Dragon Variation

With 5...g6 Black prepares ...Bg7, aiming the bishop down the long diagonal at the center and White's queenside. The cost is a kingside pawn front that White can target, since the g6-pawn offers a hook for h4-h5. Fyodor Dus-Chotimirsky named the line in 1901, likening Black's pawns on d6, e7, f7, g6 and h7 to the Draco constellation. It is also the setting of Kasparov's successful defense against Anand in the 1995 PCA World Championship match.

6. Be3 is the most common reply and usually heads for the Yugoslav Attack, 6...Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6, after which White chooses among 9. O-O-O, 9. Bc4 and 9. g4. With kings on opposite wings, White throws pawns at Black's king while Black counters on the queenside and along the c-file, and accurate calculation counts for more than slow maneuvering. The Classical Variation, 6. Be2, with short castling, is calmer. Rarer choices are 6. f4, the Levenfish, which seizes space and threatens e5 and scores well for White online; 6. g3, the Fianchetto Variation; and 6. Bc4, which can transpose to the Yugoslav or lead to Sozin-style piece play. The engine gives White a slight edge, though Black scores marginally better in online games.