Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation

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This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation

Moves

1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6

ECO

B90-B99

Named after

Miguel Najdorf

Parent

Sicilian Defence

Chessgames.com opening explorer

The Najdorf Variation^[1] of the Sicilian Defence is one of the most complex and respected of all chess openings. It is one of Black's most popular responses to 1.e4. The opening is named after the Polish-Argentinian Grandmaster Miguel Najdorf, who was born in Poland 1910.

It begins thus:

1. e4 c5

2. Nf3 d6

3. d4 cxd4

4. Nxd4 Nf6

5. Nc3 a6

Black's fifth move, ...a6, aims to deny White the b5 square for his knights and light-colored bishop while maintaining maximum flexibility against White's attack.

Black's plan is usually to start a minority pawn attack on the queenside and put pressure on White's e4 pawn. Often this can be done through playing ...b5, ...Bb7, and putting a knight on c5. White also has to look out for exchange sacrifices by Black on c3 where White usually has a knight posted guarding the important e4 pawn. This exchange sacrifice is a recurring theme in the Sicilian Defence.

The oldest, sharpest response by White is an immediate 6.Bg5, generally countered by 6...e6, followed by 7.f4, hoping to exploit the pin on the knight. The simplest response by Black is 7...Be7, when the main line continues 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.0-0-0 Nbd7 and now 10.g4 or 10.Bd3. 8...h6 9.Bh4 g5 is the infamous Argentine (Goteborg) Variation, named for a Swiss town where the variation was first played by the Argentenian Team and the 1955 Olympiad. In this experiment the three Argentenian's lost and the line was considered refuted. 10.fxg5 Nfd7 (Black aims to route a knight to e5, and then back it up by a knight at d7 or c6). 11.Nxe6! was found by Efim Geller. 11...fxe6 12.Qh5+ Kf8 13.Bb5 and here two of threee Argentine Tragedy games continued 13...Ne5, with one deviating by 13...Kg7. It was only years later, in 1958 that Bobby Fischer discovered the defensive resource 13...Rh7. Modern theory has the line analyzed to a draw at best for White. However, Black's most popular choice at the master level is 7...Qb6!?, leading to the extremely complicated Poisoned Pawn Variation (8. Qd2 Qxb2 9. Rb1 (or 9.Nb3) Qa3. Black is up a pawn but somewhat underdeveloped: however, his pieces can quickly become mobile and his position is not easy for White to break. Grandmasters Kiril Georgiev and Atanas Kolev, on page 10 of their 2007 book on the Najdorf The Sharpest Sicilian, state "For many years 6.Bg5 has been supposed to be the potential buster of the Najdorf, but nowadays it is seldom seen at the highest level. That is due to the so-called Poisoned Pawn variation . . . ." In their opinion the line leads to a draw with best play, as in Vallejo Pons-Kasparov, Moscow 2004^[2], which they state "will probably remain the last word of theory in that line . . . . " (page 11). Other well-known replies to 7.f4 include 7...Qc7, championed by Garry Kasparov and Boris Gelfand, 7...Nbd7, the risky 7...Nc6!?, and 7...b5, the ultra-sharp Polugaevsky Variation^[3].

Because of the success of various players with these variations (notably Bobby Fischer and Kasparov), White often plays 6. Be2 and goes for a quieter, more positional game, whereupon Black has the option of transposing into a Scheveningen Variation by playing 6...e6 or opt to stay in the Najdorf by playing 6...e5. 6. Bc4 (the Sozin Variation), 6.g3, and 6. f4 are also respected responses to the Najdorf.

Since the early 1990s, the English Attack^[4] (6.Be3 followed by f2-f3, g2-g4, Qd2 and 0-0-0 in some order) has become extremely popular and has been intensively analysed, although 6...Ng4!? has cast somewhat a shadow on its use following Garry Kasparov's successful utilization of it. However, white players who wish to avoid 6... Ng4!? can play 6. f3, transposing into the English Attack. On the other hand, if white plays 6. Be3, white has the potential to play into the Perenyi attack if black follows up with 6... e6, as white is able to push g2-g4 immediately without having to play f2-f3. The Perenyi attack leads to ultra sharp and very complex positions.