Dragon Variation, Modern Bc4 Variation

This position arises from the Accelerated Dragon move order, 2...Nc6 and 4...g6, with Black delaying ...d6. White's 7. Bc4 develops the bishop and adds pressure on d5 before committing to f3. The point is to rule out the ...d5 break, which gives Black equality after the more direct 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2. With 7...d6, Black stops relying on that break and settles into a regular Dragon structure. The fianchettoed bishop on g7 faces White's pieces aimed at the kingside, and the c- and d-files are half-open.

The game now depends on how White proceeds. The most popular move, 8. f3, prepares Qd2 and long castling, the Yugoslav Attack setup with the bishop already on c4. This is the sharp opposite-castling fight, and it is also the move with which White scores best. 8. O-O and 8. Qd2 are less common, and in both of them Black has the better results in online games. The engine gives White a slight edge and prefers 8. f3, ahead of the quieter 8. h3 and 8. Be2.