Yes, the ...Qa5+ is the tactical justification for Black in this ...Na6. Also, in some cases also ...Bf5 can be played in reaction to Bf1-Bd3 with the same idea in mind. That's why White plays c2-c3 first, to avoid this check.

The idea for Black is much deeper than this. Black wants to play Nh6 and ...f6 in some cases. White usually reacts to this by opening the position with c2-c4. Black thinks that with a knight at c7 this c4 approach will be met by dxc4 and ...Nd5. So, actually the ...Na6 system is a kind of "improved" Gurgenidze-system. At least this is the idea!

trandism wrote on 10/06/13 at 17:58:30:


Thanks for the Miles material.  And while that may be one of the main ideas, I think there is something more subtle going on in the line 2...d5  3. Nc3 dxe4  4. Nxe4 Nf6  5. Nxf6 exf6  6. Nf3 Na6.  

For instance, could it be to enable answering Bd3 with Nb4, when Black either gets the bishop pair, or White wastes a tempo while Black maneuvers with ...Nd5.  Part of  it may also be to not hem in the QB with ...Nd7 so that ...Be6 can be played at will.  Also possibly for the 3 open files and bishop pair if White plays Bxa6 *after* he castles.

These are my best amateur guesses though, would be interested in what stronger/titled players think.

Is ...Na6 in the Caro Kann considered in any of the SOS books?

If not it would seem to qualify, as 2...Na6 has been played several times by Serbian GM Markovic, including this year, and a few times in the past by Tony Miles.

It seems like on move 2 it's often a prelude to a setup with ...g6.  However I think a later ...Na6 may also be theoretically significant in the 2. d4 d5  3. Nc3 dxe4  4. Nxe4 line.  

4...Na6?! is possible right here, but where it's actually gotten a look from a GM is after 4...Nf6  5. Nxf6 exf6  6. Nf3 and now 6...Na6 -- Czech GM Lechtynsky drew with it against Wedberg in the 1980 Malta Olympiad (and a 2300 drew with it a few years later against GM Unzicker)

I got to looking at this because if I play the Scandinavian line 1. e4 d5  2. exd5 Qxd5  3. Nc3 Qd8  4. d4 c6  White can transpose into the CK with 5. Ne4?!  I'd like to play the immediate ...Na6 to tamp down how much theory I have to learn, and then possibly transpose into the line from the ...Nf6 variation above after Nf3 ...Nf6, but I'm afraid there may be some way to punish 1. e4 c6  2. d4 d5  3. Nc3 dxe4  4. Nxe4 Na6?! (and of course there have got to be better ways than 5. Ne4 of trying to punish 3...Qd8 and 4...c6 in the Scandinavian, but that would be another topic)

Thanks in advance for any pointers, right here in the forum, or in any published references.