Accelerated Dragon, Modern Variation

The Modern Variation, 5. Nc3, is White's natural developing reply to the Accelerated Dragon. The knight defends e4 and gives the game an Open Sicilian character, but it also blocks the c-pawn, so White gives up the Maróczy Bind with c4 that would otherwise restrain ...d5. The resulting fight resembles the Dragon: White often castles long and attacks on the kingside, while Black, whose d-pawn is still on d7, keeps the option of striking at the center with ...d5 in a single move.

Black almost always continues 5...Bg7, putting the bishop on the long diagonal where it bears on d4 and c3. The rare 5...Nf6 allows 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5, dislodging the knight with advantage to White, and 5...Nxd4 releases the central tension early and scores poorly for Black. After 5...Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6, White must decide how to meet the latent ...d5 break and the pressure Black can build against c3 and e4.

The main choice is 7. Bc4, the Modern Bc4 Variation, which trains the bishop on d5 and discourages the freeing advance before White sets up f3 and Qd2 for an attack. After 7...O-O 8. Bb3, Black may enter a regular Dragon with 8...d6, a version in which White's attacking schemes come a tempo later, or seek a separate course with 8...a5. The other major branch is 7...Qa5, pinning the knight and eyeing e4 and the bishop; White normally answers 8. O-O, since natural moves such as 8. Qd2 can run into tactics based on ...Nxe4.

Less frequent seventh moves include the quieter 7. Be2 followed by short castling, and 7. Nxc6 with the idea of 8. e5. An immediate Yugoslav-style 7. f3 is considered inaccurate, because after 7...O-O 8. Qd2 d5 Black opens the position at once, which is precisely the point of postponing ...d6. The theory is extensive and the play frequently sharp. Online results are close to even with few draws, and the engine regards the position as roughly balanced.