Download PGN of September ’24 Dragon Sicilian games
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Hungarian Dragon 7.Be3 h5 8.Bc4 Bd7 9.Bb3 Na5 10.Qd3 [B72]
The young Russian chess talent Daniil Dubov is really leading the way in the Dragon right now with some excellent results although the apparent ease in which he defeated another legend of the chess board recently was somewhat surprising. So Ivanchuk, V - Dubov, D began with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.f3 Nc6 7.Be3 h5; a standard Hungarian Dragon move order when White sidestepped the characteristic 8 Qd2 Nxd4 9 Bxd4 Bh6 idea with 8.Bc4 instead. Now there is a bit of a cross-over between B72s and B75s in that department with the former tending to be lines where Black holds back on ...Bg7 for a while, instead prioritising other ideas.
The Dragon bishop had indeed still remained at home through 8...Bd7 9.Bb3 Na5 10.Qd3:
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Indeed Black’s dark-squared bishop only took its place on its rightful home now with 10...Bg7 when 11.0-0-0 a6 12.Kb1 b5 13.Bg5 Nxb3 14.axb3 0-0 15.h3 b4 only added to the credence of this variation. Not only is Black getting good results in this line in general but after 16.Nd5?! Nxd5 17.exd5 a5 18.Rhe1 a4! his victory from here was emphatic.
Classical Dragon 6.Be2 Bg7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.Nb3 0-0 9.0-0 Be6 10.f4 b5 [B74]
From a Black perspective the game Koskela, N - Corrales Jimenez, Z from the recent Women’s Olympiad was a very nice encounter.
The probably still accepted main line of the Classical Variation runs 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.Nb3 0-0 9.0-0 Be6 10.f4 where given White’s potential f4-f5 ambitions, we’re used to seeing either 10...Qc8, 10...Na5 or 10...Rc8. Instead here we see only the second appearance on the site of 10...b5:
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Grasping the c4-square and bringing into play ...b4, it certainly looks as though Black gets adequate play should White grab that pawn (see the annotation) and so instead White bolsters the e4-pawn through 11.Bf3.
Nevertheless this looks a tad passive after 11...Rc8 12.Kh1 a6 13.Bg1 Nd7 14.Nd4 Bc4 15.Re1 Nxd4! 16.Bxd4 e5 17.fxe5 Nxe5 18.a3 a5 19.Rc1 b4 20.axb4 axb4 21.Ne2 with Black in a commanding position and 21...b3! an attractive possibility. Instead 21...Qg5 22.Ra1 h5 23.Ng1 Ra8 24.Rxa8 Rxa8 25.Be2 Rc8 26.c3 bxc3 27.Bxc3 Bxe2 28.Qxe2 Ng4 29.Bxg7 Kxg7 30.Nf3 Qf4 occurred when 31.g3? Qf6 32.Kg2 Rb8 33.Rb1 Rb3! 34.h4 Re3 35.Qf1 Rxe4 should really have led to a more comprehensive victory than it did!
Yugoslav Attack 7.f3 h5 8.Bc4 Bg7 9.Qd2 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Na5 [B75]
The game Junior, Domingos - Avila Pavas, S is likely aiming for a Hungarian Variation after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Nc6 7.f3 h5 but White delays Qd2 with 8.Bc4 instead when 8...Bg7 9.Qd2 Bd7 10.0-0-0 returns us to a delaying castles system. Particular appealing to me is that through 10...Na5 11.Bb3 Rb8 we see Black angling for a Chinese variation style approach on the queenside but with that ...h7-h5 advance on the kingside hindering White’s expansion plans there:
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Incredibly to date this position only crops up in my databases 17 times and yet White has tried 8 different moves with 12.h3 b5 13.g4 occurring here.
I don’t know why Black didn’t continue with the natural 13...Nc4 here but there is no doubt that 13...Qc8 14.Nd5?! Nxd5 15.exd5 Nc4 16.Bxc4 bxc4 17.c3 Qa6 18.Kb1 Qa5 worked out well with Black shortly bagging the d5-pawn and destined for a beautiful finish.
Dragon 7.f3 h5 8.Bc4 a6 9.a4 Nbd7 [B75]
In Najer, E - Dubov, D we have another wonderful encounter involving the young superstar albeit in a system that we could really do with giving a real name!
So we’re talking 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 and now h5 8.Bc4 a6 in very much the style of a Dragadorf. Here White prevented Black’s queenside expansion when 9.a4 Nbd7 10.0-0 Qc7 11.Ba2 b6 12.f4 Bb7 was almost more reminiscent of a ‘Hedgehog’ middlegame. Not however in the speed in which things progressed though with 13.f5 and now 13...g5!? suggesting tactics were about to enter the equation!
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Play continued with 14.Nf3 g4 15.Ng5 Rf8 16.Qe2 Rc8 17.Rad1 Ne5 18.Qf2 Qb8 19.Bxb6?! Bh6 20.Be3 g3! when I won’t ruin the rest for you. What a game!
Yugoslav 9.Bc4 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Bb3 Qa5 12.0-0-0 b5 13.Kb1 b4 14.Nd5 Bxd5 15.exd5 Qb5 16.Qd3 [B77]
From the recent Olympiad, the game Erigaisi, A- Mamedov, Rau is rather incredible although I hasten to add, not exactly a thriller!
Certainly 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 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 remains a bit of a fashionable variation when after 11.Bb3 Qa5 12.0-0-0 b5 13.Kb1 b4 14.Nd5 Bxd5 15.exd5 Qb5 it is 16.Qd3 rather than 16 Rhe1 that has proven to be most challenging. Still though 16...Qxd3 17.Rxd3 Rfc8 18.Re1 Rc7 19.c3 a5 doesn’t feel as though it’s too dangerous but the young Indian GM is a force of nature right now.
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Yes surely 20.cxb4 axb4 21.g4 Rac8 22.Rdd1 Bh6 23.h4 Bf4 24.Bb6 Rb7 25.Be3 Bxe3 26.Rxe3 Kf8 looked like it was heading for a draw but that wasn’t the case as in a lesson for us all, White squeezes every drop of goodness from the ending.
Yugoslav Attack 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rc8 11.Be2 [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, the game Robson, R - Baules, J is a gentle reminder to Dragon players not to under-estimate 11.Be2:
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Although the retreat to e2 looks a bit silly, especially given effectively two tempi have been expended to nudge it to a far from impressive post, actually it's also a little sneaky! First up the bishop in being on c4, puts paid to the central ...d5 break but that isn't seemingly required any more given a black bishop now on d7 obstructs the black queen's control of that square. Also if this bishop is going to concede itself on c4 in a couple of moves anyway, then it doesn't matter whether it is on b3 or e2. Although the bishop on b3 pins the f7-pawn, that rarely becomes relevant too quickly whilst the bishop being on e2 has an influence on the b5-square thus dissuading any Topalov style systems.
To date nobody has taken up my suggestion of 11...d5!? and following on from the 11...Ne5 we’ve featured previously, here instead we see 11...Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Qa5 13.Kb1 and then 13...Rfe8 to prevent the Nd5 tactics. Nevertheless 14.g4 Be6 15.a3 a6 felt a bit slow and 16.h4 b5 17.h5 b4 18.axb4 Qxb4 19.Nd5 Qa4?! 20.b3 Qa3 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.g5 Nh5 23.Bxg7 Kxg7 24.f4 left White in a commanding position.
Back real soon! Chris
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