Download PGN of May ’19 Dragon Sicilian games
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Hyper Accelerated Dragon 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.e5 Nc6 6.Qa4 Nd5 7.Qb3 [B27]
Typically after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.e5 Nc6 6.Qa4 Nd5 we have concentrated on the centralising 7 Qe4 and a position that can be arrived at through various move orders. A little different is 7.Qb3 although it equally attacks the d5-knight, leaving Black with a decision to make.
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In Lazov, T - Petrov, M Black opted for 7...Nc7 when after 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Bf4 Ne6 10.Bg3 0-0 11.0-0-0 my feeling is that 11...a6 is a little slow and certainly in 12.h4 h5 13.Nd5 b5 14.Qe3 Rb8 15.Ng5 Qa5 16.Kb1 Bb7 17.f4 Nxg5 18.hxg5 White had built up a strong initiative and was soon able to break through on the kingside.
Classical Dragon 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Nb3 0-0 9.Bg5 Be6 10.Re1 [B70]
The game Giannatos, P - Kiewra, K saw 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Nb3 0-0 9.Bg5 Be6 10.Re1 a5 11.a4:
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If Black were to take on b3 now then White has effectively gained a tempo in not dropping his bishop back to f1 as it can travel to c4 in one turn. Instead then 11...Nb4 12.Nd4 Bd7 13.Bf1 h6 14.Bh4 Bc6 occurred when Black had achieved his desired switch of diagonals for his bishop. Here arguably White has a slight edge with 15 f3 but instead things got complicated through 15.Ncb5 g5!? 16.c3?! gxh4 17.cxb4 Bxe4 18.bxa5 in an encounter where it’s fair to say that both players made mistakes but the tactics eventually went Black’s way.
Classical Dragon 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nc6 9.Qd2 d5 [B73]
Do you know what, I think I’m going to apologise for the inclusion of the game Rubes, J - Biolek, R which went 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nc6 9.Qd2 d5:
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Although Black has alternatives to this thematic break, I think it’s fair to say that it totally equalises and I had said previously that I wasn’t going to revisit the likes of 10.Rfd1 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Nxe4 12.Qxd5 Nd6 again. Lo and behold though we see a new move in the form of 13.Bf3 but after 13...Be6 14.Qc5 Qc8! 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.Bxd5 Bxb2 17.Rab1 Bf6 ultimately achieving a draw must have felt like a real success for White!
I really mean it this time, unless I see something radically different, I’m closing the book on this - honest!
Accelerated Dragadorf 6.Be3 a6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 Bb7 9.a4 b4 10.Na2 e5 11.Nb3 d5 [B75]
I think it has to be said that the hot off the press game Yagupov, I - Utnasunov, A casts somewhat of a shadow over the Accelerated Dragadorf. After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 a6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 Bb7 9.a4 b4 10.Na2 e5 11.Nb3 d5 12.Bg5 Nbd7 13.exd5 previously 13...Qb6 has been the recommendation rather than taking on d5.
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However, then rather than trying to protect d5 with 14 Bc4, it would certainly appear that 14.0-0-0! is considerably stronger. In 14...Bxd5 15.Kb1 h6 16.Be3 Qe6 17.Nac1 h5 18.h4 Be7 19.Bh6! Rc8 20.Bg7 Rh7 21.Bxf6 Nxf6 22.Bd3 the black king was floundering and the king’s rook looking silly. Black tried 22...e4 to drum up some play but after 23.fxe4 Nxe4 24.Qe2! f5 25.Bxa6 Rd8 26.Nd4 Qf6 27.Rhe1 Kf8 28.Nf3 Nc5 29.Ng5 Rg7 30.Bb5 Ne4 31.Bc4 Bxc4 32.Qxc4 Rxd1 33.Rxd1 Nxg5 34.hxg5 Qxg5 35.Qc8+ Kf7 36.Qc4+ bizarrely the game ended in a draw by repetition after the first player had performed so well.
Yugoslav 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Ne5 11.Bb3 Rc8 12.Kb1 Nc4 13.Bxc4 Rxc4 14.g4 b5 15.b3 b4 [B78]
Regulars will certainly recognise the position after 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Ne5 11.Bb3 Rc8 12.Kb1 Nc4 13.Bxc4 Rxc4 14.g4 b5 15.b3 b4 16.bxc4 bxc3 17.Qxc3 Qc7 as the ‘Burnett’ variation in which White is the exchange and a dodgy looking pawn up but gaps in his king shield at least offer up some sort of compensation for Black.
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Certainly a plausible choice for the club playing Dragon exponent, the game So, W - Duda, J saw it being deployed at the very highest level.
Here the ultra-talented young American played 18.g5 to put the question to the black knight and after 18...Nh5 it has to be said that 19.Ka1 Rc8 20.Rb1 Be6 21.Rb2 Bxc4 22.Rhb1 d5 23.exd5 Nf4 24.Rb7 Qe5 25.R1b4! Nxd5 26.Rxc4 Rf8 27.Rc5 Nxc3 28.Rxe5 Bxe5 had seen some exceptionally accurate play that only in 29.Nc6! left White on his way to winning the endgame.
Yugoslav Attack Soltis Variation 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.h4 Rc8 11.Bb3 h5 12.0-0-0 Ne5 13.Bh6 Kh7 [B78]
In Hacker, J- Chekletsov, I, after 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.h4 Rc8 11.Bb3 h5 12.0-0-0 Ne5 13.Bh6 we see a rare idea in the form of 13...Kh7:
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Of course we are used to seeing 13...Bxh6 14 Qxh6 Rxc3 and 13...Nc4 14 Bxc4 Rxc4 15 Bxg7 Kxg7 and the instinctive reaction when compared to the latter might be that it simply loses a tempo. However although compared to that, White has effectively got in Bh6xg7 as one move, the fact is that two minor pieces remain on the board. The big point behind this idea is that Black is hopeful that his e5-knight will have more of an influence on the game than White's light-squared bishop and doesn't intend playing the ...Nc4 that would encourage such a trade any time soon.
Play continued 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Kb1 Rc5 16.g4 hxg4 17.f4 Nc4 18.Bxc4 Rxc4 19.h5 Nxh5 20.f5 Rh8 and then 21.fxg6?! fxg6 22.Nf5+? gxf5 23.Qg5+ Kf7 24.Rxh5 Qg8! When White had got nowhere. As far as I can make out there are only 6 documented cases of this in practical play but more could soon follow as it’s definitely food for thought.
Best wishes dear subscribers, Chris
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To get in touch with me subscribers can email me at Chris Ward@ChessPublishing.com.