a lot of open sicilians have the idea of playing even the dragon! which the unknowing player could hardley tell the way it is played these days! But any way do you not like facing d5 at all? or is it just in the english attack?

just make sure it doesnt happen to often other wise this forum mite explode!

No but seriously does any one have any idea of an improvement for white when he plays g4? 

I would like to keep this topic on topic.  ANyexperts or GMs out ther who think its wort looking at or is best avoided? 

And To friend Smyslov_fan. Any suggestion on where to start looking for a new way to play the Najdorf? I would like to start some serious home analysis but jsut need a starting point.

wow not only did you agree with me but you get it! hopefully topalov starts a revoulution.

interesting coments from you all. I agree white may have to put off playing g4. Perhaps there is somthing we are missing though. It seems highly unlikely this would not have been looked at seriously before 2000! i think that the chances lie with black and leko failing to play int ojust shows its a very itimidating response. 

The Najdorf it self should be looked at with a new light maybe! There might be more and more of these hidden counter attacks of death which have not been looked or somthing which was thought bad for black might be playable with a new move! Perhaps i am overly enthusiastic but i think it sounds fascinating.

yes, btw I of course meant 8.Qd2 followed by 0-0-0 is what Leko played - 8.0-0-0 would be impossible!!
The main point anyway is that delaying g2-g4 is a move-order nuance it seems designed to avoid the position which is the main topic of this thread

I think ...Ne5 is an original move in that specific position, and I agree Blacks chances do seem quite good, and this is backed up by the games played so far.

Interestingly, in the WCH in Argentina, Leko avoided this sequence by delaying g4 and going 8.0-0-0, I know he lost but at one point he had some good chances. 

Theory/fashion whathever is advancing and maybe now White players will have to delay the g-pawn advance which was previously recommended

While trying to do a bit of chess preparation for once in a blue moon I looked at the current state of the English attack for White.

It seems to me that critical now is a new move-order introduced by Topalov against Anand:

Anand,V (2786) - Topalov,V (2757) [B90]
XXII SuperGM Linares ESP (2), 24.02.2005

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9.Qd2 b4 10.Na4 Nbd7 11.0-0-0 Ne5

Anand has played 12.b3 twice now against Topalov, whereas Kramnik grabbed the pawn with 12.Qxb4 and got slaughtered in 20 moves!
Bacrot has tried 12.Nb3!? although I'm not convinced by this either.

So lets get the English attack back in action - my vote is for 12.b3, although I dont have the game in front of me now I know there was a recent titanic battle between Anand-Topalov where Topalov gave up a piece with ..Nxf3 at one point.

The whole position seems fascinating and double-edged, so the question is anybody got opinions about Whites best way forward?