MNb wrote on 02/09/06 at 02:53:45:


I think this hits the nail on the head.  Black gives up his precious dark-square bishop too cheaply in this line. White has achieved a major strategic victory at very little cost.

I recently took a draw in a closed sicilian on move 5 because I had no idea what to do. Having done no previous analysis or read anything about it I started to look at it at home. I found 5..Rb8 with 6...b5 to be the most my style, but then I looked at 5...b5 and wondered why I can't play it without moving the Rook.

If 6.Nxb5 Qa5+ 7.Nc3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qxc3+ 9.Bd2 Qb2 and this combined with ...Rb8 allows for a lot of threats on c2 and down the open b-file...

If White does not take it by 6.Nge2, 6.f4, or 6.Be3, then 6...b4 will cramp White's game no matter where the knight moves. A line might run 6.Nge2 b4 7.Nd5 e6 8.Ne3 (trying not to block off f4) 8...Ne7 9.O-O O-O 10.f4 d5! with lots of space on the queenside to work with... if 11.e5 the f5 square becomes a good home for a knight.

6.f4 b4 7.Nd5 e6 8.Ne3 Ne7 9.Nf3 d5... the black pieces will go to their optimum squares and white's pieces will have to work to coordinate.

6.Be3 b4 7.Na4?! (as unfortunate as it is this may be the best that he can do) ...d6! 8.Rb1 Be6 black can now develop normally with moves like ...Nf6, ...Qa5, ...O-O, ...Nd7 while White develops superficially, struggling to maintain face and a horrid knight that will never be traded except on b2 when Rxb2 Qa3 and the rook is held to defence of the a2 pawn.

What does everyone think?