Carsten Hansen - Miniatures in the Sicilian Najdorf

Miniatures

in the

Sicilian Najdorf

By
Carsten Hansen

Russell Enterprises 2016 Milford, CT USA

Miniatures in the Sicilian Najdorf

Copyright 2016

Carsten Hansen

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-1-941270-47-9 (eBook)

No part of this book may be used, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any manner or form whatsoever or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Published by:

Russell Enterprises, Inc.

P.O. Box 3131

Milford, CT 06460 USA

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Miniatures in the Series Introduction

Welcome to the Miniatures in the series. Each eBook will be devoted to one opening or major variation. The idea is to present a mix of interesting miniatures, combinations, instructive mistakes along with some accompanying opening theory putting everything into context.

For the purpose of this series, we are defining miniatures as games lasting 25 moves or less with a decisive result.

In the past, collections of miniatures typically have presented games spanning a large variety of openings, with lines which often are rarely used or irrelevant. In addition, many of the games are between weak players or players with a substantial difference in playing strength.

This series will focus on games between stronger players, a minimum of ELO 2350, thus making the games much more relevant, as they are less marred by obvious blunders, dropping pieces or missing simple mates. Although mistakes or blunders will have to occur to have a game finish decisively in 25 moves or less, the mistakes are more likely to be more instructive. In addition, by only covering a single opening or opening variation, the reader gets better and deeper coverage, as well as an overview of the particular openings features and characteristics.

You can use this book as an idea catalogue of tricky and interesting lines or to check your tactical skills. The many diagrams will help you sort out issues, calculate or find a winning continuation. Of course, you can simply enjoy these games which are, by and large, all quite entertaining. Finally, there is a treasure trove of opening theory included, and not just existing theory, but also numerous new ideas and improvements.

Enjoy!

Carsten Hansen
Bayonne 2016

Introduction
Miniatures in the Sicilian Najdorf

The purpose of the book is to entertain and educate you. The entertainment consists of 100 main games all of which are 25 moves or less. In addition to the main games, you will find miniatures included in the notes, along with many other complete games.

The education part involves solving tactical puzzles, reasoning your way to the right move, spotting combinations and studying the theory associated with these lines. While the theoretical coverage may not necessarily be as deep as in opening monographs or repertoire books, theres usually more than enough to give you a good understanding of the particular line, making it easier for you to incorporate it into your opening repertoire. We have also tried to include some key alternatives with analysis to give you an idea of other possibilities for both sides.

As for the games, they are typically between players with a rating of at least 2350 and in fact are often stronger. However, I have made some exceptions to this guiding principle when a lower-rated player beats a player rated above the magical 2350 number. So that the performances of the players may be evaluated better, I have included their ELO ratings.

The subject of this book is the Najdorf Sicilian, which arises after 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6. (D)

The Najdorf has been and continues to be a tremendously popular opening at all levels. It is sharp, unbalanced, with many theory-laden lines and fun. The main lines after 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4 are steeped in theory, making them tricky to play, especially for players with limited time to study. That being said, I have presented a number of games in sidelines which will offer both sides the opportunity to play this opening without having to worry about studying sufficient amount of theory. Please note, however, that if you plan to make any of these lines part of your repertoire permanently, studying them in greater detail is recommended.

The material has been divided into seven chapters, not all equal in length. This is of course because some lines are played far more frequently than others and therefore should be represented accordingly, but I think you will find a decent representation of all relevant lines.

One final note I have refrained from covering lines which start with a Najdorf move order [B90-B99], but then merge with lines which fall in the Scheveningen Sicilian [B80-B89] classification. This means that neither the main lines of the English Attack, 6 Be3 e6 7 f3, nor the Fischer Attack, 6 Bc4 e6, are covered in this volume. These lines will be featured in a future volume on the Scheveningen.

Comments? Please do not hesitate to send them to .

Good luck and enjoy!

Carsten Hansen
Bayonne, NJ
February 2016

Chapter 1

Minor Lines

6 h3, 6 a4, 6 g3 [B90] & [B91]

In this chapter, we will focus on the minor lines. Most of this lines have never had a major or regular following by top players, although they have seen their share of action.

For instance, 6 h3 was played a few times by Bobby Fischer, but then faded away. This line has once again emerged from its dusty shelf and found its way into the repertoires of top players, mostly those who would like a breather from the forced and theory-laden lines of the English Attack.

Of the others lines in this chapter, 6 g3 is probably one of the more frequently seen moves, although this mostly positional line should not unduly worry Black.

Game 1

Zhang Pengxiang (2603) Zhou Jianchao (2652)

Hefei 2010

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 e5 7.Nde2 h5 8.Bg5 Be6 9.f4 Nbd7 10.f5

White has also tried the artificial looking 10.g3, e.g., 10Rc8 11.Bg2 b5 12.Qd2 Be7 13.0-0 Qc7 14.a3 Bc4 15.Rf3 0-0 16.b3 Bxe2 17.Qxe2 Qa5 with chances for both sides, Sipos-Brkic, Harkany 2009.

10Bc4

11.b3

The text move aims to lay claim to the light squares and the d5-square in particular. But at the same time it ends up weakening the dark squares dramatically. White should instead opt for 11.Ng3 which has seen support by a couple of top players: 11Rc8 12.Qf3 (or 12.Bxc4 Rxc4 13.Qd3 Rd4 14.Qf3 Qc7 15.0-0 Rc4 16.Kh1 h4 17.Nge2 Be7 18.Rac1 b5 19.b3 Rc5 20.a3, and a draw was agreed upon, Vallejo Pons-Lopez Martinez, Palma de Mallorca 2009, even though there is obviously plenty left to play for) 12Be7 (12h4 13.Bxc4 Rxc4 14.Nf1 Qc7 15.Bxf6 Nxf6 16.0-0-0 d5 17.Nd2 d4? [17dxe4!? 18.Ndxe4 Be7 is more solid and substantially better] 18.Nxc4 Qxc4 19.Qe2 Qxe2 20.Nxe2 Nxe4 21.Nxd4 Nf2 22.Rhe1 Nxd1 23.Rxe5+ Kd7 24.Kxd1, and White is a pawn up and went on to win, Naiditsch-Olszewski, Trzcianka 2012) 13.0-0-0 Qc7 14.Bxc4 Qxc4 15.Bxf6 Nxf6 16.Nf1 b5? (This is natural, but Black has a much stronger alternative in 16d5! 17.exd5 Ba3!, and Black is taking over control of the game) 17.Ne3 Qc6 18.h4 Bd8 19.Ncd5 Nxd5 20.Rxd5 Bb6 21.Rd2 Bxe3 22.Qxe3 with a small, but clear advantage for White, Naiditsch-Spoelman, Germany 2010.