Najdorf Sicilian

I am considering playing the najdorf sicilian.  is it easy to learn and play? 

1.  Why is the Sicilian the most popular response to e4? 

2. I read somewhere that Sicillian defense is tactically suspect because white has more space in the middlegame and has greater attacking chances.  However, the majorirty of endgames are better for black?  I don't understand why endgames would be better for black when white has the queen side pawn majority.

3. Why is the najdorf variation to be the most popular variation?  I understand that the dragon variation is no longer popular because of the yugoslav variation.  But why is the najdorf more popular than the taimanov or the sveshnikov variations?  Fischer played the Najdorf and so did Kasparov, Tal, and Anand, and Nakamura.  What attracted these players to the Najdorf instead of other variations.

1. Well, many people say the sicilian, especially the najdorf, is the best try for black to play for a win, so I think this is the reason for his popularity.

Y2. ou are right if you say that white has to find his winning chances in the middlegames because of his initiative and that black has the better pawn structure caused by his centre majority (this is an advantage in the endgame because you can grab more space in the centre) and if he survives white's attack he can hope for a better endgame.

3. The reason for the popularity of the najdorf is caused by his felxibility (the move a6 illustrates this fact because black makes a useful move but white has to decide ho he want to play) and his weakness shortage (for example in the sveshnikov/taimanov black has the weak pawn e6 and the weak square e5.

You have already mentioned that the najdorf is a quite theoratical opening so you sure have to learn many theory.

 is it easy to learn and play? No

Why is the Sicilian the most popular response to e4?  Because from the very first move Black doesn't  just seek to equalize.  On the contrary, from the very first move Black seeks to wrest the initiative from White by counterattacking in the center and establishing an asymetric pawn structure which contains the seeds of dynamic imbalance.

 I read somewhere that Sicillian defense is tactically suspect because white has more space in the middlegame and has greater attacking chances.   The correct answer to what you read is more complicated.  The physical appearance of more space on the board for White is just that only a physical appearance.  Contained in Black's small but secure center is dynamic counterplay that if White is not careful he will attack prematurely and Black's counterplay buttressed by his 2 vs. 1 central pawn majority, and White's pawn at e4 and N at d4 which are targets for Black will thwart White's attack and leave Black with a winning or won position.  The absence of Black targets in the center for White further compounds White's ability to find a focal point to focus his attack against except for the square d5 (an empty square on  Black's side of the board, that is thematic in the opening)

However, the majorirty of endgames are better for black?  I don't understand why endgames would be better for black when white has the queen side pawn majority.  Partially answered in post #2

 Why is the najdorf variation to be the most popular variation?  Because in general, conditioned by correct move orders, it is the most flexible offensive/defensive system against all White middlegame plans of attack.

If you would like to know more please let me know.

One reason that the majority of Sicilian endgames are better for Black is that White has more space during the middle-game. Every Pawn advance leaves weak squares behind it.

For instance, the Pawn structure obtained after e4 + d4 (which gets traded off) + f4 + g4... a common sort of advance for White against the Sicilian, spread over a dozen moves or so... leaves the squares e3, e4, f3 and f4 all without any hope of Pawn-protection. The neighboring Pawns have advanced too far to ever cover those squares again.

Pawns don't move backwards. You can get a lot of strategic mileage out of simple rules like that one.

You sir, very evidently, have acquired the equivalent of a PhD. in chess.

I've been playing (with indifferent results) for over 40 years.

@Yaroslavl and the OP:

Here's a pertinent example:

I'm playing Black in a Sicilian. My opponent tried to get an attack by advancing the e and d pawns (trading off), then the f, g and h pawns... quite typical of White's attacking play in this opening. I won by sacrificing a Rook in order to infiltrate BEHIND the advanced Pawns, onto the weak squares left in the wake of their advance.

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/game-showcase/a-rook-sac-followed-by-a-quiet-move