Learn the Accelerated Dragon

B34-B39 · a repertoire for black · 7 chapters · 51 annotated lines

"Fianchetto fast, break with ...d5, and neutralize the Maroczy"

The Accelerated Dragon plays ...g6 before ...d6 so Black can strike the center with ...d5 in a single move instead of two. It sidesteps the dreaded Yugoslav Attack of the ordinary Dragon while keeping the same active dark-squared bishop on g7. The price is that White may clamp down with the Maroczy Bind (c4+e4), so this course teaches the classic ...Ng4 and ...Nxd4/...Bc6 plans that neutralize the bind, plus the Classical, the Exchange, and every early sideline. Every line is engine-checked and the strategic ideas are explained move by move.

What's inside

• Chapter 1: The Maroczy Bind (5.c4)
  Lines: The ...Ng4 Equalizer, The f3 Maroczy (English Attack), The 8.Nxc6 Zwischenzug, The 9.O-O-O Sortie, The 8.Bg5 Dodge: ...Nxf2!, 9.Rd1: The Fork on c2, 9.Nc2: The Sidestep — Trade Queens
• Chapter 2: The Classical (5.Nc3)
  Lines: White Plays Bc4, The Nb3 Setup, 6.Nde2: The Shy Knight, 7.Qd2 Without f3: ...Ng4!
• Chapter 3: The Exchange & 5.Nb5
  Lines: The Exchange: Bishop Pair & Big Center, The Exchange: 6.e5 Space Grab, The Exchange: 6.Qd4 Greed, 5.Nb5: The 6.Bf4 Prod, 5.Nb5: 6.N1c3 & the Na3 Tour, The Classical Exchange: 8.e5 Overreach, The Exchange: 6.Nc3, Bc4 & the e5 Push, The Exchange: 7.Bd2 — Answer It with ...d5!
• Chapter 4: The f3 Try & the ...d5 Break
  Lines: The Thematic ...d5 Break, 9.O-O-O: Trading the Queens Off, 10.Nxc6: Handing Black the b-file, 9.Nxc6: The e5 Space Grab
• Chapter 5: Classical Bc4 — Tricks & Traps
  Lines: 8.f3? Qb6! — Hitting d4 and b2, 9.O-O Ng4! — The Trick Returns, 9.h3: The Quiet Clamp, 8.h4: Punish the Lunge with ...Nxe4!
• Chapter 6: Maroczy Retreats & the Loose d4 Knight
  Lines: 6.Nc2: The Modest Retreat, 6.Nb3: Meet It with ...a5!, 6.Nc3?? — Winning the Loose Knight, 6.Nxc6: The Maroczy Exchange
• Chapter 7: Rare Tries — 5.Bc4 & Careless Sevenths
  Lines: 7.Be2? — The e4 Pawn Falls, 5.Bc4: Ask the Bishop What It Does, 5.Be3 & f3: Punish It with ...Qb6!, 5.Be3 Bg7 6.Nc3: It's Just the Classical, 5.Be3 Bg7 6.c3: The Slow Wall

Free sample: the main line, move by move

• 1. e4 — White grabs the center.
• 1... c5 — The Sicilian — Black fights for the center from the side.
• 2. Nf3 — White develops and eyes d4.
• 2... Nc6 — Black develops and pressures d4.
• 3. d4 — White opens the center.
• 3... cxd4 — Black trades the wing pawn for a central one.
• 4. Nxd4 — White recaptures, reaching an open Sicilian.
• 4... g6 — The Accelerated Dragon — ...g6 before ...d6 so ...d5 can come in one move.
• 5. c4 — The Maroczy Bind: two pawns on c4 and e4 cramp Black and stop ...d5.
• 5... Bg7 — The Dragon bishop takes the long diagonal, aiming at d4 and b2.
• 6. Be3 — White supports d4 and develops.
• 6... Nf6 — Black develops and pressures e4.
• 7. Nc3 — White defends e4 and completes the bind.
• 7... Ng4 — The key equalizer: the knight hits the e3 bishop and forces a favorable trade.
• 8. Qxg4 — White must take, since Nxe3 would wreck the structure.
• 8... Nxd4 — Black grabs the loose d4 knight in return.
• 9. Qd1 — White retreats, attacking the d4 knight.
• 9... Ne6 — The knight steps back to a strong square, eyeing c5 and d4.
• 10. Qd2 — White reconnects and prepares to develop.
• 10... Qa5 — Out before the door shuts: the queen takes its most active square, leaning on the c3 knight and eyeing the a-file. The quiet ...d6 is playable too, but the active queen is what makes Black's game easy to play — every White developing move now has to answer a question first.
• 11. Rc1 — The most common reply: the rook covers the c3 knight against ...Bxc3 tricks and takes the half-open file.
• 11... b6 — Black fixes the queenside and prepares ...Bb7 — the second bishop wants the other long diagonal, straight at e4.
• 12. Bd3 — White gives e4 a second defender.
• 12... Bb7 — The bishop lands. Between ...Bb7 and the g7 bishop, both long diagonals now belong to Black.
• 13. O-O — White castles.
• 13... O-O — Black castles too — a comfortable, flexible middlegame where ...d6, ...Rfc8 and a timely ...Qe5 give Black easy play against the bind.

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