15. Hyper-Accelerated Dragon (2...g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4)
In the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon Black plays 2...g6 at once. If White recaptures 4.Qxd4, Black develops with tempo with 4...Nf6 5.e5 Nc6 6.Qa4 Nd5 and attacks the e5-pawn.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.e5 Nc6 6.Qa4 Nd5
Move by move
- 1.e4 – White occupies the center with the king's pawn, controls d5 and f5 and frees the queen and the f1-bishop. This is the move we answer with the Sicilian.
- 1...c5 – The Sicilian Defense: Black controls d4 with a flank pawn instead of occupying the center. If White plays d4, Black will trade c5 for d4 and have two central pawns against one and the half-open c-file.
- 2.Nf3 – White develops the knight toward the center and prepares d2-d4 to open the game: it is the road to the Open Sicilian, the most ambitious try against us.
- 2...g6 – The Hyper-Accelerated Dragon: Black fianchettoes even before ...Nc6, to reach the Dragon systems while avoiding some of White's deviations.
- 3.d4 – White opens the center with d2-d4 as in the Open Sicilian.
- 3...cxd4 – Black trades the c-pawn for the d-pawn and opens the c-file. White can now also recapture with the queen.
- 4.Qxd4 – White recaptures with the queen, which from d4 attacks the h8-rook along the long diagonal: Black does not have the bishop on g7 yet to close it.
- 4...Nf6 – Black develops and closes the diagonal toward h8: the f6-knight defends the rook and attacks the e4-pawn.
- 5.e5 – White kicks the f6-knight away with the pawn, trying to gain time and space. The e5-pawn, however, is poorly defended.
- 5...Nc6 – Black develops the second knight attacking the queen: it gains a tempo and presses on the e5-pawn, defended only by the f3-knight.
- 6.Qa4 – The queen takes shelter on a4, from where it eyes the c6-knight and the fourth rank. The f6-knight is still attacked by the e5-pawn and has to move.
- 6...Nd5 – The knight centralizes on d5, the best square: from here it controls b4, c3, e3 and f4. Black prepares ...Bg7 against the e5-pawn.
How to exploit the position
Black has developed two knights with tempo and White's e5-pawn is weak; White has spent more moves with the queen. A comfortable position for Black.
- Play ...Bg7: the bishop attacks e5, which will be attacked twice and defended only by the f3-knight.
- With ...Nb6 you can attack the queen on a4 again and gain another tempo.
- Open the center with ...d6 to eliminate the e5-pawn and free the c8-bishop.
- Castle short early: after ...Bg7 and ...O-O the black king is safe and White has not yet developed the queenside.
Master tips
The queen in the center is a target
If White recaptures on d4 with the queen, each of your developing moves can gain a tempo on it.