"Slaying the Dragon"

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General-Lee

Ok, so it's pretty much accepted that with perfect play white wins in the dragon variation of the Sicilian Defense, but how realistic is "perfect play"? In this game though, even without perfect play, I managed to "pry open the h-file, sac-sac, mate!"(-part of Fischer's annotation to Fischer-Larsen, Portoroz 1958). Please read the annotation in full, and enjoy! =)

shuttlechess92

11.h4??   is not approximate equality. you missed something ;)

        11... Nxd4 12. Qxd4 Ng4! wins a piece because the queen cannot protect both e3 and c4

not 14.fxg4 but h5!

 

and right about now is where I remember who was the black pieces - me.  ok time to analyze black.

13....hxg4 might be a mistake, but there is a better continuation for me. look below:

so the real blunder was 17...Nxg5??

if I hadn't done that,... those knights would have crushed you =P

 

good game though lol.

bondiggity

19. Qxg6 looks like a knockout blow. 

 

Black could try to counter with 19...Nh3 but after 20. Nf5 Bxf5 21. Qxf5, white will pick up the knight, be up an entire rook as well as maintaining the h-file pressure. 

876543Z1

Well played General Lee, I might annotate 13 g4?! & 14 fg?, you had a plan and executed so good for you.

Given reasonable play the best move 13 ...hg is fine, though how many can play reasonably in 10min blitz, certainly not me.

& as shuttlechess92 states 14 h5 would be the preferred choice followed with I might add Nh5, 15 Bh6 e6, 16 Rdg1 to follow. 

Pitfalls of 14 fg, are the thematic Rc3 Ne4 etc etc as illustrated by one example line shown within post 3. 

>:)

General-Lee

Haha SC i was trying not to name you =) but i figured that you'd recognize the game. i think the blitz part helped me a bit lol =)

pvmike

13.g4 was a mistake, black would have been better after 14...Bxg4

Black also missed 17...Nf2 it doesn't matter which knight

Somebody already siad this but 19.Qxg6!! is great

Bxd4 was blacks biggest mistake, but overall good game it's tough to see all those tactics in blitz

tiocru

"Whites attack almost plays itself"

~ Bobby fischer

And such is the reason I believe dragon players to be completely insane.

General-Lee

Tiocru, you are prob. right about that, but you must remember also "Black now just needs one move to get his attack going, but 'for want of a nail the battle was lost'" meaning that black's counter-play is not to be triffled with.