Jupp53 wrote on 01/06/20 at 20:20:49:


I have played the Kan for a long time now, and I agree, this can potentially be a tricky move order. But I don't think you should be afraid of playing 3...Nc6, Black is doing alright after that and you don't have to learn the whole Taimanov complex (although it actually helps to study that one too as sometimes ...Nc6 simply is the best move).

The line mentioned by BadDays is the one also Delchev and Semkov recommend in the Most Flexible Sicilian (which is about both the Kan and Taimanov). I am quite sure it is also analyzed in their earlier book The Safest Sicilian, although I can't find my copy. The key move is 6...Bb4 as already mentioned above by both Ordinary and BadDays. There is an old game, Kramnik-Kasparov, 1994, in this variation (because I don't have the book here, I can't check if it is in the Safest Sicilian and the comments although I think it is there). Kasparov made a mistake by not taking on c3. Have a look at it.

D&S give the line Ordinary mentions above, with 4. Nc3 e5. If you don't like it, 3...Nc6 might indeed be a problem for you as a Kan-player. But it is fine, and I suggest you should look into 3...Nc6, and not just go for a system approach i.e. all the time going for ...b7-b5 and ...Nbd7, because this setup is not always the best for Black.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nc6 does not yet risk an actual Taimanov, provided you are willing to play 4.Nc3 e5. The point is that 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 lands white in a sub-optimal variation of the Taimanov: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.c4.

After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6, the only real tries for advantage are 5.Nc3 and 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4. Black has to know some theory against those moves. I don't think 5.c4 is actually dubious, but certainly black can play actively with 5...Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4, and looking in the database black is quite alright. It wouldn't take much preparation for black to play this way with confidence.

So, going back to 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4, as long as you don't mind 3...Nc6 4.Nc3 e5, you can certainly play 3...Nc6. But if you don't like 4...e5, you will have to think hard about whether to play 3...Nc6.

Lutes (1993) Sicilian Defense: O'Kelly Variation has substantial coverage of 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 a6, via the move order 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.c4 e6. I don't have the book in front of me, but very plausible is 4.Nc3 Qc7 5.Be2 Nf6 6.O-O ... White can wait quite a bit before playing d2-d4. This 3.c4 move order might trouble black, depending on the intended plan after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4.

Naiditsch is at least equal for most of that game and should probably just play 16...Nd4 =+. There are other improvements as well. The point of 4...e5 seems to be to get a typical Botvinnik center with a quick ...f5, taking advantage of the delayed development of the Ng8. Black can also consider 4...Nd4, which scores well according to my database. This line is fairly non-critical, so it will be hard to find extensive annotations. Perhaps a general analysis of Botvinnik structures will be helpful here. Google is your friend in that case.

More critical is 4.d4. In his recent book on the Taimanov, GM Pavlidis recommends 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 e5 which indeed looks very pleasant to me. Black should not rush with ...d5, since opening the center would activate the silly Bd3.

As far as I know the position after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 is a completely harmless line of the Taimanov/English. If White does not go for d4, then you should have pretty easy equality with natural moves. Is there a particular move order that bothers you?