Thanks. Well b3 does effectively protect b2 too, so perhaps Ra2 directly is just a tiny bit too weird? I don't think its that black is threatening a4 so much - thats maybe just another logical plan which just doesn't quite work here.....

I'm not totally sure if black can do other than Rc8/often eventually g5. Or if white can really stop it except via h4 which does give away h4 etc.

The whole thing just baffles/slightly scares me actually

Just something which seemed intriguing. Not critical for 6.. a5 as thats 8 o-o and other black options at need, but it did strike me as a really horribly obscure feeling variation. Even by the 'usual' French standards

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5 4 c3 Nc6 5 Nf3 Qb6 6 a3 a5 7 Bd3 Bd7 8 Bc2!? (o-o maybe critical of course) h5!? - Psakhis credits this to Korchnoi. 


And now Psakhis' 'main' line (its in a note of course) sort of illustrates how odd this position can get/is:
9 o-o Nh6 10 b3!? Be7 11 Ra2!? cd 12 cd Rc8 13 Kh1! g5 14 Be3! and then .. g4 15 Ng1 slight edge to white. But 14 .. Ng4 seems more sense, thus:



This position seems so obscure, that I don't think I can blame one of my computers for advising Bc1 Nh6 and then a repetition and 1/2 - 1/2.... Lots of very odd pieces, and very few obviously rational plans.

Not that Ra2 etc earlier were precisely forced! But that fact that someone was driven to play in a real game perhaps says something too.