The Dragon invites the Yugoslav Attack where, in the Soltis Line, among other things, a missed move is a killer move. The Accelerated Dragon, 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4, if I'm thinking of the right opening, instead invites the Maroczy Bind (5.c4) from White, which, if not played against correctly, stifles Black's pieces and, eventually, the game. Adopting a "hedgehog" against the Maroczy Bind is pretty common practice, if I recall correctly - one of the safest and most solid systems in existence!
If there's something I'm missing, then I'd like to know as well - the Dragon feels sharp and dangerous in every variation.Sicilian Accelerated Dragon = Safe ?
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I play it and love it. youre going to see more and more accel. dragon at the upper levels.the maroczy bind was a ballbreaker for a long time (and still is whites best bet) but there are more ways to break free for black these days.
Yeah. At one point any move that allowed the Bind was pretty much given a ? and any move that initiated the Bind was a !. It takes real patience to break through it, and I've had many fellow club players (specifically, three) impatiently attempt to break out, only to find that my central control saps away any initiative they have/had.
I think the point of the accelerated is to get the bishop on g7, but not commit to ...d6. Because of this if white tries for some yugoslav attack black would be able to play ...d5 at an earlier point most likely, which is a big concession for white. Therefore, it often makes white pick a quieter plan, either the maroczy bind or kingside castling, abandoning the h pawn rush.
I really need to try it myself. Who doesn't want their bishop on g7? This way black avoids the sharp stuff. The only problem is supposed to be the maroczy bind, but personally I'm comfortable in that type of position from either side.
Cutebold wrote:
The Dragon invites the Yugoslav Attack where, in the Soltis Line, among other things, a missed move is a killer move. The Accelerated Dragon, 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4, if I'm thinking of the right opening, instead invites the Maroczy Bind (5.c4) from White, which, if not played against correctly, stifles Black's pieces and, eventually, the game. Adopting a "hedgehog" against the Maroczy Bind is pretty common practice, if I recall correctly - one of the safest and most solid systems in existence!
If there's something I'm missing, then I'd like to know as well - the Dragon feels sharp and dangerous in every variation.
I don't think black by any means has to make a hedgehog structure (and since his bishop is on g7, that would make d6 pretty weak). It's similar to the maroczy bind, but it's different.
Elubas wrote:
I think the point of the accelerated is to get the bishop on g7, but not commit to ...d6. Because of this if white tries for some yugoslav attack black would be able to play ...d5 at an earlier point most likely, which is a big concession for white. Therefore, it often makes white pick a quieter plan, either the maroczy bind or kingside castling, abandoning the h pawn rush.
I really need to try it myself. Who doesn't want their bishop on g7? This way black avoids the sharp stuff. The only problem is supposed to be the maroczy bind, but personally I'm comfortable in that type of position from either side.
yep. if you want to try it I recommend "chess openings for black, explained" probably the highest level openings book I own. they take care of the M. bind well
I need to take a peek at this, because now my interest has been raised even more! Maybe a few club games, I'll see what I can swing.
PhDP wrote:
1) Is the accelerated dragon really a solid opening for black ?
2) What makes the accelerated dragon so different from the "normal" Dragon ?
1. Yes, the Accelerated Dragon is a solid opening, though at higher levels it has the reputation of being a little drawish. I don't really see this as a problem, and am currently enjoying experimenting with the opening.
2. The main difference is that black keeps the d-pawn on d7 for a while, keeping the option of playing d7-d5 in one move. This results in two key differences: First, white can play the Maroczy Bind with c4 before Nc3, clamping down on the d5 square. Second, if white tries to play in the style of the Yugoslav Attack, black can either win material with some opening traps, or break open the position with d7-d5 to exploit a lead in development. (In fact, one of the main moves for black in one line of the ...d6 Dragon is to play a d6-d5 break to open the position, even at the cost of a pawn. In the Accelerated Dragon, black can play this break one move earlier.)
Of course, the Accelerated Dragon is not without risk for black. Even when white castles kingside, black's king can come under some pressure with f4 and even g4 from white. After all, the Yugoslav isn't the only way to handle the ...d6 Dragon for white, and the lines where white castles kingside can overlap for the ...d6 Dragon and the Accelerated Dragon.
I know this isn't totally different from what others have said, but I hope it's helpful anyway.
The sicilian is a pretty sharp opening, but some lines are obviously more solid/positional thans others. Silman refers to the Accelerated dragon as "solid" and "safe" (here and here, respectively). In many ways, it's not that surprising; the "reverse Accelerated Dragon" (1. c4 e5 2. g3) is considered pretty positional. But I've often heard that the Dragon was one of the craziest, sharpest line the sicilian had to offer. So, two questions:
1) Is the accelerated dragon really a solid opening for black ?
2) What makes the accelerated dragon so different from the "normal" Dragon ?