Chinese Dragon - Dragon Variation (Sicilian)

Chinese Dragon

Definition

The Chinese Dragon is a sharp sub-variation of the Sicilian Defence, Dragon Variation. It arises after White adopts the Yugoslav Attack set-up (Be3–Qd2–0-0-0) and Black counters with an early ...Rb8 followed by a rapid ...b5 pawn thrust instead of the more traditional Dragon moves (...Bd7, ...Rc8 or ...d5). Its name stems from the fact that it was first popularised by Chinese grandmasters in the mid-1990s.

Typical Move Order

The most common sequence is:

1. e4  c5
2. Nf3  d6
3. d4  cxd4
4. Nxd4  Nf6
5. Nc3  g6
6. Be3  Bg7
7. f3  Nc6
8. Qd2  O-O
9. O-O-O  Rb8!?  (The hallmark of the Chinese Dragon)

Black’s idea is to clear the a8-rook off the long diagonal, reinforce b7, and strike with ...b5–b4 before White’s kingside attack lands.

Strategic Ideas for Both Sides

• Black
  • Rapid queenside pawn storm with ...b5, ...b4, and sometimes ...Na5–c4 to harass the Be3.
  • Keeping the dark-squared bishop on g7 trained at the enemy king while avoiding thematic sacrifices on c6 (because the rook no longer sits on a8).
  • Only later does Black decide between ...Bd7, ...Be6 or the central break ...d5, depending on White’s set-up.
• White
  • Standard Yugoslav Attack themes: h4–h5, Bh6 exchanging the key dragon bishop, and g4–g5 to open lines against Black’s king.
  • Exploiting the temporary neglect of the centre; moves such as Nxc6 followed by e5 can be annoying if Black is careless.
  • Piece sacrifices on b5 or e6 become sharper because the ...Rb8 line often leaves the back-rank rooks uncoordinated.

Historical and Practical Significance

The variation was first showcased in international play by GMs Ye Jiangchuan, Peng Xiaomin and Xie Jun, whose successes against Western grandmasters in the 1990s drew attention to the line. Western analysts dubbed it the “Chinese” Dragon, and it soon entered mainstream opening manuals. Today it appears sporadically at the top level as a surprise weapon—its razor-sharp nature means that even a small novelty can decide the game quickly.

Illustrative Game

A short yet instructive encounter is the rapid game Bu Xiangzhi – Vassily Ivanchuk, Lausanne 2008:

[[Pgn| 1.e4|c5|2.Nf3|d6|3.d4|cxd4|4.Nxd4|Nf6|5.Nc3|g6|6.Be3|Bg7|7.f3|Nc6|8.Qd2|O-O|9.O-O-O|Rb8|10.h4|Nxd4|11.Bxd4|b5|12.h5|Be6|13.hxg6|fxg6|14.Nd5|Bxd5|15.exd5|Qc7|16.Kb1|a5|17.g4|Qb7|18.g5|Nxd5|19.Bxg7|Kxg7|20.Qd4+|Kg8|21.Bh3|Nf4|22.Qe3|b4|23.Be6+|Nxe6|24.Qxe6+|Kg7|25.Rxh7+|Kxh7|26.Rh1+|Kg7|27.Rh6|Qxf3|28.Qxg6#| arrows|g7g2 b5b4|squares|e6 h5]]

The game shows both the potential dynamism of Black’s queenside advance and how quickly White’s kingside pressure can crash through if Black mis-coordinates his pieces.

Interesting Facts & Anecdotes

• The 9…Rb8 move was originally annotated with a “?!” in early western databases; only after several convincing Chinese victories was it re-evaluated to “!?” and finally “!” in many lines.
• When GM Peng Xiaomin was asked why the rook move works, he quipped: “Because the rook was unhappy on a8 watching the fireworks from afar.”
• World Champion Magnus Carlsen tried the Chinese Dragon in blitz against Wei Yi in 2015, joking that he “wanted to speak the same language at the board.”
• The line sometimes transposes to a Dragodorf (Dragon + Najdorf) if Black follows up with …a6.