Originally posted by arrakisU mightn't know this, but its very handy. Click on the date under the 'Last Post' heading on the thread list page, and it auto brings u to the last page of the thread.
I posted this article... probably should've started a new thread cause now you have to go to the end of these messages to find it. <sigh>
D
Originally posted by LordOfTheChessboardThanks... I spent a lot of time finding the proper games and stuff for the article. Actually, the thing took 8 hours of my time. Most of it just looking for the proper games and stuff.
Good stuff!! You almost had me considering to take up the sicilian again. But the closed variation is just to borring for me to play againts with black. And at otb almost everyone plays it!
Originally posted by arrakisI very much enjoyed it and have got it saved for if I ever change from playing d4 and the Sicilian Dragon.
Thanks... I spent a lot of time finding the proper games and stuff for the article. Actually, the thing took 8 hours of my time. Most of it just looking for the proper games and stuff.
Maybe I could get some of my Dragon notes done like this...
I just saw some analysis from GM Larry Christansen, stating that 10. f5 is the best chance for white and after 10...Nc6 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. e5!? dxe5 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Ne4, that the position is still unclear even after 15...Qxa2 16. Rd1 Be7 17. Be2 (Threatening nasty check on h5) 0-0 18. 0-0 and black should hold but is still unclear after Ra7.
Just thought I'd throw in some analysis
Originally posted by TimmyToiletTHANKS! All Sicilian players need to know these lines.
I just saw some analysis from GM Larry Christansen, stating that 10. f5 is the best chance for white and after 10...Nc6 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. e5!? dxe5 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Ne4, that the position is still unclear even after 15...Qxa2 16. Rd1 Be7 17. Be2 (Threatening nasty check on h5) 0-0 18. 0-0 and black should hold but is still unclear after Ra7.
Just thought I'd throw in some analysis
:-)
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 (2. Ne2 is a better more flexible move, but if white intends to play the line below it makes no difference besides keeping black wondering which line you will decide to play. 2. c3 is also good)d6 (2. ...a6 is probably better due to the annoying Bb5+ and other possiblities. It is simply a more flexible move, since black almost always plays it in the sicilian. For example white could play Bc4 and if black wants to play e6 and d5 he wasted a tempo.) 3. d4 not necessarily the strongest line for white in my opinion. ...cxd4 4. Nxd4 (Qxd4 is playable here) ...Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 while this move certainly isn't good, I wouldn't call it a mistake. There are better tries in this position. Playing Bg5 puts the bishop to no good use (the pin will be broken by moves black was going to play anyways. And besides trading with Bxf6 the bishop will have to move again to accomplish anything useful) ...e6 7. f4? This is ugly chess. Besides locking his bishop in place on g5 and controling e5, this pawn move is useless. If white wants to play f4 he should wait until more essential moves are played first (ie develop his pieces). ...Qb6 8. Qd2? this move can offer white a draw at best. It is very difficult to obtain any sort of advantage after this move, so I call it a mistake. Admittedly, black cannot force a win after this (white has just enough resources). Much better is 8. Nb3 (unless black doesn't know of the traps/main tactical possiblities that arise after ...Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 in which case he can get into serious trouble.) with chances for both sides. p.s. My favorite game with this opening is probably Robert Byrne vs. Larry Evans. Interesting game, and for those who play this line as black you'll see it's one of those traps to avoid 😉 however Byrne missed the asthetically pleasing 33. gxf6 Rg8 34. Ng5 Nf8 35. Nf7#
Originally posted by bobbob1056thAs simple as that, isn't it? I don't know where you got this from, but this is nonsense. Most top players have played the 6.Bg5 7.f4 line, and only few top black players go for the risky Qb6 and Qxb2. Not even Morozevich! I know Kasparov played it a few times as black (he even managed draw against Vallejo Pons last year, hardly a refutation of white's play is it).
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 (2. Ne2 is a better more flexible move, but if white intends to play the line below it makes no difference besides keeping black wondering which line you will decide to play. 2. c3 is also good)d6 (2. ...a6 is probably better due to the annoying Bb5+ and other possiblities. It is simply a more flexible move, since black almost always p ...[text shortened]... ps to avoid 😉 however Byrne missed the asthetically pleasing 33. gxf6 Rg8 34. Ng5 Nf8 35. Nf7#
You have a point. But consider the traxler counterattack. Look at the win-loss-draw record. I believe it scores very good for black, but it is in fact losing with good play. It surprises me because this opening has been around for so long and has been analyzed so extensively, and even the world's top players such as India's Anand has tried it. So much for statistics. The poison pawn variation will probably eventually get a main line much longer than it is now, where it will be easier to draw.
edit: sicilian/najdorf/poisoned pawn variation
"U mightn't know this, but its very handy. Click on the date under the 'Last Post' heading on the thread list page, and it auto brings u to the last page of the thread.
" Hey thanks! Now I can look at threads with over 20 pages without having to click on each page or type in the url!