My Chess Pet the Sicilian Dragon

Creativeness in the Accelerated Dragon 8.Nxc6

2009-11-29T01:50:00.009+11:00

I'd like to show here an online game of mine where I experimented on a new way to play the opening. This is to illustrate that Black in the Accelerated Dragon do indeed can sometimes afford to be creative.

In my experience most White players don't choose to play the Maroczy Bind because the resulting positions require tedious positional play -which is almost a bad thing for 1.e4 players who are more looking to play aggressive tactical positions (a good news for Black!). Another reason is that current theory shows that Black can hold the position and can even win! That's why in my next blog post I want to show some analysis and games on the Maroczy Bind and hopefully convince you that there is nothing to fear as Black. Therefore I'd like to remind you from here to subscribe to my blog so you won't miss out the chance to be notified as early as possible.

Experience has also shown me that quite a number of White players blindly choose an early Nxc6 like the game I am showing below.

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How to view games using Chess Viewer Deluxe

I hope you have enjoyed this article. I am very open for comments and suggestions so I can make your visit here more enjoyable each time.

So what do you think? To be a dragoneer is cool yeah? :-)

Why Checkers is a Funny Game

2009-11-24T08:53:00.004+11:00

Alright, let's have a break from chess seriousness for now. I am thinking a series of chess break like this is also a good thing to be a regular content for this blog, don't you think so? It's nice to have a laugh every now and then you know :-)

A Reason to Play The Accelerated Dragon

2009-11-14T12:41:00.060+11:00

The Accelerated Dragon has a tricky move order that often bust unsuspecting 1.e4 players who treat it as a regular Classical Dragon. Belonging to the 3 main Dragon Relatives, its move order is as follows:

e4 c5
Nf3 Nc6
d4 cxd4
Nxd4 g6 (see diagram on the right)

The move order has developed a knight on c6 instead of a pawn on d6. This is one of the main reason why most players play the Accelerated Dragon because it allows the black pawn thrust to d5 in one go. It means that if White blindly make his opening moves for a Yugoslav Attack formation in auto-pilot mode, Black in effect will be a tempo up after the thematic pawn thrust ...d5. To better comprehend the idea let's compare positions between the Classical Dragon and the Accelerated Dragon where in both cases White goes for a Yugoslav Attack set-up:

We start the comparison by looking at the Classical Dragon scenario first with the following moves:

e4 c5
Nf3 d6
d4 cxd4
Nxd4 Nf6
Nc3 g6
Be3 Bg7
f3 O-O
Qd2 Nc6
O-O-O d5 (see diagram on the right)

Current theory suggest this pawn thrust to d5 for Black. If we look at the current position, we notice that White has already castled on the queenside when Black moved his pawn to d5.

Now, let's look at some games which tackled this position so as to see how Black is coping:

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How to view games using Chess Viewer Deluxe

Having viewed the games at this point, we saw that it's not entirely bad results for Black. But surely results can be so much better if the pawn thrust to d5 by Black can come earlier before White has castled on the queenside. Black can only do this if he has saved a tempo from not moving his d-pawn twice (to d6 and again on d5). Thus the Accelerated Dragon move-order was invented for Black, particularly against the Yugoslav Attack move order.

So let us now examine the resulting position via Accelerated Dragon move-order as per introduction above:

e4 c5
Nf3 Nc6
d4 cxd4
Nxd4 g6
Nc3 Bg7
Be3 Nf6
f3 O-O
Qd2 d5 (see diagram on the right)

Now in this position, where the ...d5 pawn-push was executed by Black, we immediately notice that White hasn't castled yet. In effect, Black is playing the position a tempo up compared to the Classical Dragon above, and should be better for him.

A search in the database shows that this position can only occur in games below 2600 elo rating. Which I can interpret as a proof that there are no stronger players above 2600 elo rating who are willing to have this position as White. Thus we only have the following games to view which are particular to the position that we are now examining:

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From the games we saw that Black has a more comfortable position. And indeed, the good results are also evident in the gameknot.com turn key online games above 2000 elo ratings, which shows the following outcome as comparison:

A 62% chance of winning says a lot for Black in this Accelerated Dragon variation 8...d5. So there isn't much to say really than learning this variation as Black is valuable. And that’s what I actually did, I have spent time to study and analyse the position and eventually formed an opening repertoire based on 8...d5 pawn break in the Accelerated Dragon. Along the way too, I have discovered a few moves which I think are much stronger than the moves recommended by popular opening books. Do you think you can too? Well, let me know so we can start fortifying Black’s chances.

Donate now to receive the related eBook (valued at $15.50 AUD) and plus more.

eBook in Action (click image to enlarge)

- moves are appropriately annotated/commented

- computer checked analysis

- repertoire based for the Black side!

How to View Games Using Chess Viewer Deluxe

2009-11-12T23:55:00.004+11:00

My special thanks to Nikolai Pilafov, blogger of Chess Web Publishing, for creating and sharing this game viewer, Chess Viewer Deluxe.

Why Play the Sicilian Dragon

2009-11-12T18:52:00.006+11:00

Of all the defenses against 1.e4, the Sicilian Defense has always been top-scorer since the last past decades. A search of 100,000 games from international competition shows that the Sicilian Defense yielded Black 30.3% wins and 34.9% draws. Quite an impressive result for the second player especially against high-level opponents who know how to optimise and exploit their opening initiatives.

The Sicilian Defence, 1.e4 c5, yields more win for Black than others. source: gameknot.com

As one of the mainline variation of the Sicilian Defence, the Dragon Variation is a sharp and reliable defence opening. I personally like the Dragon Variation as Black because it is rich in tactical themes and most of the position gives you promising end game prospects (because in the Sicilian, Black has more center pawns than White). It is also much easier to learn than the Sicilian Najdorf Variation because the plans and strategies are more direct and straight forward. Owing to the resulting sharp and unbalance positions, Black optimizes his chance to play for a win in the complications. Experience has shown that most White players get caught-out from these complications where a minute tempo is very crucial for survival.

With other Dragon Systems, Black can confuse his opponent by adopting crafty move orders to trick him into a transposition where Black is favourable. Good examples of this tricky move orders are the Accelerated Dragon and the Hyper Accelerated Dragon where both aims to side-step the theoretical richness of the Yugoslav Attack.

Need more convincing to play the Dragon? Have a look at the following games and see how you can win with Black using this opening.

How to view games using Chess Viewer Deluxe

The Different Sicilian Dragon Defence Systems

2009-11-12T00:23:00.003+11:00

Enter the Dragon

In chess, one of the main variations of the Sicilian Defence is the Dragon Variation.

The Classical Dragon starts with the following moves.

1. e4 c5

2. Nf3 d6

3. d4 cxd4

4. Nxd4 Nf6

5. Nc3 g6

In this variation, Black fianchettoes a Bishop on g7 square. The name "Dragon" was first coined by Russian Chess Master and amateur astronomer Fedor Dus-Chotimirsky who noted the resemblance of Black's kingside pawn structure to the constellation Draco. Though I can't see it myself, I do believe that The Dragon Variation is one of the sharpest variations of the Sicilian Defence, making it one of the sharpest of all chess openings.

Dragon Relatives

If you are new to Dragon theory it is worth noting that there are about 3 other Dragon opening systems and they are the following:

1. Accelerated Dragon - this opening system features an early ...g6 on the 4th move from Black. An important difference between this line and the Classical Dragon is that Black avoids playing ...d7-d6, so that he can later play ...d7-d5 in one move if possible. Black also avoids the Yugoslav attack, but since White has not been forced to play Nc3 yet, 5.c4 (Maróczy Bind) is possible. Generally, this opening features a more positional style of play, unlike many of the other Sicilian variations. The opening move order for Accelerated Dragon is as follows:

1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. d4 cxd4
4. Nxd4 g6

2. Hyper Accelerated Dragon - is just a move-order difference of the Accelerated Dragon. Here ...g6 is done earlier on the 2nd move. The idea is just to avoid the possible 3.Bb5 Rossolimo Attack by White, a serious sideline that also boast a lot of theory. As a consequence White at his disposal can steer the game to 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 , which attempts to disrupt Black's normal development. The opening move order for Hyper Accelerated Dragon is as follows:

1. e4 c5

2. Nf3 g6

3. Dragondorf - also called the Dragadorf, is a hybrid Dragon with the Sicilian Najdorf defence. In this system Black plays both ...g6 and ...a6. Theory in this line is still relatively new thus it is yet to be proven if it can widthstand the test of time.

The move order is as follows:

1.e4 c5

2. Nf3 d6

3. d4 cxd4

4. Nxd4 Nf6

5. Nc3 g6

6. Be3 a6

Improving Your Blog Reading Experience

2009-11-11T12:46:00.001+11:00

Hi there, chess fans.

Please bear with me while I try to improve features and add more contents to this blog. Ofcourse the intention is to make your reading here a more interesting and pleasant experience.

I have two goals for this stage of improvement and setting up. These are the following:

To write bulk topics and post them all in one wave. I am intending to write atleast 10 articles before I will start prompting new readers like yourself to visit again this blog. These articles I intend to include related repertoire ebooks to make the learning of the systems more suiting and easier.
To modify the current theme and/or page layout. Basically I want the blog to be as presentable as it can be.

One of the primary goal is to only post articles that tackle opening systems for learning and discussion. I will try to avoid posting unrelated topics such as my social life and issues :-)

As a final note, I encourage you now to bookmark this blog of mine so you will be kept posted of the developments especially of official launch of this blog.

Thank you very much for the understanding and support.

~ chessmagic5

About this Blog, My Chess Pet the Sicilian Dragon

2009-11-10T10:56:00.008+11:00

Welcome to MyChessPet.com!

This blog is about chess, in particular about the Sicilian Dragon defence and the related defences such as Accelerated Dragon and Hyper Accelerated Dragon.

This blog hopes to be an important resource to learn the systems and discover novelties to keep the Sicilian Dragon always as dangerous against all 1.e4 attacking systems. The blog also aims to provide readers with tools such as chess repertoire ebook and annotated games to help them learn to play the Sicilian Dragon and the related systems.

You can email me thru chessmagic5@chess.com if you are:

1. a strong dragoneer and would like to join me as author

2. an enthusiast who wants to share related chess ideas

3. a learner who wants to ask related questions

Donate to Receive Free Tokens

2009-11-09T22:59:00.015+11:00

"Give and you shall receive..."

Quite often after your successful donation I quickly return the good deed by giving you tokens of appreciation. These tokens are of course in your prerogative whether to accept or decline. If you decide to accept the tokens it is understood that you agree with the included Terms and Conditions of Use; These tokens are totally free after your donation and should only be for your own personal use – therefore selling, distribution and publishing are prohibited and an offense. These tokens come in a package comprising one or all of the following (info on when and how to download tokens):

1. Repertoire eBook - Don't know what sequence of move is effective to follow? No need to worry -I have already done the work for you to find the best sequence of moves, and I have put it all here in this ebook. This ebook is from my "home brewed" opening variation analysis relevant to the posted article. The analysis is of course deeper than the one shown in the article. The repertoire is computer checked and is appropriately annotated to hopefully help you more understand the ideas behind each move (see figures 1 and 2 below). This eBook requires a “reader” software which you can upload from another website which is also totally free (info included in the tokens package).

2. Games Collection – is a collection of games in pgn format which are relevant to the posted opening variation article (see figure 3 below). The intention is to supplement your study with relevant ideas from actual games tackling the posted opening variation. This file can also be read by the “reader” software stated above.

3. Finds Item- is about discovered chess tools and freebies (found at the time) from the internet like chess engines, eBooks’, articles, softwares and etc’s. (see figure 4 below) Note that this is not available as often as the other two above.

Tokens of Appreciation: (Click images to enlarge)

Figure 1: Repertoire eBook

Figure 2: Repertoire eBook in Action

Figure 3: PGN Games Specific to a Position

Figure 4: Discovered Chess Stuffs

More info:

More about Tokens and the Included Terms & Conditions of Use

2009-11-09T22:59:00.009+11:00

Once you accepted the tokens by downloading them, you have agreed to bind yourself with the following terms and conditions of use:

1. The tokens are only for your own use and you agree not to sell, distribute or publish them anywhere.

2. You are aware that the tokens are not all constantly present in every article as sometimes the article’s topic don’t require deeper analysis of moves, or maybe there aren’t any prepared yet at the time (a very rare occasion).

3. If tokens are present in an article, you are in knowledge that they don’t necessary come in three. More often, it is only the repertoire file (eBook) that is available for download.

4. And finally, if you missed the chance to download the tokens, you understood that I am not required to repeat the downloading process for you. The downloading process is only activated per each instance of a donation. So it is very important that you pay good attention during the download process.

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How to Receive Tokens

2009-11-09T22:56:00.001+11:00

The Steps: For Windows (Click on images to enlarge)

1. Soon after your successful donation a download dialogue box will pop up like below. So before you donate, make sure that your pop-up blocker is temporarily turned off.

2. Press the “save” button then browse to the folder you want the compressed file to be saved.

3. When download process is complete, press “open folder” like below:

4. To be sure that the files don’t have viruses, right click on the downloaded compressed file. Click “scan for viruses” like below:

5. If no virus was found, right click on the file again but this time click on "extract all files" in the same folder.

6. After extraction has completed, open the “thank you” file. There you can read the next detailed instructions for you to be able to use the extracted files. You can also read there where to get the mentioned reader software for free. The “thank you” file is in .pdf format therefore you might want to download and install the free Adobe Reader from http://get.adobe.com/reader/.

More info:

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Why Donate

2009-11-09T22:54:00.001+11:00

The Spirit of Giving

Some people donate to help the needy, some to express support and some to satisfy their sense of purpose. But most of them donate because they are just simply wonderful kindred spirits who's happiness is with sharing their blessings.

The Cause

Your donation will not only benefit me but also other people. Just last March of this year I was laid off from work because of the Global Economic Crisis. Job placement in my industry has become very hard because of the increased competition from other professionals who also suffered the same fate. As a result, my cash flow at the moment is not doing so good, and so my family and people I help feels the pinch in their pockets too. We can only make do of what is available and as much as I don't want to feel unsettled with bills to pay, it would be nice not to even worry at having and enjoying a nice cup of coffee whenever I feel like blogging my worries off.

Donate only if you can smile.

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Hyper Accelerated Dragon: White's Death By Simplification

2009-10-11T18:14:00.003+11:00

Greetings chess friends!

In this post a yet another instructive sampler game on my new pet opening the Hyper Accelerated Dragon.

Why play the Hyper Accelerated Dragon? I personally like it because it is a low maintenance opening, unlike the Classical Dragon which demands a lot of theoretical study and updating. The Hyper Accelerated Dragon has quite a crafty move-order that often bust e4 players who wrongly treat it as a regular Classical Dragon. The Yugoslav Attack doesn't really work against the Hyper Accelerated Dragon.

Having the Classical Dragon in my repertoire for years I was able to appreciate the potential of the Hyper Accelerated Dragon. I was able to compare black's king safety on both openings and personally concluded that the black king in the Hyper Accelerated Dragon is very much safer because it is not as exposed to immediate attacks early in the opening, especially in the Yugoslav Attack. I also noticed that the play is not so razor sharp which makes the game more on the positional side. This is really good according to many GM's who believes that strategical play is better than route memorization to a learning chess player like myself.

So is the Hyper Accelerated Dragon an ultimate defense to 1.e4? After only having played it a few times I have to admit that I am slightly annoyed to reach the Maroczy Bind position (1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.c4). I sense that in the Maroczy Bind black's chances to play for a win diminishes quite substantially as compared to the Classical Dragon. But this does not mean the chances to equalise has become futile. Theoretically, black in the Maroczy Bind has already a draw at hand but he must be willing to sit down toiling from a disadvantaged or comparatively difficult position. Black actually has very good chances to win if white over extends himself. The Maroczy Bind positions are very positional and quite dull that most 1.e4 players dont find it attractive to play anyway. And I have to say, since playing the Hyper Accelerated Dragon, it's still a very rare occasion for me to face the Maroczy Bind.

In fact, the following game of mine against a 2000+ rated player saw declining the chance to go for a Maroczy Bind. In our previous game he opted for the early 4.Qxd4 and lost (see previous blog post for details). This time he went for the Bc4-Bb3 idea instead and found out that black is still winning. Let's have a look and find out what happened (note sub analysis on the movelist pane for better understanding of the position):

How to view games using Chess Viewer Deluxe

As we saw, black seems to be doing OK against the mainline Bc4. We also notice that the endgame is just favourable for black which makes simplification very logical.

There you go. I hope that you have learned something from this post and may encourage you to consider this system as part of your repertoire. For relevant reading materials on Dragon systems just click HERE.

What do you think?