9. Dragon: Yugoslav Attack with 9.Bc4 (Soltis Variation)
The Yugoslav Attack is the most severe test of the Dragon. White plays Be3, f3, Qd2, Bc4 and O-O-O to attack with h4-h5 and Bh6; Black answers with ...Bd7, ...Rc8 and ...Ne5, and stops the h-file with 12...h5.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 O-O 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.O-O-O Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.h4 h5
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...d6 – Black controls e5, opens the diagonal for the c8-bishop and prepares ...Nf6: after 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 the e4-pawn will be attacked right away. It is the basis of the Najdorf and the Dragon.
- 3.d4 – White opens the center: it offers the d4 pawn trade against c5 to develop quickly and use the lead in development in an open position.
- 3...cxd4 – Black trades at once: it removes White's d-pawn, keeps two central pawns (d6 and e7) against one and opens the c-file for rook and queen.
- 4.Nxd4 – White recaptures with the knight, which dominates the center from d4. In exchange for faster development it has conceded the central majority to Black.
- 4...Nf6 – Black develops with tempo by attacking e4. White has to defend it with 5.Nc3 and loses the chance to play c2-c4, which would give the solid Maróczy structure.
- 5.Nc3 – White defends e4 by developing a piece: it is the basic position of the Open Sicilian, from which the Najdorf, Dragon, Scheveningen and Classical arise.
- 5...g6 – The Dragon Variation: Black prepares the ...Bg7 fianchetto, which along the long diagonal will aim at d4, c3 and b2. The d6-g6 structure recalls the constellation of the dragon, hence the name.
- 6.Be3 – White develops the bishop on e3, where it defends the d4-knight and prepares f3, Qd2 and O-O-O: it is the beginning of the Yugoslav Attack.
- 6...Bg7 – The bishop completes the fianchetto and becomes Black's most important piece: from the h8-a1 diagonal it presses on d4 and, after White's long castling, on the king on c1.
- 7.f3 – White takes the g4 square away from Black, where ...Ng4 would attack the e3-bishop, and supports e4. It also prepares the g4 push or h4-h5 against the black castling.
- 7...O-O – Black castles: the king is protected by the g7-bishop. White will attack it with h4-h5 and Bh6, but Black will have time for counterplay on the c-file.
- 8.Qd2 – The queen goes onto the c1-h6 diagonal: White prepares Bh6 to trade the g7-bishop, the main defender of the black king, and long castling.
- 8...Nc6 – The knight develops and presses on d4 together with the g7-bishop. Later it will be able to go to e5 and c4 to attack the e3-bishop and the d2-queen.
- 9.Bc4 – The bishop goes to the a2-g8 diagonal: it controls d5, prevents the freeing ...d5 push and aims toward the black king on g8.
- 9...Bd7 – Black develops its last minor piece and connects the rooks: the a8-rook will be able to go to c8 to open the game on the c-file.
- 10.O-O-O – White castles long: the king goes to c1 and the rook to d1. Now the race begins: White's h4-h5 against Black's play on the c-file.
- 10...Rc8 – The rook occupies the c-file, aimed at c3 and the white king. It prepares ...Ne5-c4 and the exchange sacrifice ...Rxc3.
- 11.Bb3 – The bishop retreats to b3 before ...Ne5 attacks it with tempo. From b3 it keeps controlling d5 and the diagonal toward g8.
- 11...Ne5 – The knight centralizes and prepares ...Nc4, which attacks the e3-bishop and the d2-queen. From e5 it also controls g4 and f3.
- 12.h4 – White pushes the h-pawn to open the h-file with h4-h5 against the black king.
- 12...h5 – The Soltis Variation: ...h5 stops the h4-pawn and makes it harder to open the h-file. Now White will have to prepare g2-g4 to break through.
How to exploit the position
A sharp position with opposite-side castling: the h5-pawn has slowed White's attack, which now has to prepare g4 or Bg5; Black has its pieces ready for play on the c-file.
- Bring the knight to c4: it attacks queen and e3-bishop, and if White trades with Bxc4 the c-file opens for the rook.
- The rook can go up to c5 to support ...b5 and play on the queenside.
- The exchange sacrifice ...Rxc3 ruins the white king's pawns and frees the g7-bishop's diagonal toward b2.
- Against Bh6 don't trade right away: keep the g7-bishop as long as you can, it is the best defender of your king.
Master tips
The exchange sacrifice on c3
In the Dragon Black often gives up the rook for the c3-knight with ...Rxc3: the white king's pawns are broken and the g7-bishop dominates the long diagonal.