Subscribe

Sicilian Defence: Najdorf, 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 (Classical Main Line)

Smeets–Ivanchuk, Corus A Wijk aan Zee 2010 · Wang–Nakamura, 45th Biel GM 2012 · 6:48 · ECO B96

Open on YouTube ↗

In this video

Game 1: Jan Smeets (2657) vs Vassily Ivanchuk (2749)

Corus A Wijk aan Zee 2010, 18 January 2010 · Black won (0-1) · 36 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.
  10. 10.
  11. 11.
  12. 12.
  13. 13.
  14. 14.
  15. 15.
  16. 16.
  17. 17.
  18. 18.
  19. 19.
  20. 20.
  21. 21.
  22. 22.
  23. 23.
  24. 24.
  25. 25.
  26. 26.
  27. 27.
  28. 28.
  29. 29.
  30. 30.
  31. 31.
  32. 32.
  33. 33.
  34. 34.
  35. 35.
  36. 36.

Key moments

  1. 7...Qc7The first move after the opening line0:34
  2. 28.Na1The evaluation moves from −1.38 to −3.47, and Black stays more than two pawns ahead from here2:09
  3. 32.Ka2The evaluation moves from −2.50 to −5.952:29
  4. 34.Qa1The evaluation moves from −5.26 to −10.002:39
  5. 36...Rb8Black wins after 36 moves2:52

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

Game 2: Wang Hao (2739) vs Hikaru Nakamura (2778)

45th Biel GM 2012, 25 July 2012 · White won (1-0) · 47 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.
  10. 10.
  11. 11.
  12. 12.
  13. 13.
  14. 14.
  15. 15.
  16. 16.
  17. 17.
  18. 18.
  19. 19.
  20. 20.
  21. 21.
  22. 22.
  23. 23.
  24. 24.
  25. 25.
  26. 26.
  27. 27.
  28. 28.
  29. 29.
  30. 30.
  31. 31.
  32. 32.
  33. 33.
  34. 34.
  35. 35.
  36. 36.
  37. 37.
  38. 38.
  39. 39.
  40. 40.
  41. 41.
  42. 42.
  43. 43.
  44. 44.
  45. 45.
  46. 46.
  47. 47.

Key moments

  1. 7...b5The first move after the opening line3:24
  2. 17.Nfg5The evaluation moves from +0.78 to −0.714:05
  3. 26...Nd6The evaluation moves from −3.10 to +0.824:52
  4. 29...Kd8The evaluation moves from +0.85 to +2.97, and White stays more than two pawns ahead from here5:08
  5. 47.Qh2White wins after 47 moves6:35

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

About these games

After 6.Bg5 White pins the f6-knight and prepares f4, aiming for an early e5 or f5 against Black's small centre of pawns on d6 and e6. Black keeps the Najdorf's flexible set-up and counters with queenside expansion through ...b5, often letting the f6-knight be exchanged or attacked in return for the bishop pair and play on the c-file.

Smeets–Ivanchuk continued 7...Qc7 8.Qf3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6, so Black took doubled f-pawns but kept both bishops. White castled long with 12.O-O-O, pushed 13.f5 and won the h5-pawn with 17.Qxh5, while Black left the king on e7 and advanced the a- and b-pawns. The engine stayed near +0.92 for White until Black's queenside play took over: 28.Na1 moved the score from −1.38 to −3.47, and after ...b4 and ...a3 the knight raid ...Nxb2 tore open the king's cover. 32.Ka2 took it to −5.95, 34.Qa1 to −10.00, and after 36...Rb8 Black won.

Wang–Nakamura went into the sharp Polugaevsky Variation, 7...b5 8.e5 dxe5 9.fxe5 Qc7 10.exf6, where Black wins the g5-bishop and White keeps a pawn on f6 against the black king. Black held an edge for a long time, −3.10 before 26...Nd6, which swung the score to +0.82. White then sacrificed with 27.Rxd5 and 28.Bxe6, and after 29.f7+ Kd8 the score rose from +0.85 to +2.97. White promoted on f8, emerged with an extra piece and won after 47.Qh2. Here the attack came through the centre and the f-file against the uncastled king, whereas in Game 1 Black's pawn storm broke open White's queenside-castled king.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Introduction and the opening line
  2. 0:10Game 1: Smeets vs Ivanchuk, Corus A Wijk aan Zee 2010
  3. 3:00Game 2: Wang vs Nakamura, 45th Biel GM 2012

The opening line

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4

See every video from this position →