6.Bg5 Najdorf Sicilian Defence
The Najdorf Defense, 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 has been a popular choice for Black for over half a century. Named after the well-liked grandmaster Miguel Najdorf, it has been adopted by most leading players at one point or another. Especially Garry Kasparov, the word’s highest ratest player since the late 1980s, is known to make a good living playing the Najdorf with the Black pieces. Here we will examine how to defend against what used to be the main attacking choice for White, the 6.Bg5 Najdorf.
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White has just played Bg5. Now Black has to consider whether capturing Black’s knight on f6 and giving Black doubled f-pawns is dangerous for Black.
6…h6?! immediately tests White’s intentions. But if White wants to take on f6, you simply lost a move with 6…h6. White may also play 7.Bh4, when the pawn on h6 could present a welcome target for White should Black castle kingside later on.
6…e5? leaves Black with a gaping hole on d5. After simply 7.Nb3 or even 7.Nf5, White retains a permanent edge in the center.
6…Be6? is awkward. White now has the choice of gaining space and time by playing f4-f5 or winning the bishop pair by taking your bishop with the knight on d4.
6…Nbd7 prepares to recapture with a knight on f6. But this move has the drawback of getting in the way of the bishop on c8. After 7.Bc4, Black will have to be very careful of playing the e-pawn to e6, because then White may choose to sacrifice a piece on e6 for 2 to 3 pawns and a lasting attack. There is no need to commit the b8-knight yet.
6…e6 prepares to develop the f8-bishop to e7. On e6, this pawn now covers the vital d5-square. White may later try to attack the e6-pawn by advancing the f-pawn to f5 in order to gain control over d5.
7.f4 gains space on the kingside and also helps prepare the dangerous pawn break e4-e5. In almost all open Sicilian systems, Black constantly needs to be on the watch for the White pawn breaks e4-e5 and f4-f5. Rarely played alternatives here include 7.Qd2, 7.Qf3 and 7.Qd3.
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Black needs to play very accurately to hold his own against White’s onslaught.
7…e5? moves the e-pawn again and leaves Black with a gaping hole on d5. After simply 8.Nb3 or even 8.Nf5, White retains a permanent edge in the center.
7…Nbd7 will likely transpose to our main line. Now look for our solution move that immediately prepares kingside castling.
7…Be7 breaks the pin against the f6-knight, develops a piece and gives Black the option to castle kingside any time.
8.Qf3 moves the queen closer to the kingside and prepares queenside castling. Sometimes White may also play 8.Qd2 or 8.Qd3 instead.
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One cannot waste any time in sharp open positions like this one.
8…0-0?! is too risky at this point. After 9.0-0-0 and soon g2-g4 to follow, White’s kingside attack is more advanced than Black’s counterplay on the queenside.
8…Nbd7 develops another piece into the action. On d7 this knight now eyes the key e5-square once more, making it harder for White to push the e- pawn to e5. Black also has another option to recapture on f6 should White ever take the f6-knight.
9.0-0-0 continues White’s very aggressive setup. Now Black will also have to be concerned about the vis-?-vis of the Black queen and the White rook on the d-file.
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White will soon try to open up the position to exploit his slight lead in development.
9…b5? is very risky and leads to hair raising complications after 10.e5 with a discovered attack on the rook on a8. If Black wants to sacrifice the exchange with 10…dxe5, hoping for 11.Qxa8 exd4, White can play 11.Nxe6 before capturing the rook on a8. This is premature.
9…Qc7 moves the queen away from the treacherous d-file onto the half-open c-file where it eyes the White monarch on c1. On c7, the queen also helps to discourage White from pushing the e-pawn to e5 and it will play a vital role in getting the c8-bishop to its ideal location.
10.g4 begins the pawn avalanche on the kingside. Now it will become increasingly difficult for Black’s king to find safety on that side of the board. White has also tried 10.Qg3, 10.Be2 and 10.Bd3 at this juncture. They each lead to different types of positions that do not pose greater problems to Black than this line does.
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Black needs to find some source of counterplay.
10…e5? prevents White from ever pushing the e-pawn to e5, but at a high price. After 10.Nf5, White has control over the d5-square and a clear advantage.
10…d5?? just loses a pawn to 11.exd5. Since Black is behind in development, he should also keep the center closed.
10…b5 finally gets the b-pawn into the action.
11.Bxf6 gives up the bishop pair. White often does so in the Open Sicilian. Here the main reason is simply to gain time. The bishop on g5 was in the way of the pawn on g4. If White tried the slower 11.a3, Black can get counterplay on the queenside by playing …Rb8, …Nc5 and eventually …b4 or …Na4.
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Play in this line can quickly become very tactical.
11…Nxf6 recaptures on f6 with the horse. This is the best choice as the main alternative 11…Bxf6? gives White the promising piece sacrifice 12.Bxb5!? axb5 13.Ndxb5 (attacking the queen!) followed by 14.Nxd6+ and 15.e5 with a strong attack. Black’s third option 11…gxf6? would leave Black’s pawn structure permanently compromised.
12.g5 attacks the knight and thus doesn’t leave Black much time to think about his own plans. If White tries 12.a3, then 12…Nd7 is considered the safest continuation.
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Again there are not too many reasonable choices for Black.
12…Nd7 retreats the attacked knight back to where it came from. This is clearly better than retreating the knight to the back rank (g8).
13.f5 again is the most aggressive continuation. If White plays the slower 13.h4, Black stands well after 13…b4 14.Nce2 Nc5 15.Ng3 Bb7. Another alternative, 13.a3, leads to unclear play after 13…Rb8 14.h4 b4 15.axb4 Rxb4 16.Bh3. Black was fine in Hector-Ftacnik (2001) following the patient 13.Kb1 b4 14.Nce2 Bb7 15.Bg2 g6!?
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Black has to make an important decision here.
13…e5? leaves Black with big holes and serious problems after 14.Nd5.
13…exf5? is exactly what White wants. After 14.Nd5 and soon Nxf5, White’s knights will dominate the entire board. You can’t give away control of the key d5 and f5-squares this easily.
13…Nc5 is considered most reliable in this position. If Black instead takes the offered pawn with 13…Bxg5+, the bishop becomes a target after 14.Kb1, while e6 is also under attack. Another alternative is 13…Ne5, but after 14.Qg3, White’s queen is considered to be on a better square.
14.f6 advances the f-pawn again with further gain of time. The main alternative 14.h4 b4 leads to unclear complications.
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White’s last move has changed the nature of the position. Now Black doesn’t have to worry about the e6-pawn and the d5-square anymore.
14…gxf6 keeps the f-file closed. The only reasonable alternative 14…Bf8 runs into 15.fxg7 Bxg7 16.Bxb5+! axb5 17.Ndxb5 followed by 18.Nxd6+ and 19.e5. Once again White would obtain three pawns with a strong attack for the sacrificed bishop.
15.gxf6 recaptures the pawn and renews the threat against the bishop on e7.
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Once more Black has to make a defensive move. Rest assured, soon Black will have a chance to think about counterplay.
Oh no! 15…Bxf6?? just loses the bishop and the game to 16.Qxf6. Don’t underestimate your opponent’s ideas.
15…Bf8 retreats the bishop to the best square. The only reasonably looking alternative 15…Bd8 runs into 16.Bxb5+! axb5 17.Ndxb5 followed by 18.Nxd6+ and 19.e5 with a strong attack for the sacrificed bishop. White will often continue with 16.Qh5, while 16.Rg1 and 16.a3 are two reasonable alternatives. Black should be careful after 16.Qh5 to not provoke a dangerous piece sacrifice with 16…b4 17.Nd5 exd5 18.exd5, giving White a strong attack due to the open e-file and the strong pawns on f6 and d5.
A safer try would be 16…Rg8 with the idea of 17…Rg6. The game Timman-Ljubojevic (1983) continued with 17.Bh3 Rg6 18.Rhe1 Bd7 19.Nd5 Qb7 20.Nf5 exd5 21.exd5 Kd8 22.Qxh7 and Black prevailed after a long battle.
In general, White will try to open up the uncastled Black king, even at the price a sacrificing a piece. Black needs to be very careful that the e-file stays closed. He will often try to castle queenside under favorable circumstances and must generate some counter play at the same time.
Should you not like defending this type of position, you can look for interesting and sharp alternatives in 6…Nc6, 7…Qc7 and 7…Qb6. If White wants to leave the path of main line theory early on, his best chance to do so is probably 7.Qd3, which forces Black to play with considerable caution.
Posted: February 20th, 2009 under Chess.