Accelerated Dragon

The Accelerated Dragon, also called the Accelerated Fianchetto, arises when Black answers the Open Sicilian with 4...g6 before committing the d-pawn. Black is heading for the Dragon formation of ...Bg7, ...Nf6 and ...O-O, but with the pawn still on d7, so a later ...d5 costs one move instead of two. That tempo is what blunts the Yugoslav Attack. After 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 d5 Black opens the center before White's queenside castling and kingside storm take effect, and equalizes. The cost is that White is not obliged to defend e4 with Nc3 and may clamp the center with c4. Inserting ...Nf6 first does not cure this, because 4...Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 allows 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5, favoring White.

5. Nc3, the Modern Variation, is the most frequent reply. The accurate continuation is 5...Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4, the Modern Bc4 Variation, which deters ...d5 before White commits to f3 and Qd2. After 7...O-O 8. Bb3 Black can transpose to a normal Dragon with 8...d6, a version in which White's attacking schemes are a tempo slower, or prefer 8...a5 for more independent play. The alternative 7...Qa5 pins the c3-knight and targets d4, e4 and the loose bishop; White usually replies 8. O-O, since natural moves such as 8. Qd2 run into ...Nxe4 tactics. These lines are heavily analyzed and can become as sharp as the Dragon proper.

5. c4, the Maróczy Bind, is generally considered the most testing reply. The pawns on c4 and e4 restrain ...d5, giving White extra space and a slower, maneuvering struggle in which Black looks for the breaks ...b5, ...d5 and ...f5. The classical setup runs 5...Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Be2 d6 9. O-O. Black is content to trade dark-squared bishops, leaving White's remaining bishop hemmed in by its own pawns, while White may avoid knight exchanges and expand with b4. In the Gurgenidze System, 5...Nf6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Be2 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7, Black exchanges knights at once so that the queen becomes a target, then undermines the queenside with ...Be6, ...Qa5, ...Rfc8, ...a6 and ...b5. The Simagin Variation, 5...Bg7 6. Nc2 d6 7. Be2 Nh6, is a further branch.

The Exchange Variation, 5. Nxc6 bxc6, aims for 6. Qd4 Nf6 7. e5, but the recapture strengthens Black's center and supports ...d5; after 7...Ng8 8. e6 Nf6 9. exf7+ Kxf7, sometimes called the Passmore Variation, chances are level, and Black scores well against it online. The position can also arise from 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6, the Hyperaccelerated order, which avoids the Rossolimo but allows 4. Qxd4. The opening was played as early as 1851 and became popular in the twentieth century as a route into the Dragon that sidesteps the Yugoslav Attack. Results in the Lichess database are almost even, with Black marginally ahead, while the engine gives White a slight edge.