Play the Najdorf – Top-Level Repertoire – Part 1 by GM Renato Quintiliano

The course consists of 16 theoretical chapters, 32 interactive test positions, a Memory Booster, and a Video Version (16h Video Running Time).

Since the material is quite big, at the end of the database, you will find the so-called “You Must Know” section. This section consists of 4 chapters that provide the most important lines that you need to retain. Therefore, by learning this short version of the course, you will be good enough to start playing the Najdorf.

Preview by the Author

The starting position of the Najdorf arises after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6

The readers who already know my previous works for Modern Chess (hopefully many of you!) should remember that in 2018 I published a long and detailed work about the Sicilian Najdorf, which was divided into three databases. It was one of my first big projects for Modern Chess, and I was really proud of the result, which was probably the most updated and complete study of the  Sicilian Najdorf at the time. Well, five years have passed and we are back to the initial Najdorf position.

Some of you might be wondering why this database isn’t being published as a small update on the 2018 databases. I’ve decided to treat these new Najdorf databases as a completely new work for two main reasons. The first reason is because since 2018 a lot of new ideas have been found. New variations, move orders, and different approaches that either escaped my attention or were not trending 5 years ago have appeared in tournament practice and required careful examination. That means the chapters are even bigger now than in the first version of the Najdorf databases. Also,  today we have other sources of high-level material to study and improve our knowledge about the Najdorf. Personally, I like very much Giri’s 2020  Chessable Sicilian Najdorf Course. In many chapters, I suggest the same lines as he and try to go deeper into the positions, although in most of the variations I still follow my path.

The second reason, unfortunately for me, is that in many lines my analysis didn’t survive the test of time (or the test of modern engines). In some cases, I realized that my analysis was a bit superficial or incorrect, so I had to do it again with a higher level of precision. In other cases, I’ve simply changed my mind about my previous recommendations and decided to completely change the approach (I’ve identified all these positions or lines in my notes). In any case, the result was an original work and a much better version of my 2018 databases. I hope the efforts put into making this database can be useful for all Najdorf players 🙂