Download PGN of January ’25 Dragon Sicilian games
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Classical Dragon 6.Be3 a6 7.f3 e5 8.Nb3 Be6 [B72]
We kick this month’s update off with a new to the site system in the form of 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 a6 7.f3 e5:
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It does feel like a bit of a fraud to be including this as a ‘Dragon’ when Black’s dark-squared bishop is likely aiming for non-fianchettoed method of developing. However, replace ...a6 with ...Nc6 and long-time subscribers may recall us investigating this sort of thing before.
In any instance in Azarya, J - Dau Khuong Duy this novel approach worked a treat following 8.Nb3 Be6 because White deployed 9.g4?! clearly intending to play g4-g5 to clamp down on the d5 outpost only to be met by 9...d5! anyway. Yes the point was that after 10.g5 Black had the clever resource the resource 10...Nc6! 11.gxf6 d4 with the fork guaranteeing the piece regain. Sure after 12.Bg5 dxc3 13.Qxd8+ Nxd8 14.bxc3 White was sort of half a pawn up but he had a lousy structure and 14...Rc8 15.Kd2 Ba3 16.Rb1 b5 17.Bh6 Nb7 18.h4 Kd7 19.h5 Rhd8 20.Bd3 Nd6 21.Rhg1 Nc4+ 22.Ke2 Nb6! 23.Bd2 Na4 saw Black destined to regain it with an advantageous endgame advantage to boot.
Hungarian Dragon 6.Be3 Nc6 7.f3 h5 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Bh6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 Be6 12.Bb5+ Kf8 13.0-0 [B72]
I simply couldn’t resist including the fast-paced encounter Oparin, G - Dubov, D, which was from the World Blitz event and featured two Super GMs including young superstar Daniil Dubov championing the Dragon cause with incredible panache. It’s no wonder with games like this that people (previously not of a Dragon persuasion) are flocking to this Hungarian system.
Of course 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 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Qxe3 Be6 12.Bb5+ Kf8 is nothing new to us on this site but whilst last time Black did well utilising the c-file after White castled queenside, this time it was a similar story following 13.0-0 Qa5 14.h3 Rc8 15.Bd3 Kg7 16.f4 Qc5 17.Qxc5 Rxc5:
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Whilst neutrals may scoff at the queens coming off so early, instead they should sit back and admire the technique with which Black converts this game pretty much with judgement alone through 18.Ne2 Bc4 19.b3 Bxd3 20.cxd3 Rc2 21.Kf2 e5!? 22.Ke3 h4! 23.Rf2 Nh5 24.a4 Rhc8! 25.Raf1 f6 and what follows. Great stuff!
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.h4 h5 [B76]
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 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 still the line 12...Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 continues to stand the test of time although after 14.Na4 rather than the immediate 14...Qc7 it looks as though 14...Qa5 15.b3 and then 15...Qc7 is having a resurgence, bringing back the old debate about whether the inclusion of b2-b3 is more detrimental or useful to White. Either way after 16.h4 although we more recently investigated 16...Qg3!?, in Quparadze, G - Klimkowski, J it was back to the natural white h-pawn progress blocking 16...h5 and 17.Bc4 being met by 17...Nb6!?:
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Basically it’s game on and after 18.Nc5 Bf5 19.Nd3 Rad8 20.Qe5 Rd6! probably with Black for preference.
Yugoslav 9.Bc4 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.0-0-0 Qa5 13.Kb1 Rac8 14.h4 Nh5 [B77]
1.d4 c5 2.e4 cxd4 3.Nf3 d6 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 was admittedly a weird move order to reach a Dragon but each to their own and after 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 we once again saw Black deploy the 9...Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 system in the short but sweet game Hojjatinejad, I - Doroodgar, A.
White opted for the engine’s favoured 11.Bxe6 fxe6 and after 12.0-0-0 Qa5 13.Kb1 Rac8 decided that he’d go for a kingside attack rather than focus his attentions in the centre. Hence his opting for 14.h4 against which Black plumped for 14...Nh5:
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This halted the white h-pawn’s progress and facilitated the use of the half-open f-file, possibly leading White to believe that after 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.g4? the currently offside steed would descend on f4 at least allowing h4-h5. Instead though he suffered a rude awakening through 16...Ng3! 17.Rh3 Rxf3 18.Qg2 Rcxc3! 19.bxc3 Qxc3 when his position was rapidly crumbling.
Yugoslav Attack 9.Bc4 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.0-0-0 Qa5 13.Rhe1 [B77]
In Svane, F- Pijpers, A we have the same system of 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.Bc4 Qa5 10.0-0-0 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Be6 12.Bxe6 fxe6 only this time White abandons any h-file aspirations and instead seeks action in the centre through 13.Rhe1 Nd7 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.e5!:
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Although having reached this position, this is White’s most testing option, we have previously seen how 15...Nxe5 16 f4 Nc6 17 Rxe6 is far from the end of the World for Black, albeit there is a bit of pressure in the centre.
However we have also seen (just like in this game) how a super-computer favours 15...d5 and with all things considered 16.a3 Rac8 17.Ne2 Qxd2+ 18.Rxd2 Nb8 19.Nd4 Kf7 20.f4 Nc6 21.Nf3 h6 22.h4 Ke8 23.g3 Kd7 24.Re3 h5 25.b3 b5 26.Kb2 Rb8 27.Rc3 a5 28.Rc5 Rb6 29.Rd3 Rfb8 30.Kc1 b4 31.a4 Ra8 32.c4 bxc3 33.Rdxc3 Rab8 had seen White struggling to prove any tangible advantage.
Yugoslav Attack 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.Kb1 Re8 13.h3 [B78]
In the tussle of the metal monsters Stockfish dev-20241208-cf1064 - LCZero 0.31-dag-f7fb268-BT4-6 we’re seemingly on the trail of the ultimate truth and in the case of the main line 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.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.Kb1 and the prophylactic 12...Re8 that seems to be the rarely seen before 13.h3:
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Presumably this is all about controlling the g4-square so that an eventual f3-f4 carries more punch, in which case the battle now is over the c4-square. Following 13...Qa5 that was highlighted in 14.Qe2 (one point being that White can meet 14...Rxc3 with 15 Bd2!) with Black accepting the structural compromise that came with 14...Qa6 15.Qxa6 bxa6 That’s probably not such a big deal though with 16.Rhe1 Nc4 17.Bg1 Na3+ 18.Ka1 Nc4 19.Nde2 Nb6 20.a4 a5 21.Kb1 Bc6 22.Nd4 Nfd7 23.Nxc6 Rxc6 24.Nd5 Nc8 25.Re2 e6 26.Nf4 Ncb6 27.Nd3 Nc5 28.Nxc5 dxc5 29.c3 Be5 on its way to a draw.
Back soon! Chris
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