Download PGN of December ’25 Dragon Sicilian games
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Vietnamese Dragon deferred 6.Be3 a6 7.f3 h5 8.Qd2 e5 [B72]
Through the move order 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 a6 7.f3 h5 8.Qd2 e5 the game Kemeny, M - Kaehler, A is effectively our first example of the Vietnamese Variation Deferred!
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In the game notes I do scrutinise the move order reaching this position but actually from here, after 9.Nb3 Be6 10.Bg5 Nbd7 it was 11.Bd3?! that felt awkward when 11...Rc8 12.0-0 h4 flowed nicely and 13.Nd5 Bxd5 14.exd5 Be7 already favoured Black. Indeed it was a really nice game from his point of view with 15.Bxf6 Nxf6 16.c4 Nh5 17.Rfe1 Bg5 18.Qa5 Nf4 19.Bf1 Qd7 20.Rad1 h3 21.g4 Ng2 22.Bxg2 hxg2 23.Kxg2 f5 having lead to a big kingside initiative that was comfortably converted into the full point.
Classical 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nc6 9.Kh1 d5 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.e5 Nd7 12.f4 e6 13.Na4 Qa5 14.c4 [B73]
Certainly logical after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nc6 9.Kh1 is 9...d5 but whilst then 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.e5:
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the game Lewicki, M - Gaikwad, S saw 11...Nd7, I observe in the notes how 11...Ne8 12 f4 f6 is sensible whilst actually the strongest players prefer 11...Ne4!?
Anyway 12.f4 e6 continued (the point being that 12...f6? here would walk into 13 Nxd5!) when after 13.Na4 Qa5 14.c4 Ba6 15.Bd2 Qc7 16.Rc1 Qb7 17.b3 Rfc8 18.Qe1 Bf8 19.Be3 Rab8 20.Qf2 Black may have felt constricted prompting 20...c5?! However after 21.cxd5 Bxe2 22.Qxe2 exd5 23.f5 c4 24.fxg6 fxg6 25.e6 things soon took a rapid nosedive.
Classical 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nc6 9.f4 Qb6 10.Qd3 Ng4 11.Nd5 Bxd4 12.Nxb6 Bxe3+ 13.Kh1 Bxb6 14.Bxg4 Bxg4 15.f5 [B73]
Regards the game von Estorff, J - von Mettenheim, J I have stated before why after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Be3 Nc6 9.f4 Qb6 10.Qd3 Ng4 11.Nd5 Bxd4 12.Nxb6 Bxe3+ 13.Kh1 Bxb6 14.Bxg4 Bxg4 I prefer the three pieces over the queen:
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Probably most challenging here though is 15.f5 threatening to trap the light-squared bishop through h3 and g4. I believe best here to be a spot of prophylaxis through 15... Bh5 and only after 16 h3 then 16...gxf5 17 exf5 f6, offering up a retreat square. Instead Black erred with 15...d5?! when 16.exd5 Nd4 17.fxg6 hxg6 18.Qd2 e5 19.Rae1 Rae8 20.c3 Nb5 21.Qg5 Bd7 22.Rxe5 saw White on top. It was never going to be easy though and indeed following 22...Bd8 23.Qe3 Bb6 24.Qe1 Nd6 25.b3 Nf5 26.Qe4 Bc7 27.Rxe8 Rxe8 28.Qf3 Kg7 29.c4?!, suddenly 29...Rh8! left Black well in the game.
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 14.Na4 Qc7 15.Nc5 Rd8 16.Bc4 Bf5 17.Bb3 Nf4 18.Qf2 Qb6 [B76]
It’s weird how not so long ago (in the overall scheme of things!) this variation didn’t even exist and now the likes of Tudor, HE - Dong, H basically starts 18 moves in!
Previously though after 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 9.0-0-0 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 14.Na4 Qc7 15.Nc5 Rd8 16.Bc4 Bf5 17.Bb3 Nf4 18.Qf2 it was observed that 18...Rxd1+ 19 Rxd1 Rd8 is the simplest approach as after 20 Rxd8+ Qxd8 21 g3, Black has the helpful tactic 21...Qd4!?. Instead here the game continued with 18...Qb6 19.g3 Ne6 20.Bxe6 Bxe6:
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As explained in the notes, this I believe might be a little niggle for White after 21 Rhe1! but 21.b3? Rd6 22.Ne4 Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 Bd5 24.Qxb6 axb6 shouldn’t have been anything. Of course typically life doesn’t always work out as expected!
Yugoslav 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bh6 Bxh6 12.Qxh6 Rb8 13.e5 Nd7 14.h4 Nxe5 15.h5 Bf5 16.g4 f6 17.Qe3 Bd7 18.hxg6 [B76]
Wow, the game Tsolakidou, S - Vantika, A was totally nuts with two key takeaways and a whole load of fun. We’re talking the semi-fashionable variation 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 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bh6 Bxh6 12.Qxh6 Rb8 13.e5 Nd7 14.h4 Nxe5 15.h5 Bf5 16.g4 f6 17.Qe3 Bd7 18.hxg6 where previously we have recommended 18...Qb6! (a neat line being 19 Qh6 Qxb2+ 20 Kd2 Nxf3+ 21 Kd3 Ng5 defending perfectly, whilst 19 gxh7+ Kh8 20 Qxb6 axb6 is a reasonable endgame) rather than 18...hxg6?!:
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The problem with this is that it allows White to get back on the case of attacking although that should be through 19 f4! Nxg4 20 Qh3 rather than the immediate 19.Qh6 Kf7 20.f4 when both 20...Rh8 and 20...Qb6!? 21 fxe5 Rh8! would have been quite interesting for Black. Instead 20...Nxg4 21.Qh7+ Ke6 22.Bc4 Kd6 23.Bxd5 cxd5 24.Nxd5 occurred in a crazy tactical game that always felt like White was close to winning but with the assessment actually swinging, it took White another 58 moves to do so!
Yugoslav Attack 9 Bc4 Bd7 10 Bb3 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 b5 12.h4 h5 13.g4 hxg4 14.h5 [B78]
Following 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.f3 Bg7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.Bc4 0-0 9.Bb3 Bd7 10.Qd2 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 b5 12.h4 we are used to seeing Black respond with 12...a4 and then White either halting that pawn in its tracks with 13 a4 or else ploughing on with his own attack through 13 h5. In Remolar Gallen, J - Jankowiak, T though we see Black try to keep the h-file closed through 12...h5 only for 13.g4! hxg4?! 14.h5 to occur:
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As well as just taking on g6 (bearing in mind the f7-pawn is pinned), White has the huge threat of h6-h7+ with 14...Nxh5 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 being no solution in view of 16.Rxh5! This rook is immune to capture and the alternative 16...Rh8 17.Rxh8 Qxh8 18.0-0-0 left White with a massive position.
Back soon! Chris
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