I observed that after
[fen ""]
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.g3 Bg7 7.Bg2 O-O 8.O-O Nxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 10.Qd3
In many games, Black played the strange move 10...a6!?
It has been played by top players like Kasparov, Anand and Carlsen.
What is the point of 10...a6?
Is it a waiting move for White to reveal his hand? It seems like a preparation for a future b5
, but why at this particular moment when Black could simply develop the bishop on f5 (10...Bf5)
? Also, in some variations, the pawn could be useful on a5
so that Black's knight can rest comfortably on c5
, so 10...a6
could be a waste of a move.
Qc7
+Be6
+Rc8
lineup to pressurec4
pawn and wishes to protect himself fromNb5
jump. Also, in some cases Black can playb5
to open lines which should give him compensation for the sacrificed pawn in view of active piece play. Just a thought... Best regards.