Najdorf Variation

Sicilian Defense

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

Black plays a6 to gain control of the b5 square and prepare for flexibility in pawn structures.

Fun fact: Miguel Najdorf also set a world record for blindfold chess, playing 40 opponents at once in 1943 and 45 in 1947. Source

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The idea

5...a6 is a quiet-looking move with a clear purpose: it keeps White's knights and light-squared bishop off b5, and it keeps Black's options open. Depending on White's setup, Black can follow with ...e5, ...e6, or ...b5.

It is one of the most popular and most analyzed openings in chess, and Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave have all played it.

Plans for White

White has many setups. The English Attack (6.Be3, with f3, Qd2, g4 and long castling) and 6.Bg5 lead to sharp, attacking play. The Classical 6.Be2 aims for a calmer, positional game with short castling.

Plans for Black

Choose the central setup that fits White's: ...e5 gains space and kicks the knight from d4, but leaves a hole on d5. ...e6 keeps a compact center. In both, Black's counterplay comes from ...b5, the c-file and sometimes ...d5.

Watch out for

For Black, the d5 square. After ...e5, d5 can't be guarded by a pawn any more, and a White knight landing there can dominate the position. Anatoly Karpov often exploited it. Fight for d5 with ...Be6, ...Nbd7 and ...Rc8, or play ...e6 instead.

For White, the danger is ignoring Black's counterplay. Black's queenside expansion with ...b5 can arrive quickly, especially if White castles long.

History

The variation is named after Miguel Najdorf, a Polish-Argentine grandmaster, although he was not the first strong player to use it. Czech master Karel Opočenský was among the first to combine 5...a6 with ...e5.

Lines from here

English Attack Be3 e5 Nb3
Classical Variation Be2 e5 Nb3 Be7