Accelerated Fianchetto, Breyer variation

Hello everyone,

I am an accelerated dragon player, and this is yet another "what to do against the Maroczy" post. I was currently interested in the Breyer variation:

From here black can play quietly with b6, and Bb7 or d6 0-0 and Bc7. There is a great 1959 game Keres-Petrosian where Black does sorcery after the last sequence, although that entailed a more typical Queenside restriction with a5 and Qb6, which exactly what I am trying to avoid.

So I was thinking 10....Qa5!? which I like.

Apparently the main line goes 11. Be2 b6 12. 0-0 Bb7 13.f3 g5.

White will then aim at d7 by transferring the rook to d2 and then play Nd5 while Black will keep pushing on the kingside with h5 and then relocating the queen to e5. Also 13..f5 seems a possibility for black with the idea of plantin the e6 knoght on f4. On the other hand Black will not be able to castle after Nd5 and will have to play Kf8.

All in all this seems dynamic playing which is certainly a good alternative to the usual Maroczy manoeveuring, and may be worth to implement. Databases do not give black as having much worse results compraed to the Maroczy main lines.

Any ideas and opinions about these variations and how they compare to 10..b6 ..0-0 and 10...d6..0-0?

Yes, 10...Qa5 is pretty sound, there are times when Black can take ..Bxc3!? - even without damaging the White structure! - and then station the Q at e5 where it is hard for White to uproot.  The development of the Black pieces without the B sitting back at g7 is quite harmonious.

what about 7. f3? That is what I usually play

No Nc3, Qd2 comes first, it always comes after f3 imo

imo, we can always agree a draw

@eaguiraud

7.f3 Qb6, and here Qd2 is answered by Nxe4!, discovering an attack on d4 and busting White's position.

I remember analyzing the f3 idea with a computer several years ago, because I wanted to avoid the ...Ng4 maneuver from Black.  The Qb6 move seemed to refute it.  White isn't lost or anything; Nf5!? leads to a dynamically balanced position (at least according to the cpu evaluation), but it was definitely not the type of position I wanted to get as White out of the opening.

10...Qa5 is actually the main line since Larsen introduced it at the high level. Black's plan is applying a dark-squared strategy by ...b6, ...Bb7 and ...g5. The problem is that he cannot really apply it without cooperation: 11.Bd3! b6 12.0-0 g5 (else white plays f2-f4) 13.Bd2! and suddenly Black is in trouble due to the unlucky placement of his Queen.

10...b6 has been played several times by Radjabov, but I am not very happy with Black's chances after 11.g3!

IMHO Black should have a close look to the antipositional 9...e5!? which is certainly very suspect, but has never been refuted.

Thanks for the insight!

@eaguiraaud SmithyQ: i think 7.f3? is just plain wrong: Qb6! is the tematic reaction leading to an early opening advantage for black in the accelerated dragon. Also I am not sure at which junction SmithyQ is suggesting Nf5...after 8..Nxe4 seem to lose the queen, and if instead 9fxe4 just 9...Nxd4.

@prfen thanks for 11.Bd3 which seem much more direct and aggressive than plan based on 0-0 f3 as it makes f2-f4 viable very soon if black does not committ g5. Although I am not sure what would be the point of 13.Bd2, if the discovered attack happens, is it not safe for black to take in a2?. I would go for 13. Qd2 maybe

 If black decides for 9...e5 then probably it should follow with something like e6, Be6, 0-0 Rc8.

 Thanks SmithyQ and IM pfren for the great analysis, very helpful

Now I understand.  However, I think it is quite safe to say that White is much better off allowing Ng4 than trying to prevent it with f3!