Chess opening · ECO B70
Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation
In the Dragon, Black answers the Open Sicilian with ...g6 and puts the dark-squared bishop on g7, where it aims down the long diagonal at White's queenside. White often castles on the other side and pushes the kingside pawns, so many games become a race: White attacks along the h-file while Black opens lines on the c-file toward the white king.
- Rank by weighted share
- #121 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6
- 3... cxd4Trading the c-pawn for White's d-pawn hands Black a half-open c-file and two central pawns, d6 and e7, against White's lone e4. In the Dragon that c-file becomes the road for Black's rooks and queen toward a white king on c1 or b1.
- 5... g6The defining move. It makes room for ...Bg7, where the bishop backs up the f6 knight and bears down on d4, c3 and b2. The price is a fixed target: once Black castles short, the g6 pawn is exactly what White's h-pawn wants to hit.
The Yugoslav Attack setup
White's sharpest plan takes shape in a few moves: Be3, f3, Qd2 and castling queenside, with the h-pawn heading for h5. The idea is to trade off the dragon bishop with Bh6 and then open the h-file against a king that has just lost its main defender.
The f3 pawn keeps a black knight out of g4, where it would hit the bishop on e3. That small detail is why Be3 and f3 so often arrive together in this structure.
How Black hits back on the c-file
Black castles kingside and turns everything toward c3 and the white king. Rooks go to c8, a knight often lands on c4 or e5, and an exchange sacrifice on c3 is a standard way to wreck the pawns in front of a king on c1.
Black's queen often joins from a5, where it lines up with the rook on c8 against c3 and the a2 pawn.
Into the Yugoslav
6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O
The kings now sit on opposite wings. White's next ideas include h4, h5 and Bh6, while Black often answers with ...d5, striking in the center before the kingside storm arrives.
Top replies by rating
Be3, the first step toward the Yugoslav setup, leads every band from 1400 up. At 2000 and up, f4 and Be2 join it in the top three.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1200–1399 | Bg5 53% | Be3 47% | – |
| 1400–1599 | Be3 33% | Bg5 18% | Bc4 16% |
| 1600–1799 | Be3 31% | Bc4 16% | f3 13% |
| 1800–1999 | Be3 41% | Bc4 14% | Be2 14% |
| 2000 and up | Be3 42% | f4 17% | Be2 15% |
Questions
Why are Dragon games so sharp?
Because the kings usually castle on opposite sides, both players can throw pawns at the enemy king without loosening their own shelter. A single lost tempo in that race can be enough to decide the game.
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.