Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Retreat Variation

The Retreat Variation, 6. Nf3, is White's answer to the Lasker-Pelikan (Sveshnikov) thrust 5...e5. White simply withdraws the attacked knight to its natural kingside square. Unlike 6. Ndb5, it creates no threat on d6, so Black is not obliged to play ...d6 and can bring the dark-squared bishop out beyond the pawn chain. Black's move order is designed to exploit exactly this. The bishop finds an active post while the e5-pawn has already fixed the central structure, giving Black an improved version of the ...e5 Najdorf setups.

The usual reply, chosen in roughly two-thirds of games and also the engine's first choice, is 6...Bb4. It pins the c3-knight and increases the pressure on e4. The main alternatives are 6...Bc5, which points the bishop at f2, and the more restrained 6...d6. The engine also suggests 6...h6, which keeps a white bishop off g5. The engine rates the position as roughly balanced, leaning very slightly toward Black. In practice Black wins more often than White, and the line remains a minor sideline beside 6. Ndb5.