"9....c5 is just a little dull" Is that the best Nunn & Burgess can come up with?? So putting the Barden Hartsen & Keene book with the Nunn & Burgess one we get "probably best but just a lttle dull"

seriously now.... if dullness is the only reason that 9...c5 fell out of favour for 9...a5 then it would be more of a trend kinda thing rather than a case of objectively best yes?

Ok. I have material on 9....a5. But I have no material on 10 .dxc ep line after 9....c5. So how does black continue from there? is the plan i mentioned earlier playable?

Hey, I used to have that book!  (Barden, Hartston and Keene)  I miss the old Batsford opening books.  (snif)

It's true that 9...c5 was the leading move in the era of the BH&K book (1970s), especially since Fischer used it to good effect against Larsen.  But as Glenn indicates, 9...a5 has held the number one spot for something like the past 15 years.   
I'm not sure that any kind of simple reason can be given for this shift, and 9...c5 never disappeared or was considered refuted or anything like that.  After 9...c5, 10. dxc6 is apparently considered promising these days (e.g. Small ECO from 2003 gives it as leading to a slight advantage for White), but I believe 9...c5 started to lose "market share" during the long era when 10. Rb1 was considered White's main reply.          

What current literature says 9...c5 is the best reply to 9.Nd2?  I thought 9...a5 had been established for many years now as the best reponse.  Certainly 9...a5 is recommended by Gallagher in "Play the King's Indian" where he writes, "I suggest that Black plays 9...a5!.  This will be no great surprise to those of you already familiar with this position as it is the main line".

I am taking care of this issue in the post titled--

"A problem for black in the 10. Be3 line ? "

[Event "Pobla de Lillet op"]
[Site "Pobla de Lillet"]
[Date "2005.08.02"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Petkov,Vladimir"]
[Black "Hebden,Mark"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Eco "E99"]

1.d4 Nf6 
2.c4 d6 
3.Nc3 g6 
4.e4 Bg7 
5.Nf3 0-0 
6.Be2 Nc6 
7.0-0 e5 
8.d5 Ne7 
9.Ne1 Nd7 
10.f3 f5 
11.g4 Kh8 
12.h4 a5 
13.Be3 Nc5 
14.Ng2 b6 
15.Kh2 Ng8 
16.g5 f4 
17.Bf2 h6 
18.Rh1 Rf7 
19.Kg1 Bf8 
20.h5 

[[In my opinion,  here Black had to go for the gusto with 20... Qxg5.  This makes it impossible for White to execute his plan and implement the same strategy as used in this game.  Here's what I mean:

20....  Qxg5
21.hxg6 

*(21.Bh4 Qxh5 22.Bf6+ Nxf6 23.Rxh5 Nxh5 With idea of ...Ng3.  Here Black  has a rook, bishop and two pawns for the Queen.  Black is better here as well.) *

21...  Rg7 
22.Rh2 

*(22.Bh4 Qxg6 23.Bf1 Be7 24.Bf2 Again, White's goal is thwarted and he's thinking on how to save his skin.)

22...  Nf6 
23.Kf1 Qxg6 
24.Ke1 Nh5 
25.Kd2 Ng3 
26.Kc2 Be7 

Things are very different from GM Hebden's game.  Black still has the initiative and now he has a clear advantage. ]]

now to continue with GM Hebden's game--

21.gxh6 Nxh6 
22.hxg6 Rxg6 
23.Kf1 ! Kg8 
24.Nh4 Rg7 
25.Ke1 

White's King will be very safe in his new home and that will hand him over a big initiative and help him exploit all the advantages of his position.

25.....   Bd7 
26.Kd2 Qf6 
27.Bf1 Be7 
28.Bh3 Bxh3 
29.Rxh3 Kf7 
30.Nb5 Na6 
31.Qf1 Rag8 
32.Rh2 Rg3 
33.Qe2 Ke8 
34.Rah1 Kd8 
35.Kc2 Nc5 
36.Bxg3 fxg3 
37.Rh3 Qxh4 
38.Rxh4 Bxh4 
39.Qg2  1-0

Quote:


For the most part, I agree with you.  I was going to discuss Be3 and hope for some discussion when I did post it.  No doubt in my mind Be3 is not only more flexible it is just what the position needs.  About the g5 pawn idea, there are plans for White to utilize this.  I will also discuss this later.   

Thank you, Inn2.

Quote:


In this game, Black was very cooperative with White and I feel he neglect what his position called for in this variation.  Let me show what I mean.  I admit there may be deviations here by White which  I have not covered, but I  am showing  these to illustrate the ideas for Black.

1. d4 Nf6 
2. c4 g6 
3. Nc3 Bg7 
4. e4 O-O 
5. Nf3 d6
6. Be2 e5 
7. O-O Nc6 
8. d5 Ne7 
9. Ne1 Nd7 (this is also my preference)
10. f3 f5 
11. g4 Kh8 
12. h4 a5 !

This is the correct move here.  Black makes White's plans of b4 and then c5 harder and he will place his Nd7 on c5.

13. Nd3 
(done to combat the idea of ...Nc5) 

13...    f4 

Threatening to carry out his  typical plans in this position of ...Ng8 and if g4-g5 then Black plays ...h6, opening the K side for his counterplay.

14. Kf2 

*[[The White king needs to seek refuge when Black opens up the K-side with an eventual ...h6.  White can also try here--

(14. a3 

Logical if White insists on playing for b4 and c5.

14....   Ng8 

And the logical reply, Black is now carrying out his plan on the K-side and the immediate threat is ...Qxh4.

15. Qe1 

White wants to avoid helping Black
open the K side.  He opts to protect the h-pawn by not moving it forward.  If now Black plays h6, he can not hope to open the K side unless he sacrifices. 
But Black simply plays.

15...  Bf6 ! 
renewing the threat on h4 and White must surrender to the infiltration of his Kingside.]]*

14...   c6 

With ideas of ... Qb6.  The initiative turns to Black here.

Kevin and woofwoof, 

Life isn't so simple for Black in the KID Classical.  If Black wants to play the most topical line after 9.Ne1, he's going to play 9.Ne8.  Here, the h5 idea isn't as good as after Nd7 for various subtle reasons.  (That's gobbledy-gook for "I don't remember why right now").   

Anyway, White can forego the headaches of 10.Be3 f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 h5!? 13.c5 by playing 10.f3 f5 11.g4 and Black never has the chance to play a good version of the h5-pawn storm.   


I hope to provide some of my own games this weekend when I have some time to illustrate this and other Mar Del Plata points.