Dragon variant
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Basic position of the dragon variant after 5.… g6
The dragon variant is a line of the Sicilian Defense , an opening in the game of chess . It was first used around 1880 by the opening theorist Louis Paulsen . Kasparov used it successfully in 1995 in the World Cup match against Anand .
In the opening classification of the ECO codes , the kite variant is classified under the keys B70 to B79 and is created according to the moves:
- 1. e2-e4 c7-c5
- 2. Ng1-f3 d7-d6
- 3. d2-d4 c5xd4
- 4. Nf3xd4 Ng8-f6
- 5. Sb1-c3 g7-g6
Fixtures
With his last move, Black intends to fianchette the king's bishop , the main feature of the dragon variant. The game plans of both parties are connected to this: Since the fianchetted bishop can achieve a great effect on the long diagonal of the h8 – a1 squares, White often tries to swap it and thereby also weaken the black squares around the king after castling with g7 –G6 was weakened somewhat. White castles for a long time and attacks the black king position with the h-pawn supported by the rook and opens the h-file. After the short castling, Black tries either to blow up the center with the d5 pawn move or to attack on the queenside via the half-open c-file and destroy White's king position with a sacrifice on c3.
Origin of name
The name of this system was introduced in Kiev in 1901 by Master Fyodor Dus-Chotimirski . He dealt with astronomy and found similarities between the pawn position d6 – e7 – f7 – g6 – h7 to the constellation Dragon . There is evidence that this name first came to the German-speaking world in 1914, when the Russian master AM Evenssohn commented on one of his games for the Vienna chess newspaper .
There is also a so-called accelerated dragon variant after the moves 1. e2 – e4 c7 – c5 2. Ng1 – f3 Nb8 – c6 3. d2 – d4 c5xd4 4. Nf3xd4 g7 – g6. The intention is to avoid the loss of tempo d7 – d6 and the later d6 – d5, but White can now strive for a “Maroczy structure” with 5.c2 – c4, which no longer corresponds to the “dragon” in his typical play.
Variants and opening ideas
Possible white continuations are
- 6. f2 – f3, 6. Bc1 – e3 or 6. Bf1 – c4 with transition to the "Yugoslav attack"
- 6. Bf1 – e2, the classic line.
- 6. f2 – f4, the lionfish variant, with today's main continuation Nb8 – c6 7. Nd4xc6 b7xc6 8. e4 – e5 Nf6 – d7 9. e5xd6 e7xd6 10. Bf1 – e2 Bf8 – e7
- In the game Lasker - Napier, Cambridge Springs 1904 , it was like 6. h2 – h3 Bf8 – g7 7. Bc1 – e3 Nb8 – c6 8. g2 – g4 0–0
- 6. g2 – g3, the positional counterfianchetto
Yugoslav attack
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The Yugoslav attack after 6. Bc1 – e3
Nowadays, 6. Bc1 – e3 , the Yugoslav attack, is the main continuation. This structure was first played by Wsewolod Alfredowitsch Rauser and is therefore sometimes called the Rauser attack. It appeared sporadically among Soviet players around 1930 and was later used frequently by leading Yugoslav players.
Strategic ideas
The direct goal is a mate attack in the middle game. White would like to castle long in order to be able to advance on the kingside and thus open the h-file, for which he can also sacrifice a pawn. The black kite runner on g7 should be exchanged for one's own runner using Bh6. The knight on f6 is either exchanged for his own knight or driven away with pawns. The queen and rook then attempt a mate attack via the open h-file. Sacrifice for this purpose is not uncommon. Bobby Fischer summarized White's strategy as follows: "Tear open the H-line, sacrifice, sacrifice, ... Matt".
Black tries to advance on the queenside and in turn attack the white king. For example, he plays moves like b7 – b5, Ra8 – c8, Qd8 – a5 and Nc6 – e5, followed by Ne5 – c4. After White h2 – h4, Black can use h7 – h5 to slow White's attack or to continue attacking himself.
variants
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Position after 6.… Bf8 – g7 7. f2 – f3 0–0 8. Qd1 – d2 Nb8 – c6
The intention is after the further 6th… Bf8 – g7 7. f2 – f3 0–0 8. Qd1 – d2 Nb8 – c6 opposing castling with 9. 0–0–0 or 10. 0–0–0 after 9th Bf1 -C4 . According to the latter, d6 – d5, which is desirable in the Sicilian defense, is made more difficult and the e6 square, which is optimal for Bc8, is not accessible. 9.… Bc8 – d7 makes room for a rook move to c8.
This results in particularly sharp combat because the mutual endeavor is a mating attack. White mostly tries to checkmate the black king with moves like h2 – h4 – h5 and g2 – g4 with opening of the g- or h-file. Black's counterplay often runs across the c-file, often combined with a sacrifice on the c3-square. To delay White's attack, Tony Miles introduced 11. Bc4 – b3 h7 – h5 in response to 10. h2 – h4 Ra8 – c8 . These lines, in which h2 – h4 are answered with h7 – h5, are known as the Soltis variant and are still played at the highest level in current grandmaster practice. Against this measure there was, among other things, a shift of the fighting to the center with 12. 0–0–0 Nc6 – e5 13. Be3 – g5 Rc8 – c5.
In the preliminary second game of the 1974 candidate final in Moscow between Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi , White had after 11.… Nc6 – e5 12. 0–0–0 Ne5 – c4 13. Bb3xc4 Rc8xc4 14. h4 – h5 Nxh5 15. g2 – g4 Nh5 – f6 with 16. Nd4 – e2 and after another Qd8 – a5 17. Be3 – h6 Bg7xh6 18. Qd2xh6 Rf8 – c8 19. Rd1 – d3 the typical sacrifice on c3 excluded. 16. Be3 – h6 would result in Nf6xe4 17. Qd2 – e3 Rc8xc3 as in the game Kasparow against Piket, Tilburg 1989 .
10.… Ta8 – b8 is called the Chinese dragon.
9. Bf1 – c4 Bc8 – d7 10. Bc4 – b3 allows the older setup 10.… Qd8 – a5 11. 0–0–0 with 11.… Rf8 – c8. 12. h2 – h4 Nc6 – e5 13. h4 – h5 Nf6xh5 14. Bc1 – h6 Ne5 – d3 + is evaded with 15. Kc1 – b1.
9. Bf1 – c4 Nf6 – d7 10. h2 – h4 Nd7 – b6 11. Bc4 – b3 Nc6 – a5 wants to swap the Be3 over c4. 12. Qd2 – d3 prevents that.
On 9. 0–0–0 Nc6xd4 (Nc6xd4 should serve as a preparation for Qd8 – a5 in order to exclude the subsequent Nd4 – b3) 10. Be3xd4 an aggressive Black must first 10. ... Bc8 – e6 11. Kc1 – b1 ! Qd8 – c7 12. move g2 – g4 Rf8 – c8 in order to avoid a disadvantage after Qc7 – a5 with the simplistic Nc3 – d5. Likewise, after 10.… Qd8 – a5 the move 11. Kc1 – b1! to countering 12. Nc3 – d5 on Bc8 – e6. The capture of the white queen on d2 would then take place without a check bid, after which White would win a pawn with the intermediate check 13.Nd5xe7 +. The forced retreat Qa5 – d8 leads via 13. Nd5xf6 + Bg7xf6 14. Bd4xf6 e7xf6 to a black double pawn and a backward Isolani on d6.
In contrast to 9. Bf1 – c4, the advance d6 – d5 becomes playable with 9. 0–0–0. After 10. e4xd5 Nf6xd5 11. Nd4xc6 b7xc6 it is connected with the pawn sacrifice 12. Nc3xd5 c6xd5 13. Qd2xd5 Qd8 – c7 or the quality sacrifice 12. Be3 – d4 e7 – e5 13. Bd4 – c5 Bc8 – e6.
With an immediate white pawn march on the kingside such as B. 9. g2 – g4 is 9.… Nc6xd4 10. Be3xd4 Qd8 – a5 11. 0–0–0 Bc8 – e6 12. Kc1 – b1 Rf8 – c8 directly possible.
Classic variant
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The classic variant after 6. Be2 Bg7 7. 0–0 Nc6 8. Nb3
With 6. Bf1 – e2 White introduces the so-called classic variant. In contrast to the Yugoslav attack, it is more positional. White develops according to general principles. After 6.… Bf8 – g7 7. 0–0 Nb8 – c6 Black threatens to conquer the pawn on e4 or the knight on d4 if White is careless (after 8.… Nf6xe4 the white knight on d4 is attacked twice, through Bg7 and Nc6, but only defended by the white queen). White therefore either defends the knight with 8. Bc1 – e3 or removes him from the attack with 8. Nd4 – b3. In the further course he can continue with f2 – f4 – f5 or with g2 – g4.
In his first confrontation with Botvinnik chose Alekhine after 6 L f1-e2 Bf8-g7 7. L c1-e3 Nb8-c6 8. Sd4-b3 Bc8-e6 9. f2-f4 0-0 the mandatory 10 g2-g4. 10.… Nc6 – a5 11. f4 – f5 Be6 – c4 is the appropriate answer.
Botvinnik chose 10… d6 – d5. In the game Rauser-Botvinnik, USSR championship Leningrad 1933 , Botvinnik chose after 10. 0–0 Nc6 – a5 11. Nb3xa5 Qd8xa5 12. Be2 – f3 Be6 – c4 13. Rf1 – e1 Rf8 – d8 14. Qd1 – d2 Qa5– c7 15. Ta1-c1 e7-e5 16. b2-b3 also d6-d5.
From the mid-1970s, Anatoly Karpov chose a structure with Bc1 – g5 for the fight against Black's center advance d6 – d5: 6. Bf1 – e2 Bf8 – g7 7. 0–0 0–0 8. Bc1 – g5 Nb8 – c6 9 . Nd4 – b3, or 7.… Nb8 – c6 8. Nd4 – b3 0–0 9. Bc1 – g5. After 9.… Bc8 – e6 10. Kg1 – h1 (10. f2 – f4 b7 – b5!) There was another f2 – f4, Be2 – f3 Karpow's build-up.
Lionfish attack
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Lionfish variant 6. f4 Bg7 7. e5, queen win after 10. Nd4 – e6 +
From 6th f2-f4 , the so-called "lion fish variant", named after results Grigori lion fish , in which the white man trying to reach early enforce the pawn advance e4-e5.
The best answer to the Löwenfisch variant is to immediately cover the central square e5 with the knight development 6.… Nb8 – c6 .
The natural development of the bishop 6.… Bf8 – g7 (?) Is immediately followed by 7. e4 – e5. After about 7.… d6xe5 8. f4xe5 Nf6 – g4? (8.… Nf6 – d7 9. e5 – e6 Nd7 – e5) 9. Bf1 – b5 + Black gets into trouble: Knight or bishop moves after d7 prevent the knight from covering g4 (10. Qd1xg4), and 9 .… Ke8 – f8 ?? leads to an immediate loss because of 10. Nd4 – e6 + (see diagram). The only move is 9.… Nb8 – c6, after which White gets a superior position with 10. Nd4xc6 Qd8xd1 + 11. Ke1xd1 Ng4 – f2 + 12. Kd1 – e2.
g3 variant
After 6. g2 – g3 White is planning a king's fianchetto with 7. Bf1 – g2. At first glance the bishop on g2 seems passive, since it only covers the pawn on e4. However, this allows the knight to become active on c3, as he is no longer tied to the defense of the pawn. After Nd5, for example, he is very active. If Black now takes with Nxd5, e4xd5 often follows, which on the one hand increases the range of the bishop and on the other allows pressure on the e-file. On the other hand, if Black drives away the knight with e6, the pawn on d6 becomes an attack target. Otherwise, e4 – e5 allows tactical tricks in which the knight on f6 and the rook on a8 are attacked if Black is careless.
After 6.… Nb8 – c6 there usually follows 7. Nd4 – e2 , since the immediate 7. Bf1 – g2 Nc6xd4 8. Qd1xd4 Bf8 – g7 could follow, which allows the black bishop to attack the queen and thus ultimately results in a loss of tempo for white leads.
Individual evidence
- ↑ John Emms: Sicilian Secrets , Everyman Chess, 2004, p. 12.
- ^ Eduard Jefimowitsch Gufeld : Sizilianskaja Saschtschita . Fiskultura i sport, Moskwa 1982, p. 8; see. also F. Dus-Chotimirski: Isbrannye partii . Fiskultura i sport, Moskwa 1954, p. 58
- ^ [1] Edward Winter: Chess Notes 7826
- ↑ John Emms: Sicilian Secrets, Everyman Chess, 2004, p. 14.