MBM Sicilian Dragon Extract
MBM Sicilian Dragon Extract
MBM Sicilian Dragon Extract
www.everymanchess.com
Carsten Hansen is a FIDE Master from Denmark. He has written numerous books on chess, particularly focusing on the opening, and his writing is renowned for its thoroughness and attention to detail. From 1999 to 2014, he was a columnist for the popular website Chesscafe.com, where he primarily reviewed opening chess books.
This is his first book for Everyman Chess.
Contents
About the Author
Bibliography
Introduction
10
44
3 c4 Lines
97
108
143
6 9 0-0-0 d5 10 b1 and 10 e1
191
212
8 9 g4
227
253
272
328
350
369
398
412
429
Index of Variations
459
Index of Games
463
Introduction
Let me take you on a little journey. We are going back to 1984. I had started playing the Sicilian Defence,
in particular the Accelerated Dragon, with a particular line in mind: 1 e4 c5 2 f3 c6 3 d4 cxd4 4 xd4
g6 5 c3 g7 6 e3 f6 7 c4 a5, where I got quite a bit of mileage out of tricks like 8 d2 xe4!
and 8 f3 b4 9 b3 xe4!, winning material and often the game without much of a battle.
However, as I rose in rating, my opposition got stronger. Most of them either played 8 0-0 (after
which ...b4 shenanigans would not work) or entered the Maroczy Bind with 5 c4, which I found
dreadfully boring for Black. In any case, my early days with the Accelerated Dragon were soon numbered and I started using different openings.
Then we skip to 1986 when I had just reached the rank of master player (Danish rating 1900) at
the age of 14 (the youngest at the time, until my friend Peter Heine Nielsen later that year reached
the same milestone at the age of 12), and I felt ready to conquer a broader variety of openings.
At my parents coffee table, I spent a great number of mornings in my school summer vacation
on studying the Sicilian Defence from the New In Chess Keybooks (a two-volume set, covering all
openings). I played through every single game and variation on the Sicilian, and felt I learned an awful lot, with the notion that nobody would be able to surprise me. I was, of course, entirely wrong. In
the very first tournament (a rapid event), I ended up playing four Sicilians as Black, the Scheveningen,
the Najdorf, the Sveshnikov and the Dragon. I lost all of them quickly. Several of the beatings were
short and brutal. My experienced opponents knew the sub-variations far better than I did and punished me accordingly. That led to some introspection, mainly inspired by my dad who suggested that
I should pick a few lines that I liked the best and then really work to understand them. The Sveshnikov and the Dragon ended up as my choices. I played both variations regularly for the next six
months before I decided on settling for just the Dragon.
The Dragon Variation is usually arrived at from the following move order, 1 e4 c5 2 f3 d6 3 d4
cxd4 4 xd4 f6 5 c3 g6
W________W
[rhb1kgW4]
[0pDW0pDp]
[WDW0WhpD]
[DWDWDWDW]
[WDWHPDWD]
[DWHWDWDW]
[P)PDW)P)]
[$WGQIBDR]
W--------W
7
Introduction
W________W
[WDr1W4kD]
[0pDb0pgp]
[WDW0WhpD]
[DWDWhWDW]
[WDWHPDWD]
[DBHWGPDW]
[P)P!WDP)]
[DWIRDWDR]
W--------W
The Dragon Variation is a fun opening to study and play. Getting to know it well can seem like a
daunting task, but as you work your way through the book, you will soon get a feel for the lines
which appeal to you more than others. Stick with that feeling and put some additional effort into
studying those particular lines and it will surely pay off.
I have played many, but not all, of the lines covered in this book. Some lines were considered
highly suspect and some were only developed later than my Dragon-playing prime. As you will see,
there is room for a lot of independent explorations in both the major and minor lines, allowing you
to choose between lines that have been studied very deeply and lines where the development still
only scratches the surface.
I wish great success with the Dragon Variation, both as Black and White and hope you will enjoy
the battles as much as I have and enjoy reading this book as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
Acknowledgements
First and foremost a big thank you to Stephanie Alexander, who has dealt with the long hours it took
for this book to take shape. You have endured many solitary evenings while I typed and clicked away
in the office. Your patience and understanding have been tested beyond measure.
Also, I would like to express my thanks to my colleagues at my day job in the shipping industry.
They inspire me, on a daily basis, to test the boundaries for what I think is possible for me to accomplish.
A special thanks to John Emms and Byron Jacobs who have pushed and supported me throughout
this process, despite the project getting considerably bigger and more time-consuming than any of
us had initially envisaged.
Finally, a tip of the hat to John Johnny Mags Sigona, who had for years asked me when I would
write a book on the Sicilian Dragon. Well, now it finally happened.
Carsten Hansen
Bayonne, New Jersey
July 2016
Chapter Five
W________W
[rDb1W4kD]
[0pDW0pgp]
[WDn0WhpD]
[DWDWDWDW]
[WDWHPDWD]
[DWHWGPDW]
[P)P!WDP)]
[DWIRDBDR]
W--------W
This is the first of three chapters on this line, which is undoubtedly one of the most critical lines
against the entire Dragon Variation. White eschews c4 and instead castles queenside right away,
allowing Black the typical ...d6-d5 break that we have already acquainted ourselves with in the chapters on the Classical Dragon. The lines that we will be looking at in this chapter, those with 10 exd5,
are typically quite sharp, involving many pawn and exchange sacrifices from Black, several of which
are mandatory if Black has to generate adequate counterplay. If you have to play the Dragon with
confidence, it is important that you gain a good understanding of the lines and games in this chapter, because you are likely to run into them regularly, especially against players who are up on their
theory.
We open our coverage with something of a softball move on Whites part: 10 exd5 xd5 11 xc6
bxc6 12 xd5 cxd5 13 h6 which looks reasonably logical, but as we see in Game 24, Black is doing
rather well.
A much more principled option is when White, instead of h6, chooses to capture the d-pawn
with 13 xd5. This line is quite important for Black to meet well. In Game 25, Black plays 13...c7! to
which White picks up the rooks with 14 a8 f5 15 xf8+. Black is doing fine in this line, although
winning this position is another struggle altogether. The more critical option for White is 14 c5,
143
Game 24
M.Kuijf-G.Rechlis
Beersheba 1987
1 e4 c5 2 f3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 xd4 f6 5 c3 g6 6 e3 g7 7 f3 0-0 8 d2 c6 9 0-0-0 d5 10 exd5
White has a few alternatives available here. The more important ones, 10 e1 and 10 b1, will
be dealt with in the next chapter. Another move, which has been played regularly and not with bad
results and often by quite strong players, is 10 xc6 bxc6 11 h6 (11 exd5 xd5 takes us to the main
lines) and here, Black should reply 11...xh6 12 xh6 b6!
W________W
[rDbDW4kD]
[0WDW0pDp]
[W1pDWhp!]
[DWDpDWDW]
[WDWDPDWD]
[DWHWDPDW]
[P)PDWDP)]
[DWIRDBDR]
W--------W
Black doesnt hesitate a second and gets his counterplay along the open b-file going immediately:
a) 13 e5 d7 14 h4 xe5 15 h5 f5 16 g4 (16 hxg6 xg6 is pleasant for Black as Whites attack
will have a hard time finding a footing with Blacks light-squared bishop now actively taking part in
both defence and attack) and now Black slips in a clever premeditated tactic with 16...f6!
144
W________W
[rDWDW4kD]
[0WDW0WDp]
[W1pDW0p!]
[DWDphbDP]
[WDWDWDPD]
[DWHWDPDW]
[P)PDWDWD]
[DWIRDBDR]
W--------W
17 f4 (the point behind Blacks previous move is that 17 gxf5 is met by 17...g5, and the queen is
trapped as...f7 follows) 17...ab8 18 b3 g5!? (another fascinating idea, the white queen may get
trapped on f5 as well though 18...d7! is quite possibly a bit stronger after 19 hxg6 hxg6 20 g5 f2
21 e2 f5 22 gxf6 exf6 23 h6 f7 and the king is heads for safety on e6 and Black has the better
chances) 19 xf5 e3+ 20 b2 f7! (this was the point behind Blacks 18th move and Black sets up
the threat of 21...e6 22.xe6 c4+, winning the queen) 21 d3 (White finds a narrow escape) 21...e6
22 he1 (the only sensible way to save the queen) 22...xe1 23 xh7+ xh7 24 xh7+ xh7 25 xe1
b4 with a complicated endgame, where Black should be better due to his pawn mass in the centre
and the weak f3-pawn, V.Rogovski-M.Golubev, Ordzhonikidze 2001.
b) An interesting alternative is 13 h4 b8 14 b3 c5 15 b2 dxe4 16 h5 which has been played
before, but here Black can improve over our existing knowledge with 16...exf3! 17 hxg6 fxg6 18 gxf3
f5 with an interesting position where both sides have chances.
10...xd5 11 xc6
The other central trade with 11 xd5 xd5 12 xc6 xc6 does not present Black any problems:
a) 13 b4 f5 14 d3 e6 15 d4 xd3 16 xd3 xa2, and Black is a pawn up without a shadow of compensation for White, E.Dolukhanova-G.Jones, Warsaw 2010.
b) 13 h6 e6 14 xg7 xg7 obviously doesnt cause Black any headaches.
11...bxc6 12 xd5 cxd5 13 h6
The take-everything-in-sight line 13 xd5 c7 14 xa8 is covered in our next main game.
13...xh6 14 xh6
Question: I am not sure I understand, why does Black want to invite the White queen to h6?
Answer: This is actually a theme which you are going to become very familiar with throughout this
book. Often, the white queen will be somewhat out of play on h6 and unable to assist in defending
his own king. Moreover, dragging the queen to the h6-square allows Black to place his queen actively
with a tempo gain.
14...a5
145
W________W
[rDbDW4kD]
[0WDW0pDp]
[WDWDWDp!]
[1WDpDWDW]
[WDWDWDWD]
[DWDWDPDW]
[P)PDWDP)]
[DWIRDBDR]
W--------W
The alternative 14...b8!? is also not bad, for instance after 15 h4 f5 16 d3 b6 (16...xd3 has
also been played and also leads to approximately even chances) 17 b3 f6 18 b1 e6 19 h5 b7 and
the chances are split down the middle, A.Kuzmin-S.Tiviakov, Belgrade 1989.
15 b1 e5
Once again, 15...b8 is playable with 16 h4 f5 (16...e5 would transpose into our main game) 17
d3 a3 (17...c3 18 b3 e6 19 xf5 gxf5 leads to a fascinating heavy piece only ending (or middlegame without minor pieces) when it is not easy to determine who is better as both sides have some
king safety issues) 18 b3 xd3 19 xd3 fc8 20 d2 e6 giving mutual chances though I would
probably prefer Black while the computer favours White slightly, M.Panarin-E.Can, Voronezh 2007.
16 h4 b8 17 h5?!
Question: It looks like White is about to open the h-file, isnt this dangerous for Black?
Answer: No, in fact Whites last move immediately causes him problems as Blacks pieces are already
prepared to do bad things to the white king.
White has also tried 17 d3!? e4 18 fxe4 b4 (18...g4 can lead to a draw rather quickly after 19
df1 xb2+ 20 xb2 b4+ 21 c1 dxe4 22 f4 a3+ 23 d2 b4+) 19 b3 dxe4 20 e2 c5 21 h5
g5 22 hf1 (22 d6!? is much better and after 22...e6 23 f6 fc8 24 xe6 fxe6 25 xe6+ h8 26
xe4, White should definitely not lose) 22...b6 23 f6 e6 and White is in trouble, B.PodlesnikM.Justin, Yugoslavia 1989.
17...f5 18 d3 e4 19 hxg6 xg6 20 e2 fc8
This looks decidedly simpler than the computers solution as it offers the following solution to the
problem: 20...xb2+! 21 xb2 b8+ 22 c1 c3.
146
W________W
[W4WDWDkD]
[0WDWDpDp]
[WDWDWDb!]
[DWDpDWDW]
[WDWDpDWD]
[DW1WDPDW]
[PDPDBDPD]
[DWIRDWDR]
W--------W
Black only has a pawn for the rook but the attack is simply irresistible. After 23 fxe4 dxe4 24 f4
c8 25 c4 xc4 26 d2 e3+ 27 xe3 c6 (or 27...d8+ 28 e1 xd1+ 29 xd1 xc2+ 30 e1
b1+ 31 f2 xh1 and Black is also winning here) 28 h3 d8+ 29 e1 e8, Black has a decisive
material advantage.
21 e3
W________W
[W4rDWDkD]
[0WDWDpDp]
[WDWDWDbD]
[1WDpDWDW]
[WDWDpDWD]
[DWDW!PDW]
[P)PDBDPD]
[DKDRDWDR]
W--------W
Exercise: So Black has gotten his big guns trained on the white kings abode. How can he
make further inroads?
Answer: Black further accelerates his already dangerous attack by nudging the queen off the third
rank.
21...c3!
Note that 21...exf3?! is met adequately with 22 d3 and Black has no breakthrough.
22 d4??
A very significant error by White, though it mercifully ends his suffering considerably sooner. The
better move is 22 f4 but it soon gets ugly anyway after 22...b6 23 c1 e3 24 d3 bc8 25 xc3
xc3 26 d1 and now Black just picks up material with 26...e2 27 xe2 xc2 28 xc2 xc2+ 29
xc2 g6+ which should win for Black without too many issues.
147
Game 25
N.Grigore-M.Golubev
Bucharest 2003
1 e4 c5 2 f3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 xd4 f6 5 c3 g6 6 e3 g7 7 f3 c6 8 d2 0-0 9 0-0-0 d5 10 xc6
bxc6 11 exd5 xd5 12 xd5 cxd5 13 xd5
W________W
[rDb1W4kD]
[0WDW0pgp]
[WDWDWDpD]
[DWDQDWDW]
[WDWDWDWD]
[DWDWGPDW]
[P)PDWDP)]
[DWIRDBDR]
W--------W
Question: I meant to ask this question when we looked at the previous game. Has White not
just won a pawn and it seems like he is forcing the exchange of the queens as well?
Answer: Yes, he has won a pawn. That is the cost of doing business for Black in this variation. However, as compensation Black receives a lot of open files and diagonals along with easy development
of his pieces. With regards to that exchange of queens, no, that is not forced...
13...c7! 14 xa8 f5 15 xf8+ xf8
148
W________W
[WDWDWiWD]
[0W1W0pgp]
[WDWDWDpD]
[DWDWDbDW]
[WDWDWDWD]
[DWDWGPDW]
[P)PDWDP)]
[DWIRDBDR]
W--------W
Question: So White has gained two rooks and a pawn for the queen. That seems like a
mighty good deal, does it?
Answer: You are absolutely right, if we were only counting points, it would be. But here White is well
behind in development and Black has completed his, which means that Black has full compensation
for the small investment he has made.
16 d2
Surprising often White has managed to get himself in trouble fast by playing 16 d3 here. Black
deals with it by issuing a simple double threat with 16...e5 17 d2 (17 c3?? is of course worse and
after 17...xe3+ 18 c2 e2+ 19 d2 xd3+ 20 c1 h6, White resigned in F.Khrapatin-M.Golubev,
Internet (blitz) 2004) 17...xd3 18 xd3 xb2 19 xa7 f5 (note that 19...a3+ does not win a piece
since after 20 e2, Black cannot capture the bishop on account of his own back rank) 20 e3 f4 21
d2 d4+ 22 e2 c4+ 23 e1 e6+ 24 f1 xa2 and while the game is far from over, Whites
pieces are terribly coordinated.
16...e6
Black has to play...h7-h5 at some point.
In our main game, Golubev, a major Dragon expert, decides first to provoke another pawn weakness on the queenside before playing the restraining move. There are several examples of Black playing it right away, deciding to keep the bishop on f5, apparently the more active square. With 16...h5
17 e2, and now:
a) 17...f6, White has a few choices:
a1) 18 g3?! b7! 19 c4 a6 20 a3 a4, and White is beginning to have real problems keeping the
many holes in his position covered, E.Kislik-S.Husari, Budapest 2010.
a2) 18 b1 e5 19 d4 f4 20 hd1 xd4 21 xd4 xh2 22 f1 h4 and while Black has the initiative, there is nothing decisive.
a3) 18 hd1!? xh2 19 c4 c7 20 b3 h4 and White has managed to coordinate his pieces and
is not really worse off, but it is also hard to see where any potential winning chances should come
from.
b) 17...b8!? 18 b3 c3 19 d5 b4 20 c5 f4+ 21 b1 e6 22 d8+ g7 23 xe7 c7 24 d3
f5 25 d6 c6 26 a3? (weirdly desperate as 26 hd1!? is relatively best with 26...d4 27 a3
(obviously not 27 xd4?? xc2+ 28 a1 c3 mate) 27...f6 28 b2 xb2 29 xb2 xd3 30 xd3
d6 31 h3 d4+ 32 b1 a5 reaching an ending that either side would need help from their counter-
149
W________W
[WDWDWiWD]
[0WDW0pgp]
[WDWDbDpD]
[1WDWDWDW]
[WDPDWDWD]
[)WDWGPDW]
[W)W$WDP)]
[DWIWDBDR]
W--------W
White has to walk the fine line of keeping everything covered and not making any unnecessary
weaknesses. Over the next few moves, he manages quite well while Black has his pieces on their best
squares to continue applying pressure.
18...h5 19 e2 g8 20 hd1 e5 21 d4 xh2 22 xg7 xg7 23 d3
Though the h2-pawn has been snared, a pair of bishops have been exchanged and there are no
longer any immediate threats against the king, so White is in decent shape. The next step for Black is
to start pushing the kingside pawns forward to put White under pressure to defend correctly.
23...f4 24 b3 a5 25 a4 h4 26 e4?!
W________W
[WDWDWDWD]
[DWDW0piW]
[WDWDbDpD]
[0WDWDWDW]
[PDPDB1W0]
[DPDWDPDW]
[WDW$WDPD]
[DWIRDWDW]
W--------W
It is easy to think that this is a better square for the white bishop than d3, but from e4, it is basically shut off from the defence against Blacks kingside pawn advances. Simply waiting with 26 f1
would have been a better strategy.
26...g5 27 e1?
White gets quite careless at this point, making his defensive task potentially much more difficult.
The correct defence would be to play 27 h1!, preventing Black from playing...g5-g4 directly due to
the hanging h-pawn. Now Blacks kingside advance will be considerably more complicated. For in-
150
W________W
[WDWDWDWD]
[DWDW0piW]
[WDWDbDWD]
[0WDBDWDW]
[PDPDW1W0]
[DPDWDP0W]
[WDK$WDPD]
[DWDW$WDW]
W--------W
This is not a bad idea, challenging Black to make an extremely important decision on whether to
keep the bishops on the board or to exchange them. The alternatives do not look promising for
White. Both 29 de2 h3 30 gxh3 xh3 31 g1 f8 32 d2 e6 or 29 g1 e3 30 dd1 f6 31 d3
f2+ 32 c3 h3 33 gxh3 xh3 look similar in their outcome as White has an uncomfortable position,
attempting to defend against a far advanced black g-pawn without any chance of real counterplay.
29...xd5?
The exchange of bishops seems like a good decision because it seems difficult for White to defend
himself against the passed pawn Black is about to create on the kingside. However, the opposite
turns out to be the case. Black needs the bishop to support his action on the kingside as well as to
create threats against Whites king when the time comes. One of the key issues for White is that his
bishop has a real hard time getting back to defend against the passed pawn that will emerge on the
g-file, because the f-pawn is in the way. Furthermore, White cannot rid himself of the f-pawn because then Black gets an additional two passed pawns. For that reason, Black should have avoided
the exchange of bishops and instead opt for 29...f5+! 30 e4 h3 31 gxh3 (31 xf5? is even worse as
after 31...xf5+ 32 b2 h2 intending amongst others...f5-c5-g1, White cannot keep both the back
rank and the g2 pawn guarded at the same time) 31...xh3 32 g1 f6 33 d3 g2 34 d2 h2 35
dd1 g3, and while far from easily won for Black, White has a long defence ahead of him.
30 xd5 h3
Black can also try 30...e6 31 d3 (31 h5? doesnt help White as he both loses time and the ability
to coordinate the rooks to efficiently defend against Blacks action on the kingside after 31...g6 32
he5 h3) 31...h3 32 gxh3 h4 33 g1 xh3 34 d2 f5+ 35 d3 and Black cannot make any progress as 35...h3 is answered with 36 d2 and the g-pawn gets no further.
31 e4 hxg2 32 xf4 g1 33 g4+ -
Here a draw was agreed because Blacks king cannot avoid the perpetual checks from Whites
rooks.
151