By Karel van der Weide

When you get older, you start reflecting on your career. It is still difficult for me to understand why, in my younger days, I put openings like the Volga Gambit and the Accelerated Dragon in my repertoire. I can start quoting myself agian (in this way, it is easy money, you know): "When choosing an opening repertoire for Black, I believe you have to search for a line in which you have good drawing chances against a strong opponent and winning chances against a weaker opponent." In previous editions of "The Pain and Anguish series" I dealt with several problems in the Volga, and now it is the proper moment to deal with the Accelerated Dragon once and for all! I realize that in writing this article I might get into an argument with our maecenas of chess, the chief-editor and founder of this magnificent website, Jeremy Silman himself!

Why? Because due to his WINNING WITH THE SICILIAN DEFENSE (1991) I adopted the Accelerated Dragon. Let me make one thing clear, it was NOT the book (which was excellent); it was the opening ... the "Acc" is easy to learn, no loads of theory, you never get mated in the opening stage, and it is based on solid positional principles. Still, the system is no good. As we learn from other, respected Sicilians, you have to be able to create some play in the center. And here is where the Acc fails. You are stuck with this enormous spatial problem. And this is not only the case in the Maroczy-bind; Black faces the same problem in systems with 5.Nc3.

Let's talk moves now!

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

The only attempt to play for an advantage, as 7.Be2 0-0 8.0-0 allows Black to equalize with 8...d5. Now Black has a wide range of choices:

A) 7...d6 8.f3

Here 8.h3 transposes to lines considered in B and C. This might be the most sensible.

8...Qb6!? 9.Nf5

It is not clear whether White has sufficient compensation after this pawn-sac.

9...Qxb2 10.Nxg7+ Kf8 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.Bxd5 Kxg7 13.0-0 Qc3 Tal and Fischer both won their games after 14.Re1 (14.Qc1 makes sense too), but this could have been for other reasons.

B) 7...Qa5

Forcing White to castle kingside.

8.0-0 0-0

8...Qb4?! 9.Bb3 Nxe4 10.Nxe4 Nxd4 11.Bxf7+ Kxf7 12.Ng5+ Kg8 13.c3 Qxb2 14.Bd4 looks huge for White.

9.Bb3 d6 10.h3 Bd7

10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Be6 12.Nd5 Bxd5 13.exd5 with a solid edge for White.

11.Re1!

I really can recommend this modest move to you. White increases his preasure along the central files. The alternative 11.f4 leads, in my opinion, to unclear play.

11...Rfe8!?

11...Rac8 looks normal. However, White keeps the advantage: 12.Qe2 a6 (Yes, I also fell for the trick once: 12...Nxe4 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.Bxe4 Bxe4 15.Bd2! and I lost a piece against the symphatic grandfather of chess, the Latvian GM Janis Klovans.) 13.Rad1 b5 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Rfe8 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Rd4 ±.

11...Rfe8!? is a very cunning defence. It was already advised by Jeremy in 1991. In the meantime, Viktor Bologan has done some research.

12.Qe2 Qh5!?

12...Rad8 13.Rad1 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Bc6 15.Qf3 b5 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.exd5 Rc8 18.Re3 is clearly better for White, Popovic-Renet, Dubai 1986. As Jeremy puts it: "Never allow this kind of position!"

After the exchange of Queens, Black should be okay, so counter measures have to be taken.

13.Qc4!

13.Nf3 Ne5 14.Nxe5 Qxe5 does not appear to give Black any problems.

13.Qf1 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Bc6 15.Rad1 Nd7 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.f4 Qc5+ 18.Kh2 was played by Bologan (against Borg in 2003), but to be honest I prefer his 13.Qc4.

13...g5!?

13...Ne5 14.Qf1 Nc6 15.Nde2 keeps all the material on the board and therefore leaves Black with his spatial problems. Maybe this was the reason the talented young Norwegian Grandmaster Kjetil Lie played this advance of the g-pawn against me. Immediately I set the board on fire with...

14.Nf5

Thinking my Fischer-Bishop on b3 would grant me winning play. It was, of course, not so easy. The simple 14.f3 would be my choice in the future. Just for the record, this is how your author was annihilated:

14...Bxf5 15.exf5 g4 16.Ne4 Ne5 17.Nxf6+ Bxf6 18.hxg4 Nxg4 19.Bf4 Rac8 20.Qe4 Bxb2

To my astonishment, the guy just took the pawn. I was convinced this game would not last very long.

21.Rad1 Bc3 22.Re2 Nf6 23.Qd3 Kh8 24.Re3 Ba5!

A very strong manouvre. Kjetil defends with an extra pawn in his pocket.

25.Rh3 Qg4 26.Be3 Rg8 27.Rg3 Qh5 28.Bd4 Rxg3 29.fxg3 Bc3 30.Qf3 Bxd4+ 31.Rxd4 Qxf3, etc. The game didn't last long indeed!

C) 7...0-0 8.Bb3 and now C.1. 8...a5 and C.2. 8...d6.

There are also two minor alternatives, neither deserve too much space: 8...Na5? loses on the spot to 9.e5! Ne8 10.Bxf7+ Kxf7 11.Ne6 Kxe6 12.Qd5+ Kf5 13.g4+ Kxg4 14.Rg1+ Kh5 15.Qg2, +-.

8...Ng4 makes more sense, but the White advantage is established after 9.Qxg4 Nxd4 10.Qd1 Nxb3 11.axb3 b6 12.Bd4.

C.1.) 8...a5

Black wants to sac the a-pawn and get the e4-pawn in return.

9.0-0 a4

9...d6 is strongly met by 10.Ndb5! which grants White a strong grip on the position. Just to give you an example how smoothly things can go, here's a game of mine from a small tournament in Germany: 10...Ng4 11.Bg5 Bd7 12.a4 Nb4 13.Qe2 Rc8 14.Rad1 (I could have taken on d6 here: 14.Nxd6 h6 15.Bh4 g5 16.Nxc8 gxh4 17.Na7 etc. Laziness!) 14...Nf6 15.h3 Re8

It is horrible to see how the Black Queen is stuck in the middle. Central strategy concludes matters. 16.Be3 Na6 17.f4 Nc5 18.e5 Nh5 19.Qf2 Bxb5 20.Nxb5 Ne4 21.Qf3 Neg3 22.Rfe1 Bh6 23.exd6 Qd7 24.dxe7 Qxe7 25.Nd6 Rf8 26.Nxc8 Rxc8 27.Bf2 Qh4 28.Qg4, 1-0, Van der Weide-Röhmhild, Bad Wörishofen 2007.

10.Nxa4 Nxe4 11.Nb5 d5

The only serious attempt, as 11...d6 gives White a free ride: 12.Qe2 Nf6 13.c4 Ra6 14.h3 Be6 15.Rad1 etc.

After 11...d5 Bologan (again!) showed how White should handle this position:

12.Bb6! Qd7 13.f3!

The tempting 13.Nc7 results in unclear play after 13...Rxa4! 14.Bxa4 Bxb2 15.Qxd5 Bxa1 16.Rxa1 Nc3 17.Qxd7 Bxd7 18.Bb3 Bf5.

13...Nb4

13...Nd6 14.Nc5 Qf5 15.Nc7 Rb8 16.Nxd5 +-

14.Qe2 Nd6 15.Nxd6 exd6 16.c3 was Bologan-Bouchet, France 2007. 16. a3 was interesting too, but White's structural superiority is obvious anyway.

C.2.) 8...d6 9.h3

Here it looks like White can transpose into a Dragon with 9.f3, but I would strongly advise you to play the subtle 9.h3. Because the White bishop is already on b3, Black can't kick it with ...Rc8 or ...Ne5, but Black has an extra option based on the advance of his queenside pawns: 9.f3 Bd7!? 10.Qd2 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 b5 leads to unbalanced play. Theory recommends 12.h4 a5 13.a4 bxa4 14.Nxa4 but White will have a rough time in the future. His King surely stays in the middle of the board, so 9.h3 with a solid plus is clear the way to go.

9...Bd7

Black can also aim for development of this bishop to b7, as the German mathematician Huhndorf did against me: 9...a6 10.0-0 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 b5 12.Re1 Bb7 13.Qd2 Rc8 (Grabbing e4 gives White a lot of play: 13...e5 14.Be3 Bxe4 (14...Nxe4 15.Nxe4 Bxe4 16.Bg5) and White has a pleasant choice between 15.Rad1, 15.Bg5 and 15.Nxe4.) 14.Rad1 Nd7 (14...e5 15.Ba7 Ra8 16.Qe3 Bxe4 17.Nxe4 Nxe4 18.Bd5, +-) 15.a4 Bxd4 16.Qxd4 with a very comfortable position for White.

10.0-0 and now all of Black's options result in a very pleasant position for White:

* 10...Rc8 11.Re1 Ne5 12.f4 Nc4 13.Bxc4 Rxc4 14.Qd3.

* 10...a6 11.Re1 b5 12.Nd5 Rc8 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.Bb6 Qd7 15.Bd4.

* 10...a5 11.a4 Nb4 12.Qd2 Rc8 13.Rad1.

* 10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 (11...b5 12.Re1 e5 13.Be3 b4 14.Nd5 Nxe4 15.Nxb4) 12.Qd3 Qa5 (12...Nd7 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Rad1) 13.Rfe1 Nd7 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Rad1.

Conclusion: In the Acc with 5.Nc3, I don't see one line where Black is even close to equality.