Hyperaccelerated Dragon

The Hyperaccelerated Dragon (ECO B27) begins with 2...g6. Black prepares ...Bg7 at once and postpones ...Nc6. The point is the move order. In the usual Accelerated Dragon, which some sources call the Accelerated Fianchetto, Black plays 2...Nc6 first and must then be ready for 3. Bb5, the Rossolimo. Delaying the knight removes that option. In exchange, White gets several independent tries that the 2...Nc6 order would not permit.

The most frequent reply, chosen in roughly half of all games, is the Open Sicilian approach 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4. Black then plays 4...Nc6, which transposes to the Accelerated Dragon with the Rossolimo already avoided. As in that system, Black keeps the d-pawn on d7 so that ...d5 can later be played in one step. White has not yet committed the knight to c3, so the Yugoslav Attack is not available. White chooses between 5. Nc3 and 5. c4, the Maróczy Bind, in which the c- and e-pawns together control d5 and Black has to find counterplay against a cramping bind. The resulting play tends to be more positional than in most Sicilian lines.

The drawback of the move order shows after 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4. The queen recaptures in the center and attacks the rook on h8 along the long diagonal that ...g6 has loosened. Black's only good reply is 4...Nf6, and play continues 5. e5 Nc6 6. Qa4 Nd5 7. Qe4, with the queen repositioned after the knight harassment. White can also choose 3. c3, a delayed form of the Alapin that aims to build a full center with d4. Another option is 3. c4, which sets up the Maróczy structure before Black's knight has committed. Play usually transposes after 3...Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7. The developing move 3. Bc4 is the second most popular choice in the database, ahead of 3. c3.

The position is reached in a large number of online games. Results are close to even, with Black scoring slightly better than White. The engine gives White a slight edge and lists 3. c4 as its first choice, ahead of 3. d4 and 3. Bc4. A player who uses this move order must be prepared for the Qxd4 line and the Alapin-style setups as well as the Accelerated Dragon itself.