> Also, if 5.0-0 then 5...b5!? 6.Bb3 Na5 (transposing to the Taimanov), on 7.d4 exd4!

Not sure about this part. After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.0-0 b5 6. Na5 Bb3 7.d4 exd4 8.Nxd4 Bb7 9.Bd2!? (diagram):

a) Black would like to play 9...c5, but after 10.Bd5 Bxd5 11.exd5 cxd4 12.Qe1+, White has some edge
b) that's why most games feature 9...Nxb3, but after 10.Nxb3 followed by Na5 and Nxb7, White made good use of the position and looks also better.

Here's the link on Modern Chess: https://www.modern-chess.com/deferred-steinitz-for-black-top-level-repertoire-64...

I noticed that Van Foreest/Basso don't think much of 5. Bxc6+ (an old main line). Seems it has never been addressed in Chess Publishing.

There is a new database on the subject, Deferred Steinitz for Black - Top-Level Repertoire, May 27, 2025, by GM Lucas van Foreest GM Pier Luigi Basso, available at modern-chess.com

At a glance, it looks to be a good and complete database/book. I think the opening was last covered at modern chess by GM Davorin Kuljasevic, December 23, 2016. Tim Taylor also wrote a book published in 2011 on the opening.

I've looked at the Steinitz Defense Deferred (SDD) from time to time, but have never played it directly, as I play the Open Ruy. However, some SDD lines can arise after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 d6.

Both Taylor and Kuljasevic covered 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3! h5!?, which Taylor calls the Yandemirov Gambit. It may be somewhat dubious. It does not seem to be covered Foreest and Basso. However, they do take an adventurous turn providing a chapter on 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. c3 g5, which is new to me.

This seems to be a very good title whether it is your initial introduction to the opening or you are adding it to your library.

Quite a while ago now I made (as a Word file) the doc shown below. I haven't looked at it since and I'm not sure how it will copy here, but here it is in case it's of any use (probably not much, as it seems to cover only positions with c2-c3 in; still, even here the alternatives and the transpos are rather boggling). Parenthetical numbers in the text refer to the Notes below.

*****


Modern Steinitz Move Orders


I  With 5/6/7 …Nf6 (i.e. Black has played …Nf6 by move 7, delaying …Bg7)

(a)  with 5 …Nf6

5 0-0 Nf6(1) 6 c3 Bd7 7 d4(2) g6 → 8 Re1(3) b5(4) 9 Bb3 Bg7


(b)  with 6 …Nf6(5)

5 0-0 Bd7 6 c3 Nf6(6) 7 d4 g6 → 8 Re1 b5 9 Bb3 Bg7

5 0-0 Bd7 6 d4 Nf6(7) 7 c3(8) g6 [Parma–Keres] → ditto.

5 c3 Bd7 6 d4 Nf6 7 0-0(9) g6 → ditto.


(c)  with 7 …Nf6

5 0-0 Bd7 6 c3 g6 7 d4 Nf6 → 8 Re1 b5 9 Bb3 Bg7



II  With 9 …Nf6 (i.e. Black completes his fianchetto on move 7, delaying development of his KN)

5 0-0 Bd7 6 c3 g6 7 d4 Bg7(10) → 8 Re1(11) b5(12) 9 Bb3(13) Nf6

5 c3 Bd7 6 0-0 g6 7 d4 Bg7 → ditto.

5 c3 Bd7 6 d4 g6(14) 7 0-0 Bg7 → ditto.



Notes

  1. 5 ..g6?! 6 d4! (Taylor 22).
  2. Fogarasi–Davies featured a rare, irrelevant transposition of White’s 7th and 8th moves.
  3. Alternatives, in this position with …Nf6 in rather than …Bg7, are: (1) 8 d5; (2) 8 Bg5 b5! 9 Bb3 Bg7 [T 75]; (3) 8 Bc6; and (4) 8 Nbd2.
  4. There is of course nothing wrong with the immediate 8 …Bg7 here, transposing to 8 …Nf6 in note 12.
  5. All mentioned by Taylor at p. 74.
  6. T (11, 41, 54–6, 58–9, 64) says 6 …Nge7 (the Rubinstein Variation) is interesting here with White having castled, but inferior after 5 c3 Bd7 6 d4 because of 7 Be3! (7 …Ng6 8 h4!).
  7. Here Kuljasevic at Modern Chess (Ch. 2) gives instead (though without suggesting Black needs to avoid the next note) 6 …ed 7 Nd4 b5 8 Nc6 Bc6 9 Bb3 Nf6, when Leko–Mamedyarov continued 10 Nc3 Be7 11 Re1 0-0.
  8. Or: (1) 7 Bc6 Bc6 8 Re1 Be7 9 Nc3 ed! 10 Nd4 Bd7 (Stellwagen–Tomashevsky) (T game 71, pp. 221–3); (2) 7 de Ne5! (T 8, 223).
  9. 7 Qe2 Be7! (T 93).
  10. T (23, 75) says 7 …Bg7 here (iso 7 …Nf6) is inferior because of 8 Bg5, but he doesn’t even mention 8 …f6 as given by Kuljasevic (Ch. 8), considered OK for Black.
  11. Alternatives, in this position with …Bg7 in rather than …Nf6, are: (1) 8 d5; (2) 8 Bg5; (3) 8 Be3; (4) 8 de; and (5) 8 h3.
  12. Of course, Black can also play 8 …Nge7 and 8 …Nf6 here, the latter being Kuljasevic’s recommendation (Ch. 10).
  13. See T 76, 81, 82. For 9 Bc2 here see T 76.
  14. T (87, 93) says 6 …g6 here (iso 6 …Nf6) is inferior because of 7 Bg5, but Kuljasevic (Ch. 8) gives 7 …f6 8 Be3 Nh6 9 0-0(!) Bg7, transposing to 8 Bg5 f6 in note 10.

kylemeister wrote on 08/26/23 at 18:50:12:


Thanks emary and Kylemeister for the additional resources. After move 9, Kuljasevic writes:

"Black is not thrilled about having to play Bd7. As we will see in 6.d4 
exd4 7.Nxd4 variation, he would much rather play c6-c5 and Bb7 to 
quickly obtain counterplay in the center. Yet, we will see that even in 
this apparently passive position black has sufficient resources for 
counterplay."

GM Matthias Wahls has done a free video about the "Steinitz Deferred" 
at his youtube-channel: 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEbfd2AtRqgANVBvpEo85kw ;
(Have a look at the second row of the video-list.)

Wahls tries to prove a  White advantage against 
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 with an early ...d6. ,
He investigates a few plausible White tries for an advantage. 
Wahls concludes that in most cases a well prepared Black player can get interesting equality.   
Nethertheless Wahls thinks there is a way to a slight White advantage 
(but not more than that). 

If someone studies the course of Gawain Jones 
then a crossreading with Wahls' video could be interesting early on.

FreeRepublic wrote on 08/25/23 at 17:26:33:

Incidentally the first alternative reminded me of (yes, an old game) Karpov-Spassky 1986. I notice that Demchenko (who has figured prominently in Chess Publishing coverage of some ...Nge7 stuff) has followed in Spassky's footsteps with 9. Be3 O-O 10. Nbd2 Qe8 11. Bb3 b6. In a 1986 book, Raymond Keene and David Goodman described that as "a curious move that seems to serve no apparent purpose." (I recall thinking maybe it could serve to prevent Bc5 after an exchange on e5.)