Saturday, March 29, 2008

Sicilian Dragon with 9 Bc4

We have already looked at the other main Dragon line, in which White plays 9 0-0-0 and Black responds with 9...d5! Now we look at 9 Bc4.

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 Bc4

With this move White prevents 9...d5, and takes control of the best light-squared diagonal.

9...Qa4

This forces White to castle, since Black threatens 10...Qb5, hitting the B/c4 and the P/b2. Usually it will just transpose to the normal line, but why not create a threat in the process?

10 0-0-0 Bd7 11 Bb3 Rfc8 12 h4

Considered the most energetic move. Slower build-ups allow Black time to do the same on the Queen-side.

12...Ne5 13 h5

The preparatory move 13 g4 is often played by White here. This allows 13 g4 Nc4 14 BxN RxB 15 h5 Rxc3 16 Qxc3 Qxa2 17 hxg6 hxg6 18 Qa3 Qc4 19 Kb1 with a slight edge to White. If White inserts 15 Nb3, Black puts his Queen on a6 in this line, planning an attack along the a2-g8 diagonal (his Bishop will go to e6).

(added 3/10/20)  Current databases give 13 Kb1 as by far the most usual move here. Play continues 13...Nc4 14 BxN RxB 15 Nb3 Qc7 16 Bd4 Be6 17 h5 a5 with balanced play.

13...Nxh5 14 g4

If 14 Bh6, White threatens to bring his Knight strongly to d5. However, Black can respond right now with either the standard exchange sac on c3, or the esoteric 14...Nd3ch 15 Kb1 Nxb2 16 KxN BxB 17 QxB Rxc3!

Nf6 15 Bh6 Rxc3! 16 bxc3

Black gets the better ending after 16 Qxc3.

16...Rc8

16..BxB and 16...Nxf3!? are other possibilities here.

17 BxB KxB 18 Qh6ch Kg8 19 g5 Nh5 20 Nf5 BxN! 21 exf5 Qxc3 22 RxN Qa1ch drawn by perpetual check.

Here is a rather raggedy-looking game played years ago, before I had learned the line very well. I'm sure many improvements can be found for both sides, but it is still fun to play through.

zombie(1833)-chessart(1854), played 10/8/96, time control 2,10
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. Bb3 Bd7 10. Qd2 a5 11. a4 Rc8 12. h4 Ne5 13. h5 Nxh5 14. O-O-O Nc4 15. Bxc4 Rxc4 16. Nde2 b5 17. Rxh5 gxh5 18. Bh6 e6 19. Bxg7 Kxg7 20. e5 d5 21. Rh1 h4 22. g3 b4 23. Nd1 Bxa4 24. Nd4 Bxc2 25. Nxc2 b3 26. Nc3 bxc2 27. f4 Qc7 28. Rxh4 Qc5 29. Qd3 Re4 30. Nxe4 dxe4 31. Qxe4 Qg1+ 32. Kxc2 Rc8+ 33. Kd3 Qb1+ 34. Ke3 Qe1+ 35. Kf3 Qxe4+ 36. Kxe4 Rc2 37. f5 Re2+ 38. Kd4 exf5 39. Rf4 Kg6 40. b3 Rb2 41. Kc3 Rb1 42. Ra4 Rg1 43. Rxa5 Rxg3+ 44. Kc4 h5 45. b4 h4 46. b5 h3 47. b6 h2 48. b7 h1=Q 49. b8=Q Qc1+ 50. Kd5 Rd3# {White checkmated} 0-1

This one features a pretty mating net.

el-poeta(1408)-chessart(1486), 12/30/07, 5,0
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. Bb3 Bd7 10. Qd2 Qa5 11. h4 Rfc8 12. O-O-O Ne5 13. g4 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Rxc4 15. Kb1 Rac8 16. Nb3 Qc7 17. h5 a5 18. hxg6 fxg6 19. Bh6 Rxc3 20. bxc3 Qxc3 21. Qxc3 Rxc3 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Rh2 a4 24. Nd4 e5 25. Ne2 Rxf3 26. Rxd6 Bc6 27. Re6 a3 28. Rxe5 Nxe4 29. c4 Nd2+ 30. Kc2 Nxc4 31. Re7+ Kg8 32. Rhxh7 Ba4+ 33. Kb1 Rf1+ 34. Nc1 Nd2+ {White resigns} 0-1

4 comments:

chessart said...

Here is my first pathetic attempt to play the new (to me) move 14...Nd3ch. I go astray with 17...Qxc3ch instead of the recommended move in the post of 17...Rxc3!

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. Qd2 Qa5 10. O-O-O Bd7 11. h4 Rfc8 12. Bb3 Ne5 13. h5 Nxh5 14. Bh6 Nd3+ 15. Kb1 Nxb2 16. Kxb2 Bxh6 17. Qxh6 Qxc3+ 18. Kb1 a5 19. g4 Nf6 20. g5 Nh5 21. Rxh5 gxh5 22. g6 hxg6 23. Qxg6+ Kf8 24. Qxf7# {Black checkmated} 1-0

chessart said...

Just played this interesting game vs. yossuedcuba. It features an unusual mating position.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. f3 Nc6 9. Qd2 Bd7 10. h4 Qa5 11. Bb3 Rfc8 12. O-O-O Ne5 13. h5 Nc4 14. Bxc4 Rxc4 15. hxg6 fxg6 16. Bh6 Bxh6 17. Qxh6 Rxc3 18. bxc3 Qxc3 19. Kb1 Rc8 20. Rd3 Qb4+ 21. Rb3 Qxd4 22. Rxb7 Qa4 23. Qd2 Be6 24. Rb2 Qc4 25. g4 Nd7 26. Qh6 Nf6 27. g5 Nh5 28. Rxh5 Qf1# {White checkmated} 0-1

chessart said...

Just found a 2006 game played in Budapest in which Black actually won with 17...Qxc3ch. The game continued 18. Kb1 a5 19. g4 a4 20. gxh5 axb3 21. cxb3 Rxa2 0-1

The idea Black came up with is to push the a Pawn, eliminating the Bishop on b3 using that Pawn instead of a Rook on c3.

chessart said...

Yesterday I played this game vs. Beatlespock.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. Qd2 Bd7 10. O-O-O Qa5 11. Bb3 Rfc8 12. h4 Ne5 13. h5 Nxh5

This Pawn should always be taken, but when faced with the fast build-up as White uses here, ...Nc4 should be delayed, a recently-learned lesson I forget in this game.

14. g4 Nf6 15. Bh6 Nc4??

Here is where Black must delay this move. Correct is 15...RxN. Now, White can force Nd5 with a winning attack, although he misses his chance in this game. The correct move here is so well-known that the database contains *no* games with my move.

16. Bxc4 Rxc4 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Qh6+ Kg8 19. g5?? (19 Nd5!) Nh5 20. Rxh5 gxh5 21. Qxh5 Rxc3

So, I get my chance after all!

22. bxc3 Qxc3 23. Nf5?

Computer recommends 13 Nb3, though Black still has a healthy advantage.

Bxf5 24. exf5 Rc8 25. Qh2 Qe3+?

Missing the tactical trick 25...Qa1ch 26 Kd2 Rxc2ch!! 27 KxR QxPch, winning his Queen.

26. Kb1? (Rd2) Rc6 27. g6? (Qd2) Rb6+ 28. Ka1 Qc3# {White checkmated} 0-1