Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Belezky Line

The Belezky Line departs from the usual 7...O-O of the Yugoslav Attack by developing the queen's knight first. Postponing castling denies White a fixed target for the planned Bh6, h4-h5 and g4. White has to commit to a setup before knowing whether the black king will settle on g8. By far the most common reply is 8. Qd2. If Black now castles, the game transposes to the main line, which can also arise via 7...O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6. The move order therefore mostly changes White's options rather than the structure.

The second choice, 8. Bc4, follows the same logic in reverse: White develops the bishop toward the a2-g8 diagonal and holds back the queen and castling as well. The rare 8. Bb5, pinning the c6-knight, scores somewhat worse for White than the other two moves. The engine gives White a slight edge, in line with the parent variation. In online play White scores well here, winning noticeably more often than Black.