FM David H. Levin: <<N.O.F. NAJDORF>: What was the point of 9 ... Nh5 if black was not going to follow up with ... f5 ?> My guess is that Black had intended 10...f5 but noticed an apparent problem with it after White played 10. Nd2. After 10...f5, the natural reaction 11. f4 might have led to 11...exf4 12. gxf4 Bd4+ 13. Kh1 Qh4 14. Qe1 Qxe1 15. Raxe1,  click for larger viewwhen Black could choose the solid 15...Bd7 or the adventurous 15...Be3. I haven't found a path to a White advantage after either move. However, instead of 11. f4 (after 10...f5), White could continue 11. Nd5, intending 11...f4 (To prevent 12. f4, which might have been good, now that Black's bishop could no longer reach e3 via d4.) 12. e3 (Not strictly necessary, but it does prevent 12...Bg4, 12...g5, and 12...Nd4.) 12...Be6 13. Ne4 (With 14. Bf3 looming.),  click for larger viewwhen Black perhaps judged that his kingside attacking chances wouldn't sufficiently compensate for his weakened light squares in the center. Perhaps this is why Black refrained from 10...f5. <<N.O.F. NAJDORF>: What was the point of 11 ... Bh6?> In conjunction with 12...Nd4, it seems an attempt to create tactical threats such as 13...Bxd2 14. Qxd2 Nb3. <<N.O.F. NAJDORF>: Why did black not play 12 ... Rb8, which would at least have made use of the bishop on h6?> On 12...Rb8,
 click for larger view13. Qa4 wouldn't yet be playable (which I surmise was your observation). However, Black might have been concerned about the weakness of his c-pawn. For example, 13. bxc5 dxc5 14. Nb3 Qe7 15. Ne4 b6 16. Nexc5 bxc5 17. Bxc6 Rb6 18. Bb5,  click for larger viewand White b5-bishop is not ideally placed. But I'm not sure how Black can exploit this, and he is a pawn down and has three pawn islands to White's two. If Black's 11...Bh6 was with the intent of 12...Nd4, then he probably wouldn't have spent much time on alternatives at move 12. |