27 Oct 08
1 edit
It seems to me that after 10... Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. h4 h5!? the position is approximately equal, however, after 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. g4 white seems to have the advantage.
10... Rb8!? looks very interesting.
I'm going to go with 10... Rb8!?
Edit: Perhaps 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. g4 h5!?
27 Oct 08
Originally posted by moteutschPerhaps 12.Kb1 h5
[pgn]1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0[/pgn]
It seems to me that after 10... Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. h4 h5!? the position is approximately equal, however, after 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. g4 white seems to have the advantage.
10... Rb8!? looks very interesting.
I'm going to go with [b]10... Rb8!?
Edit: Perhaps 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. g4 h5!?[/b]
27 Oct 08
Originally posted by robbie carrobieWell done rc🙂
I think this is where we are missing Paul, so i will post some theory for consideration in his absence, basically there are lots of continuations here, i will post them all for your personal analysis but will only post theory on the most popular, or unless anyone wants specific theory on a particular line they can ask, the choices are 10...a6, 10...Q ...[text shortened]... 9...Bd7 with a tempo down for White. Black can choose between the usual 11...Ne5 and 11...Qa5.
10. ...Rc8
27 Oct 08
2 edits
Originally posted by moteutsch10...Rb8, some theory
[pgn]1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0[/pgn]
It seems to me that after 10... Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. h4 h5!? the position is approximately equal, however, after 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. g4 white seems to have the advantage.
10... Rb8!? looks very interesting.
I'm going to go with [b]10... Rb8!?
Edit: Perhaps 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. g4 h5!?[/b]
This interesting system started to gain popularity after a survey written by Luc Henris in New in Chess at the beginning of year 2002. In it the author called the whole variation starting with 10...Rb8 the Chinese Dragon. Black's idea is obvious - to support the advance of the b-pawn. Often after b7-b5 followed by Nc6-e5(a5)-c4, the b-file will open and the rook will be perfectly placed on b8. This main difference compared with B78 - 10...a6 (11.h4) is clearly in Black's favour. But there are drawbacks as well. In the Sicilian Dragon White usually has better control in the centre and the last move 10...Rb8 doesn't fight at all against White's supremacy in the centre (the difference in this respect can be seen if you compare the rook's activity with the main lines, where it often comes to c5 in order to control the central squares). Although the rook supports b7-b5, that advance is still sometimes connected with a pawn sacrifice. Finally, the pawn on a7 is left without protection, which can also play a role in certain lines.
In the diagram position White has several possibilities, but in fact only two of them can be considered main ones - 11.h4 and 11.Bb3. In order to avoid further confusion, it must be mentioned that the position after 11.Bb3 Na5 can also arise via the move order 10...Na5 11.Bb3 Rb8, which is briefly considered in some theoretical sources.
The following options should be considered: 11.Nxc6, 11.Kb1, 11.g4, 11.h4 and 11.Bb3.
Opening the b-file by taking on c6 11.Nxc6 bxc6 is hardly attractive for White. However, if White goes for it, then it probably should be linked to the risky 12.Bxa7, which is a logical follow-up of 11.Nxc6. After 11...Rb4 Black will have long lasting compensation for the pawn.
The prophylactic continuation Kc1-b1 is useful in almost any variation of Sicilian Defence, but here it is somewhat less attractive, especially because the rook is on b8. After 11.Kb1 Black seems to get enough play with 11...Nxd4 12.Bxd4 b5. Also possible is 11...b5, or first 11...Ne5 12.Be2 (for 12.Bb3 b5 see Martic,Z - Cebalo,M 0-1) 12...b5. In both cases White must take the pawn on b5 with one of the knights, when the position is reminiscent of 11.h4 b5 12.Ndxb5. Black gets typical compensation for the pawn after that. Only future practice can tell if such compensation is full enough.
The move 11.g4 is weaker than 11.h4 for several reasons. First of all it weakens pawn f3, which can be exploited by playing 11...b5 without sacrificing the pawn (if White takes the pawn with either of the knights, then 12...Ne5 followed by 13...Bxb5 and 14...Nxf3 gives Black the advantage). Besides, Black can also play 11...Nxd4 12.Bxd4 b5, or start first with 11...Ne5 and play 12...b5 after that. See Zesch,L - Knop,H 1-0.
11.h4
A direct attacking continuation. White will decide later where to retreat with the bishop from c4. It must be said that if White plays a future Bc4-b3, then transpositions to the line B78 - 10...Rb8 11.Bb3 are possible.
11...b5
The most principled answer. Other options:
11...Nxd4 12.Bxd4 b5 13.Bb3 a5
Here with the pawn on h4 White has a direct refutation of Black's idea - 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.h5!, see analysis in Friedel,J - Kiewra,K ½-½.
11...Ne5 12.Be2!? (12.Bb3 b5 transposes to 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.h4 b5, when Black avoided the strongest 12.f4, see B78 - 10...Rb8 11.Bb3). The retreat to e2 hasn't yet been met in practice. Now in order to justify his set-up, Black must sacrifice a pawn with 12...b5, which transposes to 11...b5.
After 11...b5
White has:
A. 12.Bb3 offers Black a reasonable choice: either to play 12...Na5 transposing to the variation with 11.Bb3 (see 12.h4 b5 in the text B78 - 10...Rb8 11.Bb3), or (maybe even better) to use the additional possibility and play 12...a5!?, which leads to lots of wild complications, see Gagunashvili,M - Nikolaidis,I ½-½. It must be mentioned that in order to retreat the bishop to b3 and at the same time avoid the variation from Gagunashvili-Nikolaidis, White would be better to start with 11.Bb3 right away, depriving Black of a choice.
B. 12.Nxc6 Bxc6 cannot be a problem for Black either. White tried 13.Bb3 (Carvalho,A - Romero Holmes,A 0-1) and 13.Be2, which is stronger (Borisek,J - Woodward,T ), but in both cases Black had sufficient counterplay.
C. 12.Ncxb5 Na5 and Black has compensation, Reeve,M - Mihelich,P 1-0.
D. 12.Ndxb5
This move has never been met in practice. Nevertheless it represents White's most challenging continuation here. See annotations to Reeve,M - Mihelich,P 1-0.
27 Oct 08
Originally posted by moteutschI'm with mottie... Rb8
[pgn]1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0[/pgn]
It seems to me that after 10... Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. h4 h5!? the position is approximately equal, however, after 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. g4 white seems to have the advantage.
10... Rb8!? looks very interesting.
I'm going to go with [b]10... Rb8!?
Edit: Perhaps 12. Kb1 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Rxc4 14. g4 h5!?[/b]
Tebb (and others) provides some nice Chinese Dragon games in this thread... Thread 88326
D
27 Oct 08
1 edit
Originally posted by robbie carrobiei see what you mean. Bad move.
theory with regard to 10...a6 as proposed by the illustrious and never dull eldragonfly
[fen]r1q2rk1/1p1bppbp/p1np1np1/8/2BNP3/2N1BP2/PPPQ2PP/2KR3R w - - 0 1[/fen]
A rare move for the Dragon. Although the idea to advance the b-pawn is often implemented in various lines of the Dragon, doing so by playing 10...a6 proved to be too slow. The point ...[text shortened]... is much more difficult to create counterplay on the queenside, see Hovanecz,L - Kulcsar,G 1-0.