Thanks for the nice video. In the book, _The Sveshnikov Sicilian_ by Mikhail Krasenkov, 1996, the move 9.c3 is given an exclamation point. The author claims that 9...Nf5 is probably forced (and he calls it an unfortunate move). He says 9...f5 10.Qa4 Kf7 is too strong for White but doesn't prove it (he shows a few games). Of course, today's engines don't completely agree with a book from 1996. I'm not a strong player, but I have a distaste for putting the knight on g6 in general. I'd much rather it be on f6. For example, after 9.c3 f5 10.Qa4 Kf7 11.Qb4, I'd rather play 11...Ng8 than 11...Ng6 (the engine I'm looking at says the two moves are about equal). But all in all, I think I'll stick with 8...Nb8. Congratulations on beating the now famous (infamous?) Hans Niemann. Anyway, I'm just learning to play the Sveshnikov as Black and I'm glad my research brought me here. Thanks again.
Great comment thank you! c3 was so widely considered the antidote at the time and it's really disappeared from public consciousness, I can't quite tell why. ...Nf5 is indeed unfortunate. I do like the knight on g6 a little more than you do, easier for a rook to support f pawn advances, but I get the discomfort and ...Nb8 is the better theoretical move. Whenever I beat someone young I start rooting for them in hopes of a brag later; the Hans Niemann journey has been rather... strange. Best of luck with the Sveshnikov!
