Download PGN of November ’24 Dragon Sicilian games
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Dragon 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be2 g6 7.Be3 Bg7 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 Ng4 10.Bxg4 Bxg4 11.f3 Bd7 [B72]
We kick this month off with Hracek, Z - Vykouk, J in the exciting Classical (i.e. long castles!) variation of 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Be2 g6 7.Be3 Bg7 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 Ng4 10.Bxg4 Bxg4 11.f3 Bd7 12.Kb1 Generally here Black immediately deploys 12...Ne5 to offer up the weakened c4-square to the Black steed but whereas after 12 Nxc6 Black should recapture with his b-pawn to take control of the d5-square, now after 12...Rc8 13.Nxc6 he has a dilemma!
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The a7-pawn isn’t a concern but of course Black moved his rook to the c-file in search of activity which wouldn’t now come after 13...bxc6. The counter argument is that White’s extra move will have been to place his king on to the b-file firing line but in any instance Black selected 13...Rxc6 when 14.Bd4 Bxd4 15.Qxd4 Be6 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.exd5 was arguably a critical moment. Courtesy of the ‘thorn pawn’ on d5 and half-open e-file, White has a nice initiative in the centre but whilst in the notes I give my recommendation as to how Black should set up his major pieces, alas 17...Rb6?! isn’t it.
Play continued 18.Rhe1! with White keeping a close eye on Black’s freeing ...e5 break and when it eventually came through 18...Qd7 19.Re3 Ra6 20.Rde1 Re8 21.b3! e5 22.dxe6 Rxe6 23.h4 d5 24.Re5 White was well placed and destined to bag the weak black isolated d-pawn in an instructive encounter.
Yugoslav Attack 9.0-0-0 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Kb1 Qc7 12.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 regards the 9...Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Kb1 Qc7 12.h4 variation that we’ve featured so much in the past, we do keep hoping for new Black ideas to aid in a regeneration but alas I don’t think that 12...h5 as seen in Smirnov, M - Aansh Nandan Nerurkar is one:
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Sure if White played slowly then Black might get time to get going on the queenside without White making inroads to the black king but alas 13.g4! suggested that wasn’t going to happen! Black refused to allow the h-file to be opened through 13...Rfc8 14.gxh5 Nxh5 but after 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Rg1 Qb6 17.Rg5 Nf6 18.h5 that barricade had been breached with 18...Rg8 19.hxg6 fxg6 20.Bd3 Kf8 21.e5 dxe5 22.Rxg6 leaving White a pawn up and more, headed for a winning endgame.
Yugoslav Attack 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bh6 Bxh6 12.Qxh6 e5 13.Qg5 Re8 [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 9.0-0-0 d5 the line 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bh6 Bxh6 remains fashionable with 12.Qxh6 e5 preventing White’s e-pawn from advancing, being the ‘in’ thing. However whereas we’ve previously seen 13.Qg5 met by 13...Qd6 and 13...Qe7, the game Predke, A- Djukic, Ni sees a first outing for 13...Re8:
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Black needed to protect the e-pawn whilst keeping his steed guarded but now after 14.exd5 it wasn’t possible to recapture with the pawn because 15 Bb5 would have been awkward. Hence 14...Nxd5 when after 15.Qxd8 Rxd8 we reach an endgame with a familiar structure. Arguably White has a miniscule advantage but in 16.Bc4 Be6 17.Ne4 Nf4 18.Bxe6 Nxe6 19.Rhe1 Kg7 20.Nd6 f6 it’s nothing really even if there is more excitement to come than one might have expected!
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 e5 13.Bc5 Be6 14.Ne4 Re8 15.h4 h5 16.Bc4 Nf4 [B76]
So 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 Be6 14.Ne4 Re8 is of course the old main line but following 15.h4 we’ve seen 15...h5 (as opposed to 15...h6 or 15...Nf4) be rather fashionable in recent times. After 16.Bc4 I myself have played 16...Qc7 with the idea of bringing a rook to d8 and keeping the queens on but whilst that may be more fun, objectively it seems that 16...Nf4 may be best:
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Seemingly not thrilling but given the theoretical importance of the position twinned with popularity, we have two endgame encounters this month starting with the 17.Bxe6 Nxe6 18.Qxd8?! Rexd8 19.Be7 Bh6+ 20.Kb1 Rxd1+ 21.Rxd1 f5 22.Ng5 Re8 which was in Black’s favour after 23.Bf6? Bxg5 24.hxg5 Nf4 25.g3 Nd5 in Khoury, T - Shearsby J.
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 e5 13.Bc5 Be6 14.Ne4 Re8 15.h4 h5 16.Bc4 Nf4 [B76]
Same again I’m afraid only this time in Celik, HH- Lekic, D 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 e5 13.Bc5 Be6 14.Ne4 Re8 15.h4 h5 16.Bc4 Nf4 17.Bxe6 Black opts to concede the d-file himself through 17...Qxd2+ 18.Rxd2 Nxe6:
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Black is at least threatening to win a piece through ...f5 but whilst 19.Be3 feels a tiny bit better for White, it was only after 19...f5 20.Nd6 Red8 21.Rhd1 Bf6 22.Nc4 a6 that he finally got to invade as he wanted through 23.Rd6 only to find the tactical 23...Nd4! more than saved the day for Black.
Yugoslav Attack 9.Bc4 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Bd5 [B77]
Following 1.Nf3 c5 2.e4 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.Bc4 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 reaching a position that Hikaru Nakamura has helped bring back into the spotlight, it is decision time for White. There is plenty in the archives on the pros and cons of trading bishops on e6 whilst 11 Bb3 retaining the tension is most common in practice and that was sort of the case with the 11.Bd5 of Tilicheev, V - Perets, D making its debut on the site:
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Though this looks a little odd, I needed to take the Serbian representing Grandmaster’s idea seriously and of course with a mass trade of minor pieces on d5, there would be a certain symmetry to this month’s update in terms of structure. Well of course strictly speaking there was as after 11...Qa5!? 12.0-0-0 Bxd5 13.Nxd5 Qxd2+ 14.Rxd2 Nxd5 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.exd5 we had that familiar tabia but with the queens off 16...Rfc8 17.Re1 Kf8 18.Rd4 Rc7 was nothing for White.
Back soon! Best wishes, Chris
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