Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Najdorf Sicilian
Black’s 5...a6 keeps White’s pieces off b5 and leaves every plan open; learn the main ideas for both sides.
The idea
Black plays 5...a6 to keep White off b5 and keep every plan open.
- The pawn on a6 keeps White’s knights and bishop off b5.
- The pawn on e7 waits: Black chooses ...e5 or ...e6 later.
- Later Black can play ...b5, for space on the queenside.
In a game: After 5.Nc3 in the Open Sicilian, ...a6 first and decide the centre later.
How the lesson begins
In the Open Sicilian, after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3, the Najdorf is 5...a6. It looks like a quiet pawn move, but it does a lot.
The pawn on a6 covers b5, so neither White’s knights nor the bishop from f1 can use that square safely. It also gets ready for ...b5, to gain space on the queenside. And Black keeps the choice in the centre between ...e5 and ...e6.
A question
What does 5...a6 do in the Najdorf?
Show the answer
It covers b5 and prepares ...b5, while Black waits to choose ...e5 or ...e6.
Right. The Najdorf is flexible: the pawn on a6 is useful whatever White does, and the central pawn move comes later.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | Too few games |
| 800 to 1199 | Too few games |
| 1200 to 1599 | 0.2 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 2.7 |
| 2000 and up | 8.8 |
How the games ended
White won 47%, 6% were drawn and Black won 47%, over 3,942 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.