PatzerNoster wrote on 11/30/09 at 22:59:06:


I agree the Khalifmans improvment is unconvicing but de La Villas improvment in Dismantling the Sicilian is more difficult to crack.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2
Nc6 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. Bb3 Rc8 11. O-O-O Ne5 12. Kb1 a6 13. h4 h5 14. g4 hxg4 15.
h5 Nxh5 16. Rdg1 Rc5 17. Bh6 Kh7 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. f4 Nc4 20. Bxc4 Rxc4 21. f5
e5 22. fxe6 fxe6 23. b3 {according to de la Villa black is forced to sac the
exchange for unsufficent compensation with whites attacking is still going on
and I cant fault him} *

Lines added to the PGN file I am preparing.

I suposse that when you write 9.Bc4 Bd7 you mean 9...O-O. Is that correct?

Or it's a better move order play 8....O-O and then 9...Bd7?

TN wrote on 12/01/09 at 09:28:18:

Lines added. Thanks!!

bragesjo wrote on 11/30/09 at 15:34:35:

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Rc8 11 0-0-0 Be5 12 Kb1 a6 can be mentioend as well. It does not  have a name but forum member Swiss Dragon suggested this move and after that Carlsen played it in several games and it was even played once by Radjabov. Maybee we can call it "Swiss variation" or "Carlsen variation". While black appears to be struggeling there at the moment but things can change and the draw game between Anand and Carlsen could even be reached via a Solits move order where whites most dangeorus moves in both Solits and a6 line are ruled out.

9.Bc4 Bd7 10 0-0-0  Qb8 is called Gufeld variation but is considered dubious at best.

9.Bc4 Bd7 10 0-0-0 Rc8 11 Bb3 Ne5 12 h4 Nc4 13 Bxc4 Rxc4 14 h5 (g4 is also an option) Nxh5 15 g4 Nf6 is sometimes called "Old mainline" but it appears that black is struggeling there in recent years. I have some old memerable victorys in 16 Bh6 Nxe4 line but also a crushing defeat in 16 Kb1 line so I swithed to Soltis instead.

Thank you for your inputs.

I will update the lines these evening and add the first version of the pgn file.

If we take lines with names

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Nxd4 Bxd4 b5 is generally called Parma variation and is a hybrid line beetween Dragon and Accelerated Dragon.

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Rc8 11 0-0-0 Nxd4 12 Bxd4 b5 is known as Topalov system

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Rc8 11 0-0-0 Be5 12 Kb1 Nc4 13 Bxc4 Rxc4 14 g4 b5 15 b3 b4 was called Burnett variation in New in Chess Yearbook

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Rc8 11 0-0-0 Be5 12 Kb1 Re8!? was called Refined Profilactics by Dearing

Shultz christened the line 9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4
Nxc3 13 Qxc3 Bh6+ 14 Be3 Bxe3+ 15 Qxe3 Qb6 Bjerring variation in a Chessbase Magazine

9. O-O-O d5 10. Kb1!? Nxd4 11.e5! Nf5! 12.exf6 exf6!? 13 Bc5 d4! line does not have a name but I posted som analyses of that move 
here at the forum with some new black ideas in several positions and after that post Radjabov started to play it regulary. The 
move itself had been played before in a few unknown games so I can not take full credit for that line but Bragesjo variation could be a nice name

Smal comment on 9. O-O-O d5 10. Kb1!? Nxd4 11.e5! Nf5! 12.exf6 Bxf6 13.Nxd5 Qxd5! 14.Qxd5 Nxe3 15.Qd3 Nxd1 16.Qxd1 Be6! Bb5! line:
I am not sure if black has full compensation. Most works seems to call it compensation but there are several sourches that disagree 
and I think black is struggeling for a draw here.

Also in 9 0-0-0 d5 white can of course also take the pawn, it does not lose by force as long as white is not too greedy.

Also there are sevel anit Bc4 yugoslav lines in accelerated that has names.

EDIT  9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 Bxd4 13 Qxd6 Qb6 has also been played by both Carlsen and Radjabov

EDIT 2 There are more classical lines, for example in practise I have meet Be2 Bg5 combos. Alse Nd5 has thory. I have even meet Nf3!? in practical play.
Also, there are even Bg5 Bg7 Bb5+ Bd7 De2 linbes that is called soemthing liek Vitolins attack.

Dear Dragoneers,

I have in mind keep a post with the state of the art of the "official" theory of the Dragon Sicilian, as covered in chesspublishing.com

The idea is to put the mainlines of the principal (or surprise weapons) lines with its general evaluation.

Your help is asked and appreciated.

I can prepare a pgn files in order to maintain updated that post.

The moderator use to play the Dragon on the "white side" using the yugoslav attack, but I am sure that nice ways for white and black could be found in every line.

The first goal is to classify the Dragon Lines in a way they are useful to newcomers to the line or experts.

My first attempt to classify the opening is as follow: (Last Updated: 01/12/2009)

* Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6

5. c4 (Maroczy Bind)

5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 (Others)

* Normal Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 

* Dragondorf

6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 a6!? 


* Yugoslav Attack

6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 O-O 8.Qd2 Nc6 

And now:

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Qa5 11.Bb3 Rfc8 12.h4 (B79 in ECO)

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.O-O-O Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.h4 h5 (Soltis Variation)

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.O-O-O Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.h4 -- (non-Soltis Variation)

9.Bc4 Bd7 10 0-0-0 Rc8 11 Bb3 Ne5 12 h4 Nc4 13 Bxc4 Rxc4 14 h5 (g4 is also an option) Nxh5 15 g4 Nf6 (Old Mainline)

9.Bc4 Bd7 10 0-0-0  Qb8 (Gufeld Variation)

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.O-O-O Rb8 (Chinese Dragon)

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 (Anti-Chinese or "Quiet Variation")

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Qa5

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Nxd4 Bxd4 b5 (Parma variation)

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Rc8 11 0-0-0 Nxd4 12 Bxd4 b5 (Topalov system)

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Rc8 11 0-0-0 Ne5 12 Kb1 Nc4 13 Bxc4 Rxc4 14 g4 b5 15 b3 b4 (Burnett variation)

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Rc8 11 0-0-0 Ne5 12 Kb1 Re8!? (Refined Profilactics by Dearing)

9.Bc4 Bd7 10.Bb3 Rc8 11 0-0-0 Ne5 12 Kb1 a6 (Swiss Variation)

9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 e5 13. Bc5 Be6 14. Ne4 Re8 15. h4 Nf4 16. g3 Qxd2+

9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 Nxc3 13 Qxc3 Bh6+ 14 Be3 Bxe3+ 15 Qxe3 Qb6 (Bjerring variation)

9. O-O-O d5 10. Kb1!? Nxd4 11.e5! Nf5! 12.exf6 Bxf6 13.Nxd5 Qxd5! 14.Qxd5 Nxe3 15.Qd3 Nxd1 16.Qxd1 Be6! with compensation.

9. O-O-O d5 10. Kb1!? Nxd4 11.e5! Nf5! 12.exf6 exf6 13 Bc5 d4! (Bragesjo-Radjabov variation)

9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 Bxd4 13 Qxd4 Qb6

9. g4

* Classical Dragon

6. Be3 Bg7 7. Be2 Nc6 8. O-O O-O 9. Nb3


* Others

6.g3

6.f4 (Levenfish)

6.Bc4

Of course, the classification could be improved with your help.

Please indicate move order and name of the variation (if any)