Download PGN of July ’25 Dragon Sicilian games
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Classical Dragon 7.f3 e5 8.Nb3 Be6 9.Nd5 [B72]
We kick off this update with the GM clash Vitiugov, N - Erdos, V in the offbeat variation 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Nc6 7.f3 e5 that has blatant similarities to the ‘Vietnamese Dragon’ with both lines having received reasonable airtime on the site. The difference is that this system (yet to get a name!) sees ...Nc6 prioritised over ...a6 and there is an argument for either. Having a pawn on a6 covers the b5-square and is a springboard for queenside expansion whilst development is rarely frowned upon! That said after 8.Nb3 Be6 9.Nd5 Bxd5 10.exd5 the developed knight was forced to move again with 10...Ne7 the selection:
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I just think that this is a nicely imbalanced position with about equal chances. White has the bishop pair but Black arguably the slightly better pawn structure with an attractive half-open c-file. There is of course pressure against the d5-pawn but after 11.Qd2 Black was prudent not to take it with Nf5 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Bb5+ Ke7 leading to a fun position that only went pear-shaped for Black after 15.Qc3 Qh4+ 16.Ke2 Bg7 17.Qc7+ Kf6 18.Bd7 when 18...Rhd8? didn’t quite appreciate the strength of the simple threat 19.g4! Rather a shame but it’s fair to say that this was far from a refutation of Black’s system and so there continues to be a variety of acceptable offbeat Dragons available to Black.
Hungarian Dragon 7.Be3 h5 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Bh6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 Be6 12.0-0-0 Qa5 [B72]
Not perhaps packed full of the juicy tactics that we’re used to from the Hungarian superstar but all the same Oro, F - Rapport, R was appealing for different reasons.
Not unusually from him we saw the Hungarian Dragon in 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.f3 Nc6 7.Be3 h5 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Bh6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 Be6 when 12.0-0-0 made its debut on the site:
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Again not concerned by the check on b5, Black continued with the logical 12...Qa5 nipping e4-e5 in the bud and regards 13.a3 a6 I just think that Black stands fine. The problem is that whilst Black has obvious ideas to move forward (e.g. utilising the half-open c-file and expanding on the queenside), White has no obvious plans of progression and following 14.Qd4 Rc8 15.Be2 Qc5 16.f4 0-0 17.Bf3 Ng4!? 18.Rd2 b5 19.h3 Ne3 20.Qxc5 Rxc5 21.Rd3 Nc4 22.Nd5 Bxd5 23.exd5 Rfc8 24.Re1 Kf8 Black simply stood better in the endgame.
Hungarian Dragon 7.Be3 h5 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Bh6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 Be6 12.Bb5+ [B72]
In Schitco, I - Thorfinnsson, B after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.f3 Nc6 7.Be3 h5 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Bh6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 Be6 we deviate from the Richard Rapport game because this time White can’t resist 12.Bb5+ Kf8:
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Obviously Black can no longer castle now but the king's rook may get action along the h-file and should the major pieces need to be connected along the back rank then ...Kg7 takes just one more move! That said after 13.Bd3 Qa5 14.0-0 Rc8 15.Rae1 h4 16.h3 Qc5 17.f4 it’s very possible that 17...Kg7 was an inaccuracy because then 18.f5 Bc4 19.fxg6 fxg6 20.Bxc4 Qxe3+ 21.Rxe3 Rxc4 22.e5 dxe5 23.Rxe5 Re8 led to a miniscule endgame advantage for White, if not one that is going to cause nightmares!
Yugoslav Attack 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Qe1 e5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bc4 Be6 14.Ne4 Qc7 15.Bd2 [B76]
The game Ponkratov, P - Erdogdu, M was the story of one side doing just fine until blundering, so the other side was winning but then in turn he blundered to invite the opponent back in. That offer was declined and so game over! Probably a familiar tale for all of us, if often with even more twists!
Anyway more to the point we’re talking 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 and the most common alternative to the main line of 10.Qe1 where after 10...e5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bc4 Be6 14.Ne4 Qc7 White hit us with the novelty 15.Bd2:
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Yes, the attacked bishop didn’t jump into c5 but rather retreated to where it eyed up the a5-square. Enthusiasts in these middlegames will know that in these types of positions, often Black has the choice of retaining the tension or releasing it. On one hand it is hard (but certainly not impossible!) for White to make progress with the knight on d5 but on the other, manoeuvring it to d4 appeals too. With the latter in mind Black chose 15...Nf4 when 16.Ba5 Qb8 17.Bxe6 Nxe6 18.h4 Qb5 19.b3 Nd4 20.h5 f5 21.c4 was all fun until Black got a bit carried away by 21...Nxb3+? 22.axb3 Qxb3, alas refuted by 23.Qc3! Well sort of, I’ve given you a hint to the situation but won’t spoil the rest!
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.Nc5 Bf5 17.Bb3 Nf4 18.Qc4 Be6 19.Nxe6 Nxe6 20.g3 Rd6 [B76]
Wow it feels insane that not that long ago the whole 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 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 system didn’t exist and now it’s as though 14.Na4 Qc7 15.Bc4 Rd8 16.Nc5 Bf5 17.Bb3 Nf4 18.Qc4 Be6 19.Nxe6 Nxe6 20.g3 Rd6 is a starting point, 20 moves into ‘theory’! That though is essentially what the game Sieber, F - Fedorovsky, M was with White now unwisely deviating from previous ideas with 21.Rxd6?! and hence 21...exd6 22.Qc3 d5:
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Okay so Black has three pawn islands (more then than White's two!) but he now has no isolanis. Given he’s just got in ...d5 to blunt White's bishop, he has the favourable minor piece (as we still have major pieces on) and thus I'm going to suggest that he now holds the upper hand. That assessment was backed up in 23.Re1 Qb6 24.Qe3 Nc5 25.Kb1 a5 26.c3 Rb8 27.Re2 a4 28.Bd1 Qb5 29.h4 h5 30.g4 hxg4 31.h5?! a3 32.hxg6 Qd3+! 33.Qxd3 Nxd3 with an unpleasant endgame for White to try to defend.
Yugoslav Attack 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rc8 11.Be2 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Qa5 [B78]
Following 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.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rc8 as I’ve implied before, the odd looking retreat 11.Be2 really shouldn’t be underestimated:
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On e2 the bishop doesn't pin Black's f7-pawn or even add control to d5 but it is less vulnerable to being hassled and does inhibit a ...b5 advance whilst being equally available to concede itself for a black knight that might emerge on c4 in the future.
To date it seems nobody has adopted my intriguing offering for Black here of 11...d5 (see the game notes) but 11...Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Qa5 seems to be a popular response. However after 13.Kb1, showing obvious similarities with the 9 0-0-0 Nxd4 lines, the problem is the Nd5 issues as highlighted in the recent game Demchenko, A - Kosanovic, G encounter where after 13...Rfe8 14.a3 Be6 15.h4 Bc4?! 16.Bxc4 Rxc4 17.Bxf6 Bxf6 18.Nd5 of Qxd2 19.Nxf6+ exf6 20.Rxd2 Re6 21.Rhd1 Rc6 22.b4 Black had to suffer in an unpleasant ending.
Back soon everyone! Chris
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