ChessScreenshot

Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 · B90–B99

Part of Sicilian Defense

Starting positionWhite to move

0 / 18

a6 controls b5 and prepares expansion

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The idea

The most analysed opening in chess: 5...a6 takes the b5 square away from White's pieces and prepares ...e5 and ...b5 in one move.

Main line: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 O-O

What White wants

  • Choose an attacking setup — English Attack, Bg5, or the quiet Be2
  • Castle long and throw the g- and h-pawns at the black king
  • Attack the d5 square and the slightly loose black centre

What Black wants

  • Play ...e5 to take the centre and never allow a knight on d5
  • Expand on the queenside with ...b5 and ...b4
  • Trade into a favourable endgame if White's attack is neutralised

Key idea

Understand this and the moves stop needing to be memorised.

a6 controls b5 and prepares expansion

The a6 pawn attacks b5, discouraging a knight or bishop from occupying that square. It also supports a later ...b5 advance. Black can then choose ...e5 or ...e6 according to White's setup; one pawn move improves flexibility without solving every central problem.

Common mistake

Playing ...e5 and then forgetting the d5 square. The advance is a standard Najdorf choice, but it leaves d5 without pawn protection; Black must coordinate pieces and counterplay so a white knight there does not dominate the position.

Mistake example: Bg5.

Representative position

The position this opening is aiming at. Copy the FEN, or open it in the analysis board and let the engine tell you what it is worth.

rn1q1rk1/1p2bppp/p2pbn2/4p3/4P3/1NN1BP2/PPPQ2PP/R3KB1R w KQ - 3 10

Analyze this position

Variations

2 lines branching from here.

Traps in this opening

Moves in this opening that look natural and lose.

Najdorf: The Nxe6 Queen Fork...Nf8 defends the kingside and may look like a way to resist checks. Black forgets that Nxe6 has created a direct attack on d8.
All opening traps

Related openings

Sicilian Najdorf: Poisoned Pawn Variation1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · B97Black grabs the b2 pawn with the queen and wanders around the white position for several moves while White builds a huge attack — the sharpest line in modern chess.Sicilian Najdorf: English Attack1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · B90The most popular attacking setup against the Najdorf: Be3, f3, Qd2 and long castling, followed by a pawn storm down the g- and h-files.Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · B70–B79Black fianchettoes the bishop onto the long diagonal, where it rakes White's queenside — the most direct and most tactical Sicilian.Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · B80–B89A flexible, small-centre setup: Black builds a compact pawn wall with ...d6 and ...e6 and chooses the counterattack after seeing where White commits.Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · B56–B69The old main line: White pins the knight on f6 with Bg5 and castles long, playing for the e5 break and a kingside attack.Sicilian Defense1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 · B20–B99Black answers 1.e4 with the c-pawn, refusing to mirror and instead trading a wing pawn for a centre pawn — the most ambitious and most popular reply in chess.