Download PGN of September ’25 Dragon Sicilian games
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Hungarian 6.Be3 Nc6 7.f3 h5 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Bh6 10.Qf2 0-0 11.Bc4 Be6 12.Bb3 [B72]
The game Lei, T - Hou Y is I’m afraid to say, far from a thriller. Through 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Nc6 7.f3 h5 it is of course though a Hungarian Dragon where after 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 Bh6 White dodges the attack to the queen with 10.Qf2:
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I’ve previously observed here that I quite like 10...Qa5!? but instead this game brings us 10...0-0 11.Bc4 Be6 12.Bb3 and then rather than 12...Nd7 or the interesting offering 12...b5, Black settles for 12...a6 encouraging 13.Bxf6 exf6 14.0-0 Qc7 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.Bxd5 Rac8 17.c4 Qc5 and a rather drab opposite-coloured bishop scenario that always seemed destined for a draw.
Yugoslav Attack 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 Nxd4 9.Bxd4 h5 [B75]
I would never have envisaged including such a short and fast paced game in an update but when I pondered passing this encounter off as a side note, I realised that in fact there is too much to unpack and it’s all of relevance!
So then in Pavlov, N - Elias Reyes, J R the game starts typically with 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 and then suddenly we get the rare Nxd4 9.Bxd4 followed by the unique 9...h5:
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Of course there are similarities to the Hungarian variation but then again not really! Black traded knights on d4 too early and having previously fianchettoed his Dragon bishop, does he really want to bring it out to h6 anyway. Well it seems White seriously thought so given the response 10.Be3?! when 10...Qa5 11.0-0-0 Be6 12.Kb1 Rc8 13.Be2?? Nxe4!! all looked rather impressive from a Black perspective. Dragon players shouldn’t give up their other lines though as the notes indicate that all isn’t as it may seem!
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bc4 Bb7 12.exd5 cxd5 13.Nxd5 Bxd5 14.Bxd5 Nxd5 15.Qxd5 Qc7 [B76]
Regular subscribers will know that 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, the system 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bc4 is quite fashionable although in the main we have focused on the central bolstering 11...e6. However in the high level clash Hovhannisyan, R - Van Foreest, J we see the pawn offering 11...Bb7 that is duly accepted via 12.exd5 cxd5 13.Nxd5 Bxd5 14.Bxd5 Nxd5 15.Qxd5:
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In the notes I make a comparison with the main line pawn sac in 9 0-0-0 d5 which basically reaches the same position but with light-squared bishops remaining. As for this game, I found 15...Qc7 16.Qc5 Qb7 17.Bd4 Rfc8 18.Qa5 Qc6 19.c3 Qc4 20.Bxg7 Rc5 21.Qa3 Kxg7 22.Rhe1 Qf4+ 23.Kb1 Re5 24.c4?! Rxe1 25.Rxe1 Qxc4 26.Qxe7 Qd3+ 27.Ka1 Rc8 28.Qxa7 Rc2 29.Qg1 h5!? to be quite fascinating. Most would be forgiven for thinking that White’s extra connected passed pawns would win through eventually but actually it was Black’s active pieces and central domination that shone through and might potentially have snatched the full point in the end.
Yugoslav 9.g4 Be6 10.Nxe6 fxe6 11.0-0-0 Ne5 12.Be2 Qc8 13.Bh6 Bxh6 14.Qxh6 Qc5 15.h4 Kh8 [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.g4, the entertaining game Moskalets, S - Li, H essentially followed what we’ve come to know as the main line through 9...Be6 10.Nxe6 fxe6 11.0-0-0 Ne5 12.Be2 Qc8 with White plumping for 13.Bh6 rather than the more common 13 h4. After 13...Bxh6 14.Qxh6 the white queen has advanced closer to the black king but it’s left some dark-squared weaknesses in its wake and furthermore after 14...Qc5 15.h4 Kh8 White has to be careful:
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Yes, now 16 h5?? g5 would see the white queen getting trapped by ...Nf7 bearing in mind the g5-pawn would be immune to capture because of ...Nd3+ Hence the White queen retreated with 16.Qd2 b5 17.Rhf1 Rab8 18.g5 Nh5 19.f4 Nc4 20.Bxc4 bxc4 21.Ne2 Kg8 22.Qc3 Rbc8 23.Qh3 Ng7 24.c3 Rb8 25.Rd2 Qc6 26.Ng3 Qc5 27.Qh1 Rb6 ‘probably’ offering Black most of the fun and ‘definitely’ when you see how the game plays out!
Yugoslav Attack 9 Bc4 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.0-0-0 Qa5 13.Kb1 Nd7 [B77]
The game Li Chao2 - Peng, X via more of an accelerated Dragon move order of 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 d6 8.f3 0-0 9.Qd2 Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.0-0-0 Qa5 13.Kb1 reached a system that we have become familiar with on ChessPublishing only for Black to deviate from 13...Rc8 (intending to park that rook on c4 to pressurise White’s bishop and thus bring ...Nxe4 tactics into the equation) with 13...Nd7:
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The knight retreat itself is quite rare here but of course the general concept isn’t. Black seeks a trade of bishops that leaves the c3-point more susceptible to a future exchange sac there whilst super ideal would be getting the knight to c4. The obvious downside is that a handy defender has been withdrawn from the kingside and the black king's defensive shield has already been compromised.
All in all the idea seems fine to me with 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.h4 Rac8 16.h5 g5 provoking White into mixing things up through 17.e5 Qxe5 18.h6+ Kh8 19.Rde1 Qf5 20.Rh5 Rg8 21.Ne4 White regained his pawn then through 21...Nf6 22.Rxg5 Nxe4 23.Rxg8+ Rxg8 24.Rxe4 but although I think Black should be fine, I suggest a couple of alternatives as the ensuing endgame was fraught with danger.
Chinese Variation 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rb8 11.Bb3 Na5 12.h4 b5 13.h5 Nc4 14.Bxc4 bxc4 15.Nde2 [B78]
The game Decoster, F - Sirin, A offered some good entertainment and 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.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rb8 11.Bb3 Na5 12.h4 b5 13.h5 Nc4 14.Bxc4 bxc4 a new move to us in the form of 15.Nde2:
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This allows the dark-squared bishop to prevent the black queen from utilising the b6-square whilst facilitating a relocation for the steed on f4 from where it could either drop in on d5 or sacrifice itself on g6.
Although it appears to throw the b2-pawn to the wolves, following 15...Qa5 16.Bh6 Qb4 17.Qg5 Qxb2+ 18.Kd2 it is easy for Black to be over-confident, now a pawn to the good. Indeed the white king is quite safe on d2 whilst 18...Bxh6 19.Qxh6 Qb4 20.hxg6 fxg6 21.Rb1 Qa5 22.Rxb8 Rxb8 23.Nf4 left White with some decent attacking chances albeit after 23...Kf7 24.Nfd5 Rh8 25.Nxe7 I think Black missed a good chance in the (not then played) 25...Kxe7 26 Qg7+ Ke6 27 Qxh8 Qg5+.
Take care everyone, Chris
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