I play the closed against the sicilian. I find that the hardest players to beat are those wily foxes who hold off castling, either to delay it or not to castle at all.

The opening is loaded with theory and you do have to study in order to not get blown away regularly by better players, but I've taken down some pretty highly rated opponents from either side. That it allows me to get the initiative at some point and be the attacker is very attractive.

About the discussion of not castling into an attack. Postponing castling can also throw off an aggressive opponent. In many of Petrosian games he keeps postponing the castling or castles the "wrong" way. You see this also in Capa and Seirawan. Can be very effective.

Phony Benoni: <Once: <goodevans ... when I used to play the sicilian I quite often left my K in the centre> I find that approach works well in many lines of the French too. Some opponents - indeed some openings like the KIA - seem to be determined to attack a king that has been castled on the kingside. If the king ain't there, there's nothing to attack.>

That reminds me of one of my games. (Don't feel bad; everything reminds me of one of my games.) This is from the period when I always played for a kingside mating attack. This period has lasted from approximately 1957 to the present day.

David Moody - NN
Motor City Open,1984

<1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c4 7.Qg4 g6 8.h4 h5 9.Qg3 Bd7 10.Nh3 Ba4 11.Bg5 Qb6>

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<12.0-0-0>

Of course; other moves slow down the kingside attack. Besides, I might never have another excuse to castle queenside against a Winawer French.

<12...Nc6 13.Nf4 Nge7 14.Be2 0-0-0>

This does not discourage White from continuing to play for a kingside mating attack.

<15.Qh3 Rd7 16.g4 hxg4 17.Bxg4 Qa5 18.Qf3 Nf5 19.h5 Nce7 20.hxg6 Nxg6 21.Bxf5 Rxh1 22.Rxh1 exf5 23.Nxg6 fxg6 24.Rh8+ Kc7>

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<25.e6>

Kind of winning, since an attempt to extricate the rook by 25...Rg7 allows 26.Bd8+. The rest is noteworthy only because White does manage to make a move on the queenside, his only one after 12.0-0-0.

<25...Rd6 26.Bf4 Bc6 27.Bxd6+ Kxd6 28.Qf4+ Ke7 29.Rh7+ Kf6 30.Qh4+> 1-0

I never understood how the Sicilian Najdorf gets so much success, just know it does. But when it crashes out, it really crashes. B needs to be ready and determined in the fighting play to invariably ensues. Here I think B didnt have quite enough .... whats that word? "Sisu". Those h-pawn attempts to impeded the W pawn push? The tempis might have been better spent hammering at W's Qside. Well, my streetfighter view anyway.

Take a look at how much "progress" Black's Q-side attack makes from moves 17-30. What was the point of all those Queen moves??

SuperPatzer77

Reward it cans loyal tower oo kestrel ie flight fill Delphi a queen spread value brings home in positional rev Christophers banana bread or was it bacon?

34. Bxf7 doesn't work; 34 ... Rxf7 35. Rg8 d5 36. Qg5+ Kd6 37. Rd8 Kc7 38. Rxd7+ Rxd7 is only +0.69, probably a draw.

(32. Qxf6+ (1.Qxf6+ Kxf6 2.Rg6+ fxg6 3.Rxg6+ Ke7 4.f6+ Kf8 5.Rg8+) +M5/223 8)

32 Qxf6+ Kxf6 33 Rg6+ fxg6 34 Rxg6+ is a tempting Queen-Rook double sacrifice as Black King has very few escape squares. After 34 ... Ke7 35 f6+ is the killer blow. 35 ... Kf7/ Kf8 36 Rg8#. All forced with no side-lines.

I'd argue that White is just flat out winning this position 99/100 times, the bishop is immune: 32....Kxf7? 33.Rg7+ Bxg7 (else Qh8#) 34.Rxg7+ with 35.Qh8#. The alternatives allow White to save the bishop, plant it permanently on e6 and the Black king is down and out soon. SF gives 32....Rh8 33.Qg6 Rcc8, allowing 34.Be6 +- giving the exchange as otherwise it collapses.

The point about 32 Qxf6 is it eliminates B's only currently active defender straight off. After 32 Bxf7 Rh8, 33 Qg6 wins. By then it's too late for Qxf6.

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