Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5/2. Nf3/2...d6/3. d4/3...cxd4/4. Nxd4/4...Nf6/5. Nc3/5...a6/6. Be3/6...e5/7. Nb3/7...Be6/8. f3

Najdorf Sicilian, English Attack rd nd qd kd bd rd pd pd pd pd pd pd bd nd pd pl nl nl bl pl pl pl pl pl pl rl ql kl bl rl Najdorf Sicilian, English Attack f3 might look like a slight inaccuracy. After all, never move the f-pawn right? As it turns out, this is by far the best move for white. f3 achieves multiple things at once: Ng4, attempting to chop off the bishop, is now impossible. e4 is now supported by a pawn instead of a piece (That might come under pressure in the future!) If both sides castle on opposite sides, g4 and h4 are much easier to pull off. In addition, the slight weakness created along the diagonal cannot be exploited by Black. The queen will take a lot of time to mobilize, and after Qh4+ g3 ends the attack right in its tracks. Like most of the English Attack, this move is directly taken from the Yugoslav Attack. References Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation de Firmian, Nick. Modern Chess Openings, 15th Edition. New York, NY: Random House, 2008. fi:Shakkiaapinen/Peli/1. e4/1...c5/2. Rf3/2...d6/3. d4/3...cxd4/4. Rxd4/4...Rf6/5. Rc3/5...a6/6. Be3