sssthepro wrote on 08/03/08 at 13:25:42:


It's hard to answer such question in an unfamiliar line. First we have to carefully try to assess your line move by move, which takes a lot of time. You know, experiments work sometimes against unsophisticated opponents. Then you run against someone who happens to find the correct counter plan and you get into troubles. Then you have a choice: either abandon the line or try to strengthen your play. 

Position after 17. Rad1


In your end position I think Black can still fight back. One idea is 17 ... a5 (obviously Black has to get those isolated a pawns moving) 18. f4 Bf6 19. fe Bxe5 20. Bxe5 de 21. d6!? Qc5+ 22. Kh1 ab 23. cb a5 
with a murky position. 

Another idea is 17 ... Re8 to answer 18.f4 with exf4 opening the e file and harressing White's queen. If White plays 18. a4 Black can continuing with Bf5 creating pressure on c2 and planning manouvres such as Qc5, Bd8-b6 strengthening the dark squares.

I don't promise that your position is good. I just want to stress that it's important to always fight back and trying to come up with as good a plan as possible even when you get stuck in an unpleasant position.

To find out if a particular line is playable or not usually takes some high level practice or a really deep analysis. Do your homework!!

J.Foltys-P.Benko, Budapest 1948

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. Kh1 O-O 9. f4 Qc7 10. Bf3 Rd8 11. Nb3 a6 12. a4 b6 13. Be3 Rb8 14. Qe1 Na5 15. Rd1 Nc4 16. Bc1 b5 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nd4 b4 19. Nce2 e5 20. Nb3 d5 21. fxe5 Nxe5 22. exd5 Nxf3 23. Rxf3 Nxd5 24. Rfd3 Bb7 25. Nf4 Nxf4 26. Bxf4 Qc6 27. Qe2 Rxd3 28. Rxd3 Re8 29. Na5 Bg5 30. Re3 Rxe3 31. Bxe3 Qxg2+ 32. Qxg2 Bxg2+ 33. Kxg2 Bxe3 34. Kf3 Bd4 35. Nc6 Bxb2 36. Nxb4 Be5 37. h3 f5 38. Nc6 Bd6 39. c4 Kf7 40. Nd4 Kf6 41. Nb3 g5 42. c5 Be5 43. c6 Ke6 44. Nc5+ Kd5 45. Nd7 Bd6 46. c7 Bxc7 47. Nf6+ Ke5 48. Nxh7 Bd8 49. Nf8 Kd6 50. Ke3 Bf6 51. Kf3 Ke7 52. Nh7 Kf7 53. Nxf6 Kxf6 54. Kf2 Kg6 55. Kg2 Kh5 56. Kg3 f4+  0-1

Hi,

I am talking about ...Na5 ideas on the Sicilian when a white knight is on b3. If White takes the knight, then after ...bxa5, Black can attack along the open files. I have read a lot of books, saying that Nxa5 is wrong etc, because of the fact that Black can get strong counterplay in return for the minute structural weaknesses. 

Actually, I am talking about this line in particular:

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bc4 Qb6 7.Nb3 e6 8.0-0 Qc7 9.Be3 a6 10.a4 b6

Black here is threatening to play ...Na5. I have played a few games with this line. In both lines, my opponent captured the knight. In one game, he played

11.f4 Na5 12.Nxa5 bxa5 13.Be2 Rb8 14.Rb1 Rb4 15.Bf3 Bd7 16.Qd3 Be7 Black has an excellent position here. Obviously, White played too passively. 

In another game, my opponent played the following line, and I slowly drifted into a bad position.

11.Qe2 Na5 12.Nxa5 bxa5 13.b3 Bd7 14.Bd4 e5 (I did not want to allow e5 by white himself) 15.Nd5! Nxd5 16.exd5 Be7 17.Bb2 0-0 18.Rad1 (Overprotecting the d-pawn first) followed by f4, White has a really nice position. Black does not really have an attack down the b-file, so there is no dynamic compensation for the weaknesses. I lost this game horribly to a much lower rated player. I could not hold on to my a pawns.

So what's wrong with ...Na5, or with the particular variation I am playing? I tried using computer analysis, but it is not very helpful. They don't like the doubled isolated a-pawns. Can somebody enlighten me?