What’s the difference between an accelerated dragon, a knight, and a dinosaur?
Hi there!
How’s everyone doing as you get back into the routine after summer?
I’ve been away for a while because I went to Cuba in September to visit my family, and I had an amazing time. Here’s a little video of my nephew Instagram, whom I’m trying to teach chess… though he’s only four years old, so we’re taking it slow.
So I’m back now, fully recharged, ready to continue with blogs, classes, and my paddle tennis matches, where , as I always say: I never lose… my teammate loses! Just joking...or not?
Anyway, speaking of getting back to the board: today I want to talk about a line that several of my students have been choosing recently with Black : The Accelerated Dragon!
The Accelerated Dragon has always struck me as one of the most dynamic lines in the Sicilian. Over the years, it’s been played by top chess players: from Emanuel Lasker to modern stars like Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Anish Giri.
And that is why in this post, I want to share three key ideas for Black. Each of these moments has something in common: a knight jump that can completely change the course of the game, whether it’s to g4, e4, or b3. Discovering these and teaching them to my students has helped us really enjoy and understand this fascinating defense.
My goal with this blog isn’t to give you a move-by-move memory lesson, but to show some interesting patterns.
If you like what you see, I highly recommend studying it further, because it’s a very cool option for Black.
So join me on this little journey through the charms of the Accelerated Dragon, where the black knight is the real star.
By the way… what’s the difference between an accelerated dragon, a knight, and a dinosaur?
No idea 🤷♂️, but if you come up with a good answer, drop it in the comments!
And now… let’s check out the ideas!
Knight jump to B3
I hope these ideas have helped you understand this line a bit better, and if you were thinking about switching up your openings with Black, I hope this blog has been the push you needed.
And thanks if you made it all the way to the end of the article! I hope you end up playing this line against your frenemies and making them cry.
See you around!
And here’s a reel of what a chess coach does on a 10-hour flight:
