Modern/Sicilian Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5 4.Nf3
This is the commonest move in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, although Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 prefer 4.d5, 4.Be3 and 4.dxc5.
4...cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6
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| The game began as a Modern Defence, but this position often arises from an Accelerated Dragon move-order in the Sicilian, eg 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 |
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6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bc4 Qa5!?
This is, perhaps, the sharpest response to White's somewhat unusual line, more-popular moves being 7...Nf6, 7...e6 and especially 7...d6.
8.Bd2 Rb8!?
Keeping the sharpness. The main move in Mega24. albeit from a smallish sample, is 8...Qb4, but then the pawn-offer 9.Qe2!? is promising.
9.Qf3
Almost certainly not 9.Nd5?! Qc5 10.Ne3 Bxb2!? 11.Rb1, when the engines reckon both 11...Be5 and 11...Nf6 are good for Black.
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| How should Black meet the threat to f7? |
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9...e6?
This seems to be the worst of the plausible choices. Probably also bad, and certainly ugly, is 9...f6?!, but 9...Nf6 looks satisfactory, eg 10.Nd5?! can be met by 10...Qc5.
10.Nb5!
The engines reckon 10.Nd5 Qc5 slightly favours Black, but the text wins material.
10...Qxd2+!?
This is best, according to the engines, eg 10...Qd8?! runs into 11.Nd6+ Ke7 12.Qxf7+ Kxd6 13.Qxg7, when the attempt to avoid material loss by 13...Nf6 14.e5+ Kxe5 15.Bc3+ Kf5?! leads to checkmate, one line running 16.Bd3+ Kg5 17.Bd2+ Kh4 18.Qh6+ Nh5 19.h3 and 20.g3#.
11.Kxd2 cxb5 12.Bd3
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| How large is White's advantage? |
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White has queen for bishop and knight, but Black has the bishop-pair, and the white king is somewhat exposed. The engines reckon White's advantage is worth about three pawns.
12...Ne7 13.h4 h5 14.g4 Nc6 15.g5 b4 16.Rab1 Bb7 17.Qg3 0-0 18.f4 Rfd8 19.Rhf1
The engines prefer 19.f5!?
19...d5 20.e5 Na5 21.Rfd1 Bf8 22.Qf2 d4 23.Ke1 Bd5 24.Qe2
Grabbing the d pawn is playable, eg 24.Qxd4!? Bxa2 25.Qxa7 Bxb1 26.Rxb1 Nc6, White emerging with queen and pawn for rook and knight, and with a winning advantage (Komodo14.1) or at least the upper hand (Stockfish16).
24...Rbc8 25.Kf2!?
The engines prefer 25.Be4, eg 25...Bc4 26.Qf3 Bxa2 27.Rbc1!?, claiming White is winning. After the text, Komodo14.1 gives White the upper hand, but Stockfish16 reckons the position is completely equal.
25...Bc5 26.Kg3 Bb6 27.Ra1
Komodo14.1 still gives White the upper hand, but Stockfish16 for quite some time reckons Black is slightly better, but eventually comes to view the position as equal.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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27...Nc6
The engines reckon 27...Nc4 confirms in the evaluations given before the last diagram, although they disagree on how to continue. Stockfish16 is also more-or-less fine with the text, but Komodo14.1 reckons it increases White's advantage by about the equivalent of a pawn.
28.a3 bxa3 29.Rxa3 Nb4!?
The engines are not keen on this, suggesting moves such as 29...Kg7, 29...Bc5, 29...Rc7 and 29...Ne7.
30.Qd2 Nxd3
The engines want to keep the knight on the board with 30...a5 or 30...Nc6.
31.cxd3!?
This splits White's queenside pawns, but fixes Black's d pawn on the d4 square, limiting the potential scope of the dark-square bishop.
31...Bc5 32.Ra5 Bb6 33.Raa1 Rb8 34.Rdc1 Rd7 35.b4 Rdb7 36.Qb2 Bd8!?
This is Komodo14.1's top choice, along with 36...a5, while Stockfish16 also has two equal-first choices, 36...Rd8 and 36...Rd7.
37.Qxd4 Bb6!? 38.Qb2
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| The same position as two moves ago, but with the black d pawn removed |
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38...Be3
The point of Black's play - the dark-square bishop is active, and the b pawn endangered.
39.Rcb1
This seems cleaner than 39.Re1, when 39...Bxf4+!?, 39...Rxb4 and 39...Bc5 all lead to somewhat unclear positions.
39...Rb5?!
Not 39...Rxb4?, after which 40.Qxb4 Rxb4 41.Rxb4 leaves White up two exchanges. However 39...Bb6!? may be better, although White has queen and pawn for a pair of bishops.
40.Qc3?!
Probably stronger is 40.d4.
40...a5?!
Not 40...Bc5? 41.Qxc5 (41.bxc5 also wins) Rxc5 42.bxc5, but 40...Bb6 leaves White still having to batter down Black's semi-fortress.
41.d4 Rxb4 42.Rxb4 Rxb4 43.Qxe3 Rb3 44.Qxb3 Bxb3 45.Rxa5
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| In this position IM offered a draw |
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45...Kg7 46.Kf3 Kf8 47.Ke3 Ke7 48.Ra7+ Kf8 49.Kd3 Bd5 50.Kc3 Ke8 51.Kb4 Kf8 52.Kc5 Kg7 53.Rd7 Bb3 54.Kd6 Bc4 55.Ke7 Bb3 56.Rd8 Bc4 57.Rf8 1-0
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