Download PGN of March ’25 Dragon Sicilian games
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Classical Dragon 6.Be3 Nc6 7.Be2 Bg7 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Rfd1 Bf5 [B73]
The game Jonsson, GP - Bjornsson, Si is far from a thriller but does add fuel to the fire that in the position reached after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Nc6 7.Be2 Bg7 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0, the thematic break 9...d5 completely equalises.
In addition, although I would be tempted to recommend Black staying away from so many liquidations to maximise winning chances, in fact following 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Rfd1 Bf5 13.Nxd5 Qxd5 this game demonstrates how enough pieces remain for the full point to be on the table.
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White wasn’t keen to de-isolate Black’s pawns nor trade a black one for his b2-pawn but 14.Qb4 Qe4 15.Qxe4 Bxe4 16.c3 Rab8 17.Rd2 a5 18.Bc5 Bf6 19.Rad1 a4 20.Bc4 Rfc8 21.Ba6 Re8 22.Bd4? Bxd4 23.Rxd4 Bc2 24.Rc1 Rxb2 25.Rd2 Rb6 26.Rcxc2 Rxa6 saw Black emerge a pawn to the good in a well convertible double rook endgame.
Yugoslav Attack 9 0-0-0 d5 10 Bb5 [B76]
Regular subscribers will know why I am averse to including fast-paced games but given I am also a sucker for new ideas, I couldn’t ignore Mamedov, E - Schiszler, E which after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 d5 saw 10.Bb5 hit the board:
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I’d not seen this move played before which first and foremost develops a piece, whilst connecting rooks along the back rank. That aside though this bishop deployment seeks a resolution around the c6 and d4 knights.
To be fair I think my notes to this game are far more relevant than the encounter itself which in 10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 a6?! 12.Be2?! dxe4 13.fxe4 Qc7? saw Black get into hot water through 14.e5! Ng4 15.Nd5 Qb8 16.Nxe7+ (16 e6! Strictly speaking being more accurate) 16...Kh8 17.e6.
10 Bb5 shouldn’t be a problem for Black but it’s worth being prepared to avoid disasters such as this!
Yugoslav Attack 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bc4 e6 12.Bb3 Bb7 13.Na4 Qc7 [B76]
First up a reminder that after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 d5 the relatively new White system 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bc4 e6 12.Bb3 is not to be under-estimated. Indeed we’ve witnessed a couple of unpleasant encounters from Black’s perspective with 12...Bb7 13.Na4 turning out ugly after 13...dxe4?! 14 Nc5 Qe7 15 Qd6! and problems on the kingside emerging after the immediate 13...Nd7. Finally though in the recent tussle Kuru, A- Klimkowski, J we see my site recommendation of 13...Qc7!? deployed:
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Although the prospect of a white steed occupying the c5-square is far from ideal for Black with his bishop locked in on b7, timing is all important and for now his own knight remains flexible. Here Black keeps the faith that one day his light-squared bishop will see the light of day and only after 14.Nc5 a5 15.a4 Rfd8 16.Qf2 did the challenge come with 16...Nd7! Then following 17.f4 a trade of knights would have been okay but 17...Nf6!? highlighted the point that knights can make a u-turn but pawns can’t! Play continued 18.f5 exf5 19.exf5 when the immediate 19...Bc8! looked best but in 19...Re8 20.Qf4 Qxf4 21.Bxf4 Bc8 22.fxg6 hxg6 with the light-squared bishop free to travel to pastures greener, suddenly Black was for preference.
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 e5 13.Bc5 Re8 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.Bb5 Be6 16.Bxe8 Qxe8 [B76]
I tend to get a little anxious when I see games starting 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 e5 13.Bc5 Re8 as I’m worried we’re going to see the frequently discussed dreary opposite-coloured bishop ending. However my fears were allayed in Hobson, K - Webb, R when instead 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.Bb5 Be6 hit the board:
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We know that the main line involves allowing a Bxf8 with Black getting White’s dark-squared bishop as part of the exchange but in 16.Bxe8 Qxe8 it is of course the light-squared bishop that Black gets. Now 17.Rhe1 Rc8 18.Qa5 Qc6 19.b4 was reasonable play when it’s fair to say that Black has very adequate compensation in the form of a nice centre, the bishop pair and lines towards the white king. Thereafter followed 19...Bf6 20.c4 d4 and I won’t spoil the rest other than to say ‘tactics incoming but not the way you might have guessed’!
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 14.Na4 Qa5 15.b3 [B76]
Regular subscribers will know that after 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, the main line remains the immediate 14...Qc7 but 14...Qa5 15.b3 provoking a hole in White’s queenside has recently received a bit of a resurgence. However that’s with 15...Qc7 and not with the 15...Ba6?! that we see in Haubro, M - Skonnord, U:
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Very rare, this move is a first for the site and I feel fairly confident that it will also be a last! I can understand the desire to connect the rooks along the back rank but my objection is that this encourages simple fair swaps and they generally aren't great for Black here as he retains the inferior structure that can then be more easily scrutinised.
Play continued with 16.Bxa6 Qxa6 17.h4 Qe2 18.Rd2 Qe3 19.h5 Qxd4 20.Rxd4 g5 21.Nc5 e5 22.Rd2 f6 23.c4 Ne3 24.g4! leaving the black steed in danger of being trapped behind enemy lines and then 24...f5 25.Nd7 Rfc8 26.gxf5 Nxf5 27.h6 Rd8 28.Rg1 Kf7 29.Nxe5+ Ke6 30.Nxc6 simply leaving White a couple of pawns to the good with a big queenside majority.
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 14.Na4 Qc7 15.g3 [B76]
After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 g6 6.f3 Bg7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 14.Na4 Qc7 played specifically here the move 15.g3 is still quite rare:
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However the idea of covering the f4-square and shielding the h2-pawn isn’t new to us and actually in Celik, H - Yalcinkaya, E after 15...Rd8 16.Bc4 we had transposed to familiar ground. Yes arguably it was here on ChessPublishing that the provocative 16...Bh3!? was put on the map whilst the played 16...Bf5 has also been previously investigated as being alright. However there are always lessons to be learned and whilst allowing simplifications via 17.Bb3 Nb6 18.Qc5 Nxa4 19.Bxa4 need not be terrible in itself, the sequence 19...Be6?! 20.Qxc6 Qe5 21.Bb3 Qe3+ 22.Kb1 Qe2?? saw a combination of passivity and tactical oversight be punished horribly through 23.Rde1 Rac8 24.Qxe6! For Black, not a good day at the office!
Bye for now! Chris
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