Viking wrote on 03/16/10 at 20:00:58:


thx

Now i know:
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Be3 Bg7 8.Rc1 0-0 9.b3

6.d5!? (Idea 6...g6 7. Qd4)

Hi Viking,

I also found the ...a5 move first on the defunct Leonid site, years ago. 
At "club" level (1600-2000), I have now mainly encountered 10.a3 as a reaction (not the best but very natural). 
The last game went 10...a4 11.b4 and I tried 11...Bf5 which got me a decent position (although the "normal" 11...Nc6 is more than fine). 
As per your earlier posts, I also don't like the ...Na6 idea in this line (I even played it once after 10.a3 when I could not remember what my notes said!) as the knight is not very active and blocks the potential activity of the rook on the a-file. 
What's your experience like with this line?

kukuli, maybe you'd like to join the Alekhine Defense Working Group that we have set up on Google.  Register at google groups and request admission; I'll let you in.  You'll be required to reveal your actual identity and post a short bio.  But at least so far, there is no requirement that you do any work.

well, in the "Alekhine puched back" thread there has been a few references to it, e.g. consider the
following post by Ludde as an answer to a post by lg

lg - 
I am glad you mentioned the 9...a5 line which looks playable. The variation (game) mentioned in Bogdanov's book is interesting. I like his "developing the rook without moving it".

As far as I recall, the move 9...a5 got a "bad a rate" after a rapid game between Leko and Ivanchuk a few years ago. It was annoted here, I think by John Watson.

Ludde said 

But the idea mentioned in Bogdanov appears to give 9...a5 a reasonable rate for an alternative move 
The more I look at this, the more interested I get...The big problem in the Voronezh (other than in the main line with 9...e5, where it stands perfectly on c6, but where black has had to make some structural concessions) has always been what to do with Nb8, and finding a secure place for it after it has been kicked from c6. The whole idea to secure a spot on a6/b4 is rather appealing. The added benefit of opening the a-file (which white has abandoned early on) is also a nice feature...