You can buy the downloadable version and have the program immediately

The Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian has been one of the mos t popular openings for decades. Players of every level like it and it also w as an important part of the Black opening repertoire of two legendary World Champions: Bobby Fischer and Gary Kasparov.

The Najdorf is not only health y but it also off ers Black chances to play for a win. Studying and playing the Najdorf will help t o improve your chess as it teaches important strategic concepts such as fighting f or the initiative, defending, and playing on black or white squares. Of course, you do need a good unders tanding of positional ideas and strategic plans to master this opening. With illustrative games GM Yannick Pelletier tells you everything you need to know about the Najdorf Variation. You do get a complete and logical repertoire which gives you a good weapon against the main lines and the side lines which curr ently are very popular, even on top level. In addition you do get a da tabase with 250 carefully selected games, a lot of them with analyses and annotations by Yannick Pelletier. In this database you will find a lot of recommendations to deepen your theoretical knowledge. At the end ther e is an int eractive test that helps to test your knowledge. You are given a number of critical positions and y ou are asked to enter a move. Afterwards your proposal gets feedback from the author.

• Video running time: more than 7 hours (English)
• With interactive training including video feedback
• Extra: Model Games with annotations by Pelletier
• Further Training chapter with repertoire and play features

Najdorf

It is astonishing that today’s most important system in the Sicilian starts with the unlikely move 5...a6. The move by the rook’s pawn does nothing for the development of the pieces, so why then does Black play it? Well, it is almost also useful to prevent White’s minor pieces from getting on the b5-square, and in addition it prepares a counter-attack on the queenside with …b7-b5. In certain circumstances there is the threat of ...b4 driving away the Nc3, which puts the e4-pawn under pressure e4. Seen like this, 5...a6 is a preparation for the attack on the white centre! The great rise of the Najdorf Variation – named after the Polish-Argentinian grandmaster Miguel Najdorf (1910–1997) – began in the 1950s. World champions Petrosian, Tal and Fischer played this opening, and Kasparov too was feared because of his precise treatment of the sharp Najdorf lines.