Can the dragon still breathe fire?!

This post is meant mostly for players in the 1600-2000 rating bracket, who oftentimes struggle with the dragon move orders in their games.

Of all the options black has after 1.e4, the most ambitious one is definitely the Sicilian, 1…c5. White’s most common reaction is to play 2.Nf3 followed by 3.d4, known as the open Sicilian. The pawn structure is no longer symmetrical, and a lot of imbalances soon become apparent. As a general rule, white will be able to develop quickly and expand on the kingside, sometimes even open lines early in the center leading to powerful attacks. In return, black tends to have good long term prospects, starting with more central pawns, a half open c file, and a flexible position that is ideal for people who like counter-attacking. The positions can become really sharp, especially when white castles long.

One of the most intriguing ways for black to play an open Sicilian is by developing the dark square bishop to g7, the so called fianchetto. This is known as the dragon variation, and has always been seen as risky, or even dubious. Very strong modern engines show that the dragon is viable, it is definitely not losing by force, but black is walking a very narrow path. If black plays perfectly, a draw is likely, like with any modern main opening line. But the type of fun that people used to have playing the dragon a few decades ago (I was guilty of that too!) is no longer there. Essentially, nowadays black either goes for razor sharp complications where a well prepared white player is ahead, or accepts slightly inferior endgames. The risk-reward ratio doesn’t look too good, which is why the dragon has become a rare guest in top level chess.

There are 3 move orders for black to choose from.

In the classical (standard) dragon, black plays 2…d6.

In the accelerated dragon, black plays 2…Nc6

If white still wants to play a setup with 000, the only way to do it is by developing the LSB to c4, leading to systems that are less dangerous for black.

So why would anyone play the standard (classical) move order, when the accelerated dragon avoids white’s most dangerous setup?
There are 2 reasons.

In the hyper-accelerated dragon, black plays 2…g6

Clearly, there is no perfect way of playing the dragon and it’s not advisable to have it as the main (or the only) weapon against 1.e4. But it can definitely be used every now and then, especially when it comes as a surprise weapon. The great Kasparov did that against no other than Vishy Anand, winning 2 crucial games in their 1995 WC match.
And yesterday we saw one more time that the dragon is not to be underestimated. Top level encounter, classical (slow) chess.