English Chess Forum

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.

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.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "?"] [Round "?"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Bd3 Qc7 8.O-O Bxc3 9.bxc3 *

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

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

We've all done something like that in our time (sometimes in actual games, of course!) so don't worry

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?

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.

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

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