Najdorf Variation, Traditional Line

The Traditional Line is the classical treatment of 6. Bg5 in the Najdorf. After 6...e6 7. f4, Black develops with 7...Be7, and on 8. Qf3 places the queen on c7. White's queen on f3 supports e4 and the f4-f5 or e4-e5 advances, and it also clears the way for queenside castling. Black's queen on c7 watches e5 and the half-open c-file, with ...Nbd7 and ...b5 still to come. The position after 7...Be7 was once the main line of the Najdorf, and much of its theory traces back to Fischer's work. It has since lost ground as the Poisoned Pawn with 7...Qb6 grew more popular.

White almost always plays 9. O-O-O, and 9...Nbd7 then reaches the old main line. The play is very sharp, with typical sacrifices on d5, b2, g7 and f7 while both kings come under fire. The rare 9. Bd3 and 9. g4 have scored poorly for White. The engine gives White a slight edge and lists 9. f5 and 9. Bd3 behind castling. Decisive results dominate, and fewer than five percent of Lichess games end in a draw.