Sicilian Kan Maroczy bind.

Technical questions regarding Openings, Middlegames, Endings etc.
Robert Stokes
Posts: 119
Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 4:51 pm

Sicilian Kan Maroczy bind.

Post by Robert Stokes » Sat Nov 07, 2015 2:27 pm

I have been studying the Sicilian Kan playing black as a response to 1 e4. In Batsford Chess Openings 2 page 338 it gives the following move order as one possibility.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cd 4 Nxd4 a6 5 c4 Nf6 6 Nc3 Bb4 7 Bd3 Qc7 8 0-0 Bxc3 9 bc.

Now I understand black's 8th move (without the a3 prompt) as now that white's knight is unpinned 9 Nd5 would win the Bb4 and moving either queen or bishop would lose a tempo (I think). However, I can't see why the book recommends taking with the b pawn giving white doubled isolated pawns. Why is the obvious 9 Bxc3 wrong? What problems would it bring later?

Please don't comment on any other aspect of the opening if you disagree with any of the previous moves.

Thank you in anticipation of any help that you can give.

LawrenceCooper
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Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:13 am

Re: Sicilian Kan Maroczy bind.

Post by LawrenceCooper » Sat Nov 07, 2015 2:35 pm

Robert Stokes wrote:I have been studying the Sicilian Kan playing black as a response to 1 e4. In Batsford Chess Openings 2 page 338 it gives the following move order as one possibility.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cd 4 Nxd4 a6 5 c4 Nf6 6 Nc3 Bb4 7 Bd3 Qc7 8 0-0 Bxc3 9 bc.

Now I understand black's 8th move (without the a3 prompt) as now that white's knight is unpinned 9 Nd5 would win the Bb4 and moving either queen or bishop would lose a tempo (I think). However, I can't see why the book recommends taking with the b pawn giving white doubled isolated pawns. Why is the obvious 9 Bxc3 wrong? What problems would it bring later?

Please don't comment on any other aspect of the opening if you disagree with any of the previous moves.

Thank you in anticipation of any help that you can give.
From the moves that you have given 9 bc is the only legal capture.

Brendan O'Gorman
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Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:10 pm

Re: Sicilian Kan Maroczy bind.

Post by Brendan O'Gorman » Sat Nov 07, 2015 3:05 pm



Perhaps you saw 7.Bd3 as 7.Bd2 in your mind's eye?

Robert Stokes
Posts: 119
Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 4:51 pm

Re: Sicilian Kan Maroczy bind.

Post by Robert Stokes » Sat Nov 07, 2015 3:25 pm

Thank you. What a silly mistake. For some reason I had bishops on both d2 and d3 on my board. I think I had not replaced everything properly before working on this variation.

Lesson to learn - check and check again before posting silly questions on this forum.

Robert

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Matt Mackenzie
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Location: Millom, Cumbria

Re: Sicilian Kan Maroczy bind.

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Sat Nov 07, 2015 5:28 pm

We've all done something like that in our time (sometimes in actual games, of course!) so don't worry :)
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

soheil_hooshdaran
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Joined: Tue Nov 05, 2013 5:24 pm

Re: Sicilian Kan Maroczy bind.

Post by soheil_hooshdaran » Thu Nov 12, 2015 10:39 am

Robert Stokes wrote:I have been studying the Sicilian Kan playing black as a response to 1 e4. In Batsford Chess Openings 2 page 338 it gives the following move order as one possibility.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cd 4 Nxd4 a6 5 c4 Nf6 6 Nc3 Bb4 7 Bd3 Qc7 8 0-0 Bxc3 9 bc.

Now I understand black's 8th move (without the a3 prompt) as now that white's knight is unpinned 9 Nd5 would win the Bb4 and moving either queen or bishop would lose a tempo (I think).
Who say's? What's the e6-pawn doing there?

Barry Sandercock
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Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:52 am

Re: Sicilian Kan Maroczy bind.

Post by Barry Sandercock » Thu Nov 12, 2015 11:08 am

Yes. 9.Nd5 is not possible as the e6 pawn would take it ( or the f6 Knight could take it) Makes no sense to me.

Brendan O'Gorman
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Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:10 pm

Re: Sicilian Kan Maroczy bind.

Post by Brendan O'Gorman » Thu Nov 12, 2015 11:40 am

Remember Robert had set his board up incorrectly, so he thought there was a white bishop on d2.

Barry Sandercock
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Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:52 am

Re: Sicilian Kan Maroczy bind.

Post by Barry Sandercock » Thu Nov 12, 2015 11:53 am

Oh sorry, I hadn't seen the earlier post.