What is accelerated dragon?

The Accelerated Dragon is a popular variation of the Sicilian Defense in chess. It is characterized by the moves 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6. This setup allows Black to quickly develop their pieces and create a solid pawn structure.

One of the main ideas behind the Accelerated Dragon is to fianchetto the dark-squared bishop on g7 and control the center with the pawns on d6 and e6. This setup gives Black good attacking chances on the kingside and the possibility to counter White's central pawn structure.

The Accelerated Dragon has been played by many top grandmasters, including Hikaru Nakamura, Levon Aronian, and Veselin Topalov. It is considered to be a sharp and dynamic opening choice for Black, offering chances for both sides to play for a win.

One of the main drawbacks of the Accelerated Dragon is that it can lead to pawn weaknesses in Black's position, particularly on the queenside. White can often target these weaknesses and launch a strong attack against Black's king.

Overall, the Accelerated Dragon is a solid and flexible opening choice for Black that can lead to interesting and dynamic positions on the board.