B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5

<1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d5 cxd5 4. Nxd5 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3>

( To start of the analysis of the game, I first analyize the opening to better understand the player's ideas, and to check the accuracy of their moves. )

[ A critical move in the open sicilian. The 6. f3 variation allows white to play Be3 while protecting g4 preventing the Ng4 Bg5 h6 Bh4 g5 Bg3 variation. 5. f3 transposes, or allowing, 5.. e5 6. Bg5+ Nd7 7. Nf5 d5 8. exd5 a6, and as statistics shows, this line gives black a very good game. With black, there are two main variations, 6... e6 and 6... e5.

Black has also tried 6... Qb6, but white seems to get a very good game after 7. g4 which stays consistent to white's f3 plan, with expansion of the king side, while also threatening to misplace blacks peices, obtaining a massive spacial advantage, black will have some problems developing his lightsquare bishop. Black has tried the continuation 7.. e5 8. Nb3 Be6 9. Qd3 Nc6 (preparing to remove his d6 weakness, for example; 10. Be3 Qc7 11. 0-0-0 Nb4 12. Qd2 d5, if 13. a3 Nxc2 14. Kxc2 d4 15. Bxd4 exd4 16. Qxd4 and black gains a strong initiative workong on the weakened whites kind an knight a b3 with all but his king rook working on the attack.) 10. Be3 Qc7 11. g5! d5?! (11.. Nh5 and white has an easy game 12. 0-0-0, which is what black might have been thinking) 12. gxf6 d4 13. Bxd4 (13. Nxd4 exd4 Bxd4 Rd8, now if 13... exd4 Rd8 white has the resource Nxd6!) 13... Nb4 14. Qe2 Bxb3 15. axb4 exd4 16. Qc5, and white went on to winning with the supieor endgame.

Following on with 6.e6, black wants to prevent his backward pawn leaving the d5 center break avialabe, while removing the d5 square for white's knight with the idea of b5 b4 pawn storming gaining tempo on the queen side attack, and going a fortress with maybe the idea of nd7 b5 Qc7 Bb7 and Nb5, though white obviously has counterplay. The main line follows as 6... e6 7. Be3 Nd7 8. g4 h6 9. Qd2 b5, with many variations leading to a complicated game, well worth studying.

Know Svidler he probably went is going for the 6... e5 variation for the sheer activity of his peices, and for a positional disadvantage. Black plans to rapidly devlop his light squared bishop and strive for a break in the center with d5, or an attack to whites queen side with a pawn storm. Black also plans to 'try' and prevent f4 and tame whites kind side attack. All variations with 6. f3 seem to end with a position of opposite castled kings, and the timing and the swiftness of each attack seems to play a paramount part of the descision of the game. after 6... e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Be3 Nd7 (Hoping to quickly allow b5 before g4 Nb6 g5 Nh5) 9. g4, with much of the same idea of the 6. e6 variation.]

[ Svidler diverts from the much played Nd7 in search for a castling quickly to bring his rook in to play, also dampening whites play of g4 g5 by keeping constant observation on the g5 pawn with the bishop, and now if black can exchange his queen side knight for the dark square bishop black has a fantastic square for his knight, as is shown through the course of the game. The immediate 7... d5 simplifies to an endgame slightly favorable for white after 7... d5 8. exd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. Qxd5 Bxd5 ]

<9. Qd2> (9. g4 is less accurate due to 9... d5 allow black to simplify the game. Leko's technique here is to try and have black play Nd7 prior to playing g4/g5, and if Nc6, white's Nd5 gives him a good game.)

<9... 0-0 10. 0-0-0 Nd7 11. g4 Qc7 12. Kb1 b5 13. g5 Nh5 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 Nb6>

<16. Rg1> (subtle maneuver, leko must still be in his book. If white goes for the immediate idea of Nc6, with 16. Bxb6 Qxb6 17. Na6 Rc8 18. Nc6 Bf8 and now black now black can activate his king side knight to the f4 square with out contest like he so much desired and black has a good game) <16... Rb8> (16... Nc4 17. Bxc4 bxc4 18. Na6 Rb8 19. Qc3 followed by Nc6 and now whites knight protects the b8 square, whill attacking blacks bishop upholding the base of his central pawn chain, and white manages to obtain a wonderful game.) <17. Rg4> (Now Bxb6 is answered by Rxb6 and the black bishop is protected by the queen.) <17... g6> (17... Nc4 18. Bxc4 bxc4 19 Qa5 wins a pawn for white with a solid position. Svidler is giving his knight a place to go, though the black knight does assist in blockading the pawn storm, g6 followed by Ng7 works too)

<18. h4 Ng7?! 19. Bxb6!> (Now this maneuver which has been analyised again and again takes place now since black would have to spend 2 extra tempo to obtain the f4 square for his knight. Could this have been prepared by Svidler, or has he forgotten the whole theory of the current variation where on? Maybe Svidler should've left his knight at h4 helping blockade the king side attack and countering the Bxb6 idea. Or as fritz says, which I very much agree 18... f5 19. Rb4=) <19... Qxb6?!> (What's svidler thinking?! Whats Leko thinking!! I personally would be worried of something home brewed, but knowing svidler, he doesn't seem to spend much time with the such. 19... Rxb6 20 Na5 Ra8 20. Nc6 Bf8, Beleive it or not, Shredder thinks that Svidler should play Nh5->Ng7 all over again!)

<20. Na5 Rc8 21. Nc6 Rxc6 22. exc6 Nf5> (Now the game has moved to a game with opposite colored bishops. Now if black can activate his bishop, maybe with a d5 push *cough cough, Nf4, seriosly though if the Knight was at f4 black would have composation for the exchange* black might be able to brew up a nice attack. White must also be careful not to end up with a game of opposite coloured bishops if he wants to convert his advantage to a win.)

<23. Re4 Qxc6 24. Bg2 Rd8 25. Qe1> (Leko with outstanding technique prevents the d5 breakthrough, but Svidler's attack continues, though loosing it's tourqe).

<25... Rc8 26. c3 b4 >