6.Qd2 e5 7.Nb3 , prevents b3

15-20 good moves after 5...a6 :

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6
multipv=20
 fen rnbqkb1r/1p2pppp/p2p1n2/8/3NP3/2N5/PPP2PPP/R1BQKB1R w KQkq - 0 6
      49-51  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52
--------------
f1e2 ,  13 ,42,26,57,22,54,32,16,16,15,17,27,11, 7,23,17,17,21,16,21,21,17,15,20,19,22, 5,15,18,16, 6, 0, 0, 0, 0,10,11,22,15, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 8, 0, 8,12,18, 9,13,12 , f1e2 e7e5 d4b3 c8e6 ,52
c1e3 ,  11 ,26,26,46,26,32,26, 7, 7,12,30,16,11,26,23,12, 8,12,15,15,19,11,17,22,15,15,19,12,15, 9, 0,13, 0, 0, 0,10, 5,11, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,18,13,10,18,16,15, 7,12, 8 , c1e3 f6g4 e3g5 h7h6 ,52
g2g3 ,   8 ,44, 0,34,28-10,24-10, 3, 5,12, 8, 7, 0, 2,20, 6, 4,12,10, 8,15,11,14,19,16, 7,18, 8,12,12,15,27,11, 4,18,18,10, 0, 0,10, 6, 0, 7, 8, 8,12,11, 8, 6,12, 7, 2 , g2g3 e7e5 d4b3 f8e7 ,52
h2h3 ,   2 ,41,32,54,22,20,22,-7,32,24,12,11,15, 9,13, 9,19,10,10, 3, 3, 8, 8, 3, 0, 7, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 9,10, 0, 0,14, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 8,10,16, 0, 9, 4, 0, 0, 7, 8 , h2h3 b7b5 c3d5 e7e6 ,52
a2a3 ,   0 ,--,-2, 1,-8,-2,-2,-2,-2,-2, 8,-2,-2,-2, 0, 5, 5, 3, 0, 5, 0, 0,-6, 0,-3,-9, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , a2a3 e7e5 d4b3 f8e7 ,52
f1c4 ,   0 ,--, 0,41,38,34,24,24,24,24,15,12,25, 9,14,27,23,13,17,13,12, 7, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , f1c4 e7e6 e1g1 f8e7 ,52
f1d3 ,   0 ,--,89,55,30,32,12,10,16,37,23,17, 3, 2, 3, 9, 5, 3,13,12,24, 6, 0, 0, 0,-2,-2, 0, 0, 0, 8, 8, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 9, 0,12, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , f1d3 e7e6 e1g1 f8e7 ,52
a2a4 ,   0 ,24,40,22,16,16,20,20,17,24,26, 9,-2,-6, 0, 1,-1, 0, 0,10,-4,-8-12, 0,-6-12-17, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,-8, 0, 0, 0, 0,-8,-8, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , a2a4 e7e5 d4f3 f8e7 ,52
f2f4 ,   0 ,25,17,17,25,25,39,32,31, 4,-3,-8,--,--, 9,15, 5,17, 8, 8, 5, 7, 1,11, 0,-4,-7,-1, 0,-2,-4,-7,-3-14,-3-15-14,-7, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , f2f4 e7e5 d4b3 b8c6 ,52
h2h4 ,   0 ,26,54-14,14,14,14-12,--, 2, 3,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,---10,-8, 0-10-11,-8, 0-14, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0-11-16,-9,-5, 0,-2, 0, 1-10,-8, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , h2h4 e7e5 d4b3 f8e7 ,52
f2f3 ,   0 ,27,27, 8, 5, 2, 5, 9-10,--,--,-3, 0, 2, 0,-3, 8,-2, 0, 1, 0,-4,-5,-1, 0,-7,-8, 7,17,13, 2,13, 0,10, 0,13, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2,12, 0, 0,13, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , f2f3 e7e6 g2g4 h7h6 ,52
b2b3 ,   0 ,32,--,55,20, 7, 7,34, 8,16,-2,-9-11-15, 3,  0,-3, 0, 0,-3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , b2b3 e7e5 d4e2 f8e7 ,52
c1g5 ,   0 ,54,40,45,29,29,29,29,29,29,34,22,21,20,45,29,26,18,20,17,15,16, 8, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , c1g5 e7e6 f2f4 d8b6 ,52
d4b3 ,   0 ,99,41,57,22,54,27,26,15,15,11,12,-2,-1, 7, 4, 7, 0, 8, 0, 6-10,-4, 0, 0, 0, 6,10, 0, 0, 0, 0, 7, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , d4b3 e7e6 g2g4 b7b5 ,52
d1d3 ,   0 ,99,--,--,--,-7,14,--,--,15, 6,16, 5, 2,26,16,12,15,10, 9,12,15, 8, 3, 4, 0, 0, 2-10-11,-4, 0, 0-11, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 , d1d3 b8d7 f1e2 b7b5 ,52
c1d2 ,  -2 ,--, 9,--,--,--,--,--,--, 9, 0,-5,-9, 0, 0,-3, 0, 0, 3, 0, 0,-4,-2, 0,-1,-1-12,-5, 0,-4, 0, 0, 0, 0,-5, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,-7, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,-3,-5, 0, 0,-8, 0 , c1d2 e7e5 d4b3 f8e7 ,52
d1e2 ,  -3 ,---15,--, ---25-12, 0,-7,-9,-9, 0-15-15,---11-19,-5, 0, 0, 0,-9, 0-10, 0, 0 , d1e2 e7e5 d4b3 c8e6 ,52
a1b1 ,  -8 ,40, 5,40,46,10,-5,15,15,16, 4, 5,-6, 1,-9-13,-2, 1,-5-13,-2,-8-15,-8,-9-23-11,-2-12-17,-3-19, 0-10-15-17-17-16,-9,-6,-8-12-20,-8-12-12,-7-11,-8,-7,-8,-9,-- , a1b1 e7e5 d4f3 f8e7 ,51
d1f3 , -10 ,65, 6,53, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 7, 0, 0,11, 5, 3, 0, 0,-4,-1, 0, 0, 0, 0,-3,-9-13,-4, 0,-2,-8,-4-10-14-18, 0-25,---16,-5, 0,-7, 0,-8-11-13,-8,-2, 0, 0,-8,-8-15,-- , d1f3 g7g6 h2h3 f8g7 ,51
d4f3 , -11 ,25,82,55,30,32,22,39,51,51,20,12,15, 6, 8,14, 5, 5,10, 5,14, 0,-6,-1-12-10,-8, 0-17-27-23-15-18,---16-17-24,---20-16-17,-2,---17-22-15,-5-13-13,-3-15-17,-- , d4f3 b8d7 f1d3 g7g6 ,51
d4e2 ,  -- ,35,12,14, 2, 2, 2, 2, --,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,-- , d4e2 e7e6 g2g3 b8c6 ,21
b2b4 ,  -- -,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,-- , b2b4 e7e5 d4f3 b8c6 , 8
d1d2 ,  -- ,26,-1,-1,19, 6, 6, 6,10, 0-15,-8,-8,-9, 0,-4,-7, --,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,-- , d1d2 e7e5 d4b3 f8e7 ,42
h1g1 ,  -- -,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,-9-14,--,--,--,--, 0,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,--,-- , h1g1 b7b5 g2g4 c8b7 ,41
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      49-51  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52


 

MNb wrote on 06/05/19 at 09:29:14:


5. .. a6 may be a "high class waiting move" as observed by Fischer (?), but it seems all legal tries on move 6 have their points. 

Well, it seems like Anand has turned 6. Bd3 into his pet line against the Najdorf. The usual prescribed solution is 6...g6, but it turns out that:

7. f3! Bg7 (7...Qb6 8.a3!) 8. Be3 O-O 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. O-O-O! is far more poisonous than it appears at first sight. Black's queenside counterplay is too slow, and after 10...d5, both 11. Nxc6 and 11. h4 appear to be challenging.

Attention has turned to 6...e5, with the main line running 7. Nde2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Ng3! Be6 10. Nd5! Bxd5! 11. exd5 g6! 12. c4 Nbd7 13. Bh6 Re8 14. Rc1 Nc5.

Now, in the very recent game Nepomniachtchi-Wojtaszek 2019, White opted for 15. Bb1 and built up a nice attacking position after 15...a5 16. b3 Rb8 17. f4. However, I think that 15...b5!? might be a good counter in this case.

What worries me more is 15. Bc2. Black can follow the same recipe with 15...a5, when 16. b3 Rb8 is equal due to the awkward placement of the bishop. However, 16. Bd2! is more challenging, when 16...Nfd7 17. b3 Bg5 18. a3 f5 19. b4 Na6 leads to a position which seems to be slightly better for White.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this variation? Should Black go for a Scheveningen set-up? I've always disliked playing the Najdorf in Scheveningen fashion, and my instinct tells me that White should have fair chances for an advantage after something like 6...e6 7. f4 or 7. Qf3.

Edit: Considering Black's other 6th move responses basically completes a mini-repertoire for White, so let's do that:

6...Nc6 7. Nxc6! bxc6 followed by a plan involving Na4 and a queenside fianchetto leads to a positional game where White has good chances for an advantage.

6...Nbd7!? might be Black's best try because of its flexibility. After White's normal responses Black can fianchetto with g6, having avoided the Yugoslav set-up. 

Maybe White should try the very rare 7. Be3!?, hoping for 7...g6 8. f3. After 7...e6, 8. Qe2!? leads to an unclear Scheveningen with good attacking chances for White. On the other hand, Black has 7...b6!?, when 8. g4 appears to be a critical try.

Double Edit: On second thought, it's interesting to consider why Black doesn't simply delay castling after 6...e5. For instance, 7. Nde2 Be7 8. O-O Be6 9. f4 exf4 10. Nxf4 Nc6 with equality. After 9. Ng3, Black can play 9...Nc6 to avoid transposing to the super-GM line mentioned above.