 18 tbd5 lLixd5 12 . . . tLle5 1 3 tbd5 tbxd5 14 exd5 i.g4
1 9 exd5 i.d7 20 f4 i.f6 is not unpleas­ is also good.
ant for Black, Stefansson-Renet, Rey­ 12 .l:tcS
...

kjavik 1 992. The most interesting option. The

10 exf4
... 'equalizing' 1 2 . . . d5 does not quite
In my opinion this is the simplest succeed: 1 3 e5 tbd7 14 tbxd5 tbdxe5
line for Black. He temporarily con­ 15 c4 ..ltg5 and now 1 6 tbc5 ! should be
cedes the centre, but obtains the e5- played, with a plus.
square and free play for his pieces. In this position, there are the fol­
11 i.xf4 lowing choices:
1 1 .l:txf4 tLic6 1 2 i.e3 transposes to A l l : 13 �d2 79
note 'a2' to White's 10th move. A12: 13 �el 80
1 1 tbc6 (D)
... A 13: 13 tbd4 80

Instead, 13 i.f3 j ust misplaces the

bishop. After 1 3 . . .tLie5 1 4 tbd5 i.xd5
15 exd5 lLifd7 16 c3 ..ltg5 17 i.g4
i.xf4 18 .l:txf4 .l:tc4 19 .l:txc4 tLixc4 the
position is level, Hort-Ljubojevic,
Montreal 1979.

A1 1 )
13 �d2
Lengyel has been successful with
this sensible move. White will play
.l:tad l before committing his minor
12 'itihl pieces.
 80 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

13 ll'ie8
••• 14 l:r.dl
Portisch's manoeuvre again. 14 ll'id5 i.xd5 15 exd5 ll'ie5 1 6 ll'id4
14 l:r.adl .i.f6 (D) i. f6 17 't!Vd2, Klovan-Ubilava, USSR
1 9 8 1 , and now 17 ...l:r.c5 is level: 18
ll'if5 ll'ic7.
14...i.h4 15 �d2 .tf6 16 'ii'e3 i.e5
17 i. xe5
Rather than 17 li:'ic5 't!Ve7 1 8 ll'ixe6
fxe6 1 9 i.xe5 l:r.xfl + 20 l:r.xfl ll'ixe5,
with just the type of position Black is
hoping for, ZelCic-Vera, St Vincent
1 998. The knight is established on e5,
and the d5-square is controlled by the
e6-pawn.
17...ll'ixe5 18 ll'id4 ll'if6 (D)

15 'it'e3
The pawn-grab 1 5 i.xd6?! ll'ixd6
1 6 't!Vxd6 't!Vxd6 17 l:r.xd6 i.e5 1 8 l:r.d2
ll'ib4 can only be good for Black.
15 'it'e7 16 l:r.d2 Jte5
••.

1 6. . . ll'ie5 is also interesting. 17

ll'id4 ll'ig6 1 8 g3 and now, instead of
1 8 ... lbc7?? 1 9 ll'ixe6 'it'xe6 20 l:r.xd6,
winning quickly, Lengyel-Zso.Polgar,
Budapest 1 993, l 8 ... Jte5 is perfectly
satisfactory.
17 i.xe5 ll'ixe5 18 ll'id4 g6 19 �h6
f6 20 ll'ixe6 �xe6 21 ll'id5 ll'ic7 22 19 ll'if5 i.xf5 20 l:!.xf5 l:r.e8 21 'it'g3
ll'ib6 l:r,cd8 23 'it'h4 <i;;g7 24 l:r.fdl l:r.e6! 22 l:r.dfl li:Jfd7
White has some pressure, but Black Black has an edge, Toth-Vaulin,
has a solid position, and a fine knight on Budapest 1 998.
e5, Lengyel-Loginov, Budapest 1 993.
A 1 3)
A 1 2) 13 ll'id4 ll'ixd4 14 "ij'xd4 l:r.c6 (D)
13 'it'el There is nothing wron g with play­
This is perfectly reasonable. White ing 14 ... ll'ie8 here as well, but 15 l:r.adl
intends to play l:r.d l and 'ii'g3 with a i. f6 16 e5 dxe5 17 �xd8 is a bit dull,
big assault on d6. B arua-Imanaliev, Frunze 1983.
13...ll'ie8! With the text-move, Black defends
Black's (now) standard plan: the his d6-pawn another way, hoping to
knight defends d6 so that the e7-bishop play . . . ll'id7 and ....tf6 instead, with a
can come to the al -h8 diagonal. firm grip on e5.
 6 �e2 81

15 .l:l:fdl Black reaps the fruits of his idea,

15 a5 lLld7 16 .l:l:fdl 'fic7 17 lLld5 and holds the advantage, El Taher­
..lixd5 1 8 exd5 ..lif6 ! 1 9 'fie4 .l:l:c5 20 Zagorskis, Erevan OL 1 996 .
..lid3 g6 2 1 b4? ! (2 1 .l:l:a2 is more cir­
cumspect) 2 1 .....lixal 22 .l:l:xal .l:l:c3 23 A2)
.l:l:el (23 ..lid2 wins back the exchange, 9 ..lie3
but after 23 . . . lLle5 24 ..lixc3 'fixc3 it This most natural developing move
turns out that the black knight is the is one of the most difficult for Black to
dominant minor piece) 23 . . .lLle5 and face. White will play on the queen­
Black is better, Sznapik-Spasov, War­ side, first restraining Black, and then
saw 1 983. aiming to establish a piece on d5 . It
15... lLld7 16 �e3 was built into a system by Karpov in
16 a5 transposes to the previous the 1 980s, and although good counters
note. for Black have since been discovered,
16 ...�e8 17 a5 h6 18 ..lif3 �b8 19 it remains popular with players like
�d2 GM Jansa, who still scores well with it.
White is trying to tie Black to the 9 .....lie6 (D)
d-pawn.
19 ...�cS ! ?
Obviously, 1 9 . . . lLle5 i s perfectly
satisfactory, but instead Black plays a
clever positional pawn sacrifice, which
White should probably not accept.
20 ..lixd6 ..lixd6 21 'fixd6 �xd6 22
�xd6 lLle5 23 �d4 lLlc6 24 �da4 .l:l:d8
(D)
The point of Black's play: with the
white rooks tied to the a-pawn, Black
is free to infiltrate on the d-file.
25 ..lie2 .l:l:d2 26 ..lid3 .l:l:gS 27 lLle2
lLleS 28 �el lLlxd3 29 cxd3 �xd3 10 �d2
82 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

Karpov was very successful with the e8-knight will come to the power­
this move during the 1 980s. White ful blockading square d6, after which
frees his back rank to connect his the white d-pawn will be blocked and
rooks. Otherwise, White has the fol­ Black will be free to advance his king­
lowing pos sibilities: side maj ority) 15 . . . ..id6 1 6 a4 �c7 ! 1 7
a) 10 li::id5 is a move I used a lot g 3 nae8 1 8 a5 lLid7 1 9 ..tf4 lLie5 20 c4
with White many years ago, and then f5 and Black is ready for the decisive
dropped it, but it has been coming attack, King-Browne, Reykj avik 1990.
back into fashion recently. White wants a2) 13 'iWd2 lbfe4 14 'ii'b4 a5 ! 15
to create a mobile queenside majority �b5 'iWc7 1 6 nfd l (16 lt::lxc5 dxc5
after B l ack captures on d5 and White brings about our favoured pawn-struc­
recaptures with the e-pawn. This can ture: 17 �c4 { to stop Black playing
be very dangerous, but the other side ... lLid6 } 17 ... lLif6 1 8 nfd l ..id6 19 a3
of the c oin is that Black gets a mobile lbd7 20 nabl nac8 2 1 g4 �d8 22
kingsid e majority, and the white king 'it>h l �h4 23 ngl e4 24 ng2 nce8 25
is liable to find itself in the way of its g5 lbe5 26 �a4 lLif3, winning mate­
advance ! 10 ... li::i bd7 ! (a clever finesse rial, Nikolenko-Voitsekhovsky, Minsk
- Black is happy for White to take on 1 998) l 6 . . . b6 17 �c4 f5 (getting the
e7, and by defending the b6-square kingside pawn-roller going) 1 8 ..id3
obliges White to protect the e4-pawn; �d8 19 lLixc5 lLixc5 20 a3 nc8 21
not 10 ... li::i xe4? as 1 1 ..ib6 �d7 l 2 lLic7 �b5 e4 22 ..tn ..tf6 23 nabl ..te5 and
wins the exc hange) 1 1 �d3 (1 1 lLixe7+ Black soon won by means of a direct
fl/xe7 1 2 f3 d5 1 3 exd5 lLixd5 is pleas­ attack in Svidler-J.Polgar, Dos Her­
ant for Black, and 1 1 f3 ? ! ..ixd5 1 2 manas 1 999.
exd5 b5 { threatening . . . lLi b6 } 1 3 c4 b) 10 f4 exf4 and now White can
bxc4 14 ..ixc4 lLib6 leads to equality, try:
Salem-Won g Zi Jing, Elista OL 1998) bl ) 1 1 nxf4 lLibd7 (with the rook
1 l . ....ixd5 1 2 exd5 and now 12 ... lLic5 !, on f4, instead of the bishop, this is
Browne' s move, is best. Rather than possible, since the d6-pawn is not at­
get involved in a race on different tacked by the white queen's bishop)
wings, Black first tries to set up a 12 lLid5 ( 1 2 lLid4 lLi e5 1 3 lLif5 ..ixf5
dark-squ ared blockade on the queen­ 14 nxf5 nc8 15 ..td4 �c7 1 6 'it>h l
side. White's queen is attacked, and he nfe8 is also OK, Sarlamanov-Narand­
has two replies: zic, Yugoslav Ch 199 1 ) 1 2 . . . ..txd5 13
al) 13 tt::'lxc5 dxc5 14 nfd l (14 exd5 lLie5 14 c4 lLifd7 1 5 nn nc8 16
nad l and now 14 ... ..td6 15 ..tg5 ne8 nc I h6! 17 lLid4 ..tg5 18 ..txg5 hxg5
1 6 �f5 h6 1 7 ..ixf6 �xf6 1 8 flixf6 19 'it>h 1 g6 20 nc3 'it>g7 2 1 �c 1 nh8
gxf6 was equal in Ivanchuk-Gelfand, and, surprisingly in the Najdorf, Black
Cap d' Agde 1 998, but 14 ... e4 15 �d2 is attacking down the h-file, Rubin­
..id6 could just as easily have been Browne, Los Angeles 199 1 .
played here, as well) l4 ...e4 15 �d2 b2) 1 1 ..ixf4 lLic6 1 2 'it>h l (this
( 1 5 'i/i'b3 ! ? is instructive: following transposes into something similar to
15 ...'i/i'c7 16 ..ig5 lLie8 ! 17 ..ixe7 �xe7 Line A 1 except that White has lost a
 6 J..e2 83

tempo on playing i.e3-f4, which might The pure Najdorf move. Playing
make the positions slightly worse for ...l2Jc6 makes less sense when White
him, but does not alter things much; has not played a4, as the b4-square is
anyway, these lines should be com­ not weakened, and the black knight is
pared with Line A l ) 12 ... nc8 1 3 i.d3 liable to be awkwardly placed if it has
(if 1 3 tiJd4 t:Lixd4 14 �xd4, Oldach­ to stay on c6.
Scharmacher, Hamburg 1 997, then 11 a4
14 ... nc6; 1 3 tiJd5 ? ! l2Jxe4 14 l2Jxe7+ This queenside restraint is an inte­
flixe7 15 i.d 3 i.xb3 16 axb3 d5 17 c3 gral part of White's plan, but there are
ncd8 18 'ilfu5 f5 19 nae l l2Je5 with a inferior alternatives:
clear advantage to Black, Levy-Re­ a) 1 1 nfd l is similar to, but less ac­
shevsky, USA 1 97 1 ; 1 3 �el l2Je8 14 curate than 1 1 a4 as now Black can
nd l i.h4 15 �d2 i.f6 16 flie3, Un­ play l l . ..nc8 1 2 a4 tiJb6 ! 13 a5 l2Jc4
zicker-de Firrnian, Baden-Baden 1 98 1 , 14 i.xc4 and recapture, favourably,
and now 16 . . . �e7) 1 3 ... l2Je5 1 4 tiJd5 with his rook: 1 4 . . .nxc4 15 f3 flic7 16
l2Jxd5 15 exd5 i.g4 16 �d2 i.f6 17 c3 nae 1 nc8 17 tiJd5 i.xd5 1 8 exd5 ?
ne8 and Black has managed to find ( 1 8 i.b6 is forced, but after 18 . . .flid7
good squares for all his pieces, Fej­ 1 9 exd5 Black has the edge anyway)
zullahu-Gallagher, Bern 1 996. 18 . . .nxc2 and Black won in a few
c) 10 f3? ! allows the simple 10 ... d5 moves in Astrom-de Firmian, Stock­
1 1 exd5 l2Jxd5 1 2 l2Jxd5 i.xd5 1 3 c4 holm 1 997 .
i.c6 14 flie l ( 1 4 flixd8 is best met by b) 1 1 nadl ? ! is even worse, as af­
14 . . .i.xd8, keeping the knight out of ter l 1 . ..b5 White can no longer play
a5) 14 ... a5 ! , threatening to push the 1 2 a4? because of 1 2 . . .bxa4. So, the
white knight off the board, Zagre­ game Proehl-Kaminski, Halle 1 995
belny-N adyrkhanov, USSR 1985. continued 12 f4 nc8 13 �hl 'Y/ic7 14
d) 10 a4 transposes to the note to i.d3 tiJb6 with a good position.
White's 1 0th move in Line A l . c) 1 1 f4 exf4 12 i.xf4 l2Je5 13 tiJd4
e ) 1 0 �d3 tiJbd7 1 1 tiJd5 trans­ ncs 14 ll:ixe6 fxe6 15 ..txe5 dxe5 1 6
poses to line 'a' . �xd8 nfxd8 17 nfd l i.c5+ 1 8 �h l
10 . tiJbd7 (D)
.. nxdl + 19 nxdl i.d4, winning a pawn,
Budolina-Iwaniuk, Mureck girls U- 1 8
Ech 1 998.
1 1...ttJcS!? (D)
w The normal main line is 1 1 . .. nc8
12 a5 flic7 13 nfd l , when a good
move for Black is 13 . . .l2Jc5 ! (pioneered
by Joe Gallagher) 14 l2Jxc5 dxc5 and
now:
a) 15 f3 nfd8 16 fliel nxdl 17
�xdl c4 ! 1 8 l2Ja4 i.b4 19 i.b6 �c6
20 c3 i.e7 2 1 �h l tiJd7 with equality,
Brunner-Gallagher, Biel 1 990.
 84 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

b) 15 i.f3 .l:tfd8 1 6 'tWe l .l:txd l 17 showing the advantage of the extra

'ii'x dl c4 ! 18 i.b6 °iid6 1 9 'iie l 'ii'b4 tempo.
is also level, Lautier-Gelfand, Tilburg b) 14 'tWel .l:tfd8 15 a5 .l:txd l 1 6
1996. 'tWxd l .l:td8 17 'tWfl 'tWc6 1 8 f3 c4.
c) 15 'iie l c4 ! (it is imperative that c) 14 �f3 .l:tfd8 15 'tWe2 c4 16 a5
Black play this move, which gains .l:txd l + 17 'iixd l .l:td8.
space on the queenside and allows the In each case, Black has a good posi­
e7-bishop to become active, before tion compared with the variations cited
White establishes control of c4 him­ at move 1 1 .
self) 1 6 �f3 �b4 17 �b6 'tWc6 18 14 ... �xdS 15 exd5
'tWe2 .l:tfe8 ! 1 9 lt::ia4 lt::id7 20 c3 i.e7 2 1 This pawn-structure is the same as
h 3 ! i.d8 and Black solves all his prob­ that seen in note 'a' to White's 1 0th
lems, Thipsay-Gallagher, Kuala Lum­ move, and is favourable to Black, as he
pur 1 992. will blockade the d5-pawn with a piece
on d6, and then advance his kingside
pawns.
15 ... �d6 16 c4
w 1 6 a5 e4 17 g3 is almost identical to
the King-Browne game in note 'al ' to
White's 1 0th move, and should be
compared with it.
16 as
•..

Completely shutting the queenside,

and relying on his extra kingside pawn.
1 6. . . e4 is also good: 17 g3 .l:tae8 18 a5
lt::id7 intending ... lt::ie 5, . . . f5, etc.
17 'ii'c2 e4 (D)
However, by playing ...ltJc5 on move
1 1 , Black effectively gains a tempo,
for he manages to make do without the
move ....l:tc8. w
12 lt::ixc5 dxc5 13 .l:tfdl 'tWc7!
This is stronger than 1 3 ... 'iixd2 14
.l:txd2 .l:tfd8 15 .l:txd8+ .l:txd8 1 6 f3 with
an edge to White, Yudasin-Kaiumov,
USSR 1983. It is advantageous for
Black to retain queens.
14 lt::id5
This move does not cause Black
any problems, but neither do the fol­
lowing: 18 g3 .l:tae8 19 .l:tfl
a) 14 f3 .l:tfd8 15 'iie l c4, and if 1 6 Now, instead of 1 9 ... h5 ! ? 20 .l:tael
a5, then 1 6 ...�c5 is possible and good, h4 2 1 �g2 lt::ih7 22 f4, when White had
 6 i..e2 85

managed to defend himself in Poko­

jowczyk-Kuczynski, Bytom 1 986,
1 9 ... tLld7 20 l:tae l f5 with threats of w
... f4 and . . .tLle5 is more to the point.

A3)
9 'it>hl
This flexible move has become very
popular recently. White will probably
play f4, but waits to see how Black
will react. For example, if Black con­
tinues 9 ...i.e6, White will play 10 f4,
when, by saving a move on a4, White's Or:
kingside play is quicker than in Line a) 10 f3 i.b7 will transpose to Line
Al. A34 after 1 1 i.e3, and to Line A3 1 af­
9 b6!? (D)
... ter 1 1 a4.
At first sight this appears to be an b) 10 i.f3 (this continuation seems
odd idea, for why play ... b6, when you unduly passive) 10... tLlbd7 1 1 a4 i.b7
can play ... b5 instead? The answer is 12 g4 ! ? (White goes from one extreme
that, by not playing f4, White is well­ to the other !) 12 ... h6 1 3 g5 hxg5 14
prepared to counter 9 ... b5 with 10 a4. i.xg5 lLih7 (solid, but 14 ...b5 is more
Thus Black fianchettoes his queen's active, and more in tune with this vari­
bishop, and yet avoids presenting ation) 15 i.e3 l:te8 1 6 l:tg 1 i.g5 1 7
White with an easy target. Ironically, 'ii'd2 i.xe3 1 8 'ii'xe3 l:te6 1 9 l:tg3 tLldf8
Black can often play . . . b5 later when 20 l:tagl l:tg6 2 1 tLld2 l:tc8 and Black
he is ready, although this 'loses' a has successfully defended his king­
tempo. This line is a particular favour­ side, G.Kuzmin-Berezin, Donetsk Z
ite of Gelfand. 1 998.
An alternative for the reader is c) 1 0 tLld5 tLlxd5 1 1 exd5 ( 1 1
9... tLlbd7, as White invariably replies 'ii'xd5 'ii'c7 1 2 �d3 i.b7 is not partic­
10 a4 (White has nothing better, e.g. ularly worrying for Black) l 1 . ..tLld7
10 f4? ! b5 1 1 i.f3 i.b7 12 f5? b4 1 3 (there is little point playing 1 l . ..i.b7
tLld5 i.xd5 14 exd5 e 4 15 i.e2 tLlb6 here, as after 12 c4 the bishop would
picking up White's d5-pawn, Bruned­ have no scope on the h l-a8 diagonal;
Montabord, St Quentin 1999) 10 ... b6 it is likely to find a more useful spot
1 1 i.e3 i.b7 12 f3 transposing to Line elsewhere) 12 c4 tLlc5 (12 ... i.g5 might
A3 1 . be more accurate) 1 3 i.d2 i.g5 1 4
White has quite a number of op­ tLixc5 bxc5 1 5 b4? ! i.xd2 16 �xd2
tions: cxb4 17 �xb4 a5 18 �c3 i.a6 19 l:tabl
A31 : IO a4 86 l:tc8 20 l:tb2 l:tc5 and Black's pressure
A32: IO i.gS 87 against the backward c-pawn gives
A33: IO f4 87 him the edge, Sutovsky-Zagrebelny,
A34: IO i.e3 88 Elista OL 1 998.
86 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

A3 1 ) 14 i.fl 'iVa8 15 .l:td2 h6!

10 a4 It is important to control g5, as i.g5
Looking at White's other moves, can prove a useful resource for White
where Black often manages to play in the subsequent play.
... b5 at some point, a combination of 16 tt:lcl
a4 and f3 may well prove White's best This is the key to White's ' Karpov­
line. like' play: his worst piece is the b3-
10...i.b7 11 f3 tt:lbd7 knight, and he now brings it to d5 via
Actually, 1 I . ..tt:lc6 is the move in­ a2 and b4. Black's position is critical,
variably played in this exact position, for if he allows White to complete his
but after the 1 2 i.g5 of Ivanchuk­ plan he will be worse.
Topalov, Monte Carlo 1 998, White has 16....l:txc3! (D)
an edge. In addition, there is a second
good reason I am proposing 1 1 ... tt:lbd7
(which transposes into 9 ... tt:lbd7 lines),
and it is that it permits Black to have w
two systems against 9 'it>h 1 , as men­
tioned above.
12 i.e3 .l:tc8 (D)

The Sicilian exchange sacrifice

comes to Black's rescue !
17 bxc3 dS 18 c4! ?
White exploits the 'pin' along the
d-file. Otherwise, 18 exd5 tt:lxd5 1 9
i.f2 .1g5 ! ? 20 .l:td3 tt:lc5 2 1 i.xc5
bxc5 (threatening ...c4) 22 c4 tt:le3 23
13 .l:tf2! 'iWe2 tt:lxfl ! ? 24 'ii'xfl e4 25 fxe4 i.xe4
A very strong move. White wants to and Black has two powerful bishops
keep Black's counterplay under con­ on an open board.
trol by playing .l:td2. 1 3 i.d3 is less 18 ...dxe4
precise, and after 13 ....l:tc7 14 'ii'e2 'ii'a8 This is the most fun. Black sacri­
Black has a harmonious development. fices further material to open up the
13 ....l:tc7 ! b7-bishop's diagonal to the white king,
A good move, played in the style of but 1 8 ...d4 19 i.f2 i.b4 is also possi­
Reti. Black's queen will go to a8 to ble, with plenty of compensation.
defend the a6-pawn, and initiate play 19 .l:txd7 tt:lxd7 20 °iixd7 exf3 21
along the h l -a8 diagonal. 'it>gl! fxg2 22 1'.e2
 6 ile2 87

Otherwise, 22 �d3 �c5 (22 ...�f6 ! ?)

23 �xc5 bxc5 24 tt::\b 3, and now, in­
stead of 24 . . . �c6?, Ye Jiangchuan­ w
Lin Weiguo, Beijing 1997, 24 ... �f3 !
is strong, e.g. 25 'iVf5 e4 26 tt::\d2 g6
with advantage.
22...�h4 23 �g4?
23 tt::\d3 is a better try, although it is
clear that Black has plenty of play af­
ter, for instance, 23 ... �f6.
23 ...�dS! 24 �xh6?! g5! 25 �f3
rs 26 �xg5 fxg4 27 �xd8 1Ixf3
0- 1 Rohl-Leitao, San Felipe 1998 Gelfand's innovation, and stronger
(with some repetitions omitted). than the previous move 17 ...lie8, when
1 8 f3 tt::\f6 19 .l:td6 �f5 20 c3 a5 2 1
A32) .l:tfdl is a little uncomfortable, Wahls­
10 �g5 Lutz, Gladenbach 1 997 .
Not for the first time in this book, 18 f3 tt::\g5 19 lifdl tt::\f7
White prepares to swap his dark­ Black controls all the entry squares.
squared bishop for the f6-knight and 20 .l:t5d2 �e6! 21 a3? !
gain control of d5. 2 1 tt::\c l a5 2 2 �b5 is equal .
10 ... tt::\bd7! 21. ..aS 22 �b5 .l:tfc8 23 �gl ?
Black would much prefer to recap­ A blunder. 23 tt::\c l .l:tc5 24 a4 �f8
ture on f6 with a knight, thus main­ and . . .�e7 is only marginally better
taining knight control of d5 and for Black.
pressure on e4. 23 ... .l:txc2! 24 .l:txc2 �xb3 25 lidcl
11 tt::\d5 �xc2
Or 1 1 a4 �b7 1 2 'ii'd3 lic8 (an ideal In Sutovsky-Gelfand, Tel-Aviv 1999,
set-up as far as Black is concerned: the Black went on to make the extra pawn
positional sacrifice ...lixc3 might soon count in the endgame.
become a possibility) 1 3 f3 ( 1 3 liadl
1Ixc3 ! ? 14 bxc3 �xe4 with plenty of A33 )
compensation) 1 3 . . . d5 ! ? ( 1 3 . . . lic7 ! ? 10 f4 �b7 11 �d3
14 l:i.fdl 'iVa8 i s another way to play This is not the only way to defend
this position) 14 exd5 tt::\xd5 15 �xe7 e4. 1 1 �f3 also comes into consider­
tt::\xe7, which is level, Smirin-Khuz­ ation: 1 1 ...tt::\bd7 12 f5? ! ( 1 2 a4 is
man, Tel-Aviv 1999. sounder, but 1 2 ... exf4 13 �xf4 tt::\e5 is
11 ...tt::\xdS 12 �xd5 lib8 13 �xe7 fine for Black) 1 2 ... b5 ! 13 .l:tel .l:te8 14
�xe7 14 liadl tt::\f6 15 �xd6 �xd6 a3 'ikc7 15 'ii'e2 .l:tac8 1 6 �d2 �f8 17
16 lixd6 tt::\xe4 (D) .l:tac l and Black has the advantage,
17 lidS Coleman-Sammalvuo, Copenhage n
So far this is all fairly forced. 1998. Even 17 ... d5 !? is strong, e.g. 1 8
17 ...f6! exd5 tt::\b 6.
88 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

1 1 ...lllbd7 12 a4 b5! (D)

longer concerned about White being

able to establish a piece on d5 .
Black's delayed ... b5 strikes, the 12 a4
point being that White's e4-pawn has The critical reply, although 1 2 'ii'd2
been weakened by him playing f4. was tried in Anand-Gelfand, Monte
13 axb5 axb5 14 l::txa8 �xa8 15 Carlo rpd 1999. The game continued
.li.xb5 lllxe4! 16 lllxe4 12 ...lllbd7 13 l:tfd l lic7 14 a3 l:tfd8 1 5
Not 1 6 .li.xd7 lllxc3 17 bxc3? as liel , when Black had a superior ver­
17 ... .li.xg2+ 1 8 'it>gl .li.xfl 1 9 �xfl sion of the Karpov line (9 .li.e3); even
( 1 9 �xfl �a7+ picks up the loose 1 5 . . . d5 ! is then possible, e.g. 1 6 exd5
bishop on d7) 1 9 ... 'i!Vhl+ is winning. tt:lf8 1 7 a4 lllxd5 with Black for pref­
16....li.xe4 17 �e2 .li.c6 18 .li.xc6 erence.
�xc6 12 ... b4 13 llld5 lllxd5 14 exd5
Black enjoys comfortable equality, This is why Black is happy to waste
Shirov-Gelfand, Dos Hermanas 1 997. two moves playing ... b5 : White is
forced to recapture with a pawn, and
A34) this offers three advantages to Black:
10 .li.e3 firstly, his d6-pawn is no longer back­
White continues his development. ward on an open file; secondly, White
10 ... .li.b7 1 1 f3 is no longer able to establish a knight
The e4-pawn needs to be defended. on d5 ; and, thirdly, Black has a mobile
1 1 llld5 is inferior: l 1 . . .lllxd5 12 exd5 kingside majority.
.li.g5 ! 1 3 �d2 .li.xe3 14 fxe3 lih4 15 14 ... llld7 15 c3
.li.d3 !? llld7 16 e4 a5 17 lie3 f5 18 This is positionally undesirable, but
exf5 .i xd5 1 9 l:tadl l:tf6 20 'it>gl l:th6 necessary, as otherwise Black would
and White has problems, J.Polgar­ soon play ...lllf6, winning the d5-pawn.
Gelfand, Dortmund 1997. 15 a5 changes nothing, because after
11 ...b5! (D) 1 5 ... �c7 ( 1 5 ... lllf6? ! 1 6 .i c4 lic7 17
This is the right moment; otherwise lid3 is OK for White) White really is
White will play a4. Now that Black threatened with the loss of his d-pawn
controls d5 with two pieces, he is no (by 16 ... lllf6), and so 1 6 c4 has to be
 6 ile2 89

played anyway. Barua-Zagrebelny, nxa6 24 'i!Vb3 c4 25 'i!Vb5 nb6 26 'ii'xa5

Teheran 1998 continued 16 ... bxc3 17 f5 27 l2Jc5 nc8 28 l2Je6 'i!Vd6 it appears
nc 1 l2Jf6 1 8 nxc3 'ili'd7 19 i.c4 nfc8 that the passed black c-pawn is the
20 'ili'd3 i.d8 with a level position. more dangerous. The queening square
15 ... bxc3 16 bxc3 i.gS (D) is covered by the h6-bishop and so
White will have to blockade it on c3,
e.g. 29 na2 c3 30 nc2 nb3 , and White
is struggling.
w
A4)
9 f4 bS (D)

17 i.gl
With this pawn-structure, White
would like to retain his dark-squared
bishop. If 17 i.xg5? ! then 17 . . . 'i!Vxg5
1 8 l2Ja5 nfb8 19 nbl i.c8, and Black
will play . . . tbc5 . 17 i.f2 is the other
possibility, when after 17 . . .'ili'c7 18 c4 This move is justified now that
nab8 19 a5 nfe8 20 nbl g6 2 1 i.d3 White has signalled his intention to
i.a8 22 'i!Vc2 nb4 23 i.e 1 nbb8 24 play on the kingside, and this is the
i.f2 the players decided to repeat the reason White normally prefaces f4
position in Onishchuk-de Firmian, with the move 9 a4.
Lucerne Wcht 1997. 10 i.f3
17 ,°YJgc7 18 c4 as 19 t2Jd2
.• Carefully protecting the e-pawn.
Now: Others:
a) Anand-Gelfand, Dos Hermanas a) 10 a3 (as usual, a little passive)
1997 continued 19 .. .f5 20 lbbl tbc5 10 ... i.b7 1 1 i.d3 ( 1 1 i.f3 transposes
2 1 tbc3, and the possibility of playing to the main line) 1 1 .. .lbbd7 1 2 Wh l
lbb5 meant that if anyone was better, it nc8 13 fxe5 (if 13 'i!Ve2, then Black re­
was White. plies 13 . . . ne8 ! , with a subtle threat,
b) Black should probably try to tie viz. 14 i.e3 d5 ! 15 exd5 nxc3 ! 1 6
the white pieces to the c-pawn by bxc3 e4 picking up two pieces for a
19 . . .i.a6, and after 20 tbe4 i.h6 2 1 rook, Houtman-Shneider, Groningen
c5 ! ? (Gelfand's suggestion, sacrific­ 1 994) 13 . . .tbxe5 14 i.f4, Klovan-Zai­
ing a pawn to create a passed d-pawn) chik, USSR 1978, and now Black has
2 1 . . .tbxc5 22 i.xc5 dxc5 23 i.xa6 various good moves, e.g. 14 . . . tbc4 15
90 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

ii.xc4 .l:f.xc4 1 6 llld2 .l:f.c5 with an ad­ 10 Ji.b7 11 a3

...

vantage. Often, Black can be happy if White

b) 10 fxe5 (a concession, swapping has to play this move, as his queenside
the f4-pawn for the d6-pawn) 10 . . .dxe5 is likely to remain immune from at­
1 1 'i*'xd8 (after 1 1 Ji.g5 ? ! lllbd7 12 tack. However, doing without this
'ithl ..ltb7 1 3 Ji.f3 b4 14 ii.xf6 lllxf6 move does not seem to help White
1 5 llld5 ..1xd5 16 exd5 e4 Black won a much: 1 1 'i*'e 1 lllbd7 1 2 llld5 ( 1 2 f5? 1
pawn in the game Fejzullahu-Hoff­ { this move often assists Black by re­
mann, Lugano 1 999) l l . . . .l:f.xd8 1 2 ducing the pressure on e5 } 12 . . . .l:f.c8
..ltg5 ii.e6 ( 1 2 . . .lllbd7 is more ambi­ 1 3 a3 lllb6 14 llla5 ii.a8 15 ..ltg5 lll a4 !
tious) 1 3 a4 b4 14 ..1xf6 Ji.xf6 15 llld5 with advantage, Rorvall-Pytel, Fred­
Ji.xd5 16 exd5 (Klovan-Gutman, USSR rikstad 1 978) 1 2 . . .lllxd5 1 3 exd5 .l:f.c8
1 978) 16 . . .e4 1 1 7 .l:f.ad l llld7 is equal. 14 c3 ..1f6 and Black has a congruous
c) 10 a4 (this is the critical re­ piece development, Feldmane-Iwan­
sponse whenever Black plays . . . b5 in iuk, Oropesa de! Mar 1 998.
this line) 10 . . ...ltb7 (a typical Najdorf 1 1 lllbd7 12 'ithl
...

resource: rather than acquiesce to This is useful prophylaxis, as a

White's intentions on the queenside, check along the gl -a7 diagonal often
Black counters by hitting the e4-pawn; provides Black with an important re­
in general, central pawns have more source. Otherwise:
importance than wing pawns) 1 1 axb5 a) 12 ..1e3 .l:f.c8 13 'i*'e2 'i*'c7 14
(after White's 9th move, he can no 'i*'f2 .l:f.fe8 gives Black no problems,
longer contemplate the move f3 to Houben-Jacob, Hengelo U-20 1 997.
protect e4 - the Laws of Chess do not b) 12 'i*'e l .l:f.c8 13 g4? ! ( 1 3 'i*'g3 is
permit it! 1 1 'i*'d3 is no better: l l . . .b4 superior, as in Grushevsky-Krogius,
1 2 llld5 lll bd7 1 3 a5 lllxd5 14 exd5 USSR 1 975, when Black should reply
'i*'c7 1 5 Ji.d2 .l:f.ac8 { picking out the 1 3 . . . 'ith8 to preclude any possibility of
backward c-pawn } 1 6 .l:f.fc l lllf6 17 a later ..lth6) 1 3 . . .lllb6 1 4 'tli'g3 d5 1
Ji.f3 exf4 and Black has an advantage, (naturally) 15 exd5 e4 16 lll xe4 .l:f.xc2
Prandstetter-S .Saeed, Taxco IZ 1 985) and White's position is falling apart,
l l . . .axb5 12 .l:f.xa8 ..1xa8 13 "i:'Vd3 ( 1 3 Van Wijk-Szekely, Soest 1 996.
Ji.xb5 ? ! , conceding the e-pawn, falls 12 .l:f.cS (D)
...

in with Black's designs: 13 . . .'i*'b6+ 14 Black's pieces find their optimum

.l:f.f2 lllxe4 15 lllxe4 ..1xe4 16 Ji.d3 squares very easily. White has the fol­
..1a8 17 'i*'e2 ..lth4 ! 1 8 Ji.xh7+ 'ith8 1 9 lowing possibilities:
g 3 'itxh7 2 0 gxh4 'i*'c6 and Black has a a) 13 'i*'e l (aiming for a kingside
mating attack along the h l -a8 diago­ build-up) 1 3 . . . 'ith8 14 f5? ! lllb6 15
nal, Unzicker-Stangl, Bad Homburg llla5 ii.a8 16 Ji.g5 llla4 1 17 lllxa4 bxa4
1 996) 1 3 . . .lll bd7 1 4 ..1f3 b4 1 5 llld5 1 8 .l:f.c l .l:f.c5 and the a5-knight is prov­
lllxd5 1 6 exd5 and Black is doing ing the old adage about 'dim knights',
well, Prandstetter-Staniszewski, War­ J.Diaz-Byrne, Biel IZ 1 976.
saw Z 1 987. Perhaps 1 6 . . . ..ltf6 is then b) 13 f5? ! 'tli'c7 14 g4 is countered
the best continuation. by the thematic 14 . . . d5 ! 1 5 exd5 e4,
 6 i.e2 91

lllb6 14 g4 (White is obliged to play

this loosening move to avoid mislay­
w ing a pawn) 14 ...h6 15 i.g2, with pref­
erence to Black, Rowson-Gallagher,
London Lloyds Bank 1 994 . In fact,
15 ...�d7 ! ? is then an interesting pos­
sibility, for after 16 a5 Black can play
16 ...tllbxd5 ! 17 J.. xd5 tllxd5 1 8 �xd5
�xg4+, garnering numerous pawns for
the piece.
u ... tllxd5 12 exd5 i.f5 13 a4
This pawn needs to be on a4 to con­
exposing the white king, Zarnicki­ trol the black queenside. The immedi­
Sadler, Buenos Aires 1992. ate 13 c4? ! allows 13 ... a5 (constructing
c) 1 3 J..e3 J.. a8 14 �el lllb6 1 5 a dark-squared blockade) 1 4 J..e3 J..g 5.
ndl "ikc7 16 J.. xb6 �xb6 17 �g3 nfe8 13 ... ncs
1 8 nd3 J..f8 19 llld2 a5 20 J.. d 1 b4 Now, of course, 1 3 . . . a5 ? is a posi­
and Black has firmly grasped the ini­ tional mistake, allowing 14 J..b 5.
tiative, de las Heras-Mendez, Buenos 14 c3
Aires 1 998. If 14 c4? ! then again 1 4 ... a5 ! , as the
d) 13 "ike2 �c7 14 J..e 3 nfe8 15 fl -bishop no longer has access to b5.
"fif2 i.f8 1 6 f5 d5 ! 17 exd5 e4 18 J..e2 14 ...J..g6 15 a5 f5!? 16 na4 lllf6 17
lllxd5 19 tllxd5 J.. xd5 20 tlld4 J..d6 nb4 "ikd7 18 f3 J.. f7 19 c4 lllh5 20
and, once again, White's attempt at a J..e3 J..h4 21 g3 f4 ! 22 gxh4 fxe3 23
kingside attack has come unstuck, nxe3 lllf4
Levchenkov-Malishauskas, Katowice Black has good play against the
1 993. white kingside, Geller-Lutz, Dortmund
1 99 1 .
AS)
9 ne1 B)
This introduces a plan similar to 7 lllf3
that employed in various lines: White This move heralds White's inten­
defends his e-pawn, ready to create a tion to play exclusively for control of
queenside pawn-majority by playing d5, by the moves J.. g5 (xf6) and J.. c 4.
llld 5. 7 ... h6 (D)
9...J.. e6 10 J..n lllbd7 1 1 tlld 5 An important move in the fight for
This is the key to White's strategy. control of the d5-square. The f6-
If he tries to prepare this by 1 1 a4 then knight is protected from the positional
1 1 . ..nc 8 ! cuts across the plan: 1 2 threat of J..g 5. This should be com­
llld 5?! ( 1 2 a5, as in Gomez Baillo­ pared with the similar position arising
Ricardi, Buenos Aires 1 998, is better, after 6 J..e3 (Chapter 1 , Line B). In
but by 1 2 ... lllc5 1 3 lllxc5 dxc5 Black that case White will have to lose a
obtains equal play) l 2. . .J.. xd5 1 3 exd5 move by i.e3-g5 to complete his ideal
92 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

b) 9 h3 i.e7 10 i.e3 ( 1 0 :e l is
likely to transpose to the main line)
10 . . . 0-0 l l lLlh2 ll:lbd7 12 ll:lg4 (this is
an alternative method of trying to un­
dermine Black's hold over d5, but it
proves too time-consuming) 12 ... :c8
1 3 ll:lxf6+ ( 1 3 'ii'd2 :e8 14 :adl :c6
15 ll:lxf6+ ll:lxf6 1 6 f4 'ii'c 7 17 f5 i.c4
1 8 :c l i.xe2 19 'ii'xe2 :c8 is also fine
for Black, L.Smith-Martin del Campo,
Elista OL 1 998; Black went on to play
a typical exchange sacrifice on c3)
set-up; here he will need to lose a 1 3 ... ll:lxf6 14 f4 exf4 15 :xf4 ll:ld7
tempo by i.e2-c4. (the e5-square beckons) 1 6 :n ll:le5
8 0-0 17 cJ";hl 'ij'd7 18 ll:ld5 i.xd5 19 exd5
More accurate than 8 i.c4 i.e6 9 'ill'a4 and Black is more active, Pau­
i.xe6 fxe6 10 ll:lh4 ll:lc6 l l ll:lg6 (if 1 1 lino-Ribeiro, Lisbon Cht 1998.
f4 then l 1 ...'ii'b 6! 1 2 ll:lg6 :g8 13
ll:lxf8 :xf8 1 4 'ii'xd6 �f7 gives Black
active play for his pawn) l l . ..:g8 12
0-0 cJ";f7 1 3 ll:lxf8 :xf8 14 f4 �g8 15 B
i.e3 exf4 16 :xf4 'ii'c7 17 'ij'e2 ll:le5
1 8 i.d4 :n 1 9 :d 1 ? ! :af8, which is
already better for Black, Van der
Wiel-Portisch, Tilburg 1 984.
8 ...i.e6
Further controlling d5, and putting
paid to the possibility of White play­
ing i.c4.
9 :et (D)
Smyslov's plan. White intends to 9 i.e7 10 i.n 0-0 n h3
...

defend his e-pawn by i.fl, and then In these lines, it is often a sound
play an appropriate 00. Following the idea to defend against the possibility
inevitable exchange on d5, White will of Black playing ...i.g4 or ... ll:lg4 at
recapture with his e-pawn, and then some stage. An alternative plan was
push his queenside pawn-majority. At seen in Zapata-Olafsson, Belgrade
the same time White dissuades Black 1 988: 1 1 b3 ll:lbd7 12 a4 b6 13 i.b2
from the freeing move ... d5, owing to 'ill'c7 14 h3 :fc8 15 'ill'd2 'ii'b7 1 6 :adl
the masked threat to the e5-pawn along i.f8, and Black has a pleasant posi­
the e-file. Other moves: tion, and may threaten ... b5 soon.
a) 9 a4 ll:lbd7 10 b3 :c8 1 1 i.b2, 11 ...ll:lbd7 12 lLldS
Ligterink-de Firmian, Lone Pine 1979, This is White's key idea. Actually, I
is simply met by l l ... i.e7 and .. 0-0.
. do not think it is very good for White
 6 .i..e2 93

as he thereby creates a mobile black 14 c4 a5

kingside pawn-majority. Strangely, I Instead, the 14 . . . .l:i.c8 15 b3 i.h7 1 6
also play a similar position for Black i.b2 .l:i.e8 1 7 a 3 i.f6 o f D e Wit-Docx,
in the Boleslavsky Sicilian, with the Belgian Cht 1 996 smacks of planless­
black queen' s knight on c6, instead of ness.
d7. In that position Black then plays 15 b3 (D)
the c6-knight to b8 and d7, losing two
tempi on the Najdorf, and, despite this,
I still prefer Black's chances !
Alternatively, White can continue B
his development and then play his
knight to d5 : 12 b3 �a5 13 i.b2 .l:i.ac8
14 �d2 .l:i.fd8 15 a3 i.f8 16 .l:i.ac l b5
17 g3 'ii' b6 1 8 i.g2 tbc5 1 9 tbd5
tbxd5 20 exd5 i.f5 but Black's posi­
tion is fine, Barua-Sanjivkumar, Cal­
cutta 1 994.
12 tLlxdS 13 exd5 i.rs (D)
...

This is Fleck-Ostermeyer, Porz 1 988.

Black is intending to set up a dark­
squared barrier on the queenside. Now
I like the plan 1 5 . . . i.g6 ! , followed by
. . .f5, . . ..tf6 and . . .i.h5, pinning the
f3-knight. The black e- and f-pawns
are difficult to stop, and the e5-square
will be freed for the d7-knight. Even if
White does manage to advance his
queenside majority, it will be too late
to save his king.
5 6 g3

1 e4 c5 2 tiJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tiJxd4

tiJf6 5 tLlc3 a6 6 g3 (D)
w

Kamsky - Gelfand
Tilburg 1990

White prepares to fianchetto his Plan achieved. This g3-knight is of­

king's bishop. This is one line where ten usefully placed to defend the e4-
Black's 'Najdorf' move 6...e5 works pawn. Here, the e-pawn is now on d5,
rather well, as the white e4-pawn is which frees a square for the knight on
thereby fixed on e4, and this will im­ e4, to go with the one on f5 .
pede the scope of the white king's 14 ... g6?! 15 i.h6
bishop on g2. In trying to keep the knight away,
Black has weakened his dark squares,
White's Strategic Plan which White exploits. Later on in this
White has a very clear and simple chapter, you will see that I propose
method to resolve the dilemma of hav­ playing ... g6, but with the king's bishop
ing the two white knights defending on f8, to guard these dark squares.
each other. In Line A, he almost al­ 15 ... i.g5 16 l'tJe4! i.xh6? ! 17
ways plays his knight to g3, after prep­ tLixd6+ 'it>f8 18 tiJxb7 �b6 19 d6 i&.f4
aration by h3 and g4. From here the 20 c4! l:i.b8 21 �d5
knight can go to f5, to threaten the White is winning.
black kingside. In the diagram posi­
tion, White has just played h3, and The Theory of 6 g 3
continues:
11 g4 b4 12 tiJd5 tiJxd5 13 exd5 a5 1 e4 c 5 2 tiJf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tiJxd4
14 tiJg3 tiJf6 5 tLlc3 a6 6 g3 e5 (D)
 6 g3 95

by a later ... lbc5, and then bring his

knight to e6 to control important dark
squares. Now comes a further divi­
sion:
Al: 8 a4 95
A2: 8 .tg2 97

A1)
8 a4
This is probably the most accurate
move, restraining Black's queenside
expansion (with ... b5).
White must make a choice: 8 b6 9 .tg2
•••

A: 7 l2Jde2 95 Conceding the bishop-pair by 9

B: 7 lbb3 99 .tg5 cannot promise White much. Af­
ter 9....te7 10 .txf6 lDxf6 1 1 .tg2 .tb7
The first is usual, intending king­ 1 2 0-0 l:Ic8 1 3 l:Iel Black continued in
side play, and the second is a more po­ aggressive style in Christiansen-Van
sitional, queenside approach. 7 l2Jf5 ? ! Wely, New York 1 997 : 1 3 ... h5 ! ? 14
i s doubtful, however, and Black gains lbf4 l:Ic5 ( 14 ... exf4 ? ! 1 5 e5 dxe5 16
an appreciable advantage after 7 . . .d5 ! .txb7 favours White) 1 5 lbfd5 .txd5
8 .tg5 d4 9 .txf6 gxf6 ! 10 lbe2 .txf5 16 lbxd5 lbxd5 17 exd5 'ilkc8 1 8 c3
1 1 exf5 'ilkd5 1 2 l:Igl lbc6 13 .tg2 e4 h4, but the opposite-coloured bishops
14 a3 0-0-0, Chistiakov-Stein, Odessa make equality likely.
1 960. 9 . ..tb7 10 h3
.

After 10 0-0 l:Ic8, 1 1 h3 transposes

A) to the note to White's 1 1 th move, while
7 l2Jde2 after 1 1 lbd5 lDxd5 1 2 exd5, 1 2 ... g6
This knight does not seem to have can safely be played, following up with
great prospects at the moment, but of­ ... .tg7, ... 0-0 and .. .f5 .
ten comes to the g3-square after White 10 l:IcS! (D)
..•

plays h3 and g4. This will give White a I like this move. 10 . . ..te7 and ... 0-0
strong hold on the light squares, at the would be 'normal' here; later on Black
cost of his dark squares. White will be will probably have to play ... g6 in or­
able to continue with kingside play, der to keep the white king's knight out
with a further lDf5 or g5, or play on the of f5 . That being so, it seems to me
queenside, or sometimes a combina­ that Black would be better off with his
tion of both. dark-squared bishop on g7 to defend
7...l2Jbd7 his kingside dark squares. Therefore I
Personally, I believe this to be the recommend deferring kingside devel­
most flexible move. The knight is op­ opment until it becomes clear just what
timally placed on d7, for the moment. White is up to.
Black can add pressure to the e4-pawn 1 1 g4
96 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

with advantage) 1 9 lt:Jfd5 ..ixd5 20

exd5 lt:Je5 2 1 .l:tafl? A.Ivanov-Kosten,
Reykjavik tt 1 990. Now 2 1 . . .lt:Jfxg4!
22 hxg4 lt:Jc4 should win, e.g. 23 'ik'd3
(if 23 'ik'f4 then 23 . . . g5, winning mate­
rial) 23...lt:Jxb2 24 'ik'd2 ..ixd4 25 'iYxd4
'ik'xc3 with an enormous advantage.
For the record, these missed chances
proved costly, as this was the only
game I ever lost for England.
b) 18 .l:tael is better, although after
1 8 ...'iYc4 ! (planning various tactical
Black is ideally placed to counter operations against the d4-bishop) 1 9
this typical move. Alternatively, White b 3 'ik'b4, White's pieces are loose any­
can play the immediate 1 1 0-0, where­ way.
upon Black carries out his idea: 11 ... lt:Jc5 12 lt:Jg3 g6 13 0-0 lt:Je6
1 l . . .g6 1 2 ..ie3 (White decides to (D)
forego the g4 kingside advance, but he
may encounter difficulties finding a
good square for his e2-knight; 1 2 g4
lt:Jc5 1 3 lt:Jg3 transposes to the main w
line) 1 2 ...'iYc7 (played to defend the
d6-pawn, in readiness for ... ..tg7, and
also to pin the c3-knight against the
c2-pawn, but 1 2 . . .lt:Jc5 ! , hitting the
e4-pawn, is also a serious possibility;
then 1 3 tt:'id5 lt:Jxd5 14 exd5 ..ig7 is
fine for Black) 13 f4 exf4 ! 14 lt:Jxf4
..ig7 (this type of structure holds few
terrors for Black as all his pieces will
be active: the bishops have good diag­ From here the knight surveys the
onals, the rooks files, and the knights important dark squares d4, f4 and g5.
squares, particularly that on e5) 15 g4 14 lt:Jd5 ..ig7 15 i.e3
h6 1 6 'iYd2 0-0 17 ..id4 (if 17 .l:tad l Or 1 5 .l:tel with almost identical
there i s 17 . . .lt:Je5 ! , defending the d­ play: 15 ...0-0 16 c3 lt:Jxd5 17 exd5 lt:Jf4
pawn by tactics: 18 iYxd6 'i!Yxd6 1 9 1 8 ..ixf4 exf4 19 lt:Je2 'ikg5 ( 1 9 ... .l:tc4!
.l:txd6 lt:Jc4, forking the rook and is also possible, to tempt White into
bishop) 17 ....l:tfe8 and now: playing b3, as in the main line, and
a) 18 .l:tf2 ? ! (this mistake goes un­ stopping the knight from transferring
punished) 18 ... .l:te7? ! (the elementary to c6) 20 lt:Jd4 .l:tc5 with equality, Khol­
1 8 .....ixe4 ! 1 9 lt:Jfd5 ..ixd5 20 lt:Jxd5 mov-Fedorov, USSR 198 1 .
lt:Jxd5 2 1 ..ixd5 .l:te7 wins a healthy 1 5...lt:Jxd5 16 exd5 lt:Jf4 17 c3 0-0
pawn, e.g. 22 ..ie3 lt:Jf6 23 ..ih l lt:Je4, 18 'i!Vd2
 6 g3 97

1 8 i.xf4 exf4 1 9 llle2 might be This is certainly the most forthright

better, hoping to bring the knight to c6, move, and also the most popular. White
via d4, with equality, as in the previous prepares to evacuate the g3-squa.-e for
note, but Sutovsky 's idea 19 ... l:tc4 ! his e2-knight by playing g4. White
would work here, as well. can also try to play on the queenside:
18 ... l:tc4! a) 9 0-0 i.b7 and now:
An intelligent move. White must a l ) 10 a4 b4 1 1 llld5 (after 1 1
force this piece away, but he can only llla2? ! a5 12 c3 b3 ! ? 1 3 'tWxb3 lllc5 14
do this by weakening his queenside 'tWdl lllcxe4 1 5 c4 .l:tc8, Black has won
and the al -h8 diagonal. White's central pawn, and control s the
19 b3 l:tc8 20 l:tacl b5 centre, Vasiukov-Khenkin, Lenitigrad
Black fixes the c-pawn on a dark 199 1 ) 1 1 ...lllxd5 12 exd5 l:tc8 13 c3
square. bxc3 14 lllxc3 i.e7 15 i.e3 0-0 1 6 a5
21 axb5 axb5 22 i.xf4 exf4 23 f5 and Black has the better Pawn­
'Vixf4 structure, Hernback-Ohlzon, Got1and
If White wants to eliminate this 1997.
pawn, it is better to capture like this, a2) 10 llld5 lllxd5 1 1 exd5 i. e7 12
since after 23 llle2 l:te8, 24 lllxf4? a4 0-0 1 3 i.e3 lllb 6 14 axb5 lllc4 ! ? 15
loses to 24 . . . 'tWg5, but 24 llld4 is play­ bxa6 lllxe3 1 6 axb7? (White enters
able. into the complications, but never really
23...l:txc3 24 l:txc3 i.xc3 25 llle4 gets any compensation for his mate­
i.e5 rial; 1 6 fxe3 is best, although after
Black holds all the aces, Ginzburg­ 16 ... i.xa6 17 l:tel 'tWb6 1 8 'ii'c l �fb8
Sutovsky, Villa Martelli 1997. He has Black has a raging initiative) 1 6 ...l:txa l
the bishop-pair and the possibility of 17 ..Wxal lllxfl 1 8 ..llh3 ? ! ( 1 8 .txfl
opening the kingside by . . . f5. 'ii'c7 19 'ii'a8 llb8 picks off the b7-
pawn) 18 ...llld2 19 i.c8 'ii'b6 ! 20 'ii'a3
A2) (20 'ii'a8? llle4 and White is mated ex­
8 i.g2 b5 (D) tra queen or not) 20 . . . llle4 21 �e3
lllc5 and Black's extra rook is deci­
sive, Olsson-Hillarp Persson, Stock­
holm 1998.
w a3) 10 h3 tran sposes to note 'a' to
White' s 10th move.
b) 9 a4 b4 10 llld5 lllxd5 1 1 exd5
(if 1 1 'ii'xd5 then 1 1 . . .'tWc7 ! is good,
preparing to expel the intruder, as after
1 2 a5 llb8 1 3 'ii'd l ..llb7 14 0-0 lllc5
White is obliged to play the unattrac­
tive move 15 f3, when Black has a
plus, Kholmov-Tseshkovsky, lT SSR
1978; note that 12 'i'xa8? lllb6 traps
9 h3 the queen) 1 1 ... ..lle7 1 2 0-0 0-0 1 3 a5
 98 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

l:.b8 14 i.e3 �c7 15 'Wd2 tt:Jc5 16 tt:Jc l 11 lllg 3 g6! (D)

l:.b5 with at least equality for Black,
Hort-Zhu Chen, Roquebrune 1998 .
c) 9 llld5 is similar, but worse, as
Black has not been forced to loosen w
his queenside pawns. After 9 ... lllxd5
1 0 �xd5 �c7 ! (again!) 1 1 lllc 3 ..ltb7
1 2 �d3 l:.c8 1 3 a3 i.e7 14 0-0 0-0
Black is fine, Kagan-Hamann, Lucerne
1 979.
9...i. b7
Incidentally, playing 9 . . . b4 now
might appear similar to all the previ­
ous variations where White played a4
and Black was forced to reply . . . b4, Controlling f5, and preparing . . .h5
but it is not so, for now, following 10 to compromise the white kingside
llld5 lll xd5 1 1 exd5 a5 1 2 0-0 ..lta6, pawn-structure. Also, delaying the de­
White's a-pawn is on a2, not a4, and velopment of his king's bishop allows
he can attack Black's forward queen­ Black to consider the possibility of
side pawn by 13 a3, as in Svidler - . . . ..ltg7 at some point.
Har-Zvi, Duisburg U- 16 Wch 1992, 12 a3
with a slight plus to White. It is better Preserving the c3-knight from at­
for Black to keep the ... b4 move in re­ tack by . . . b4. After 1 2 0-0, 1 2 ... b4 1 3
serve until a time when it might do llld5 lllxd5 1 4 exd5 i.g7 1 5 i.e3 is
White some real harm. OK for Black, Spangenberg-M.ROder,
10 g4 Buenos Aires 1998, but 1 2 . . .h5 ! ? is
White continues his plan. also very tempting, e.g. 1 3 g5 ( 1 3 gxh5
a) 10 0-0 is less accurate, since af­ lllxh5 14 lllxh5 .l:i.xh5 with play down
ter 10 .. Jk8, the move 1 1 g4 allows the h-file) 13 . . . b4! 14 llld5 lllxd5 15
1 l .. .b4 12 llld5 lllxd5 13 exd5 and exd5 h4 ! ? ( 1 5 . . ...ltg7 ! ?) 1 6 llle4 lllxe4
now, instead of 1 3 ... ..lte7 14 a3, Vasiu­ 17 ..ltxe4 i.e7 ! ? with an attack on the
kov-N.Littlewood, Hastings 1 965/6, g5-pawn, which can be augmented by
1 3 ...�c7 14 c3 bxc3 solves all Black's . . ..l:i.h5. 1 2 . . . llle6 is also possible, with
problems. similar play to the main line of Line
b) 10 a3 has the merit of stopping Al.
. . . b4, but it is a little slow. 1 0 ....l:i.c8 1 1 1 2...hS! ? 1 3 g5 lllfd7 14 h 4 �c7 15
g4 lllc5 1 2 lllg3 g6 1 3 0-0 h5 gives 0-0 ..ltg7 16 lllge2 lllb6 17 b3 0-0
similar play to that in the main line. Black can look forward to the fu­
10 ...lllcS ture with confidence, Molnar-Galla­
With a dual purpose: providing a gher, Lenk 1 995. Black's pieces are
square (d7) for the f6-knight, in case very active and White's advanced
White plays g5, and bringing the kingside pawns are likely to prove too
queen's knight to the e6-square. exposed.
 6 g3 99

B) 10....l:i.cS ll .l:i.el! (D)

7 t:Db3 Both defending e4 and freeing the
This is less worrying for Black, as fl-square for the knight manoeuvre
White plays positionally, targeting the t:bd2-fl-e3-d5. Other moves are too
queenside, but rules out the lines in­ routine:
volving kingside play. It is a speciality a) 1 1 �e2 i.e7 12 .l:i.dl 0-0 1 3 i.d2
of Popovic. .l:i.c7 14 t:Dc l 'ii'a8 15 t:D l a2 .l:i.fc8 and
7...t:bbd7 (D) Black has the edge, T.Horvath-Wahls,
Bundesliga 1 995/6.
b) 1 1 t:bd5 ? ! t:Dxd5 12 exd5 and
now Black can exploit that fact that he
w has delayed his kingside development
by playing 1 2. . . g6 and . . .i.g7, bring­
ing this piece to a more active diago­
nal.

8 a4
White should certainly try to keep
Black's queenside play under restraint.
Both 8 i.e3 b5 9 f3 i.b7 10 a3 .l:i.c8
1 1 i.h3 i.e7 1 2 0-0 0-0 13 �d2 �c7
14 .l:i.fd l .l:i.fd8, Rizhkov-Ma.Tseitlin,
USSR 197 1 , and 8 i.g2 b5 9 0-0 i.b7
10 a4 b4 1 1 t:bd5 t:bxd5 12 exd5 a5 1 3 11 ... i.e7 12 t:bd2 .l:i.c5!
f4 i.e7 1 4 i.e3 0-0, Am.Rodriguez­ An important move. Black pre­
Tukmakov, Moscow 1 985, are fine for pares to increase the pressure on e4 by
Black. With the king's bishop on the . . .�a8, and this effectively cuts across
closed h l -a8 diagonal, rather than on White's plan. Black must be careful
the fl-a6 diagonal as in 6 i.e2 lines, with his move-order though, as the
White's control over the queenside is 'obvious' 1 2 . . . 0-0?! is careless, and al­
reduced. As a result, Black can expand lows White to implement his plan: 1 3
on the queenside more confidently. t:Dfl t:Dc5 1 4 i.g5 t:be6 1 5 i.xf6 i.xf6
8 b6 9 i.g2 i.b7
•.. 1 6 t:De3 g6 17 t:Dcd5 and White has
Black continues his queenside de­ piece control of d5, G.Kuzmin-Sakaev,
velopment. Cappelle la Grande 1 994.
10 0-0 13 t:Dfl 'ii'a8 14 'iVd3!
10 t:bd2 ! ? .l:i.c8 1 1 0-0 i.e7 12 .l:i.el White has to defend, not only against
transposes to the main line. the threats to the e4-pawn, but also
1 00 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

against possible exchange sacrifices, 14...l:tc7 (D)

as we shall see if we examine the alter­ 14 . . . 0-0? ! allows White to complete
natives: his knight's journey: 15 tlle 3 g6 1 6
a) 14 llle 3 ? ! (continuing the plan, lllc4 'iib8 1 7 i.e3 l:tcc8 1 8 l:tadl lllc5
and hoping to obtain good compensa­ 19 i.xc5, and so to achieve an advan­
tion for the e-pawn) 1 4 ... tllxe4 15 lllf5 tage, Popovic-Stohl, Smokovec 1 99 1 .
lllxc3 1 6 i.xb7 �xb7 1 7 bxc3 g6 1 8 M y suggestion i s better, threatening
lll xe7 <t;xe7 1 9 i.a3 l:thc8 ! ? 2 0 .ixc5 . . . tllc 5, thus exploiting the white
l:txc5 2 1 'iid2 'iic6 and Black is better, queen's advanced posting.
Popovic-King, Palma de Mallorca
1 989. His position is very compact,
and White's pawns are weak.
b) 14 g4 ! ? l:txc3 ! 1 5 bxc3 tllxe4 1 6
tllg 3 tllxg3 1 7 i.xb7 �xb7 1 8 hxg3
0-0 19 i.a3 l:td8 gives Black good com­
pensation for the exchange, Stoica­
Stefanov, Romania 1988.
c) 1 4 .ie3 is also met by 14 ...l:txc3!
1 5 bxc3 lllxe4 1 6 c4 0-0 1 7 tlld2 lllxd2
1 8 i.xb7 �xb7 1 9 �xd2 l:tc8, with
similar ideas.
d) The other way of defending e4,
14 f3? ! , is passive. Rather than the ca­ 15 b4! ?
sual 14 ...0-0 15 tlle 3 g6 1 6 .ih3 l:td8 15 tlle3 tllc5 1 6 �c4 0-0 looks very
of Milosevic-Chachere, Geneva 1 992, uncomfortable for White.
which looks equal, the elementary 15 ...0-0 16 llle3 l:tfc8
1 4 ... d5 ! is possible, e.g. 1 5 exd5 tllxd5 Black has good prospects owing to
1 6 llle4 l:tc7 and Black is better. the weakened white queenside.
6 6 f4

1 e4 c5 2 tLif3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tLlxd4

tLlf6 5 tLlc3 a6 6 f4 (D)

Much of this chapter is actually

concerned with White's attempts to
discourage this. First by playing 8 a4,
With this forceful move, White in­ to stop . . . b5, and then by ruling out
tends to attack on the kingside. He . . .b6 and . . .i.. b7 as well, through the
plays it immediately, so that if Black threat of bringing a knight to f5 .
plays 6. . . e5, he will have a square for
his d4-knight on the kingside without The Queen's Bishop's Relocation
blocking the f-pawn. Assuming White has played his most
However, the disadvantage of this accurate moves, Black is obliged to
system is the undermining of the dark adopt a less aggressive posture, but
squares (in particular the gl-a7 diago­ that does not mean that he has to re­
nal) and the weakening of the e-pawn, main passive. He has several promis­
which can no longer be fortified by a ing schemes, and the one that I will
fellow pawn, and will be fixed by recommend, and I think is a very sound
Black's next move. one, is the redeployment of the black
Black's ideal set-up would be some­ queen's bishop to g6.
thing like that in the following dia­ The key position is shown in the di­
gram. agram overleaf (from Line Al). Here
Black is ready to take on f4 to ex­ Black plays 12 .. . i.g4, intending to go
pose the e-pawn, and gain use of the to g6 via g4 and h5 . This pressurizes
e5-square, and prepared to play the e4 (which is isolated, on an open file),
. . . d5 break should White become too and also helps defend the kingside (and
exposed in the centre. control the f5-square). Another reason
102 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

a) 7 tL'lf5 ! ? (this unusual move has

been played by Losev) 7 . . . d5 (it seems
to me that this is a good reaction) 8
tbg3 (if 8 fxe5 then 8 . . . tL'lxe4 9 tL'lxe4
�xf5 10 tL'lg3 �g6 1 1 c3 tbc6 1 2 �f4
�c5 is good for Black: e5 is weaker
than d5, and White's kingside is com­
promised) 8 . . .exf4 9 �xf4 d4 10 e5 ! ?
(or else White is worse) 10 . . .dxc3 1 1
�xd8+ 'itxd8 1 2 0-0-0+ ! ? (well, I do
not know what to say about this move;
'speculative' is perhaps the most apt
this move has become very popular is description, but it is true that the alter­
because of a common problem: not native, 1 2 exf6 cxb2 1 3 l:i.bl �b4+, is
having enough room for all the pieces slightly better for Black) 1 2 . . . t2Jfd7 1 3
due to a lack of space. On h5 or g6, the �c4 'ite8 14 e 6 fxe6 1 5 �xe6 �b4 ! ?
bishop no longer impedes the other (of course, under practical conditions
pieces in any way, for the queen's it is very difficult to choose the best
rook can go to c8, and the squares e6 defence from many different options ,
and d7 are available for the knights, or but 15 ... cxb2+ 1 6 'itxb2 tL'lc6 is also a
even the queen. natural line; for example, 17 l:i.he 1 'iii>d8
18 l:i.d3 b6 1 9 �d5 g5 ! should be good
The Theory of 6 f4 for Black) 1 6 tL'lf5 cxb2+ 17 'itxb2 g6
1 8 tL'lg7+ 'itf8 (if 1 8 . . . 'itd8 then 19
1 e4 c5 2 tL'lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 tL'lxd4 �b3 is also dangerous) 1 9 �h6 and
tL'lf6 5 tL'lc3 a6 6 f4 e5 (D) now after 1 9 . . .'ite7? ! 20 �g5+ tL'lf6 2 1
l:i.hfl l:i.f8 22 �xc8 White has won
back his piece with an advantage, Lo­
sev-Yuferov, Moscow 1 990. 19 . . . �e7
w looks better, not fearing the discov­
ered check, e.g. 20 l:i.hfl+ �f6+ 2 1
l:i.xf6+ tL'lxf6 2 2 tL'lf5+ 'it>e8 2 3 tL'ld6+
'ite7 24 tL'lxc8+ (or 24 �xc8 tL'lbd7)
24 . . . 'itxe6 25 l:i.e l + ! and White can
possibly force a draw, e.g. 25 . . . 'itf5 26
tbd6+ 'itg4 27 l:i.e3, but there are al­
most certainly better ways for Black to
play this earlier on.
b) 7 tL'lb3 does not fit well with f4;
7 tL'lf3 White tends to find himself in an infe­
The possibility of playing this move, rior version of 6 �e2 lines. Black
attacking e5, is the point of playing should simply develop his kingside,
such an early f4. Other tries: and then continue with ... b5 or . . . b6 as
 6 f4 103

appropriate, followed by . . ...tb7, eye­ The simplest way to defend the e­

ing the e4-pawn. Black should con­ pawn. Black will continue with ... ..te7
tinue 7 ... tLlbd7, and then: and . . . 0-0, tucking his king away, be­
bl) 8 a4 (if White wants to play on fore deciding on his subsequent plan
the kingside he should attempt to hold of action. Now White has:
back Black's queenside counterplay) A: 8 a4 I 03
8 . . ...te7 9 ..te2 0-0 I O 0-0 b6 (this ag­ B: 8 ..tc4 1 12
gressive plan is effective here, but dif­ C: 8 ..td3 1 13
ficult to execute when White's king's
knight is on f3, as lLih4-f5 will exploit Line A is the key variation; the older
the fact that Black's queen's bishop no moves of B and C give Black an easy
longer exerts any influence over the game.
critical f5-square) 1 1 ..td3 (this con­
cedes a tempo, but e4 needs defend­ A)
ing; after 1 1 ..tf3 ..tb7 1 2 'iith l exf4 1 3 8 a4 (D)
..txf4 tLle5 14 tLld4 g6 1 5 'tWe2 ne8 1 6
nadl tLlfd7 Black has a firm hold on
e5 and pressure on e4, Hebert-Por­
tisch, Rio de Janeiro IZ 1 979) l I . ....tb7 B
12 'it'e2 ne8 1 3 f5 ( 1 3 'iith 1 'it'c7 14
fxe5 tLixe5 1 5 lLid4 tLixd3 ! 16 cxd3
d5 ! 17 tLlf5 dxe4 18 dxe4 ..tb4 gives
Black a clear advantage, Korzubov­
Novikov, USSR 1 984) 1 3 . .. d5 ! 14
'iith l dxe4 15 tLixe4 'it'c7 16 ..td2 ..txe4
17 ..txe4 tLixe4 1 8 'tWxe4 tLlf6 1 9 'tWd3
e4 and Black has the initiative, Dol­
matov-Ribli, Amsterdam 1 980.
b2) 8 ..td3 ..te7 9 0-0 (9 'it'e2 0-0 White's most accurate move, clamp­
10 ..td2, Radulov-Sunye, Lucerne OL ing down on any black queenside
1 982, and now IO . . . b5 with similarly expansion. This is almost invariably
promising play) 9 ... b5 IO 'iith l ..tb7 played nowadays.
1 1 'tWe2 0-0 12 ..td2 ne8 1 3 nael exf4 8 ..te7
...

14 ..txf4 b4 15 tLlbl tLle5 leaves Black Now there are two important op­
very active, Radulov-Sigurjonsson, tions:
Lucerne OL 1 982. Al: 9 ..td3 I 03
b3) 8 ..te3 and now 8 ... b5 9 a4 b4 A2: 9 ..tc4 I09
10 lLid5 ..tb7 1 1 ..tc4 nc8 12 'it'd3 tLlg4
13 ..txa6 ..txa6 14 'tWxa6 nxc2 was A1)
messy in Czebe-Vegh, Budapest 1 998, 9 ..td3
but 8 ... ..te7, followed by . . . 0-0, is This move is the modern prefer­
more straightforward. ence: less ambitious, certainly, but it
7 tLibd7
•.• allows White to finish his kingside
 104 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

development while keeping his e­ 1 992, the move 17 . . . i.g4 ! maintains

pawn well covered. Black's advantage after 18 tLlf3 'it'e6.
9 0-0 10 0-0 lLicS (D)
••• b) 1 1 'it'e2?! exf4 1 2 i.xf4 i.g4 1 3
'it> h l transposes to note ' a ' t o White's
1 3th move.
c) 1 1 'it'e l exf4 12 i.xf4 and now
w 1 2 ... tLlxd3 1 3 cxd3 d5 14 e5 tLle8 15
'it'g3 i.f5 1 6 l:tad l tLlc7 17 i.g5 i.g6
1 8 i.xe7 'it'xe7, Z.Alrnasi-Loginov,
Kobanya 199 1 , is a straightforward
method of equalizing, but 1 2 ... i.g4 is
more ambitious, and will transpose to
Line A l 1 after 1 3 'it>h l .
d) Should White attempt to squeeze
Black on the kingside by 1 1 f5 ? ! then
Black is well placed for the thematic
Black exploits a tactical nuance (as central reaction, l l . ..d5, which gives
1 1 fxe5? ! dxe5 1 2 tLlxe5 ?? loses a White problems.
piece immediately to 1 2 . . . �d4+) both e) 1 1 a5 suffers from not attacking
to complete his minor-piece develop­ e5, as the white king is still on the
ment, and to put the white light­ open g l -a7 diagonal. l l . ..b5 is a good
squared bishop under surveillance. reply, as 12 axb6 'ii'xb6 1 3 'it>hl exf4 is
11 'it>hl good for Black.
The most logical, reapplying pres­ ll exf4
...

sure on e5 . Even when White does not Black has to concede the centre but
play this move immediately, he will in return will enjoy active piece-play.
probably need to play it at some point The pawn-structure that has arisen
soon, as otherwise the possibility of (white e4-pawn vs black d6-pawn) is
Black playing an unpleasant check on typical of various lines in the Sicilian,
the g l-a7 diagonal will be a constant and also of the Ruy Lopez.
worry. Other, less common, moves: 12 i.xf4 i.g4 (D)
a) 1 1 fxe5 ? ! is a concession: White
effectively swaps his f4-pawn for
Black's d6-pawn and frees Black's
game. As a general rule, this should w
only be played if it is associated with
a clear plan. l l . . .dxe5 12 'it>h l �d6 ! ?
1 3 J. g5 J.e6 14 �e2 l:tac8 15 tLlh4
tLlxd3 ! 16 cxd3 l:tfd8 17 l:tad 1 and now,
instead of l 7 ... i.b3?!, when White ini­
tiated interesting complications by 1 8
tLlf5 ! i.xdl 19 'ii'xd l 'ii'e6 2 0 tLld5 ! in
Gild.Garcia-Arn.Rodriguez, Bogota
 6 f4 105

An odd-looking move in the Naj­ is tempting. Then 17 i.xe4 tllxe4 1 8

dorf, as this bishop normally finds it­ tllxe4 ..ih4 (or 1 8 ... ..if8) seems win­
self on b7 or e6 (to cover d5). Here it ning.
intends to go to h5, and then g6, as
mentioned in the beginning of this A1 1 )
chapter. Now White has a wide choice: 13 'ij'el l:t.c8
A l l : 13 'ij'el 1 05 This is probably the most useful
A12: 13 ..ie3 1 06 move here. 13 ... l:t.e8 is also OK, but is
A 13: 13 'ij'd2 1 08 slightly less precise because after 14
�g3 ..ih5 1 5 ..ie3, Black has to play
Or: 15 . . . tllxd3, for if 15 ... l:t.c8 then 16 tlld4
a) 13 �e2?! (not an especially good and tllf5 is annoying. Thus we see the
square for the queen) 1 3 . . .l:t.e8 (after advantage of playing the rook to c8
this there is no obviously good square immediately: Black defends against
for the white queen to go to, and the any awkward switching of lines by
e-file is unlikely to prove a very happy White. Following the further 16 cxd3
resting place) 1 4 �d2 (losing a whole ..ig6 17 ..id4 White is a little better,
tempo on Line A 1 3 ) 14 . . .l:t.c8 1 5 l:t.ael Z.Almasi-Loginov, B udapest 1 99 1 .
�b6 ! ? (the most aggressive, but a 1 3 . . ...ih5 can be countered by the
standard move like 15 ... ..ih5, intend­ awkward move 14 tllh4, threatening
ing . . . ..ig6, is clearly going to be fine tllf5, as the trick 14 ... tllfxe4? loses to
too) 16 e5 tllxd3 ! ? (starting some wild 15 tllf5 tllxc3 16 tllxe7+, because of
complications involving this knight) the white queen's presence on the e­
17 exf6 (17 cxd3 dxe5 1 8 tllxe5 ..ie6 file.
is slightly better for Black) 17 . . . tll xel 14 'ij'g3
18 tlld5 tllxf3 1 9 gxf3 �c6 20 fxe7?! The most direct. Alternatives:
(it is difficult to believe that this is a) 14 tlld4 was played in the game
good; 20 tllxe7+ l:t.xe7 2 1 fxe7 ..ixf3+ J.Polgar-Anand, Buenos Aires 1 994,
22 'it>gl may not be too bad, as al­ but 14 . . .li'b6 ! was a searching reply,
though the white king is exposed, the threatening to take on d3 , winning the
e7-pawn may prove useful) 20 ... ..ih5 loose d4-knight. White tried 15 i.e2 ! ?
and Black soon won in Koelle-Stangl, (Anand indicates that 15 a5 ! is the
Bundesliga 1 99 1/2. best, when Black would be unwise to
b) 13 h3?! (chasing the g4-bishop capture the b-pawn, so should play
to where it wants to go, and weaken­ 15 . . . tllxd3 16 axb6 tllxe 1 17 l:t.axe 1
ing the kingside to boot; not bad for l:t.c4 ! ?, which appears equal, e.g. 1 8
one move! ) 13 . . ...ih5 14 �el l:t.e8 15 tllf5 ..ixf5 1 9 exf5 l:t.e8) 1 5 . . . ..ixe2 16
tlld4 ..ig6 16 l:t.d l 1h- 1/2 Nunn-Por­ �xe2 l:t.fe8 ! 17 tllf5 �xb2 1 8 tlld5
tisch, Amsterdam 1 990. This is obvi­ ( 1 8 'iff3 ! ? seems interesting, as after
ously a position that is eminently 1 8 . . .�xc2, 1 9 l:t.ac l is very strong, so
playable for Black, for, amongst other Black has to try 1 8 . . . tllcd7 ! , which
things, 1 6 ... tllfxe4 ! , exploiting the brings a piece back to the defence of
queen's awkward placing on the e-file, the king, with gain of tempo) 18 ... tllxd5
 106 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

1 9 'ii'g4 ! 'ii'f6 ! , and after further com­

plications Black reached a superior
endgame.
b) 14 l:tdl (this sensible move cer­
tainly puts paid to any ideas Black
may have had of playing ...d5 ; the main
disadvantage is that the f3-knight is
now genuinely pinned, and so Black
does not have to concern himself with
its possible hops to f5, as in other
lines) and now 14 ...'ii'e 8 ! ? 1 5 a5 lLia4
1 6 lLixa4 'ii'xa4 17 b3 'ii'c6 was not too
bad in Sukhorukov-Odeev, Moscow 20... i.xh4 2 1 'ii'xh4 lLie6 might be
1 99 1 , but 14 ...lLih5 ! ? 15 i.e3 i.f6 is safer.
an interesting way of trying to exploit 21 cxd3 lLif6 22 h3?!
the tactics of the position. Alterna­ The simple 22 lLixg6 hxg6 23 i.xf6
tively, 14 ...l:te8 is also reasonable; if i.xf6 24 lLid5 should favour White.
1 5 'ii'g3 then 1 5 ...'ii'd7, eyeing the a4- 22...'ii'e6!
pawn and threatening ... lLih5, e.g. 1 6 Now Black is fine, Sherzer-Wolff,
h3 lLih5 ! , and i f 1 5 e5 then 1 5 ... lLih5 New York 1 994. If 23 lLixg6 then
1 6 i.e3 lLixd3 17 .l:.xd3 'ii'c7 seems Black continues 23 ...hxg6 24 i.xf6
good. 'it'xf6 25 'it'xf6 i.xf6 26 tLld5 i.d4.
14 i.hS
•..

This is sensible, continuing the A 1 2)

black plan, but I wonder why no one 13 i.e3
has tried 1 4 ...'ii'd7 as there is an imme­ Threatening 1 4 i.xc5 and 15 e5,
diate threat of 15 ...lLih5 (which wins a liberating the white position, and forc­
piece) for White to contend with. If ing Black's reply.
1 5 i.e3 then 15 ... .l:.fe8 is reasonable, 13... l:tc8 (D)
while the sharp 15 ...lLih5 16 'it'f2 lLixd3
17 cxd3 f5 is not without its points.
15 i.e3
15 .l:.ael i.g6 16 i.g5 (else ...lLih5)
16 ... l:te8 17 'ii'h 3 (Lau-Holzl, Graz
1 993) 17 ...h6 1 8 i.f4 d5 19 e5 lLife4
should be good for Black.
15 ...i.g6 16 i.d4
White had to defend the e-pawn.
16...l:t e8
Presumably 16 ... lLie6 17 i.e3 lLic5
would be a draw.
17 l:tael 'ii'd7 18 b3 i.d8 ( D)
19 lLih4 lLih5 20 'it'f2 lLixd3 14 'ttd2
 6 f4 1 07

Alternatives: White has a slight advantage, whereas

a) 14 'i!Vel ! ? (this should be slightly after 1 4 ... .l:!.e8, if White tries the same
weaker, and I would be tempted to plan of ll'id4-f5, Black saves two tempi
play 14 . . . .l:!.e8 with similar play to 14 by capturing with his bishop from g4,
'i!Vd2 .l:!.e8, e.g. 1 5 �f2? ! , transposing instead of g6.
to note 'b' to White's 15th move, or 1 5
a5 i.h5 1 6 ll'id4 ll'ig4, but i n practice it
has not occurred) 14 ... i.h5 15 ll'id4
( 1 5 'i!Vg3 transposes to Line Al 1 ) w
1 5 ...ll'ig4 ! ? 1 6 ll'id5 (this seems better
than 1 6 ..tg l ? ! ..th4 1 7 'i!Vd2 i.g5 1 8
'i!Ve2 ll'if6 1 9 � f2 .l:!.e8 20 .l:!.ael ll'ig4
2 1 'i!Vf3 i.d2 !, with a clear advantage,
or 1 6 ..tf4?! ll'ie6 ! 17 ll'if5 ll'ixf4 1 8
ll'ixe7+ { 1 8 .l:!.xf4 i.f6} 1 8 . . .'i!Vxe7 1 9
.l:!.xf4, when, instead of 19 . . .ll'ie5? 20
ll'id5 'i!Vd8 2 1 �h4 ! , when Black is lost
because of the double threat, Kinder­
mann-Enders, Ptuj Z 1 995, 1 9 . . .�e5 15 as
20 'i!Vg3 ll'if6 2 1 .l:!.afl i.g6 is very a) 15 ..td4 (this is a tacit draw of­
much to Black's liking) 1 6. . . i.h4 17 fer) 15 ... ll'ie6 1 6 i.e3 ll'ic5 17 .id4
�d2 .l:!.e8 1 8 ll'if5 ll'ixe3 1 9 �xe3 ll'ie6 1h-1h A.Sokolov-Palac, French
i.g6 20 �d4 .l:!.e5 21 a5 i.xf5 22 .l:!.xf5 Cht (Mulhouse) 1 998 .
.l:!.xf5 23 exf5 ll'ixd3 24 �xd3 i.f6 b) 15 li'f2? ! (this is, perhaps, not
with equality, Kindermann-de Firmian, the happiest square for the queen)
Biel 1 995 . 15 ...i.h5 (threatening . . . ll'ig4; White
b) 1 4 a5 ..th5 (the useful move cannot afford to do without his most
14 ... .l:!.e8 is worth considering, either effective bishop) 1 6 i.d4 i.g6 17 .l:!.ael
now or on the next move) 15 i.d4 ll'ie6 ll'ie6 (pestering the white queen's
1 6 ..tb6 'i!Vd7 17 li'd2 (Zso.Polgar­ bishop again) 18 i.b6 ll'ig4 ! (this must
Kaspi, Tel-Aviv Czerniak mem 1 996) have come as a surprise) 1 9 'i!Vgl
17 ... ..td8 18 ll'id5 ll'ixd5 19 exd5 ll'ic5 (awkward, but after 1 9 ..txd8 ll'ixf2+
is equal. 20 .l:!.xf2 .ixd8, Black has a clear edge;
1 4....l:!.e8 (D) the d8-bishop will dominate the dark
The most natural move, bringing squares) 1 9 . . . 'i!Vd7 20 .l:!.d l ..tf6 2 1
the king's rook to its best square. ll'ict5 i.xb2 22 .l:!.bl ..ta3 2 3 h3 ll'ie5 24
14 ... i.h5? ! is less accurate, for after i.e3 i.c5 25 ll'ib6 i.xb6 26 .l:!.xb6
15 ll'id4 ..tg6 (although, even here, af­ ll'ixf3 27 gxf3 d5 28 a5 dxe4 29 fxe4
ter 1 5 ... ll'ig4 1 6 i.f4, Dvoirys-Bagins­ ll'ic5 ! , discovering an attack on h3, and
kaite, B erlin 1 995, the line 16 . . ...tg6 winning, De Vreugt-Neverov, Dieren
l 7 ll'if5 .ixf5 18 exf5 ..tf6 should be 1 998.
playable for Black - compare with c) 15 ll'id4 li'd7 16 .l:!.f4 i.d8 ! (a
the main line) 16 ll'if5 i.xf5 17 .l:!.xf5 nice move; the dark-squared bishop is
1 08 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

ready to operate on both sides of the This is logical. White intends l:.ael
board, as necessary) 17 a5 l2Jh5 1 8 and l2Jd4 or e5.
.I:tffl tL\f6 1 9 l:tf4 l2Jh5 (if Black de­ 13 i.h5 (D)
•••

sires to play on, and he has certainly

every reason to, then he can consider a
number of alternatives, e.g. 19 . . . l2Je6)
20 l:tffl t2Jf6 112- 112 A.Sokolov-Galla­ w
gher, Cannes 1 998.
15 i.h5 16 t2Jd4 l2Jg4!
.•.

The immediate 16 . . . i.g6 allows

White to recapture on f5 with a piece,
viz. 17 l2Jf5 i.xf5 18 l:txf5 . After the
text-move, the: f-file is blocked by the
f4-bishop.
17 i.f4 i.g6 18 l2Jf5 i.xf5 19 exf5
i.f6 20 i.e2 ( D)
Now this move is the safest, as
White's potential kingside initiative
must be neutralized.
B 14 .I:tael
Others:
a) 14 l2Jd4 is not very effective, as
after 14 ... i.g6 15 l2Jf5 i.xf5 White
has to recapture on f5 with his e-pawn,
when Black has a satisfactory isolated
queen's pawn position. In particular
he can use the e4-square for a knight
as White's f-pawn can no longer con­
trol it: 16 exf5 d5 17 i.e5 l2Jcd7 1 8
This allows a neat combination, but i.d4 i.c5 1 9 i.e2 (or 1 9 't1Vf4 1h-1h
finding a better move is not easy. Milos-Brunner, Buenos Aires 1 992)
20 i.xc3! 21 bxc3 l2Je4 22 ii'd4
.•• 19 . . . l:tc8 20 i.xc5 l2Jxc5 2 1 't1Vd4 l:te8
't!Vh4 23 i.xg4 ii'xg4 24 l:tabl l2Jxc3 22 i.f3 l2Jce4 and Black is better,
25 l:txb7 Kogan-Gri.infeld, Jerusalem 1 996.
Now, rather than 25 ... l2Je2?, which b) 14 i.e3 appears to be critical. If
threw away the advantage in Arakha­ Black plays 14 ... l:tc8 to defend against
mia-de Firmian, Lucerne Wcht 1 997, i.xc5 (which is the threat; for exam­
25 . . . l:te2 forces 26 ii'g l , and after ple, 14 . . . l:te8? ! 15 i.xc5 dxc5 16 e5),
26 ... l2Je4 White is completely domi- White will reply 15 l2Jd4, followed by
nated. tL\f5 . Although this is far from disas­
trous, I suggest that Black should in­
A 1 3) stead try 14 ... l2Jxd3 15 ii'xd3 (or 15
13 ii'd2 cxd3 d5 1 6 e5 l2Je8) 1 5 ... i.g6.
 6 f4 109

c) 14 b4 is similar to the main line: 17 tLlxd5 lLixd5 1 8 exd5 ..td6 is

14 . . . tLlxd3 15 cxd3 d5 16 e5 tLle8 17 equal, as Black is sure to win the d5-
tLle2 tLlc7 18 tLlg3 .i g6 19 tLld4 'iVd7 pawn.
20 .ig5 .l:!.fe8 2 1 .i xe7 .l:!.xe7 22 .l:!.ael 17... tLleS!
.l:!.ae8 23 'iVf4 tLle6, with advantage to Once again Black plays this key
Black owing to White's weak queen­ move. The knight is heading for the
side pawns, Kosashvili-Giiinfeld, Haifa powerful b lockading square e6, via
1995. c7 .
14....ig6 18 .ig5 tLic7 19 .ixe7 "ilixe7 20
It is important to hit the e4-pawn, tLie2 a5! 21 bxa5 tLie6 (D)
as, unlike in Line A l 2, 14 ... .l:!.e8 can be
answered by 15 .ic4 ! with an active
set-up, Beliavsky-Nunn, Munich 199 1 .
15 b4
The white pieces seem set, but
Black was ready to play ... d5, e.g. 15
tLld4 d5 ! 1 6 e5 (16 exd5 lLixd3 17
cxd3 lLixd5 18 tLlxd5 'tWxd5 is equal)
1 6 ... tLlfe4 17 .ixe4 tLixe4 1 8 tLixe4
.ixe4 19 c4 .ig6 20 cxd5 'iVxd5 2 1
lLif5 "ilie6 22 tLixe7+ 'iVxe7 23 'iid6
"ilie6 and Black has a nominal advan­
tage, although a draw seems certain,
A.Sokolov-Zagrebelny, Moscow 1996. 22 tLlfd4 tLixd4 23 tLlxd4 "ilia3!
15 .i g 3 ? ! is not a particularly use­ Not for the first time, the white
ful move: 15 ... .l:!.c8 16 b4 tLlxd3 17 queenside pawns are very weak.
cxd3 ( 17 'it'xd3? tLixe4 1 8 tLlxe4 d5 24 tLlf5 .ixf5 25 .l:!.xf5 "ilixa4 26
wins) 17 ...d5 ! 1 8 tLlxd5 ( 1 8 e5? loses .l:!.en .l:!.xa5!
to 18 . . . .i xb4 ) 18 ...tLlxd5 19 exd5 .i f6 Z.Almasi-011, Erevan OL 1 996.
20 ..te5 ! (20 tLle5 .i xe5 2 1 .l:!.xe5 f6, Black is better, and went on to win.
followed by ... 'iVxd5 , is advantageous
for Black as White 's pawn-structure is A2)
very loose) 20 . . . ..txe5 21 tLlxe5 'iVxd5 9 ..tc4
22 h3 .l:!.fe8 23 'iVf4 .l:!.e6 ! ? 24 tLlxg6 This move is more aggressive, as
.l:!.xg6 and White should, with care, be the a2-g8 diagonal is clearly vulnera­
able to draw, Kamsky-Ivanchuk, Lu­ ble, but the bishop is also more ex­
cerne Wcht 1 993. posed, and more committed - it will
15 ... tLlxd3 16 cxd3 soon be unable to defend the e4-pawn,
With the b-pawn on b4, and no lon­ for instance.
ger supporting the c3 -knight, 1 6 'iVxd3 9 ... "ilia5 (D)
is met by 16 ... .l:!.c8 with pressure along A tricky little move, pinning the
the c-file. c3-knight, and threatening to whip off
16 d5 17 e5
.•• the e4-pawn, but there is also the point
1 10 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

and Black enjoys the better structure,

Dolmatov-Georgadze, Erevan 1 982.
w
A2 1 )
10 'it'e2
Best, defending both the e-pawn and
the c4-bishop.
10 ... b5 (D)

w
that the obvious 1 0 0-0?? loses a piece
to 10 . . . 'itc5+; who knows? White has
several replies:
A21: 10 'ii'e2 1 10
A22: 10 i.a2?! 1 1 1
A23: 10 i. d2 111

Or:
a) 10 fxe5?! (this central surrender
is simply met) 1 0 ... tllxe5 1 1 tllxe5 An aggressive move, exploiting the
dxe5 1 2 i.d2?! �c5 1 3 i.d3 i.g4 14 various pins to gain space on the
'itc l i.e6 1 5 i.e3 'itc6 16 h3 i.b4 17 queenside.
i.d2 0-0 leaves Black better as the 11 i.a2
e4-pawn is going west, Short-Psakhis, Threatening to capture the b5-pawn.
Lvov 1 984 . 1 1 i.b3 is inferior, as the pin on the
b) 1 0 i.d5 ? ! (the light-squared a4-pawn is unbroken and Black can
bishop is too important a piece to be simply continue 1 1 . ..i.b7 and, having
conceded so easily) 10 ... lllxd5 1 1 'fixd5 further controlled d5, 1 2 ...b4 becomes
'ii'c7 1 2 f5 (trying to keep a clamp on a very real threat.
the light squares, as otherwise Black 1 1 . bxa4
. .

is better; for example, 1 2 0-0 lllf6 1 3 This move is played, not to win a
'it'd3 i.e6 1 4 b 3 l:!. c 8 1 5 fxe5 dxe5 1 6 pawn, as White can take it back at any
i. b 2 0-0 1 7 .l:Iac 1 .l:Ifd8, J .W.Nielsen­ moment, but to gain time. Sooner or
Wolski, Copenhagen 1 996) 12 . . . lllf6 later, White will need to recapture it,
1 3 'fid3 h6 14 i.e3 i.d7 1 5 tlld 2 (the when one of his pieces will transfer to
ending following 15 a5 l:!.c8 16 i.b6 a temporarily offside position.
'it'c4 is pleasant for Black because of 12 0-0 0-0 13 'it>hl
his light-squared bishop and the frailty This move is always a useful pre­
of e4, Yilmaz-Novikov, Forli 1 99 1 ) caution for White in this variation, but
1 5 ... .l:Ic8 16 a5 d5 ! 1 7 exd5 i.b4 1 8 immediately recapturing the a4-pawn
i.b6 'itd6 1 9 0-0 i.xc3 2 0 bxc3 'fixd5 is also possible: 1 3 lll xa4 i.b7 14 tllc 3
 6 f4 111

(with a serious threat ! ) 14 ... Wt'c7 1 5 i.xf6 20 Wt'xe4 i.xe4 2 1 ltJxd6 i.xc2
�h l nae8 and Black intends strong 22 ltJxe8 nxe8 23 i.c3, when White
pressure on the e4-pawn, Mrva-For­ has a slight edge, Dolma.tov-Ftacnik,
ster, Mitropa Cup (Montecatini Terme) Moscow 1 985, Black should escape
1 997 . from the d2-bishop' s attentions by
13... i.b7 14 ttJh4 17 . . .Wt'c5 with a good position, e.g. 1 8
Aiming for the sensitive f5-square. ttJxa4 'iWb5 ! 1 9 ttJxe7+ nxe7 20 'it'xb5
If White does not play this way he can axb5 21 tDc3 tDxe4 22 ltJxe4 i.xe4 ,
easily be worse: 14 lDd2? ! ltJc5 1 5 when White's bishop-pair provides in­
ttJc4 Wt'c7 1 6 fxe5 dxe5 17 nf5 nae8 ! sufficient compensation for the pawn.
(revealing the threat of capturing the
e5-pawn to be illusory; Black is ahead A22)
in development and is perfectly happy 10 i.a2?!
to see the e-file opened) 1 8 nxe5 i.d6 An overly ambitious pawn sacri­
19 nxe8 nxe8 20 ltJ xd6 'it'xd6 21 i.e3 fice.
ltJcxe4 22 Wt'c4 (this move proves in­ 10 ... ttJxe4 11 °iid5 'iixd5 12 lDxd5
adequate, but White is clearly worse in i.d8 13 0-0 ttJdf6!?
any case) 22 ... ltJxc3 ! 23 bxc3 i.xg2+! Owing to the possible exchange sac­
24 'it>xg2 nxe3 25 Wt'xf7+ 'it>h8 26 .l::td l rifice in the note to move 14, 1 3 ... ttJef6
Wt'b8 and White is completely lost, might be better, firmly hanging on to
Gild.Garcia-Van den Doel, Amsterdam the pawn, e.g. 14 lDxf6+ i.xf6.
1996. His exposed king should soon 14 ne1
be mated. After 14 fxe5 ltJxd5 , 15 ne l trans­
14 ... nae8 poses, but 15 i.xd5 ! i.b6+ 16 'it>hl
Once again, the weak white e4- ttJf2+ 17 nxf2 i.xf2 1 8 exd6 offers in­
pawn is Black's target. teresting compensation for the sacri­
15 lDf5 'it'b4 16 fxe5 ttJxe5 (D) ficed exchange, although 18 .. .f6!? 19
i.f4 g5 is promising for Black anyway.
14 ...ltJxd5 15 fxe5 i.b6+ 16 'it>n
ltJb4
w Picking up the bishop-pair with the
'desperado' knights.
17 nxe4 ttJxa2 18 exd6+ i.e6 19
nxa2 0-0-0 20 na3 nxd6
Black enjoys an edge, Lukin-Zai­
chik, USSR Ch 1 982.

A23)
10 i.d2
Unpinning the c3-knight, with \Tague
17 i.d2 threats of discovering an attack on the
Now, instead of the exchange sacri­ black queen.
fice 17 ...i.d8? 18 ttJd5 'it'xe4 1 9 ltJxf6+ 10 ...exf4!
1 12 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

Nevertheless, the bishop cannot be B)

in two places at once, and it turns out 8 i..c4
that 'the execution is weaker than the While appearing perfectly logical
threat' ! (Black's 7th move has weakened the
11 'ti'e2 a2-g8 diagonal), this is premature, and
The tactical operation 1 1 i..xt7+? emphasizes the importance of 8 a4.
fails to 1 1 ... �xf7 1 2 tiJd5 'i!Vc5 ! 1 3 8.. b5 (D)
.

tiJg5+ �e8 14 tDe6 'i!Vc4 1 5 tiJdc7+

�t7 1 6 tDxa8 �xe6.
1 1 ...0-0 (D)
w

9 i.b3
9 i.d5 fails in its objective of con­
trolling d5 . 9 ... l:tb8 ! and now:
12 tiJd5 a) 10 tDg5 tiJxd5 1 1 �xd5 'i!Ve7 1 2
The meek 12 0-0 is too accolillilo­ 0-0 (preventing . . .b4 by 1 2 a3 does not
dating: 12 ... tiJe5 13 i..b 3 i.e6 14 i..xf4 stop the white pieces being driven back
tDxf3+ 15 'ti'xf3 i.xb3 1 6 cxb3 .l:f.ae8 either: 1 2 . . . i.b7 1 3 'i!Vdl h6 1 4 tiJf3
17 �h 1 'ti'b4, with good play, Smirin­ tiJf6 15 0-0 'ilc7, followed by 1 6...i..e7,
Kengis, Moscow OL 1 994. with a good position; the b7-bishop is
12 ...'ti'dS 13 i..xf4 tiJxd5 14 i..xd5 particularly strong) 1 2 . . .h6 13 tiJf3 b4
tiJf6 15 i.. b 3!? 14 tDe2 i.b7 15 'ildl tiJf6 16 c3 i.xe4
1 5 0-0 may be more sensible. After and White is struggling, Korchnoi­
1 5 ... tiJxd5 1 6 exd5 i..f6 17 c3 .l:f.e8 1 8 Hort, Zurich 1984.
�f2 i.f5 White has chances o f equal­ b) 10 fxe5 dxe5 1 1 i.. g5 ( 1 1 i.xt7+
izing, Stoica-L.Spasov, Alhena 1 983. �xf7 1 2 tDxe5+ �g8 1 3 tDc6 'ilb6 is
15 ...'Ci'aS+ 16 i.d2 ..Wes nothing for White) l l .. .i.b4 12 i.xf6
Black takes time out to stop the i.. xc3+ 1 3 bxc3 'i/xf6 1 4 0-0 0-0 1 5
white king fleeing to the kingside. � h l �e7 1 6 a4 tiJf6 and Black can
17 i.. c3 i.d7 18 Ir.dl i..c6 19 l:td4 have no complaints, Hort-Andersson,
.l:f.ae8 Wijk aan Zee 1 979.
White is in trouble because of the 9 ... i.e7 10 0-0
threat to capture on e4, Lanc-Novikov, The move 10 a4 is out of place here,
Poznan 1 985. because Black can play the standard
 6 f4 1 13

counter-offensive: 10 . . . .tb7 1 1 'iie2

(alternatively, 1 1 axb5 axb5 1 2 11xa8
l:t'xa8 13 lt:Jd5 lt:Jxd5 14 1'.xd5 exf4 15
'iVd3 .i.xd5 1 6 exd5 'iia5+, with an
edge to Black, Djuric-Ortega, Cien­
fuegos 1 989) 1 1 .. .0-0 12 0-0 lt:Jc5 1 3
axb5 lt:Jxb3 14 cxb3 axb5 15 11xa8
'iVxa8 16 fxe5 dxe5 17 lt:Jxe5 b4 and
White' s position is falling apart,
Durao-Li Ruofan, Beijing 1997.
10... 0-0 11 '>thl
White's customary prophylactic king
move. 1 1 lt:Jd5 is too nai"ve : 1 l . ..1'.b7 ... b5 (before White gets a chance to
12 lt:Jxf6+ lt:Jxf6 13 fxe5 dxe5 14 'iVxd8 rectify his earlier omission, and play
11axd8 1 5 lt:Jxe5 1'.c5+ 16 '>th l lt:Jxe4 ! a4), and then finishes his kingside de­
and White is in a bad way, Mokry­ velopment. The queen ' s bishop is left
Schumi, Austria 1 995 ; 1 1 fxe5 dxe5 on c8 until the black king is safe; it
12 lLih4 can be met by 1 2 ... lt:Jc5. might be needed to control f5 , for in­
ll .tb7 12 'ii'e2
... stance, if White plays a quick lLih4.
A similar idea is 1 2 'iVel lt:Jc5 1 3 11 a3
fxe5 dxe5 14 lt:Jxe5 lt:Jxb3 15 cxb3 b4 The best move, as otherwise ... b4 is
16 lt:Ja4 lt:Jxe4, but, once again, the a useful resource for Black. Instead,
black bishops dominate the board, 1 1 l:t'e2 1'.b7 12 a3 (Vujakovic-Wolski,
Yilmaz-Savon, Simferopol 1992. Bern 1 990) will transpose to the main
12...lt:JcS 13 fxe5 lt:Jfxe4 line after 1 2 ... .l:f.e8.
Perfectly adequate, but 1 3 . . . dxe5 1 1 'iie l is also common; l l . ..1'.b7
14 lLixe5 lt:Jxb3 could also be played, and then:
as in the previous note. a) 12 fxe5 lt:Jxe5 ! (an important
14 lt:Jxe4 1'.xe4 15 exd6 'ii'xd6 move, proposing to exchange White's
The game is equal, Zuidema-Don­ f3-knight before it can come to f5) 1 3
ner, Wijk aan Zee 1973. a3 (there's no time for 1 3 lt:Jd4 be­
cause of the annoying reply 1 3 ... b4)
C) 13 ... lt:Jxf3 14 gxf3 .l:f.e8 15 'iVg3 g6 16
8 .td3 b5 'iVh3 d5 ! 17 e5 lit'd7 18 l:t'g2 lLih5 19
As in Line B, the white set-up is 1'.h6 .tc5 20 f4? (this loses, but White
geared towards a kingside attack. is worse anyway) 20. . .f5, and there is
Therefore Black need not fear creating nothing to be done about the opening of
any queenside weaknesses, as White the a8-h l diagonal by . . . d4, Dvoirys­
is less likely to be able to exploit them Neverov, Helsinki 1992.
than in the 6 1'.e2 lines, for instance. b) 12 b4 (White attempts to fix the
9 0-0 1'.e7 10 '>thl 0-0 (D) b5-pawn and then attack it with a4, but
I believe Black's move-order here his position is very loose) 12 ... 11e8 13
to be the most accurate: he first plays a4 (13 1'.b2?! is also dubious in view
1 14 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

of 13 ... exf4 14 llld4 d5 15 exd5, Los­ no longer a problem. Then White can
Shneider, Groningen 1992, 15 ... i.xb4 play:
and Black should win; 1 3 .l:i.b l is more c l ) 13 lllxe5 dxe5 14 ..1g5 i.e6
solid: 1 3 ...exf4 14 ..1xf4 ..1f8 1 5 "tWl14 gives Black an edge because of his su­
.l:i.c8 and White is close to equality, perior pawn-structure.
Dvoirys-Ubilava, Kiev 1984) 1 3 ...exf4 c2) 1 3 �el lllxf3 14 gxf3 i.b7
14 axb5 d5 15 e5? ! ( 1 5 bxa6 is prefer­ transposes to note 'a' to White's 1 1 th
able, but White is on the verge of a ca­ move.
tastrophe after 15 ... dxe4) 15 ... i.xb4 c3) 1 3 llld4 g6 14 i.f4 ..t b7 . If we
16 ..1xf4 llle4 and the c3-knight is compare this position with that arising
looking sick, Boll-Charushin, corre­ in the game Wahls-Ehlvest, Tilburg
spondence 1 987. 1994, where l l . ..exf4 1 2 ..txf4 i.b7
1 1 ....l:i.eS! 13 llld4 g6 14 'ikd2 llle5 15 .l:i.ael .l:i.e8
A useful waiting move, planning was played, we will see that Black has
pressure along the e-file. gained two moves with our move-order
12 �e2 - and Ehlvest's method of playing is
Or: highly-considered. So why does Black
a) 12 f5? ! is answered by 12 ... ..tb7, always capture on e5 with a pawn in
when the f5-square is no longer acces­ this position? The only reason I can
sible to the white pieces. Black can give is that the Najdorf player has a
continue with ... lllc5 and an eventual desire to avoid simplification.
... d5, with advantage. 12.....tb7
b) 1 2 tllh4 can now be answered Black is now well developed, and
safely by 12 . . . lllc5 , as f5 is covered by threatens, by ... exf4, to exploit the op­
the c8-bishop. Then 1 3 fxe5 dxe5 14 position of his rook and the white
lllf5 ..1xf5 15 .l:i.xf5 lllfxe4 1 6 lllxe4 queen along the e-file.
lllxe4 (White is in trouble due to his 13 fxe5
weak back rank) 17 i.e3 (if 17 .l:i.xf7 1 3 lllh4 is met by 1 3 . . . d5 .
then 17 ... lllf6 !) 17 . . . lllc5 18 .l:i.xe5 13 lllxeS
..•

lllxd3 1 9 cxd3 ..1f6 gives Black a clear Once again I recommend this, as
advantage. opposed to the 'standard' 1 3 . . . dxe5,
c) 1 2 fxe5 is an important alterna­ when White can continue 14 tllh4 g6
tive. It is almost invariably answered 15 ..1g5 with a kingside attack. See the
by 1 2 ...dxe5, allowing White a later discussion in note 'c' to White's 12th
lllh4-f5, but I cannot help thinking that move.
1 2 ... lllxe5 ! is correct. Firstly, for gen­ 14 lllxeS
eral reasons: the knight moves to a Probably best, if White wishes to
strong square, and, having less space, avoid the sort of play that occurred in
Black should not be averse to ex­ note 'a' to White's 1 1th move, i.e. 14
changes. Secondly, for more specific llld4 g6, threatening . . .d5.
and tactical reasons: Black threatens 14...dxeS 15 i.g5 llld7 16 ..txe7
to capture on f3 and then play ... ..tb7, �xe7
as the occupation of the f5-square is With a plus to Black.
7 Other 6th Moves

1 e4 c5 2 lLif3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4

lLif6 5 lLic3 a6
Several of these moves are specifi­ B
cally designed as anti-Najdorf lines,
both avoiding main-line theory, and
often countering Black's early ...e5.
While these moves are not particularly
dangerous for Black from a theoretical
standpoint, they do contain their drop
of poison for the unwary. Black can
often obtain a good game by transpos­
ing into a Dragon type of position, by
replying with an early . . . g6, or into a 6 ... e5 7 lLib3 i.e6 8 i.g5
Classical set-up by 6 . . . l2Jc6. In both The overwhelmingly preferred move
cases White's 6th move will have de­ here is not this, in fact, but 8 i.e3,
nied him the possibility of playing which transposes directly into Chapter
critical variations against these moves. 1 . The text-move, 8 i.g5 , is the only
There is one move that almost in­ other move at this juncture, but it is
variably transposes into Chapter 1 , one much less logical. There are two main
flexible positional move, one normal reasons: firstly, the dark-squared bishop
developing move, and two aggressive is needed on the gl -a7 diagonal, weak­
moves intending to support an early ened by White's 6th move; and sec­
advance of the g-pawn: ondly, the normal 'kingside onslaught'
A: 6 f3 1 15 plan is now hampered by the fact that
B : 6 a4 1 16 g4-g5 is impossible while the bishop
C: 6 i.d3 1 18 occupies g5.
D: 6 h3 1 19 . 8.. l2Jbd7 9 'ii'd2 i.e7
E: 6 _:gt 121 This is normal. Black both unpins
the f6-knight, and threatens possible
A) discovered attacks on the g5-bishop.
6 f3 (D) 10 0-0-0 b5 11 h4
This move, which had hitherto been A vital precaution to protect the
ignored, has taken on a new importance g5-bishop, as Black was intending
recently because it transposes into 6 . . . b4, when the reply l2Jd5? would lose
i.e3 lines without allowing 6 . . .l2Jg4 in after . . .lLixd5. For example, 1 1 g4? b4
reply. 12 lLid5? lLixd5 13 i.xe7 ( 1 3 exd5 ? ?
1 16 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

.txg5) 1 3 ... tt:lxe7, winning a piece. 1 1 early, thus weakening b4. Black often
.te3? ! (Perez-Iturri, Roque Saenz Pena plays the move ... a5 in these lines, to
U-26 Wcht 1 997) is another possibil­ force the reply a4, so this position is
ity, but after 1 1 . ..tt:lb6! we transpose comparatively better, as the b5-square
into a good variation for Black (see is still controlled.
Chapter 1 ), with a whole tempo more. On the other hand, I rather feel that
11 ... 0-0 12 g4 b4 13 tt:le2 as 14 6 ... e5 plays into White's hands, as af­
�bl a4 ter 7 tt:\f3 White will gain a tempo on
Black's attack has arrived first, Van Line B in Chapter 1 , or Line B in
Rijn-Pos, Dieren 1 997 . Chapter 4.
7 .te2
B) The alternatives are numerous, but
6 a4 (D) quickly dismissed:
a) 7 .i.c4 brings us to Chapter 3.
b) 7 .i.g5 is no longer a problem, as
White would hardly want to play a
B Richter-Rauzer (which almost always
involves queenside castling) with his
a-pawn on a4.
c) 7 .i.e3 is just asking for 7 . . . tt:\g4.
d) 7 f4 .tg4 ! ? 8 tt:lf3 g6 9 h3 .i.xf3
10 f¥xf3 .i.g7 1 1 .i.d3 0-0 12 0-0 tt:ld7
13 �h l Itc8 14 Itbl tt:lb4 is similar to
a variation of the Austrian Attack in
the Pirc Defence, and very playable
for Black, Ye Jiangchuan-Gelfand,
As White often plays a4 to con­ Erevan OL 1 996.
strain Black's queenside later on in e) 7 tt:lxc6 bxc6 8 .i.d3 a5 9 0-0
many of the positional lines, then why (Kholmov-Anastasian, Voskresensk
not play it immediately, and decide on 1 992) 9 ...e5 10 f4 .te7 transposes to
the appropriate piece placement when note 'a' to White's 1 0th move in Line
Black has shown his hand? This is a c.
very popular line for White, and oc­ 7...eS (D)
curs a lot in practice. 8 tt:lxc6
6...tt:\c6 Danny King describes this move as
I hope I am not labouring the point 'anti-positional ' , which is true, I sup­
too much, but Dragon players would no pose, as it just helps improve Black's
doubt be content to play 6 ... g6 here, as centre. Otherwise:
White can no longer play the sharper a) 8 tt:\f3 (perfectly reasonable;
lines involving queenside castling. The White will play as in Chapter 4, Line B)
text-move, Kasparov's choice, leads 8 ....i.e7 (normally Black plays 8 ... h6,
to a position akin to the Classical Si­ stopping .i.g5xf6, and this leads to a
cilian where White has played a4 too big main line, but the text-move is also
 Other 6th Moves 1 17

Black does not fear the endgame,

but is keen to stop White fixing his
w a6-pawn by playing a5 .
1 0 0-0
Others:
a) 10 ..ie3 is best met by 10 . . . ll:\d7
(or 10 ... exf4 1 1 i.xf4 ..ie7 1 2 0-0 0-0
1 3 'it>h l ..ie6, when Black is a tempo
up on a known line) 1 1 0-0 i.e7, fol­
lowed by . . .0-0.
b) 10 fxe5 dxe5 1 1 'it'xd8+ �xd8
12 ..ig5 ? ! ( 1 2 i.c4 i.b4 1 3 0-0 �e7
playable) 9 ..ig5 ..ie6 1 0 0-0 0-0 (the 14 ..ig5 ..ixc3 15 bxc3 ..ie6 leads to
move . . . ll:\b4, guarding d5, is also equality) 1 2 .....ie6 1 3 ll:\d l li:b8 14
good, either now or on the next few ll:\e3 ..ib4+ ! 1 5 �f2 ..ic5 16 b3 'it>e7,
moves, e.g. l 0... ll:\b4 1 1 'it'd2 0-0 12 with advantage to Black because of
i.xf6 i.xf6 1 3 ll:\d l a5 14 c3 ll:\a6 15 the awkward pin along the g l-a7 diag­
i.xa6 li:xa6 1 6 ll:\e3 ..ig5 is equal, onal, King-Rashkovsky, Cappelle la
Kudrin-Browne, USA Ch 1 986) 1 1 Grande 1 990.
li:el (this is the customary move; 1 1 10.....ie7 11 �b l 0-0 (D)
'it'd2 li:c8 1 2 li:fdl ll:\b4 1 3 ll:\el ll:\e8
14 i.xe7 "VJ/ixe7 is similar, and fine for
Black, Kosteniuk-Kozlovskaya, Rus­
sian worn Ch (Elista) 1 997, but 1 1 w
..ixf6 is supposed to be a problem for
Black; nevertheless, after 1 l . . ...ixf6 12
ll:\d5 ll:\d4 ! 1 3 ll:\xf6+ "VJ/ixf6 14 ll:\xd4
exd4 15 ..id3 li:ac8 1 6 f4 ..ic4 17 a5
li:c5 1 8 li:f2 li:fc8 Black enjoys strong
pressure along the c-file, Salazar-de
Firmian, Dubai OL 1 986) l l .. .li:c8 1 2
i. f l ll:\e8 ! (another way to fight for
d5) 1 3 ..ie3 ll:\f6 and now White is
well advised to repeat moves by 14 12 "VJ/iel ..ia6 ! ?
..ig5; instead he succumbed in dra­ Swapping a pair o f pieces, but
matic fashion in the game Hort-Kos­ 12 . . . ll:\d7, intending to establish this
ten, Geneva 1 987 following 14 h3 h6 knight on e5, is a very logical alterna­
1 5 ll:\d2? ll:\b4 16 ll:\f3 ll:\xe4 ! 17 ll:\xe4 tive.
ll:\xc2. 13 ..ixa6 li:xa6 14 fxe5 dxe5 15
b) 8 ll:\b3 leads to Chapter 4, Line 'ilt'g3 'ilt'd6 16 i.e3 'ilt'e6! 17 li:adl
A l , after 8 . . .i.e7 9 0-0 0-0 10 f4 exf4 li:aa8 18 i.g5 li:fd8
1 1 ..ixf4 ..ie6. Black has an edge, Si.Maus-King,
8...bxc6 9 f4 a5 2nd Bundesliga 1 990.
1 18 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

C) 7 bxc6 (D)
.•.

6 ..td3 (D)

w
B

8 0-0 e5
This is another move that works This is one variation where Black
well against 6. . . e5, as White can play does not have to worry about d5 after
his king's knight to g3, via e2, and he pushing his e-pawn, as it is now cov­
keeps e4 well defended. However, the ered by the c6-pawn.
d4-knight is no longer protected, and 9 f4
the d3-bishop is not immune from at­ Having reinforced Black's centre,
tack by a black knight. White goes about trying to weaken it.
6 ...llic6 A different plan is 9 llia4 (9 b3 ..te7 1 0
One of several moves that promise ..tb2 0-0 1 1 llia4 will transpose, after
Black a reasonable game; 6 ... g6 and White's coming c4) 9... i.e7 1 0 c4 0-0
6...e6 are two others. The choice often 1 1 b3 i.e6 12 ..tb2 llid7, with no par­
depends on the rest of a player's reper­ ticular difficulties for Black, Kagan­
toire. Dragon players will be very Grilnfeld, Tel-Aviv 1 989.
happy to play the former, of course. 9 ..te7 10 fxe5
...

7 llixc6 One of the problems for White in

Rather a concession, strengthening these positions is that Black can often
the black centre, but otherwise: capture on f4, and then place a piece
a) 7 llide2 e6 (or 7 ... g6 8 i.g5 ..tg7 on the empty e5-square. By capturing
with an improved Dragon, Ziatdinov­ immediately, White tries to force Black
Dvoirys, Groningen 1994) 8 0-0 ..te7 to recapture with a pawn on e5 in­
9 f4 0-0 1 0 'it>h l b5 1 1 llig3 ..tb7 and stead. Other attempts:
Black can be very happy compared to a) 10 a4 (aiming to fix the black a­
typical Scheveningen positions, Sal­ pawn on a6) 10 . . . a5 1 1 'it>h l 0-0 1 2
taev-Rashkovsky, Tashkent 1 987. ..We l and now, instead o f 12 . . . I:tb8? !,
b) If 7 i.e3 then 7 ... llig4 (or even when by 1 3 ..td2 ! I:txb2 14 llid l I:tb8
7 . . .llixd4 8 i.xd4 e5 9 ..te3 ..te6 with 15 i.xa5 White created a powerful
equality) 8 llixc6 bxc6 almost obliges passed a-pawn in Steinbacher-Nunn,
White to play 9 ..tc 1 . Bundesliga 198617, 12 ... exf4 might be
 Other 6th Moves 1 19

simplest, e.g. 1 3 i.xf4 lbg4 14 l:.dl D)

i.g5 ! , exchanging dark-squared bish­ 6 h3 (D)
ops, in order to establish the knight on
e5 . This is a typical plan in these posi­
tions.
b) 10 'it>hl .i.g4 ! ? (demonstrating a B
different plan, but 10 ... 0-0 and ... exf4
is also good) 1 1 'ti'el exf4 1 2 i.xf4
lLih5 1 3 lLie2 (the idea behind Black's
play is that 13 .i.d2 can be answered
by 1 3 . . ..th4 14 g3 .i.f6 15 i.e2 'it'd?,
intending ... i.e5, and again underlin­
ing the importance of the e5-square)
1 3 ... llJxf4 14 .l:f.xf4 i.d7 15 i.c4 0-0
16 l:.d l i.f6 ! 17 'it'f2 i.e6 18 .i.xe6
fxe6 19 b3 i.e5 leaves Black better, White prepares g4, which could turn
Larsen-Kavalek, Reykjavik tt 1 986. into a slower version of the Keres At­
His dark-squared bishop has reached tack, or an improved version of the 6
the key square e5, where it controls g3 system. For instance, 6 ... e5?! falls
dark squares on both wings. in with White's plans: 7 llJde2 .te7 8
10 dxeS
... g4 0-0 9 llJg3 and White has a great
Black can also try to keep the e5- position, for not only has he managed
square open for a piece by 10 . . .llJg4 ! ? to play g4 in one move (as opposed to
although after 1 1 exd6 i.xd6 White has two in the 6 g3 line), but he has also
the resource 1 2 g3 ! (on 1 2 ... lLixh2 ? ! delayed the development of his king's
there i s the tactical shot 1 3 e 5 ! , which bishop, Kupreichik-Dvoirys, Leeuw­
favours White) but anyway, 12 ...0-0 is arden 1 993 . However, Black has a
possible, threatening 13 . . .lLixh2. Then variety of ways to exploit 6 h3, for in­
13 'it'e2 llJe5 gives Black solid posi­ stance by 6 . . . g6, when the sharper
tional compensation for the pawn. lines of the Dragon are avoided. I
1 1 h3 0-0 think the best line is:
1 1 .. .l:.b8 might be more accurate, 6 ...e6
obliging White to defend the b-pawn The simplest move, preparing the
before he can develop his c l -bishop. traditional 'central thrust to counter a
12 .te3 wing attack' .
Wolff-Fedorowicz, New York 1 987. 7 g4
White intends to exploit the c4- and This is the point of White's play;
c5-squares, and attack the a6-pawn. other moves tend to render the pawn
Black also has reasons, such as his free on h3 irrelevant, and, at worst, Black
development, to be happy with his po­ can achieve a superior Scheveningen
sition. For instance, he could play set-up. For example, 7 g3 b5 8 .tg2
12 ....i.e6 1 3 llJa4 l:tb8 14 b3 'fic7 in­ i.b7 9 a3 .te7 10 0-0 'it'c7 1 1 g4 lbc6
tending ...l:tfd8, and/or . . . c5-c4. 12 lbde2, when Black has a pleasant
120 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

position, Masserey-Bucher, Geneva Popescu-Badea, Herculane 1 993, and

1 999. 7 .i.d3 is similar to 6 i.d3, and now Popescu suggests 1 2 ... 0.c6 ! ? 1 3
can be treated similarly, viz. 7 ... 0.c6 8 i.xe4 i.e6 1 4 0.e3 0-0-0+, which ap­
0.xc6 bxc6 9 0-0 i.e7 10 �e2 e5 and, pears fine.
with his strong centre, Black has a b3) Following 10 i.xe4, 1 0... 0.d7
bright future, Kurajica-Minic, Yugo­ is OK after 1 1 i.g2 �c7 1 2 i.e3 0.e5
slavia 1 966. 1 3 0-0 i.d6 1 4 f4 0.c4 1 5 i.c l i.d7,
7 ...d5 (D) Kveinys-Zagorskis, Bad Godesburg
1 996, but 1 0... e5 seems even more to
the point, exchanging queens in a
favourable manner: 1 1 CDf3 ( 1 1 0.f5 ? !
w �xd l + 1 2 c.ti>xd l 0.d7 1 3 0.g3 0.c5)
1 1 ...�xdl + 12 'it>xdl .i.d6 ( 1 2 ... 0.d7
1 3 .l:te 1 i.d6 14 0.xe5 ! ?) 1 3 'it>e2 0.d7
14 .l:td l i.c7 and Black threatens to
play ... 0.c5 or ... 0.f6, as appropriate.
8 0.xdS
...

Now there is a divide:

Dl: 9 .i.d2 1 20
D2: 9 0.de2 121

The point: Black neatly side-steps 9 i.g2? ! allows Black to wreck the
the threat of g5, displacing the f6- white structure: 9 ... 0.xc3 10 bxc3 i.d6
knight. 1 1 0-0 �c7 1 2 .l:tbl 0-0 1 3 �d3 0.d7
8 exd5 14 Itd l 'Dc5, with a positional advan­
This is the only decent reply. Oth­ tage to Black, Manik-Oral, Olomouc
ers: 1 998.
a) 8 e5? (a blunder) 8 . . . 0.fd7 9 .i.f4
(9 f4 �h4+) 9 ...'tlr'c7 1 0 �e2, and now 01)
the tactic 1 0... .i.a3 ! leaves White in all 9 .i.d2 0.c6
sorts of trouble. ' Knights before bishops' .
b) 8 .i.g2 0.xe4 9 0.xe4 dxe4 (sat­ 10 0.xc6
isfactorily liquidating the central ten­ 1 0 0.de2 is no better: 1 0. . . e5 ! 1 1
sion) and now: i.g2 .i.e6 1 2 0.e4 .i.e7 1 3 0-0 0-0 (by
bl) 10 0-0 f5 1 1 c3 sacrifices a straightforward developing moves,
pawn. White intends to play 'tlr'b3 with Black has achieved a good position)
pressure on the a2-g8 diagonal, but it 14 c4 CDf6 15 0.xf6+ .i.xf6 16 b3 h5 ! ?
is difficult to believe that White has 17 0.g3 hxg4 1 8 hxg4 .i.g5, with ad­
much after l l .. .0.c6 1 2 .i.e3 .i.d6, for vantage to Black, Zso.Polgar-Browne,
instance. San Francisco 1995.
b2) 10 c3 ! ? may transpose to line 10...bxc6 ll .i.g2 .i.e7 12 0.e4 'tlr'c7
'bl ' after 10 .. .f5 1 1 0-0, but there is Black takes control of the f4-square,
also 10. ..e5 1 1 0.c2 'tlr'xd l + 12 'it>xd l , but 1 2 ...0-0 is also possible, with ideas
 Other 6th Moves 121

of an eventual . . .f5 . 1 3 c4 tt::lb4 14 0-0 12 . . .tt::lc 6 13 a3 .i e7 14 0-0 e5 is fine

tt::ld3 1 5 b3 na7 ! ?, intending . . . nd7, is for Black.
one possibility. 10...tllc6 11 a3 .ie7
13 c4 The natural 1 1 . . . tt::lx c3 12 tt::lxc3
13 °iif3 would only lend force to .ie7 is also good, and similar to the
. . .f5: 1 3 . . 0-0 14 c4 f5 ! with advan­
. previous note .
tage. 12 tllf4 tllxf4 13 i.xf4 (D)
13 ... tllf4 14 .ixf4 'i{j'xf4 (D)

Now, instead of 13 ... �b6 ! ? 1 4 b4

1S 'i{j'd2! tt::lxb4 !?, which is most unclear, Ku­
Looking for an equal endgame. 1 5 preichik-Gallagher, Lenk 1 99 1 , the
tlld6+? ! is very risky, because after simple continuation 1 3 . . . 0-0 is fine.
15 . . . .i xd6 ! 16 .ixc6+ <tile? 17 ..ixa8 For example, 14 i.g2 e5 ! ? 15 i.xc6
.i d7 18 i.g2 'iixc4 19 a3 nc8, White ( 1 5 ..ie3 i.e6 gives Black excellent
has an exchange more but his king is development) 1 5 . . .exf4 and Black has
trapped in the centre, and he is unable the advantage of the bishop-pair.
to coordinate his pieces.
15 'i{j'xd2+ 16 tt::lxd2 ..ib7 17 0-0-0
•.• E)
0-0-0 6 ngl (D)
With the two bishops, if anything it
is Black who holds the upper hand,
Donchev-Ki.Georgiev, Bulgarian Ch
(Sofia) 1989. B

02)
9 tt::lde2
This move also defends the c3-
knight.
9 ....ib4 10 ..id2
.

10 ..ig2 0-0 1 1 ..id2 tt::lx c3 12 tt::lxc3

(Kurajica-Bukic, Yugoslav Ch 1972)
122 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

No, do not adjust your TV set, this and attempting similar play to the main
strange-looking move has been catch­ line) 9 i.e3 (Sadler mentions 9 f4 tbc6
ing on quite a lot recently. The idea is 10 g5 hxg5 1 1 fxg5 , but l l . . .'ilb6!
to support the pawn push g4-g5 and, leads to a clear advantage for Black)
ideally, to transpose into a Keres At­ 9 ... tbc6 1 0 tbd5 ? ! ( 1 0 f4) 10 ... tt:Jxd5
tack of some sort, by, for instance 1 1 exd5 'i*'a5+ 12 c3 tt:Jxd4 1 3 'ir'xd4
6 . . .e6 7 g4, etc. l:tg8 14 i.c4 and now, instead of
6...h6! ? 14 . . . 'it'a4, as in Conquest-Sadler, Brit­
A radical solution. Black prevents ish Ch (Torquay) 1 998, Sadler prefers
White playing g5 even before White 14 . . . h5 1 5 g5 h3, with advantage to
he plays g4. Black due to the extra passed h-pawn.
7 g4 8 e6 9 'ir'd2 tt:Jhd7 10 f3 tt:Je5 (D)
.••

Other moves are doubtless possi­ The knight has reached its destina­
ble, but Black's move . . .h6 will cer­ tion, and from this square it surveys
tainly prove more useful than White's White's side of the board, and restricts
move l:tgl, and White will never be his central possibilities.
able to castle kingside. 11 0-0-0 b5 12 h4
7...g5 (D) This will be necessary sooner or
later, since if White allows Black time
to complete his development, he will
be positionally worse.
w 12 ...gxh4 13 f4! ?
A logical follow-up to White's pre­
vious move, attempting to tear open
the centre; 1 3 i.f2 tbg6 1 4 l:th l i.b7
should not give Black any problems.
13 ... tt:Jexg4 14 e5 b4!
The standard Sicilian retort to e5 .
15 tt:Ja4
15 exf6 bxc3 16 'it'xc3 tt:Jxe3 1 7
'i*'xe3 'i*'xf6 is clearly better for Black,
The point: Black halts the white g­ who can continue by . . .l:t b8 and . . .i.g7,
pawn in its tracks and prepares the with pressure along the al -h8 diago­
e5-square for one of the black knights. nal.
8 i.e3 15 ... dxe5 16 fxe5 tt:Jxe3 17 'ttxe3
There is also the immediate attempt tt:Jd5
to break Black's dark-squared control Black's material advantage proved
by 8 h4 ! ? gxh4 ! ? (8 . . . l:tg8 is also good, decisive in Degraeve-Van Wely, French
propping up the important g5-pawn, Cht 1 998/9.
8 Najdorf Quiz

The real test to see whether you have

done your homework properly (or that
the author has done his) will be over a 3
chessboard, the next time you have an B
opportunity to play the Najdorf as
Black. In the meantime, here are a few
questions to see how much you have
taken in. The solutions are on page
1 26.

1 The typical Najdorf move, 6 ... e5,

is recommended against which of the This is one of those positions where
following white sixth moves? A) 6 a4; White hopes to establish a piece on d5
B) 6 i.g5; C) 6 f4; and D) 6 i.d3. by means of i.xf6, etc. How should
Black react?

White has more space and is ahead We have examined positions simi­
in development, but can you see a good lar to this. Which move does Black
move for Black? have to play in order to avoid a posi­
tional bind?
1 24 Easy Guide to the Najdoif

White has just captured on e5, hop­ Black has a good position, with the
ing to bring his f3-knight to f5, via h4. bishop-pair and free play for his pieces.
How should Black recapture? What is his most accurate move?

White has played one of the many In reply to 9 'ikf3, threatening e5

lines where he castles queenside, per­ (attacking both the f6-knight and the
haps intending a pawn-storm. How­ a8-rook), Black has played the obvi­
ever, as is often the case, Black has got ous 9 . . i.b7 . How would you be feel­
.

in first. How should he continue? ing if you were White?

 Najdorf Quiz 1 25

How can Black augment the pres- In this position from Chapter 4,
sure against e4? White has just edged his queen to e l ,
planning to put pressure o n d 6 by
.l:tadl and �g3. How should Black re­
act?
Sol utions
1 ) The answer is C, 6 f4. Although to get more space for the black pieces.
it is possible against both A and D, I See Chapter 6.
do not advise it, and against B, 6 i.g5,
it is a downright error. 6) The knight is awkwardly placed
on a4, and Black can best exploit this
2) The position, which arises after by l 3 . . . .i.b7 (threatening the e-pawn)
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 tt:Jf6 4 lLlc3 cxd4 14 f3 .i.c6, when the knight is in big
5 lbxd4 a6 6 .i.g5 e6 7 �d2? ! h6 8 trouble, Ljubojevic-Polugaevsky, Am­
i.h4?!, is virtually losing for White sterdam 1 972.
after 8 ... lLlxe4 ! , winning a pawn, Gav­
rilov-Vaulin, Novgorod 1 995 . 7) The diagram is from the game
Kholmov-Fedorov, USSR 1 98 1 , where
3) Black cuts across White's plans Black continued l 9 . . .'tig5, with equal­
with the energetic exchange sacrifice ity. However, he has better, for he can
1 4 . . Jhc3 ! 15 bxc3 tt:Jxe4 1 6 lLlxe4 play 19 .. Jk4 ! . Not only does this piece
i.xe4 17 .i.xe7 �xe7 . He went on to defend f4, but it also stops the transfer
win a fine game in Ermenkov-Portisch, of the white knight to c6 via d4. See
Skara Echt 1980. There is an alterna­ Chapter 5.
tive in 14 ... a5, intending . . . b4, but I
feel this is not quite as good. 8) Pretty excited, I should imagine,
as Black has overlooked the standard
4) Black should always play . . . c4, trick 1 0 .i.xe6 ! fxe6 l l lLl xe6 'iWb6 12
as soon as practicable. Black can play lbxg7+, demolishing his king position.
17 ...c4 immediately, as 18 .i.b6? is an­
swered by 1 8 ... .i.c5+, with an edge. 9) By the standard blow from the
Instead, in Jansa-Wachinger, Cattolica flank: 1 2 ... b5 !, and after 1 3 axb5 axb5
1993, Black played 1 7 . . .ir'c6 1 8 lLla4, 14 l:.xa8 'tixa8 15 .i.xb5 lLlxe4 1 6
and now he should have continued lLl xe4 .i.xe4 the threat to g2 allowed
18 . . .c4. Instead, after 18 ...lbd7? ! 19 c4 ! Black to make the positionally desir­
(threatening lLlc3-d5) it was too late. able swap of a flank pawn for a central
After 19 . . . f5 20 lbc3 fxe4 2 1 fxe4 lLlf6 pawn in Shirov-Gelfand, Dos Herma­
22 lbd5 .i.xd5 23 exd5 "fic7 24 'tig3 nas 1997 . See Chapter 4 .
.i.d6 25 'iWh3 White had the advan­
tage. 10) By the 'Portisch plan' of course!
That is, 13 . . . lLle8 14 l:.dl .i.h4 15 'iWd2
5) Many players recapture with the .i.f6 16 'iWe3 i.e5, bringing the black
pawn here, but I recommend taking king's bishop to the desired e5-square,
with the knight: 12 . . . lbxe5 ! , in order Toth-Vaulin, Budapest 1 998.
Index of Va ri ati ons

1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 A 1 : 8 lbxc6 31 8 . .bxc6 9 e5 h6 10

.

lbf6 5 lbc3 a6 .th4 g5 1 1 fxg5 lbd5 32

6 .te3 - Chapter 1 A l l : 12 lbe4 32

6 .tg5 - Chapter 2 A l 2 : 12 lbxd5 35 12... cxdS 13 �h5
6 .tc4 - Chapter 3 �b6! 35
6 .te2 - Chapter 4 A l 2 1 : 14 .te2 36
6 g3 - Chapter 5 A l 22 : 14 .td3 36
6 f4 - Chapter 6 A 2 : 8 e5 37
Other 6th Moves - Chapter 7 A3: 8 .te2 38
A4: 8 �d2?! 39
Chapter 1 : 6 .te3 B : Seventh Move Alternatives 40
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 B l : 7 �f3 40
lbf6 5 lbc3 a6 6 .te3 13 6 ... e5 13 B2: 7 �d3 41
A : 7 lbb3 14 7... .te6 8 f3 lbbd7 9 B 3 : 7 �e2 42
�d2 b5 18 B4: 7 �d2?! 42
A l : 10 g4 (and 10 0-0-0) 18 B S : 7 .te2 43
A 2: 10 a4 (and 1 0 lbd5 ) 21
B : 7 lbf3 26 Chapter 3 : 6 .tc4
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4
Chapter 2: 6 .tgS lbf6 5 lbc3 a6 6 .tc4 48 6...e6 48
1 e4 c5 2 lbf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lbxd4 A: 7 .tb3 48 7 ... b5 48
lbf6 5 lbc3 a6 6 .tg5 30 6 ...e6 30 A l : 8 0-0 48 8 ...te7 48
.

A : 7 f4 31 7 lbc6 31
.•• A l l : 9 �f3 50
128 Easy Guide to the Najdorf

A l 2 : 9 f4 54 9 .. ..tb7 54
. A5 : 9 .!:.el 91
A l 2 1 : 10 e5 55 B : 7 lL'lf3 91
A l 22: 10 ..te3 58
A2: 8 f4 60 Chapter 5: 6 g3
A3: 8 �e2 63 1 e4 c5 2 lL'lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lL'lxd4
A4: 8 �f3 64 lL'lf6 5 l2Jc3 a6 6 g3 94 6...e5 94
A5 : 8 ..tgS 65 A: 7 lL'lde2 95 7 ... l2Jbd7 95
B : 7 a3 66 A l : 8 a4 95
C: 7 a4 69 A2: 8 ..t g2 97
B: 7 lL'lb3 99
Chapter 4: 6 ..te2
1 e4 c5 2 lL'lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 l2Jxd4 Chapter 6: 6 f4
lL'lf6 5 lL'lc3 a6 6 il.e2 73 6...e5 73 1 e4 c5 2 lL'lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lL'lxd4
A: 7 lL'lb3 74 7.....te7 8 0-0 0-0 76 lL'lf6 5 l2Jc3 a6 6 f4 102 6... e5 7 lL'lf3
lL'lbd7 103
A: 8 a4 103 8 ...il.e7 103
A l : 9 ..td3 1 03 9 ...0-0 10 0-0 lL'lcS
11 'it>hl exf4 12 ..txf4 ..tg4 104
A l l : 13 '!Wel 105
A l 2: 1 3 ..te3 106
A 1 3 : 13 'it'd2 108
A2: 9 ..tc4 109 9 ...�aS 109
A2 1 : 1 0 'i*'e2 1 1 0
A22: 10 ..ta2?! 1 1 1
A23 : 1 0 ..td2 1 1 1
B : 8 ..tc4 1 1 2
C: 8 ..td3 113
A l : 9 a4 77 9 .....te6 10 f4 exf4 11
..txf4 lL'lc6 12 'it>hl .!:f.c8 79 Chapter 7 : Oth er 6th Moves
A l l : 1 3 'i*'d2 79 1 e4 c5 2 lL'lf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 lL'lxd4
A l 2: 1 3 'i*'el 80 lL'lf6 5 l2Jc3 a6
A 1 3 : 1 3 lL'ld4 80 A: 6 f3 1 1 5
A2: 9 ..te3 81 B: 6 a4 1 1 6
A3: 9 'it>hl 85 9 ... b6!? 85 C: 6 ..td3 1 1 8
A3 1 : 1 0 a4 86 D: 6 h3 1 1 9 6...e 6 7 g4 d 5 8 exd5
A32: 1 0 ..t g5 87 lL'lxdS 120
A3 3 : 10 f4 87 D I : 9 ..td2 120
A34: 1 0 ..te3 88 D2: 9 lL'lde2 121
A4: 9 f4 89 E: 6 .!:f.gl 121