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1.Opening

Sicilian Dragon

You play BlackB78SharpAdvanced

The g7 bishop breathes fire down the long diagonal. Razor-sharp races where both kings are under attack.

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 …

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Yugoslav Attack: position after 11 moves1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a
Yugoslav Attack: position after 11 moves
2.Ideas

What the opening is about

Key ideas

  1. ...g6 + ...Bg7 aims the bishop at d4, c3, and White's queenside king.
  2. The rook goes to c8 on the half-open c-file.
  3. The exchange sacrifice ...Rxc3 is a classic Dragon trick to wreck White's king.
  4. ...Ne5–c4 hits White's bishops and queen.
3.Main line

Main line · 21 moves

Yugoslav Attack

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Your moves Opponent
No. White Black1
e4White grabs the center and opens lines for the queen and light-squared bishop.
c5The Sicilian: fight for d4 from the side instead of mirroring with ...e5. The position becomes unbalanced, which gives Black real winning chances.
2
Nf3White develops toward the center and prepares d4.
d6Controls e5, so White can never push e4–e5 to kick a knight on f6. It also opens the c8 bishop.
3
d4White opens the center while ahead in development.
cxd4Trade a flank pawn for a center pawn. Black now has two central pawns (d and e) against White's one — a long-term plus.
After 3…cxd4
After 3…cxd4
No. White Black4
Nxd4White recaptures with a strongly centralized knight.
Nf6Develops with tempo: the knight attacks e4, forcing White to spend a move defending it.
5
Nc3White defends e4 with a developing move.
g6The Dragon: the bishop will go to g7, where it rakes the long a1–h8 diagonal.
6
Be3White develops and prepares Qd2, f3, and castling long.
Bg7The dragon bishop arrives, staring at d4 and beyond.
After 6…Bg7
After 6…Bg7
No. White Black7
f3Supports e4 and stops ...Ng4 from hitting the e3 bishop.
O-OBlack castles behind the strong fianchetto.
8
Qd2Prepares O-O-O, and Bh6 to trade off the dragon bishop — the heart of Black's defense.
Nc6Develops and pressures the d4 knight.
9
Bc4The Yugoslav bishop eyes f7 and stops ...d5, Black's freeing break.
Bd7Connects the rooks and prepares ...Rc8 to use the c-file.
After 9…Bd7
After 9…Bd7
No. White Black10
O-O-OWhite castles long — the race is on.
Rc8The rook takes the half-open c-file, aiming at c3 and White's king.
11
Bb3Tucks the bishop away before ...Ne5 can hit it with tempo.
After 11.Bb3
After 11.Bb3
4.Play

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5.More

More defenses against 1.e4