With Be6 in, ...Bxd5 looks bad for White after 14.Nd5 in the line I gave (thinking the bishop was on d7).  I can't find a convincing follow-up to 12.e5.  It seems dangerous for white to allow the knight to reach c4.  Maybe 12.Nxa5 Qxa5 13. Nd5 is better, but it seems that black is at least equal after 13...Bxd5.

I meant 14.Nd5. 

Don't take it personally, I run across the Classical so rarely that I find that whatever I remember from WWTSD2 is usually enough to steal the point, or at the very worst draw the game.

Hi guys and Cris!

I bought the original 'Winning with the Dragon' and at one time owned two copies of the book(I won a thematic tournament on the ICC) . I don't have the new book, so my apologies if this variation is included.

Anyway. this post is concerned with this variation of the classical:

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nc6 9.Nb3 Be6 10.f4 Rc8 11.Bf3

Here Ward says black should play 11.Bc4 Rf2 and now either 12..b5 or 12..e5. 

Because I am most worried about the Jugoslav Attack I don't remember so many lines in the classical, so when I in one of my games reached the above position I played an interesting move: 12..Na5!? Although the other lines may hold their own I think 12..Na5 offers much more scope for black for several reasons: 

(1) It's complicated in a way that is very easy for white to go astray (2) related to (1) it's temting to snatch pawns on a7 or b7 which really seems always seem to lose (3) it's black who pressuring white and not the other way round and (4) Importantly, black's got a GREAT SCORE in this variation, 7 points out of 11 according to Bigbase 2001, and 8 out of 12 if you count the game beneath in. That's 66%!

So, for the above reasons I think this makes 12..Na5 better than the alternatives(perhaps an idea for Winning with the dragon 3?).

To make the above clearer I have posted the following game with some comments:

Woge Nielsen,J (2071) - Petersen,T (2052) [B74]
, 02.03.2003
[,TP]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nc6 9.Nb3 Be6 10.f4 Rc8 11.Bf3 Na5!? I think this move is really interesting because it stir things up in a otherwise quiet variation. White the very least gets good play on the queenside. [ 11...Bc4 12.Rf2 and now your book gives either 12..b5 or 12..e5. Both moves are evaluated as a !?.] 12.e5 [ 12.Nxa5 Qxa5 cannot be bad for black; ther's so much space on he queenside. 12.Bxa7 Nc4! with a transposition to the game after 13.e5. Other moves: e.g. 13.Bd4 Nxb2 looks alright I think with half open c-file, weak c4-square.] 12...Ne8 13.Bxa7 Nc4! the point is that after ..b6 black has got three threats: (1) capture on b2, (2)Ne3 with a fork and (3) ..Qd7 capturing the bishop. 14.Nb5 [ 14.Bxb7 Rc7 wins a piece because the knight on c4 covers the b6-square! It's a really great knight:)] 14...Qd7 15.a4 [ 15.N3d4 Ne3 with a fork.] 15...Nxb2 16.Qd4 Rxc2 17.Rf2 Rxf2 18.Kxf2 Nc4 19.Rc1? Nxe5 20.fxe5 Bxb3 21.Qb4 dxe5! the idea behind Nxe5 22.Be3 [ 22.Qxb3 Qd2+ 23.Kg3 Qxc1 winning.] 22...Bd5 23.Rd1 Nf6 24.Nc3 e6 25.Bg5 Ra8 26.Bxf6 Bxf6 27.Bxd5 exd5 28.Nxd5 Kg7 29.Nc3 Qf5+ 30.Kg1 Rc8 31.Rf1 Qd3 32.Ne4 Qe3+ 33.Kh1 Rc1 34.Ng3 Rxf1+ 35.Nxf1 Qe2 36.Kg1 e4 37.Qxb7 Bd4+ 0-1

Let's get some discussion on this! Maybe Chris will even join in