Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6
What Is The Accelerated Dragon?
The point of 4...g6 is speed: the bishop reaches g7 before Black commits to ...d6, so ...d5 stays available in a single move. That saved tempo denies White the Yugoslav Attack plan of Be3, Qd2 and queenside castling, since there is no d6 pawn to attack. White's principled reply is 5.c4, the Maroczy Bind, where pawns on c4 and e4 take d5 and b5 away.
Maroczy positions are decided by exchanges: every piece Black trades makes the cramp livable, every piece White keeps makes it suffocating. So Black plays 5...Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Ng4 8.Qxg4 Nxd4, shedding minor pieces, then presses with ...d6, ...Bd7 and ...a5. When White avoids the Bind with 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Nxc6 bxc6, the exchange strengthens Black's centre and ...d5 arrives anyway.
What Do Players Choose At The Decision Point?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| e5 | 28% | 1,805 | |
| g6 | 23% | 1,498 | |
| Nf6 | 17% | 1,127 | |
| e6 | 10% | 668 |
How Does Play Continue From Here?
| Move | Share | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nc3 | 44% | 719 | |
| Nxc6 | 27% | 438 | |
| c4 | 10% | 162 | |
| Be3 | 9% | 142 |
The Named Lines Of The Accelerated Dragon
| Line | Moves |
|---|---|
| Maróczy Bind | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Be3 |
| Modern Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 |
| Exchange Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nxc6 |
| Modern Bc4 Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 |
| Simagin Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Nc2 d6 7.Be2 Nh6 |
| Maróczy Bind, Breyer Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Ng4 |
| Maróczy Bind, Gurgenidze Variation | 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Nxd4 7.Qxd4 d6 |