The Monthly Dragon - Deep Diving with a new Dragadorf!

by Arne Kaehler
4/29/2025 – GM Chris Ward introduces a fresh and evolving variation in the Sicilian Dragon, humorously dubbed the "Accelerated Dragadorf", which merges dragon setups with thematic ideas from the Najdorf. He analyzes a complex game featuring this system, highlighting tactical motifs, a strong bishop on e5, and a dominant performance by young Vietnamese IM Dau Khuong Duy. The second part covers a clean positional win in a more traditional Dragon, culminating in a delightful rook endgame puzzle, followed by Chris sharing personal insights on his early use of chess engines like Fritz. | Photo: John Upham
In this first part, the emphasis is on themes and ideas whereas Part 2 and 3 focus on theoretical knowledge!

The Monthly Dragon

with GM Chris Ward

The British Grandmaster Chris Ward is always delighted if he can play his favourite opening as Black: the Sicilian Dragon.

Ward's knowledge about this strong opening is covered in several of his books, his blog on chesspublishing, and his three, greatly popular FritzTrainers in our ChessBase shop.

In this first part, the emphasis is on themes and ideas whereas Part 2 and 3 focus on theoretical knowledge!

With the new ChessBase series "The Monthly Dragon", the passionate Salsa dancer is showing us the newest tactics, plans, and development of this fascinating opening.

Lucky for us, the dragon is an opening, played by some of the best players in the world. This means, Chris probably won't run out of fuel for new content.

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 a6 7.f3 e5 A relatively new system for Black to ponder. 8.Nb3 Be6 9.Qd2 Previously 9.g4?! (looking to get g4-g5 to control the d5-square) suffered a rude awakening when the talented young Vietnamese IM continued with d5! anyway with 10.g5 Nc6 occurring and after 11.gxf6 d4 12.Bg5 dxc3 13.Qxd8+ Nxd8 14.bxc3 Rc8 15.Kd2 Ba3 Black reaching a favourable endgame in Azarya,J (2417)-Dau Khuong Duy (2410) Hanoi VIE 2025. 9...h5 The text of course puts a stop to that White kingside expansion whilst offering up a further incursion of his own and gaining more control of the h6-square. Funnily enough our champion in this fresh variation had also gained a good position after 9...Nbd7 10.Be2 b5 11.0-0 Nb6 12.a4 Nc4 13.Bxc4 bxc4 14.Nc1 d5 15.exd5 Nxd5 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 in Liyanage,R (2397)-Dau,K (2410) Hanoi 2025 but this suggests he was more concerned with White deviating there through 10 g4. 10.Be2 White keeps his options open in the castling department. Instead though it wouldn't have been a surprise to see 10.0-0-0 Nbd7 11.Kb1 when I guess Black would take his pick from Rc8 , 11...b5, 11...Qc7 and 11.. .Be7. No doubt those will feature sometime in the future. 10...Nbd7 11.Nd5 Of course White could still castle long but effectively then Be2 will have been unnecessarily prioritised. The text leads us to a different type of position as indeed would have the calm 11.0-0 Rc8 11...Bxd5 12.exd5 h4 Grasping more space on the kingside. Nevertheless 12...Bg7 is very sensible too when the only practical example I can see involves a fellow London Chess Classic commentator of mine: 13.Na5 Qc7 14.c4 0-0 15.Rc1 e4 16.f4 Nc5 with equal chances but encouraged complications that worked out very well for Black after 17.b4 Ng4! 18.Bxc5?! dxc5 19.Bxg4 cxb4! in Bhawoodien,M (2182)-Trent,L (2404) Porticcio 2022 13.0-0-0 So again we'd see a different type of middlegame through 13.0-0 Bg7 14.c4 , still I'd say with about equal chances. 13...Bg7 Totally justifying this game's inclusion on the Dragon site! That said 13...Nb6!? targeting the d5-pawn was also very plausible with 14.Qa5 14.Kb1 Nfxd5 15.Bxb6 Nxb6 16.f4 would also be a bit murky with White certainly having some compensation for the pawn. 14...Bh6! 15.Bxh6 Rxh6 not having seen the 'Dragon bishop' ever take up its traditional post. 14.Kb1 h3?! 14...Qc7 was more prudent but Black is ambitious and not scared to speculate to accumulate! 15.g4 b5 I'd rather not award a second '?!' as one is enough for these two combined Black moves. Basically Black is arguably playing a tad recklessly first enabling g2-g4 and now conceding the c6-square. However Black is clearly happy moving forward! 16.g5 16.Na5 Qc7 17.Rhe1 0-0 18.g5 Nh5 19.Bf1 Nf4 20.Nc6 Rfe8 21.Bxf4 exf4 22.Qxf4 Nb6 could easily have hit the board with a bit of compensation for Black in the form of that Dragon bishop diagonal. Instead White probably deploys this a move too late. 16...Nh5 A route of g8-e7-f5 was a consideration but this steed has the f4-square in its sights. 17.Na5?! Nf4! The point now being that after Nc6, the black queen could take on g5. 18.Rhg1 18.Qb4 Qxg5 The point being 18...Nxe2 19.Rhe1 though Qc7 20.Rxe2 0-0 is still possible. 19.Qxd6 Qf6 would be finely imbalanced. 18...Nb6 Again hitting the d5-pawn. Alternatively 18...Nxe2 19.Nc6 (a necessary intermezzo else this knight would be hanging) Qc7 20.Qxe2 Nb8 would be a reasonable option with 21.Nb4 0-0 22.Rg3 a5 23.Nd3 Nd7 24.Rxh3 b4 offering some queenside action for the pawn. 19.Nc6 Qc7 20.Bxf4 exf4 21.Rg4 Or 21.Qxf4 0-0 with that same Dragon bishop related compensation for the pawn. Note 21.Rge1 0-0 22.Bxb5 would be disastrous after axb5? Instead 22...Bxb2! frees up the g7-square for the king. 23.Ne7+ Kh7 24.Qf2 teeing up Qh4+. 21...Be5 22.c3 22.Nxe5?! dxe5 23.d6 Qc5 24.d7+ Ke7 would see that errant white d-pawn under lock and key. 22...0-0 It's been abundantly clear that the young Vietnamese talent isn't averse to jettisoning the odd pawn but 22...Kf8!? intending to transfer the king to g7 whilst keeping a rook on the h-file to protect the pawn there, was a very reasonable alternative. 23.Rh4 Naturally then White decides he wants to pick off that pawn whilst equally dreaming of mate down the h-file! Rfe8 Black could also have defended the loose h-pawn through 23...Qd7 as 24.Bf1 could then be met by Qf5+ 24.Rxh3 In retrospect 24.Bf1!? was perhaps more advisable as this bishop is a bit of a liability on the open e-file. 24...Rac8 Looking to undermine the protection of the c6-knight through ...Nxd5. 25.Bf1?! Upon 25.Nxe5 dxe5 26.Qe1 Kg7 27.Rh6 Qd6 I like Black's play for a pawn with 28.Qh4? well met by Rh8 25...Nxd5! 26.Nxe5? Regards 26.Qxd5 Qxc6 27.Qxc6 Rxc6 although opposite-coloured bishop endgames are often drawish, with rooks on, Black retains some winning chances. 26...Rxe5 Now though I much prefer the black knight over the white bishop and there isn't going to be an h-file checkmate. 27.Qf2 Rxg5 28.Rh6 Or 28.Qh4 Rh5 28...Qe7! 29.Qh4 Qe5 The point! Black covers the h8-square with his queen. 30.Re1 Ne3 And now it is his turn to bat in the attacking department! 31.Bd3 Rg2 And attack he does, now with ...Rxb2+ threatened. 32.Ka1 b4 Note not 32...Rxc3?? 33.Qd8+ Kg7 34.Qh8# Oops! 33.Qh3 But now with the white queen no longer on the diagonal to d8... Rxc3! 34.Rh8+ Or of course 34.bxc3 Qxc3+ 35.Kb1 Qxe1# 34...Qxh8 35.Qxh8+ Kxh8 36.bxc3 Rd2! Plenty of good moves were available but this is the most devastating as the attacked bishop has to cover the c2 fork with ...bxc3 in the air too. 0–1
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ohanyan,E2501Dau Khuong Duy24110–12025B7262nd World Juniors 20257.5
Diaz Perez,M2488Perez Marimon,J23420–12025B7061st ch-CUB 20251.4

Full analysis by Chris Ward

In this first part, the emphasis is on themes and ideas whereas Part 2 and 3 focus on theoretical knowledge!

Links:

<< Master Class Band 18: Max Euwe
Superbet Poland: Fedoseev scores 8/9 on the first day of blitz >>
Topics: Chris Ward, Fritztrainer, Sicilian Dragon
Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.
Discussion and Feedback Submit your feedback to the editors

See also

The Monthly Dragon - GM Chris Ward’s INSANE 1987 Dragon Sacrifice

3/27/2025 – In this special March edition of the Monthly Dragon, GM Chris Ward takes us on a nostalgic yet deeply instructive journey through two of his own classic games. Rather than focusing solely on cutting-edge theory, Chris highlights the enduring value of tactical motifs, pattern recognition, and sharp attacking ideas — all with the fiery flair of the Dragon! | Photo: John Upham
More...
 3

See also

The Monthly Dragon - How to win against 9. Bc4!

2/28/2025 – In the main line of the Yugoslav Attack, the ninth move Bc4 is nearly as popular as castling long. While Bd7 remains the most common response, Chris has some excellent alternative suggestions that can give Black an edge. Interestingly, Bc4 recently proved to be a nightmare for co-host Arne Kaehler, as Chris thoroughly enjoyed predicting and countering Arne’s "amateur" plans. | Photo: John Upham
More...
 3

Video

60m English A solid scandinavian surprise

On this 60 mins video we are going to concentrate on a simple, very solid idea in the main line Scandinavian, which even Magnus Carlsen has used to win games. Black focusses on making his life easy in the opening and forces White to work very hard to get advantage – but it is doubtful if White can get an advantage. Club players are always on the lookout for effective, time-saving solutions and here we have just that. Accompany FIDE Senior Trainer and IM Andrew Martin on this 60 mins video. You can learn a new opening system in 60 mins and start to play it with confidence on the very same day!
We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.