Sicilian Accelerated Dragon
1.Nc3 c5 2.e4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Nxc6!? bxc6 7.Bc4 Nh6!?
The main line in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database runs 7...d6 8.0-0 Nf6 9.e5!? dxe5 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8 11.Re1, with equal chances, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.
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| There are just six examples of 7...Nh6!? in Mega 25 |
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8.0-0 0-0 9.Bg5
This seems to be a novelty. Hugh Alexander - Leonard Barden, British Championship (Blackpool) 1956, which reached the position by transposition, went 9.Be3 d6 10.h3!? Be6 11.Bb3 Bxb3 12.axb3 f5!? 13.Qd2 Nf7 14.exf5 gxf5 15.Ra6, with the upper hand for White, according to the engines (1-0, 27 moves).
9...d6 10.h3!? Be6 11.Bb3 Bxb3 12.axb3 Kh8?!
The engines prefer 12...f5!?, a la Barden.
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| How should White proceed? |
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13.Bxh6
The start of a combination that wins a pawn, but the engines much prefer 13.Ra6!? Qd7 and either 14.Qd3 or 14.Be3.
13...Bxh6 14.Rxa7
This is Stockfish17.1's top choice, but Dragon1 fluctuates, at least for a while, between the text and 14.Ra6!?
14...Rxa7 15.Qd4+ Bg7 16.Qxa7
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| How big is White's advantage? |
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White's extra pawn is doubled, and part of an island under pressure on the long dark diagonal. But White has the open file, and White's advantage is worth about a half-pawn, according to Dragon1 (Stockfish17.1 is less enthusiastic).
16...Bf6 17.Ra1 Qb8!?
The engines dislike this, even though after ...
18.Qxb8 Rxb8
.... we have gone from a middlegame, in which queen and knight often work well together, to an ending, in which Black has the better minor piece for cooperating with a rook. I guess the point is it will be easier for White to activate the queenside in an ending where the king can help.
19.Ra6 Rc8?!
This seems unnecessarily passive when 19...c5 is available.
20.Kf1 Kg7 21.Ra5!? e6 22.Ke2 d5 23.exd5 cxd5 24.Kd3 Kf8 25.Ra7 Rb8 26.Nd1 Ke8 27.Ra3 Kd8
The engines give 27...Be7 28.Ra5 h5 29.f3, awarding White the upper hand.
28.c3 d4?!
Putting a pawn on the same colour complex as the bishop is unlikely to help, unless there is a particular tactical or positional point, and here there is the added factor that White is now likely to get connected passed pawns.
29.f3
Probably not 29.cxd4?! Be7 30.Ra4 Rxb3+, although the engines reckon White is still well on top.
29...Rb7 30.Nf2 Rd7 31.c4 Rb7 32.Kc2 Kd7 33.Nd3 Kc6 34.Ra6+ Rb6!?
The engines agree this is best, but have White winning easily.
35.Ra7 Rb7 36.Rxb7 Kxb7
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| Black is 'only' a pawn down, and has the better minor for play with rival pawn-majorities, but d4 is a weakness, the bishop has no targets on the kingside, and White's queenside phalanx is strong |
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37.b4 Be7 38.Kb3 Bd6 39.c5 Bg3 40.Kc4 e5 41.Nc1 Bf4 42.Ne2 g5 43.b5 h5 44.g4 hxg4 45.hxg4 Kc7 46.b4 f6 47.b6+ Kc6!? 48.b5+ Kb7 49.Kd3 Bh2 50.Nc1 Bg3 51.Nb3 Be1 52.Kc4 Bc3 53.Nc1 Bd2 54.Nd3 Be3 55.Nb4 Bf2 56.Nd5 Bg1 57.c6+ Kc8 58.Kd3 1-0
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