Download PGN of March ’24 Dragon Sicilian games
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Classical Dragon 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Re1 Nc6 9.Nb3 a5 10.a4 Be6 11.Bf1 d5!? [B70]
Following the mysteriously popular Classical variation 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Re1 Nc6 9.Nb3 a5 10.a4 Be6 11.Bf1 I have long advocated 11...d5!? but the game Svanda, O- Safarli, E is the first opportunity I have had to feature it:
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Dragon players are often advised to seek out this central thrust and to me this seems like the perfect opportunity. The only downside I can see is conceding the c5-square to the white steed and hence why my previous focus was on 12 Nc5. However instead here White opted for 12.exd5?! Nxd5 13.Bd2 when 13...Ndb4 14.Nc5 Bf5 15.N5e4 Nd4 16.Rc1 Rc8 left him under serious pressure.
Classical Dragon 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nc6 9.h3 [B73]
After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nc6 9.h3 the thematic response is 9...d5 and I believe that to be fine. However maintaining the tension in the position and keeping more pieces on the board is 9...Bd7 with 10.Qd2 Rc8 11.Rad1 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Bc6 13.Qe3 Qc7 occurring recently in Al Tarbosh, W - Amar, E:
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White can’t take the pawn on a7 because 14...Nd7 would leave the bishop in a pickle. However that pawn is a consideration after 14.f4 and hence 14...b6 15.e5 dxe5 16.fxe5 Nd5 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 when chances were about equal until 18.Bg4?! Rcd8 19.e6? f5! saw White veer off course and Black take over White’s operation!
Yugoslav Attack 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bh6 Bxh6 12.Qxh6 Qb6 13.e5 Nd7 14.h4 [B76]
After 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Be3 d6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.f3 0-0 9.0-0-0 d5 we are now very familiar with the still fashionable system 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bh6 Bxh6 12.Qxh6 but in Griffith, K - Mandiza, F after 12...Qb6 13.e5 Nd7 14.h4 rather than heading down the generally accepted line of 14...Nxe5 15 h5 Bf5, Black cleared a defensive post for his steed through 14...Re8?!:
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However as the notes explain, this doesn’t compare favourably with the analogous position (...Rb8 instead of ...Qb6) of the Rd4-h4 plan and 15.e6 Nf8 16.exf7+ Kxf7 17.h5 is a pretty swift attack that was crushing after 17...e5 18.hxg6+ hxg6 19.Bd3 Rb8 20.b3 Qa5 21.Kb2 Ba6 22.Bxg6+!!
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 e5 13.Bc5 Be6 14.Ne4 Re8 15.Bc4 [B76]
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 e5 13.Bc5 Be6 14.Ne4 Re8 is still arguably the main line of the 9 0-0-0 Yugoslav Attack but subscribers will know that here 15 h4 is recommended rather than the 15.Bc4 of this month’s Sidhant, M - Xu, Xiangyu:
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Through 15...Qc7 Black prepared to bring a rook to the d-file but what I especially liked was that after 16.Bd6 there was no thought of a repetition via 16...Qb6 17 Bc5 Qc7 etc as Black immediately whipped out 16...Qd7 Following 17.Ba3 Red8 18.Nc5 Qe8 probably 19.Nxe6?! was an inaccuracy as 19...Qxe6 left Black standing just fine. White has the bishop pair but the absence of a knight on e4 makes Black's life a lot easier. White also has the superior pawn structure but as we see is only one trade away from it being inferior. Yes, then 20.Rhe1 Qf6 21.Kb1 Qh4 22.Bb3 a5 23.g3 Qf6 24.Qe2 a4 occurred with 25.Bxd5 cxd5 forced and leaving Black clearly better in a well played game by the young Chinese GM.
Yugoslav Attack 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Ne4 [B76]
As seen in the recent Schneider, J - Koepke, C 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 I can’t see myself recommending 12.Ne4?!:
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Admittedly I do like it when we get something new on the site and whilst this move prevents the black queen from coming out to a5 and takes a familiar post in the centre, it does so whilst the Dragon bishop still has a clear view of the white queenside i.e. before having committed the e-pawn to e5.
Sensible play followed through 12...Rb8 13.Bd4 Bxd4 14.Qxd4 Qc7 when 15.h4?! really was too optimistic and 15...Bf5 16.Bc4 Rfd8 17.Ng5? c5 18.Qd2 Qe5 19.c3 Nxc3!! spoiler alert, led to a stunningly visual finish.
Yugoslav Attack 9.g4 e6 10 g5 [B76]
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.g4 we’ve pretty much got used to assuming that 9...Be6 10 Nxe6 fxe6 11 0-0-0 will follow and a middlegame/endgame that we have investigated well. I do love to see something different though and the game Afanasiev, N - Gubajdullin, A is only the second time on the site that we’ve featured 9...e6:
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As for the move itself, well Black controls the d5-square and indeed will be looking for a ...d5 break. The black queen is given swifter access to the queenside but of course the main problem is that this e-pawn can never go back to e7 and so the d6-pawn will be potentially vulnerable in the ensuing middlegame. Indeed about nine years ago on the site we saw White try to exploit that weakness immediately through 10 Ndb5 although I suspect that 10 0-0-0 is critical.
Instead this game continued with 10.g5 Nh5 11.Rg1 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 e5 14.Qe3 Be6 15.0-0-0 where I quite like the simple 15...a6 and a ...Rc6, ...Qc7, ...Rc8 plan. However instead Black offered up his d6-pawn in 15...Qa5 16.Rxd6 Rfc8 17.a3, then erring with 17...Rc5?! allowing 18.Nd5 in turn prompting 18...Rxd5 19.exd5 Bf5 20.c4 Nf4 21.b4 Qa4 22.Qc3 Black appeared to have control but after 22...Qe8 23.Kd2 e4 24.Qd4? exf3! 25.Qxf4 f2! 26.Qxf2 Qe5 suddenly it was a mess and Black went on to win!
Best wishes everyone, Chris
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