Download PGN of November ’25 Dragon Sicilian games
>> Previous Update >>
Maroczy 6...Qb6 7.Nb3 Qd8 8.Qd2 Nf6 9.f3 d6 10.Be2 0-0 11.0-0 a5 12.Nd4 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Nd7 [B38]
Checking in on the Accelerated Dragon and intriguingly the ‘Staircase Variation’ (okay that’s not official but I’ve nicknamed it that!) seems to be gaining in popularity with the likes of Hikaru adopting it. The battle of the Max’s, Warmerdam, M - Lagarde, M was a GM tussle where after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Be3 Qb6 7.Nb3 Qd8 rather than 8 Nc3 offering Black the option of mixing things up through 8...Bxc3, White prioritised 8.Qd2 Here is where I have previously shown an interest in 8...a5 and the notes show Nakamura deploying that to good effect. Nevertheless, of course there is nothing wrong with 8...Nf6 when after 9.f3 d6 10.Be2 0-0 11.0-0 a5 12.Nd4 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Black prioritised 13...Nd7 over 13...Be6 or 13...Bd7-c6.
             |
There are slight differences but I wouldn’t say that 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Nc3 Nc5 16.b3 Be6 17.Kh1 Qb6 18.Rab1 is an unfamiliar scenario. However Black did speculate to accumulate through 18...f6 19.Rfe1 g5 grasping some dark-squares with the pawns to compliment the work of the light-squared bishop. Probably White should solidly have continued with 14 Nd5! but after 20.f4 gxf4 21.Qxf4 Kh8 22.h3 Rg8 23.Qe3 Rg5 24.Nd5 Qd8 25.Rf1 Re5 I quite liked Black’s position with his rook on the outpost e5!
Hungarian Variation 7.f3 h5 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Bh6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 Be6 12.0-0-0 Qa5 13.a3 Rc8 14.Nb5 a6 15.Nd4 Bd7 [B72]
Following 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Nc6 7.f3 h5 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Bh6 still by far the most common White reaction is 10.Be3 when 10...Bxe3 11.Qxe3 Be6 12.0-0-0 Qa5 has seen Black have some nice results. Here the game Lin, BE - Gazik, V saw 13.a3 Rc8 14.Nb5 a6 15.Nd4 Bd7 16.Kb1 0-0 17.h3 Qc5 18.Qd2 h4 19.Nb3 Qe5 when already Black felt in command:
|
|
In view of the impending clamp down ...Ne5, White gambled with the pawn sac 20.f4 and after 20...Qxe4 21.Bd3 Qd5 22.Qf2 Qh5 23.Be2 Qh6 24.Bd3 Qh5 25.Be2 Qh6 26.Bd3 Rfe8 27.Rhf1 Rc7 28.Nd4 Rc5 29.f5 g5 30.g3 hxg3 31.Qxg3 Kf8 32.Rg1 Rec8 33.Rde1 b5 34.Nf3 Bxf5 35.Bxf5 Rxf5 36.Nxg5 had some compensation for the pawn but still went on to lose the ensuing endgame.
Anti Hungarian 7.f3 h5 8.Bc4 Bd7 9.Bb3 Na5 10.Qd2 Bg7 11.0-0-0 Rb8 12.Rhe1 [B72]
After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Nc6 7.f3 h5 the game Xu, Z - Ratkovic, M is certainly not the first time that we have seen White delay Qd2 until Black has committed either his knight to a5 or his bishop to g7. However following 8.Bc4 Bd7 9.Bb3 Na5 10.Qd2 Bg7 11.0-0-0 Rb8 in this sort of Soltis/Chinese hybrid, it is a first for us with 12.Rhe1:
|
|
White gets impatient waiting for Black to castle and puts his eggs into the central play basket with 12...b5 13.Nd5 Nc4 14.Bxc4 bxc4 15.Bg5 Nxd5 16.exd5 0-0 17.Rxe7 Qb6 following. Black gets reasonable compensation for the pawn and after 18.b3 could certainly have preserved his c-pawn. Instead 18...cxb3 19.axb3 Qc5 20.Qf4 Rb4 21.Rxd7 occurred when sadly (from a Dragon players perspective!) Black erred in the ensuing tactics.
Yugoslav 8.Bc4 0-0 9.Bb3 Bd7 10.h4 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 b5 12.h5 a5 13.hxg6 hxg6 14.Nd5 Nxd5 [B76]
I had personally always taken an interest in tricky move orders that might prove to be a barrier to entry for certain Black systems but it’s been a long while since we’ve encountered 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Bc4 0-0 9.Bb3 Bd7 10.h4 on the site.
|
|
However I think that Black treated it very sensibly in the Grandmaster clash Yakubboev, N - Mamedov, R through 10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 b5 12.h5 a5 13.hxg6 hxg6 14.Nd5 and then correctly with 14...Nxd5! 15.Bxd5 Rc8 The chances are about equal but following 16.a3 e6, an easy mistake to make was 17.Bb3? allowing Black to take control with 17...Qg5! with 18.Kf1 a4 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Ba2 Qc5 21.c3 b4! 22.axb4 Bb5+ 23.c4 Bxc4+ 24.Bxc4 Qxc4+ 25.Kf2 Qxb4 26.Rxa4 Qxb2+ leaving him a clear pawn up and more.
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 14.Na4 Qa5 15.b3 Qc7 16.Bd3 [B76]
Following 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 14.Na4 regulars will know how much time we have spent on the immediate 14...Qc7 although Qa5 15.b3 Qc7 has had only about 25% fewer practical outings. The ongoing debate remains over who the provoking of b2-b3 is advantageous to and regards its inclusion, new to the site here is 16.Bd3:
|
|
Given this is the high-level GM clash Tabatabaei, M - Mamedov, R this move has to be taken seriously although aside from connecting the rooks along the back rank, I don’t know whether the idea was for a future Be4 or if the priority was for h4-h5. Actually following 16...Rd8 17.Be4, does occur with 17...Be6 18.Qc5 Rac8 enabling the black queen to go walkabout. Then 19.h4 h5 20.Rd2 Qf4 21.Rhd1 Qxh4 22.c4?! Rd6! reminded us of why it’s not so easy to budge the black steed from d5 with 23.Qxa7 Nf6 24.Qf2 Qf4 25.Nc5 Rcd8 26.Nxe6 Rxe6 being Black for preference in a game that he might ultimately have felt he should have taken the full point in.
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 14.Na4 Qc7 15.Bc4 Rd8 16.Bb3 Be6 17.Nc5 Nf4 18.Nxe6 Nxe6 19.Qe3 Nf4 20.g3 Nd5 21.Qg5 [B76]
Okay let’s cut to the chase and I’m thinking that the Grandmaster encounter Aroshidze, L - Pijpers, A is fairly indicative of the whole 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 14.Na4 Qc7 line. Here White sought an advantage through 15.Bc4 Rd8 16.Bb3 Be6 17.Nc5 Nf4 18.Nxe6 Nxe6 19.Qe3 Nf4 20.g3 Nd5 21.Qg5 as others have before him:
|
|
However I’m not convinced that there is any significant advantage to be found and actually after 21...Nb6 22.Rde1 e6 23.Qe5 instead of 23...Rac8 24.Qxc7 Rxc7 25.Re5 c5 26.c3 Kg7 27.f4 h5 28.Rd1 Rxd1+ 29.Bxd1 Kf6 30.Be2 that was a drawish endgame, Black had just as much right to play for the win as White did through 23...Rd6!?.
Bye for now! Chris
>> Previous Update >>
To get in touch with me subscribers can email me at Support@ChessPublishing.com.