Subscribe

Sicilian Defence: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Variation

Vachier-Lagrave–Gelfand, Palma de Mallorca Grand Prix 2017 · Nepomniachtchi–Caruana, Sinquefield Cup 2024 · 4:48 · ECO B35

Open on YouTube ↗

In this video

Game 1: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2796) vs Boris Gelfand (2719)

Palma de Mallorca Grand Prix 2017, 16 November 2017 · White won (1-0) · 34 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.
  10. 10.
  11. 11.
  12. 12.
  13. 13.
  14. 14.
  15. 15.
  16. 16.
  17. 17.
  18. 18.
  19. 19.
  20. 20.
  21. 21.
  22. 22.
  23. 23.
  24. 24.
  25. 25.
  26. 26.
  27. 27.
  28. 28.
  29. 29.
  30. 30.
  31. 31.
  32. 32.
  33. 33.
  34. 34.

Key moments

  1. 8...d5The first move after the opening line0:36
  2. 23...Rxc3White stays more than two pawns ahead from here1:46
  3. 27...Qe4The evaluation moves from +3.11 to +4.302:06
  4. 33...Rd7The evaluation moves from +5.35 to +7.182:36
  5. 34.Qc4White wins after 34 moves2:39

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

Game 2: Ian Nepomniachtchi (2767) vs Fabiano Caruana (2793)

Sinquefield Cup 2024, 25 August 2024 · Black won (0-1) · 25 moves

Click a move to jump the video to it. Dotted moves are the opening line the video is about.

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.
  10. 10.
  11. 11.
  12. 12.
  13. 13.
  14. 14.
  15. 15.
  16. 16.
  17. 17.
  18. 18.
  19. 19.
  20. 20.
  21. 21.
  22. 22.
  23. 23.
  24. 24.
  25. 25.

Key moments

  1. 8...d6The first move after the opening line3:15
  2. 18.g5The evaluation moves from −0.15 to −2.81, and Black stays more than two pawns ahead from here3:58
  3. 22.b3The evaluation moves from −2.47 to −3.694:18
  4. 23...Qxa3The evaluation moves from −3.84 to −5.504:25
  5. 25...Bxb3Black wins after 25 moves4:35

Evaluation

Above the line, White is better; below it, Black. Scores are in pawns, capped at five either way.

About these games

After 7.Bc4 O-O 8.Bb3 White has developed the light-squared bishop to aim at f7, placed the other bishop on e3, and moved the c4 bishop to b3 so that it can no longer be hit by ...Nxe4 and ...d5 tricks. Black must choose a structure. The ...d5 break opens the centre at once, while ...d6 sets up a Dragon formation in which White usually plays f3, Qd2 and castles queenside.

Vachier-Lagrave–Gelfand went 8...d5 9.exd5 Na5, a pawn sacrifice that removed the b3 bishop with 10...Nxb3. Instead of holding the extra pawn, White pushed 12.d6, leaving a wedge that cramped Black after 12...e6. White exchanged the dark-squared bishops with 18.Bxg7 (+0.40). The game opened up on the queenside with 22.c4 bxc3, and from 23...Rxc3 White stayed more than two pawns ahead. 26.Nf5+ Qxf5 27.Rxd5 won material for White, and the passed c-pawn decided the game: 28.c4 (+3.71), 33.c5 (+5.35), then 33...Rd7 raised the score to +7.18. White won after 34.Qc4.

Nepomniachtchi–Caruana followed the main line 8...d6 9.f3, with White castling queenside on move 12. Black attacked on the c-file, starting with 13...Nc4 14.Bxc4 Rxc4. White pushed 15.g4 and 18.g5, and that move dropped the score from −0.15 to −2.81 because of 18...Nxe4 19.fxe4 Bxd4 20.Nxd4 Rxc3. 22.b3 (−3.69) and 23...Qxa3 (−5.50) opened White's king further, and Black won with 25...Bxb3. Game 1 was decided by a central pawn wedge. Here Black's piece sacrifices against the castled king decided it.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Introduction and the opening line
  2. 0:10Game 1: Vachier-Lagrave vs Gelfand, Palma de Mallorca Grand Prix 2017
  3. 2:48Game 2: Nepomniachtchi vs Caruana, Sinquefield Cup 2024

The opening line

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Bb3

See every video from this position →