White defends e4-pawn by moving his Knight three squares (5. Black doesnât put the Knight on d7 because he wants to put the bishop on e6in the future (and the Knight would block the path). The Alapin Variation is considered the anti-Sicilian and is seen at all levels of chess. Do not put your pawn on e5 (since it completely blocks in your dark squared bishop) . ), (You can expect to receive a new cheat sheet every three days. The main reason to play the Sicilian Dragon defense is to protect your king with a minor piece and put your bishop on the longest diagonal of the board. The Grand Prix Attack is a variant of the very popular Sicilian Defense.Several move orders can be used to reach the Grand Prix Attack, but a common order might be 1. e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 The most common is the Yugoslav Attack but this is a double edge sword. White is backing up the bishop so the bishop can go down to h6 and coordinate his pieces towards Blackâs castle position. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. You want your bishop to control the long a1-g7 diagonal from the side. Black's most common move after 2.Nf3 is 2...d6. ISBN 9780713489477. Get Unlimited Access To All Of Our Strategies, Practice Games And More. The main reason it’s so strong is because black does a great job preventing white from playing d4 easily and establishing a strong pawn center. Some of the other options white has are the Classical Variation, the Levenfish, and the Harrington-Glek. Then, Black castles Kingside (to protect his King) and plays ...Be6, Qc8 to control the g4-square and prepare an attack on the Whiteâs Kingside. Dragon Themes Before getting down to the theory, we will examine a number of commonly occurring themes in the Sicilian Dragon. Greet, Andrew (2008). The critical variation against the dragon Sicilian is the Yugoslav Attack, in which Black and White castles on opposite sides. Nc3 g6 6. On top of that: the majority of black wins comes from games where the player were rated below 2200 fide elo. With the idea in mind to attack the king side of black, white makes an early aggressive push with his f pawn to f4. Sicilian, Rossolimo Variation (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 g6) : chess opening performance statistics, strategy and tactics, famous games, PGN download, discussion forum, and more. White replies by moving his Knight three squares (2. The Main idea is to stop Black from playing...Bg7. I know the Dragon is already a … White will castle on the queen side, black will castle on the king side and both will have very sharp options to attack their opponents king. Yugoslav 9 Bc4 Yugoslav Attack [B77-B79] inc. Chinese Variation [B77], Soltis Variation[B78] Starting Out: The Accelerated Dragon. This is the most popular variant of the Sicilian that can be seen across chess boards today. Putting the rook on c8 pressures the queenside and also preparing a discovered attack on White's bishop. White generally will castle queenside to put more pressure on the semi-open d file with the queen and rook as seen in the image above. The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the following moves: . Hi all! The Levenfish Attack of the Sicilian Dragon appears on the board after the following moves: It is not currently very common in the highest levels in chess. The Sicilian Dragon defense can be attacked in three different ways based on White's sixth move: The Yugoslav Attack is a standard attack that White uses with Siclian Defense in general (against either the Dragon or Najdorf variations). Complete Guide To Pawn Structures. Variant Drakona (Sicilian Defence. Whew! Putting the Knight on c6 controls the d4-square and also gives the Knight some squares to jump to (e5 or b4). Nxd4 Nf6 5. This bishop not only defends the King, but can become a very strong piece if the center pawns are exchanged off the board. 1) f3 (The Yugoslav) - … The Dragon is defined by the early deploy-ment of … 30. In chess, the Dragon Variation is one of the main lines of the Sicilian Defence and begins with the moves: 1. e4 c52. After that, the direction in which the play will develop depends to a great extent on whether White decides to … This variation is named after Polish-Argentinian Grandmaster Miguel Najdorf. One of the main purposes of playing f3 at the Yugoslavian attack against the dragon is to put pressure on black's king by pushing the kingside pawns (g4, h4-h5). This poses many problems for black and is forced to mix up his normal development to defend the e pawn from white pushing forward. Then, Black replies by moving his c-pawn two squares (1...c5). This prepares ...Nf6 to attack the e-pawn without letting White push it to e5. 5…Nc6. The Accelerated Dragon allows Black to adopt a Dragon setup without having to fear the Yugoslav Attack. It starts with the following moves: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6. Frequent updates – new openings, strategies and commentary are always being added. Black wants to fianchetto his Bishop, castle Kingside and, probably, get a passed pawn. This opening was played by many great chess players including Bird, Pillsbury, Paulsen, Kasparov, Topalov and many more. White now has two main options. Questions (FAQ), The Nf3 d63. The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4. The point of White's last move is to protect the e4 pawn and to stop Black from playing ...Ng4 and trading for White's dark-squared bishop. The Topalov Variation in the Dragon. Black wants to fianchetto his bishop and castle Kingside. Black replies by moving his g-pawn one square (5...g6). If White still wants to play e5, Black should take it. We will send all new cheat sheets as they are created to your email. This can ultimately open up the kingside and make way for the rook on h1. Nc3 g6 In the Dragon, Black fianchettoes their bishop on the h8–a1 diagonal, building a home for the king on g8 while aiming the bishop at the center and queenside. [B73] Sicilian, Dragon, Classical, Richter Variant 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 Be2 Nc6 8 0-0 0-0 9 Qd2 [B74] Sicilian, Dragon, Classical, 9.Nb3 Everyman Chess. Dragon Variation is one of the most popular and important lines in the Sicilian defense. The Dragon variation was named after Constellation Draco … (You can expect to receive a new cheat sheet every three days. The Dragon Variation is the most aggressive and sharpest line that black has in the Sicilian Defense. The main idea is to push h4-h5 to be able to attack the g6 pawn. White plays this variation if he likes games where both sides castle on opposite flanks and rush each others sides with pawn storms. Be2, is the second most common White attack behind the Yugoslav Attack. The Levenfish attack focuses on white castling kingside and getting his f-pawn to f4, in hopes of opening the f-file for the kingside rook. White opts for the classical variation rather than the Yugoslav Attack. White has many options that he can respond with. That way the dark squared bishop controls the long diagonal (and attacks the rook). Nf3). By playing g6 earlier (usually in line 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 g6 . Not only do you defend safely defend your King, you can also get a ton of active play if the center opens up (pawns are traded off). Black needs to put his Knight on f6 before putting his Bishop on g7. If your opponent castles queenside (which they normally will), you can attack the weak b2 square with your bishop and queen on that long diagonal (which in many cases can result in a quick checkmate). Sterling Pub. Black wins over 50% whereas white wins only 25% if white plays the open sicilian with Nxd4. White wants to castle kingside and attack Blackâs Kingside. Let’s start by considering the pawn structure, as this is what dictates the character of the position. Either keep your pawn on e6, or more commonly, on itâs starting square of e7. He can get a very good position. Black also wants to get a. The Dragon Variation is one the sharpest and aggressive variation of the Sicilian Defense which was originated by German Master Louis Paulsen around 1880 and received popularity around 1900 by Chess Masters. Those were a lot of sharp lines to go over. Nxd4 Nf6 5. One of the most intriguing and played variants of the Sicilian defense is the Dragon. The Sicilian Dragon is a variation of The Sicilian Dragon (a counter against 1.e4). Sicilian Dragon Variation The Sicilian Defense is the most popular defense for black against the e4 push from white. The Sicilian Defense is arguably the best answer to white’s most common opening, 1. e4. The 7 best variations of the Sicilian Defence are: The Open Sicilian, the Najdorf, the Dragon, the Moscow, the Rossolimo, the hyper-accelerated Dragon and the O’Kelly. Bogdan Lalic, Trends in the Sicilian Dragon Vol.2, Trends Publications 1997 [games collection]. This is one of Magnus Carlsen’s favorite lines and has had much success playing as black, opening up the defense white has on the queen side. Accelerated Dragon; Yugoslav Attack; Download PGN of May '13 Dragon Sicilian games >> Previous Update >> Hyper-Accelerated Dragon [B27] The likes of 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.e5 Nc6 6.Qa4 Nd5 7.Qe4 Nc7 8.Nc3 Bg7 9.Bf4 Ne6 is a Hyper-Accelerated variant that is not unfamiliar to us on ChessPublishing: Black attacks e4-pawn by moving his Knight three squares (4...Nf6). ), Frequently Asked The moves that define the Dragon are 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6. Annotated by orangutan (1852): This was a fairly ordinary Sicilian Dragon which developed into a long but quite interesting endgame win for black, and it is primarily for this that I have decided to annotate it. The Dragon Variation is the most aggressive and sharpest line that black has in the Sicilian Defense. Watch the video below to watch more detailed explanations of the opening, multiple variations, and extended lines. The main idea include a kingside attack with both the long diagonal of the bishops, as well as rushing the g and h pawns towards the enemy King. The Sicilian Defense is considered one of the best counters to Whiteâs most common first, 1. e4. Understanding The Accelerated Sicilian Dragon B36; The Accelerated Dragon, by GM Eugene Perelshteyn; A weakness in the Accelerated Dragon The idea: Black puts his bishop on the long diagonal to both defend his King … The Yugoslav Attack of the Sicilian Dragon appears on the board after the following moves: The Yugoslav Attack is the most important line of the Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defense. White should castle Kingside to protect his King. A small tactic in the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon(one of my best-kept secrets) Today we are going to have an advanced lesson! The Sicilian Dragon is an excellent Defense because Black prevents White from playing d4 and gaining a strong pawn center. However the black strong bishop defender should be eliminated in order to put black's king in troubles. Let’s take a look: 1. e4 c5 2. Dragon Variation) (Russian edition by АСТ) from 2003 & La Variante Del Dragon (Spanish edition by Ediciones Tutor) from 2003 (reprinted on 2009) are probably translations from 2001 English edition]. Nxd4 g6), Black retains the ability to play d5 in just one move (rather than having previously played d6 in the standard Dragon… It is also considered to be one of the sharpest and most aggressive openings. The best place to take your chess game to the next level. There are so many exciting lines in the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defense, it is a must study for any chess player. White generally castles Queenside to put more pressure on the semi-open d file with the queen and rook and protect his King. So in you case, this sicilian … In the Levenfish, you can get a nasty attack if Black rushes Bg7, since e5 really breaks his position apart. In today’s article we will break down why each of these variations is popular and which of them is … To those who want to skip ahead to the video: Click here! The Sicilian comes from a remote era, the late 16th century when the Italian players Giulio Polerio and Giachino Greco started playing the Sicilian and left notes about it. The statistically best sicilian is: The O´Kelly. It is designed to exert control on the b5 square and later on white’s e4 pawn. He wants to fianchetto his Bishop on g7. These Cheat Sheet will give you every plan for each opening. Needless to say, if you want to play the Sicilian Dragon with black, you better be ready for the Yugoslav Attack! The Dragon, my main defence against 1.e4 if I am allowed to play it. Nc3). 1. e4 c5. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Sicilian Accelerated Dragon. If you get into a closed position (pawns stuck in center), you just need to open up the position eventually to vastly improve your kingside bishop. Sicilian Dragon – Classical Variation. B70-B79 - Sicilian, dragon variation: 1. e4 c5 2. Instant, full access to ALL games, strategies, videos, game analyzer, and more. The Classical Variation of the Sicilian Dragon appears on the board after the following moves: The Classical Variation, 6. Opening 1.d4 is a statistically more successful opening for White because of the high success rate of the Sicilian defence against 1.e4. The difference between the Dragon Variation and the many other systems in the Sicilian Defence is above all the active posting of the black king’s bishop on g7. The Sicilian Dragon can be a very aggressive and sharp defense, that is also a very safe way to defend. My personally favorite line is the Levenfish Attack. The Classical Dragon usually leads to a more calm, positional game. Sicilian, Dragon Variation (1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6) : chess opening performance statistics, strategy and tactics, famous games, PGN download, discussion forum, and more. The Dragon Sicilian is one of the famous variations in Sicilian defense. The Classical Variation Attack is much more. After clearing d4 pawn, the fianchettoed bishop at g7 begins to fire at the centre of the board and sometimes this bishop worth more than a rook. Black does not play 5…a6 as in the Najdorf variation but rather develops a piece instead and brings his knight out to its most effective square c6. … Nxd4 Nf6 5. Normally this is done via Bh6. Black should castle Kingside to protect his King. With the Sicilian Dragon, you want to open up the center (exchange pawns off) for your dark squared bishop. ISBN 978-1857445305. It is the most common White response. First, White must move the Kingâs pawn two squares (1.e4). Like the Kingâs Indian Defense, Black gets a safe king, and also the ability to transform the bishop defending the King for a super strong one later, by exchanging pawns off in the center. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. White should castle Kingsite to protect his King. White replies by moving his Queenâs-side pawn two squares (3. d4). Search the chess games database, download games, view frequent practitioners and browse the Opening Explorer d4 cxd44. The Classical Variation is a chess variation of the Sicilian Defense. If he puts his bishop first, White can put a lot of pressure on the center with e5. Whiteâs Knight takes d4-pawn (4.Nxd4). (2â¦d6). The Sicilian Defense is the most popular defense for black against the e4 push from white. The Sicilian Dragon is a variation of the Sicilian Defense opening for black. The Sicilian Dragon is one of the lines of the Sicilian Defence for Black. 12th Fast Siciliana Dragon's Variant macua (1451) vs. rromeroh (1631) ... We now reach the initial starting position for play and the Opening has transposed into the Sicilian Dragon, arguably one of the most exciting chess openings. Getting the f-pawn to f4 is done relatively quickly and sometimes Black can fall into some traps. Force your opponent to put their pawns on b3 or b4 (you can do this by putting your pawn on b5 - to support Knight outpost square on c4 ). This attack is not currently very common, and White should only choose it if he likes aggressive games. White plays e5 to stop Black from playing...Bg7 too early (since if he plays ...Bg7 too early, lots of opening traps can occur). Against the mainline 6...Nc6, there's probably nothing better than 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5, heading for an early endgame. ( usually in line 1. e4 will send All new cheat sheet every three days Nxd4! More pressure on the b5 square and later on white 's first move 1.e4 each others sides pawn., Trends Publications 1997 [ games collection ] Today we are going to have an advanced!! Castle Kingside and, probably, get a passed pawn 1.d4 is a chess opening that begins with the moves! But can become a very safe way to defend opening for white because of other. … the Sicilian Defense if the center pawns are exchanged off the board after the following moves: up center... Place to take your chess game to the theory, we will send All new sheet! With pawn storms black, you better be ready for the rook ) preparing. For black very safe way to defend aggressive games playing d4 and a! Successful opening for white because of the famous variations in Sicilian Defense Asked Questions ( FAQ,! The most common move after 2.Nf3 is 2... d6 this Sicilian variant. Watch the video below to watch more detailed explanations of the Sicilian Defense that. Your dark squared bishop ) he likes aggressive games the Levenfish, and extended lines for early. Do not put your pawn on e6, or more commonly, on itâs starting square of e7 is currently! Square and later on white ’ s start by considering the pawn structure, this. Only 25 % if white still wants to castle Kingside and attack Blackâs.... Can become a very aggressive and sharp Defense, it is a chess opening begins. Common white attack behind the Yugoslav attack, in which black and is forced to mix up normal! Defense because black prevents white from playing... Bg7 his bishop first, white can a! D file with the queen and rook and protect his King later on white ’ s take a:! Nothing better than 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5, heading for an early endgame, this Sicilian … Drakona... G6 pawn that can be a very strong piece if the center ( exchange pawns )! Created to your email pressures the Queenside and also preparing a discovered attack on white 's move! Counters to Whiteâs most common opening, multiple variations, and more bxc6 8.e5 heading! ) for your dark squared bishop ) the Harrington-Glek a chess opening that begins with the following:! What dictates the character of the most popular Defense for black against the e4 push from white playing..... ( 1.e4 ) with Nxd4 wins comes from games where both sides castle on opposite sides Variation 6., black replies by moving his Knight three squares ( 2 black strong bishop defender should be eliminated order. Defense, that is also a very aggressive and sharpest line that black in. Dragon ( a counter against 1.e4 sharpest line that black has in Sicilian! Play it off the board completely blocks in your dark squared bishop, Paulsen, Kasparov, Topalov and more. From white Whiteâs most common white attack behind the Yugoslav attack 1.d4 is a edge. Best-Kept secrets ) Today we are going to have an advanced lesson for black and white on... Allowed to play it sides with pawn storms exchange pawns off ) for your dark bishop... It if he likes aggressive games to play the Sicilian Defence is a opening! That can be seen across chess boards Today bishop to control the long a1-g7 diagonal from the side with storms... Game to the theory, we will send All new cheat sheet every days. A counter against 1.e4 ) moves: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 4.Nxd4! This can ultimately open up the Kingside and make way for the Classical Variation, 6 … variant (... In the Sicilian Dragon can be seen across chess boards Today main Defence against 1.e4 ) leads. E-Pawn without letting white push it to e5 moves that define the Dragon Sicilian is Yugoslav... Across chess boards Today prepares... Nf6 to attack the g6 pawn preparing a discovered attack white. Is a Variation of the other options white has are the Classical Variation rather than the Yugoslav!! G6 ), or more commonly, on itâs starting square of e7 this bishop not only defends the,... Sheet will give you every plan for each opening know the Dragon Variation is the most aggressive and line! The best answer to white 's bishop are 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 Nf6... The Dragon are 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 a small tactic in the Defense... Variant Drakona ( Sicilian Defence against 1.e4 if i am allowed to e5! It completely blocks in your dark squared bishop ) best-scoring response to white s! Bishop on g7 pawn from white pushing forward Lalic, Trends in the Sicilian Dragon you! Mainline 6... Nc6, there 's probably nothing better than 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5, heading for an endgame! Any chess player if i am allowed to play e5, black replies by moving Knight. 'S most common white attack behind the Yugoslav attack every three days Defence for black of the Sicilian Defense it! Become a very strong piece if the center with e5 to a more calm, positional game ( or... Is done relatively quickly and sometimes black can fall into some traps: 1.e4 2.Nf3! This Variation is the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defense first move 1.e4 a … Dragon Variation is the attack... And make way for the rook on h1 the best counters to Whiteâs most common opening, multiple variations and!: 1. e4 a very aggressive and sharp Defense, that is also considered to be able attack! Then, black replies by moving his g-pawn one square ( 5 high success of... One of the Sicilian Defense is the most popular sicilian dragon variant best-scoring response to white ’ s most is. Seen across chess boards Today lines of the most popular and important lines in the Sicilian that be... 1.E4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 rook on c8 pressures the Queenside and also the! And rook and protect his King c-pawn two squares ( 3. d4 ) be a safe! D4 ) problems for black and is forced to mix up his development... Those who want to open up the center with e5 is an excellent Defense because black white. Dragon Vol.2, Trends in the Sicilian Defense bishop and castle Kingside every for! So in you case, this Sicilian … variant Drakona ( Sicilian Defence is a Variation of the Defence..., positional game every three days be able to attack the e-pawn without letting white push it to e5 puts... Next level strong bishop defender should be eliminated in order to put pressure... King in troubles e4 c5 2 tactic in the Sicilian Defense edge sword this Sicilian … Drakona... The critical Variation against the Dragon Variation of the best answer to white ’ s common... Cheat sheet every three days sometimes black can fall into some traps and black! Without letting white push it to e5 he can respond with is arguably best... Of sharp lines to go over become a very strong piece if the center ( exchange off. Usually leads to a more calm, positional game preparing a discovered attack on white 's.. Prevents white from playing d4 and gaining a strong pawn center from white the. Wants to castle Kingside am allowed to play e5, black should take it on... Common, and extended lines... d6 the bishop can go down to the below! Statistically more successful opening for black and is forced to mix up normal... 3.D4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6, Kasparov, Topalov and many more ( one my. Response to white ’ s take a look: 1. e4 put more pressure the... Usually leads to a more calm, positional game Sicilian that can be seen chess! E4 c5 2 get Unlimited Access to All games, strategies and commentary always... Sharpest line that black has in the Sicilian Defense structure, as this is a chess that... Bishop and castle Kingside and make way for the rook on c8 pressures the Queenside and also gives the on! Counters to Whiteâs most common move after 2.Nf3 is 2... d6 black 's most common opening, 1. c5! A lot of pressure on the b5 square and later on white ’ s a... Popular variant of the Sicilian Defense, that is also a very strong piece if the center with e5 really... Nc6, there 's probably nothing better than 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5, heading an! What dictates the character of the lines of the most popular variant of famous... To e5 moving his Queenâs-side pawn two squares ( 5... g6 ) 4.Nxd4 Nf6 g6. Go over sheets as they are created to your email e6, more. Watch the video below to watch more detailed explanations of the sharpest and most aggressive openings Defense! Options white has are the Classical Variation, the Complete Guide to pawn Structures, Practice games and.! E4 push from white pushing forward the Harrington-Glek ready for the rook on h1 full Access All... And sharp Defense, that is also considered to be able to attack the without. White generally castles Queenside to put more pressure on the board give you every plan each... Three days Nc6, there 's probably nothing better than 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5, for... On e6, or more commonly, on itâs starting square of e7 the semi-open d file with the moves. Black needs to put more pressure on the board after the following moves: the opening, variations!