An Anti-Maróczy System

I AM convinced more people would play the Accelerated Dragon: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 and its sister defence, the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6, if it were not for the Maróczy Bind.

This normally arises from the move-order 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.c4 or 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.c4, although other move-orders are possible.

I recently tested an anti-Maróczy system in two correspondence games, and will present my findings here.

The first key position arises after the moves 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4.

Position after 4.Nxd4

Here a Hyper-Accelerated player would normally choose 4...Nc6, transposing to the mainline position from the Accelerated that arises after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6.

I am instead recommending 4...Nf6, to which White almost always (1,242 times out of 1,365 games in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database) replies 5.Nc3.

White does not have an effective alternative to 5.Nc3 as 5.e5? drops a pawn to 5...Qa5+, while 5.f3 is too slow and 5.Bd3 Nc6 may even be a tiny bit better for Black.

Playing 5.Nc3 rules out the Maróczy Bind, but for Accelerated fans there is a problem as the 'natural' 5...d6, preventing 6.e5, is a transposition to normal Dragon lines.

The independent Accelerated try is 5...Nc6, after which easily the most-popular move in Mega22 is 6.Be3. 

This is exactly what Black wants as the game has transposed to regular Accelerated lines without allowing a Maróczy Bind.

However White can throw a spanner in the works with 6.Nxc6.

Admittedly there are only 1,618 examples of the move in Mega22, compared with 3,093 for 6.Be3, but it is critical, not least because it is the choice of the analysis engines Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1.

Capturing on c6 brings about the second key position:

Position after 6.Nxc6

Black usually recaptures with 6...bxc6 (1,298 games in Mega22) rather than 6...dxc6!? (318 games), but I am recommending the latter, which has been the choice of Accelerated specialist Sergei Tiviakov, as well as being preferred by the engines.

Before explaining why I like the move, I will explain what I think is wrong with 6...bxc6.

White nearly always continues 7.e5, when sacrificing a pawn with 7...Nd5? fails to 8.Nxd5 cxd5 9.Qxd5 Rb8 10.e6!, when the threat of forking the black rooks with 11.Qxe5 (as well as the threat of 11.exf7#) cannot be reasonably met.

Black's most-popular move in Mega22 is the retreat 7...Ng8, when the main line runs 8.Bc4 Bg7 9.Qf3 f5 10.Bf4 e6 11.0-0-0, which gives White a huge lead in development, more central space and a juicy weakness at d6 to target.

Position after 11.0-0-0

A better try for Black may be the awkward-looking 7...Nh5!?

The mainline here is less well-defined, but a plausible sequence is 8.Bc4 Qa5 9.f4, when the engines agree White is better, but not as convincingly so as after 7...Ng8.

As I stated above, my recommendation is the less-popular 6...dxc6!?, which White should probably meet with 7.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Bc4 Ke8 9.e5.

Position after 9.e5

The two correspondence games in which I tested this system were played at the Fide-recognised International Correspondence Chess Federation, specifically in the semi-finals of the
Nol Van't Riet Team Tournament.

My opponents were Czech Václav Portych (2253) and Russian Vyacheslav Savon'* (2258). Both games continued:

9...Nd7 10.e6 fxe6 11.Bxe6 Bg7 12.Be3

How should Black proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

12...Nf8!?

Alexei Shirov (2740) - Ljubomir Ljubojević (2580), Buenos Aires Sicilian Tournament 1994, saw 12...b6 13.0-0-0 Bxc3 14.bxc3 Nx5 15.Bxc8 Rxc8 16.Bxc5 bxc5 17.Rhe1, when White has the better pawn-formation but the game was drawn in 52 moves.

The text is a pawn sacrifice.

13.Bxc8 Bxc3+ 14.bxc3 Rxc8 15.Bxa7

Position after 15.Bxa7

White is a pawn up, but the extra pawn is doubled and isolated. Both games continued ...

15...Nd7 16.Be3 Ra8

... before splitting.

Václav Portych (2253) - Spanton (2277)

17.Ke2

For the engines' preference, 17.a4, see the next game.

17...Ra6 18.a4 b6 19.Rhd1 Rf8 20.Rd4 Rf5 21.g4 Rfa5 22.g5 c5

White has gained kingside space, but Black's pressure against a4 holds the balance.

23.Rh4 Nf8 24.Rf4 Ne6 25.Rh4 Nf8 26.Re4 Ra7 27.Kd1

The king moves to protect a4 and so free a rook.

27...Kf7 28.Kc1 Ne6 29.Kb2 Ng7 30.Kb3 Nf5 31.c4 R5a6 32.h3 Ra8 33.Rg4 Rd8 34.Rf4 Rd6 ½–½

Vyacheslav Savon' (2258) - Spanton (2277)

17.a4 b6!?

This provides a target for the bishop, but at the same time restricts the bishop's options.

18.c4 Kf7 19.Ke2 c5 20.Bf4 Ra6 21.Rhd1 Nf6 22.Rd3 Rha8 23.Rd3 R8a7 24.h3 h5 25.Kd3 Rd7+ 26.Kc3 Ne4+ 27.Kb3 g5

The knight is trapped after 27...Nxf2?? 28.Re1.

28.Be3 Kf6 29.g4 e5 30.Re1 Ra8 31.gxh5 Nd2+ 32.Bxd2 Rxd2 33.Kb2 Rxf2

White is still a pawn up, but all five white pawns are isolated and four of them are doubled. The game was agreed drawn 12 moves later.

Conclusion: I believe the system I have outlined here is an effective way of avoiding the Maróczy Bind, especially if Black is happy with a draw.

*Savon' is also sometimes transliterated straightforwardly as Savon.