9...a5 Against the Bayonet Attack: A Sideline's Marketing and Its Missing Evidence

Match-watching habit teaches me when a line is board truth and when it is only marketing language. In the King's Indian Defense Mar del Plata Variation, White's 9.b4 Bayonet Attack leaves Black two paths. One is the main line 9...Nh5, opening the position toward forced tactical complications. The other is 9...a5, grabbing queenside space and leaning toward long-term strategy. A new DVD promotes the second as the solution. The pitch is clear: avoid computer-dependent forced lines and play on strategic understanding. But a number is missing here. No engine evaluation, no database statistics, no sample games. Only claims that chances are objectively equal and that danger can quickly come to White if Black knows the plans. These sentences are not analysis; they are marketing. My professional experience says such claims always need verification. The idea that computers cannot handle complex strategic positions no longer holds in the engine era. Modern engines analyze closed positions well too. So the DVD's core selling point must be understood as repackaging a known sideline, not producing new theory. What is actually being sold? Relief from memory pressure. Against 9...Nh5, unprepared players often lose before the game starts. 9...a5 reduces that pressure. But in exchange, Black must sustain long-term strategic understanding. This is a legitimate practical decision, yet it needs evidence to be validated. The absence of evidence is the biggest risk here. A club player who switches preparation based only on marketing language will likely adopt a slightly inferior line. And if this sideline becomes popular, White will prepare against it. Without a mixed repertoire, relying on this line alone is risky. One more point matters. The DVD market is losing ground to streaming and subscription courses. Such products are likely catalog re-releases rather than new theory. This follows the industry pattern: when main lines become over-analyzed, marketers repackage practical sidelines as solutions. In summary, the DVD offers a legitimate practical idea but rests on unsupported claims. Anyone considering this line should first verify it with a current engine and database. Marketing language and board truth are not the same.