blueguitar322 wrote on 08/05/06 at 18:45:24:
After 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 O-O 9 h3 Bb7, 10 d4 seems to be the best. I'm pretty confident I can explain some of the nuances and move orders and ideas up to this point. But now Nunn's Chess Openings gives
10...Re8
11 Nbd2 Bf8
Here’s a brief answer, based on what I know about this line.
The main idea of Black’s last pair of moves is to exert indirect pressure on the white e4-pawn. This is illustrated by 12.Nf1? when 12…exd4 13.cxd4 Na5 gives Black an excellent game. [note: 13…Rxe4?! is met by 14.Bxf7+ (idea: 14...Kxf7 15.Ng5+) and 13…Nxe4? is met by 14.Rxe4! Rxe4 15.Ng5 Re7 16.Qh5]
Now White’s main moves are 12.a4 (aggressive) and 12.d5 (positional); 12.a3 and 12.Bc2 are also seen occasionally.
12 a4 h6Preventing Ng5
13 Bc2 exd4Black gives up the center in return for queenside counterplay. This is not Black’s only plan here, but it’s the most aggressive and probably the most popular.
14 cxd4 Nb4Gaining a tempo by driving back the bishop (which White does not want to exchange) and eyeing the d3-square. In some Zaitsev games Black is able to establish a strong knight on d3. For an example of this, see Kasparov-Karpov, Wch match, game 16 1986.
15 Bb1 c5Mobilizing the queenside pawn majority.
16 d5 Nd7
17 Ra3 Reaching an important branch point. Black now chooses between
17…c4and
17…f5The former move, I think, was the original way of playing the Zaitsev and fits well with the idea of focusing on queenside counterplay. The latter move is a more modern interpretation of the Zaitsev line which is more popular today. Presumably this move arose when White found a good antidote(s) to 17…c4.
A final note: iirc, the Zaitsev line is currently under a cloud, and there is a need to find improvements in Black's play. Having said that, it is still one of my favorite lines against the Ruy Lopez - because it is so sharp and unbalanced. I like to believe that Black's play will be improved and the Zaitsev will bounce back.