The idea in one sentence
Black trades the c-pawn for White's d-pawn to get a central majority, and the little move ...a6 keeps every option open while denying White's pieces b5.
♔ White's plans
- Develop fast and use the extra space
- Attack the kingside, often with f3, Qd2, g4 and long castling
- Use the d5 square, Black's weak point after ...e5
♚ Black's plans
- Trade c-pawn for d-pawn: two centre pawns against one
- Play ...a6 to keep knights and bishops off b5
- Gain space with ...e5 and counter-attack on the queenside and along the c-file
Pawn structure. Black has a backward pawn on d6 and a hole on d5, in return for central pawns and the half-open c-file.
How to learn it
- Read the idea and the plans: every move below serves one of them.
- In the story, ask of each move: what does it do, what does it stop, what does it prepare, why not the other one?
- Drill your side. At the key moves you name the idea first, then play the move.
- Missed moves come back first next time, and in your journal.
The defining moves
- 1...c5 controls d4 from the side and avoids a symmetrical centre.
- 2...d6 prepares ...Nf6 without allowing e5 to kick the knight.
- 3...cxd4 trades a wing pawn for a centre pawn.
- 4...Nf6 attacks e4, so White has to spend a move on ♘c3.
- 5...a6, the Najdorf move: it takes b5 from White's knight and bishop and prepares ...e5 and ...b5.
- 6...e5 gains space and kicks the knight from the centre, at the cost of a hole on d5.
The line follows the moves masters play most (Lichess masters database), each checked by Stockfish 19 at depth 22; where the book move is not Stockfish's first choice, the story says so. Scores are in pawns from White's side: +0.30 is good for White, −0.30 for Black.