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Chess Opening Analysis

Sicilian Defense - The 5...Bd7!? Line [B56]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bd7!?

Idea of this move is to avoid "main lines" in all the principal variations in Sicilian defense. Black by playing 5....Bd7 can later switch to the Scheveningen, Sozin, or Dragon variations - or play independent lines not well explored by theory.

6.Bg5

White has many other possibilities:

1) 6.f3 e5 7.Nb3 Bc6

a) 8.Nd5? Bxd5 9.exd5

Here we can see how tricky is 5....Bd7. Let's compare this position with the Rauser line 5....Nc6 6.f3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.Nd5 Bxd5 9.exd5 Nb8. Playing ...Bd7-c6-d5 Black won a tempo!

9...Be7 10.Be3 0-0 11.Qd2 Nbd7 12.Be2 Qc8! 13.c4 Bd8 It is very important to exchange dark-squared Bishops. After this Black is simply much better. 14.Rc1 Bb6 15.0-0 (15.Bxb6 axb6 and Black controls the c5 square, while White remains without counterplay.) 15...Bxe3+ 16.Qxe3 a5 17.Kh1 Qc7 18.Nd2 Rac8 19.Nb1 Nh5 20.Nc3 Nc5 21.Bd1 Qd8 22.a3 Qh4 with a big advantage for Black in Turzo-Blehm, India 1998.

b) 8.Be3 Be7 9.Qd2 a5! That is how Black should attack. 10.a4 Na6 11.0-0-0 Nb4 12.Qf2 0-0 13.g4 Qe8 14.g5 Nh5 15.Nb5 Rc8

16.Bh3

16.Na7 Bxa4! Otherwise White is better. 17.Nxc8 Qxc8 18.Na1 (The only move! If 18.Kb1 Qxc2+ 19.Qxc2 Nxc2 20.Kxc2 Rc8+ 21.Kb1 Bxb3 and Black is much better.) 18...Qe6 19.b3 Rc8 and although White won the game, Black had excellent compensation in Blehm-Kengis, Koszalin 1998.

16...Bxb5! A very strong, intuitional sacrifice. 17.Bxc8 Bxa4 18.Bg4

18...Qb5!! 19.Na1 If 19.Rc8 Bxh5 and Black should be winning. 19...Na2+ 20.Kb1 Nc3+ 21.Kc1 Nxd1 Black could force draw but another sacrifice leads to very complicated position. 22.Rxd1 Nf4 23.b3 Bxg5 24.bxa4 Qxa4 Black has very good compensation for the sacrificed material. Jansa-Kengis, Hamburg 1995.

2) 6.Bc4 e6 (6...Nc6 transposes to the line 5....Nc6 6.Bc4 Bd7. According to the theory White is slightly better here, but in our opinion Black has not developed all his resources in this line.) 7.0-0 (7.Bb3 Na6!? 8.0-0 Nc5) 7...Be7 8.Be3 0-0 9.f4 Nc6 with unclear theoretical position.

3) 6.g3 g6 leads to the Dragon g2-g3 lines, which are usually not very dangerous for Black. 7.Bg2 Bg7 8.0-0 Nc6 9.Nb3 (This square is not the best place for the Knight. Instead, 9.Nde2 leads to the Dragon g2-g3 main lines.) 9...0-0 10.Re1 a5 11.a4 Nb4 12.Nb5 Bg4 13.f3 Be6 with an unclear position. Guseinov-Blehm, Aviles 2000.

4) 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Bg3 Bg7

Comparing this position to the Najdorf line 5...a6 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Bg3 Bg7, Black has played the more useful ...Bd7 instead of the pawn move ...a7-a6.

5) 6.f4 e5! (6...Nc6 is also possible but leads to well known positions.) 7.Nf3 Bc6 8.Bd3 Nbd7 with no problems for Black.

6) 6.Be2 e6

Interesting is 6...e5 7.Nb3 Bc6 8.Bg5 Nbd7 9.f3 h6 10.Be3 Be7 11.Qd2 0-0 12.0-0-0

12...a5 (12...a6 followed by ...b7-b5 guarantee at least equal chances.) 13.Kb1 (13.a4 Nb6) 13...a4 14.Nc1 a3 (but not 14...Qa5 15.a3 with the idea Na2-b4 or Nd3-b4, and Black can only wait for mate on the Kingside. Shahade-Blehm, Bermuda 2001.) 15.b3 Qa5 with the idea ...Rfc8 and Black's position is excellent.

7.0-0 Be7 8.Be3 Nc6 transposes to the Scheveningen "...Bd7" line, which according to the latest theory is okay for Black.

6...e6

6...Nc6 leads to the Richter-Rauser variation, usually played in the order of moves 5...Nc6 6.Bg5 Bd7.

7.Qd2

7.Ndb5 Bc6 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Qh5 a6 10.Nd4 Bd7 11.Bc4 (11.0-0-0 with equal chances.) 11...Qc8 12.Bb3 Qc5 13.Nf5 After the exchange of Queens Black is better. 13...Nc6 14.Qh4 0-0-0 15.Qxf6 Rg8 16.Ng3 Ne5 17.Qf4 h5 with a huge advantage for Black. Perunovic-Ivanisevic, Yugoslavia 1999.

7...a6 8.0-0-0

8.f3 Nc6 ...b5 would be a mistake, as after 9.a4 white is better. Interesting is 8...Be7 waiting for 9.0-0-0 after which 9...b5 leads to a complicated position. In this line Black should delay developing his Knight on b8.) 9.0-0-0 leads to the Richter-Rauser main lines, but White already lost his chance to play the f2-f4 line.

8...h6 9.Bxf6

9.Be3 Ng4! In the main line of the Richter-Rauser Attack this move is not so strong. If we had played ...Nc6 instead of ...Bd7 White could play here 10.Nxc6 bxc6 and 11.Bc5! with advantage. But in this position White is forced to exchange dark-squared Bishops and lose his opening advantage.

9...Qxf6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Nf3 0-0-0 12.h4 Kb8 13.Bc4 Bc8
14.g4 Qe7 15.g5 g6

The position is unclear. White has some advantage in space but Black's Bishop pair guarantees his chances to be no worse in the middlegame. Bologan-Zvjaginsev, Russia 1996.

Want to learn more about the Najdorf? Click here!

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