- The moves1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6
- OpeningSicilian Defense
- Chosen byBlack
- ECOB70–B79
- Also calledthe Dragon
The Dragon Variation comes after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6. Black fianchettoes the bishop to g7, where it aims through the center at White's queenside. The bishop is Black's pride, but the pawn on g6 also gives White something to attack, and since …e6 hasn't been played, the d5 square is weak.
The modern form of the variation came from the German master Louis Paulsen around 1880, and by around 1900 it had been accepted, played by Harry Nelson Pillsbury among others. The name has a story of its own. The Russian master Fyodor Dus-Chotimirsky, who was also an amateur astronomer, wrote in an autobiographical book in 1953 that he had named the variation in 1901: Black's pawns on d6, e7, f7, g6 and h7 reminded him of the constellation Draco, the Dragon.
The variation was played in the 1974 Candidates final between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi, and Garry Kasparov used it successfully as a surprise weapon against Viswanathan Anand in their 1995 world championship match. Toward the end of the 1990s it became rarer, when White revived the old line 9.O-O-O, but it is still seen at grandmaster level. Veselin Topalov is among its well-known exponents.
The main line, move by move
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bd4 e5 13. Bc5 Be6 14. Ne4 Re8
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The plans
White wants to
- Trade off the Dragon bishop with Be3, Qd2 and Bh6.
- Open the h-file with h4–h5, with a sacrifice if needed, and mate down it.
- With Bc4: stop …d5 and aim at f7 along the a2–g8 diagonal.
Black wants to
- Attack on the queenside with the half-open c-file, …Rc8, …Ne5–c4 and …b5.
- Sacrifice the exchange on c3 to smash the pawns in front of White's king.
- Break with …d5 when White allows it, so that the bishop on g7 gets an open road.
The pawn structure
Black's pawns on d6, e7, f7, g6 and h7 are the dragon itself, the shape that gave the variation its name. The pawn on g6 is a hook for White's h-pawn: when White pushes h4–h5 and trades on g6, the h-file opens toward Black's king.
White has one pawn in the center, on e4. Black has two, on d6 and e7, and the half-open c-file. The d5 square is Black's weak point as long as the e-pawn stays on e7, which is why the …d5 break matters so much.
Important lines
9.Bc4 and the Soltis Variation
With 9.Bc4 White stops …d5 and plays on the wings instead. For a long time this was the main line. After 9…Bd7 10.O-O-O Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.h4 Black slows down White's pawn storm with 12…h5, the Soltis Variation, named after Andrew Soltis. It was the main line of the Dragon until the late 1990s. In the 1995 world championship match Kasparov met Anand's h4 with …h5 in three games, winning two and drawing one. Since then White has often played 12.Kb1 instead of 12.h4.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. O-O-O Rc8 11. Bb3 Ne5 12. h4 h5
9. Bc4
The bishop stops …d5 and aims at f7 and Black's king.
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6.Be2: the Classical Variation
The oldest answer to the Dragon. White castles kingside and plays positionally, and the knight often goes to b3 so that it can't be traded on d4. The games are calmer than in the Yugoslav Attack, because the kings stand on the same wing.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. Be3 Nc6 8. O-O O-O 9. Nb3
6. Be2
White develops quietly and prepares kingside castling.
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The trap: 6…Ng4
After 6.Be3, 6…Ng4 looks natural, since the knight chases the bishop. But right now 7.Bb5+ punishes it. If Black blocks with 7…Bd7, the bishop is pinned to the king, and White takes the knight with 8.Qxg4. With 7…Nc6 instead comes 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Bxc6+, and the bishop forks king and rook. That is why Black first plays 6…Bg7, and White answers 7.f3 to stop …Ng4 for good.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bb5+ Bd7 8. Qxg4
How it goes in real games
How the games ended once they had reached the positions, in blitz, rapid and classical games. White wins, draws and Black wins, as a percentage of the games. A position counts however the game got there.
| Position | Level | Games | White wins | Draw | Black wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Variation 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 | Club players | 6,121,612 | 46% | 5% | 49% |
| Strong players | 2,872,913 | 46% | 6% | 48% | |
| Dragon Variation, main line 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O d5 | Club players | 421,897 | 44% | 7% | 49% |
| Strong players | 305,701 | 45% | 7% | 48% | |
| 9.Bc4 and the Soltis Variation 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. O-O-O Rc8 | Club players | 243,341 | 46% | 5% | 48% |
| Strong players | 162,393 | 45% | 5% | 49% | |
| 6.Be2: the Classical Variation 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. Be3 Nc6 8. O-O O-O | Club players | 484,356 | 46% | 7% | 48% |
| Strong players | 228,287 | 45% | 8% | 47% | |
| The trap: 6…Ng4 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 | Club players | 2,460,239 | 47% | 5% | 47% |
| Strong players | 1,368,224 | 47% | 6% | 47% |
The most common moves after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6
Share of the games in the position, for club players and strong players. A dash means the move isn't among the most common in that group.
| Move | Club players | Strong players |
|---|---|---|
| 6.Be3 | 40% (2,454,739) | 48% (1,366,939) |
| 6.Bc4 | 13% (814,619) | 12% (337,350) |
| 6.Bg5 | 11% (670,836) | 6% (185,506) |
| 6.Be2 | 9% (569,179) | 10% (299,765) |
| 6.f3 | 9% (551,317) | 9% (269,165) |
| 6.Bd3 | 5% (284,141) | 3% (72,674) |
| 6.f4 | 4% (267,680) | 5% (155,276) |
| 6.Bb5+ | 3% (177,423) | 1% (36,141) |
| 6.g3 | 2% (96,816) | 2% (65,018) |
| 6.h3 | 1% (75,031) | 1% (33,354) |
Source: games on Lichess, fetched November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, strong players games where they average 2000 or more. Positions that aren't in our numbers aren't shown.
Explore the position on the analysis board: the moves club players choose from here, how the games tend to end, and what Lavi thinks of each move.
The main line with all the comments as text
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 The Dragon Variation. The bishop is heading for g7. 6. Be3 The Yugoslav Attack begins. White wants f3, Qd2, castling queenside, and to trade off the Dragon bishop with Bh6. 6… Bg7 7. f3 The pawn stops …Ng4, which would otherwise chase the bishop on e3, and supports e4. 7… O-O 8. Qd2 Queen and bishop point at h6. 8… Nc6 Black develops and puts pressure on the knight on d4. 9. O-O-O The old line, which came back in the late 1990s and is the most common move today. White allows …d5. 9… d5 Black strikes at the center at once. It is the most common reply. 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 Black has a half-open b-file toward White's king, and the pawn has moved closer to the center. 12. Bd4 White passes up winning a pawn with 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.Qxd5, which gives Black good counterplay, and instead puts the bishop opposite the Dragon bishop on the long diagonal. 12… e5 Black chases the bishop and takes space in the center. 13. Bc5 The bishop finds a new square and attacks the rook on f8. 13… Be6 Black leaves the rook where it is. If White takes the exchange with 14.Bxf8, Black gets more than enough for it: strong bishops and control of the dark squares. 14. Ne4 The knight goes to a good central square and protects the bishop on c5. 14… Re8 The rook steps aside. A long positional fight lies ahead: White has the healthier pawn structure, Black has active pieces and a strong knight on d5.
Read more
Sicilian Defense
1…c5 breaks the symmetry at once. Combative, sharp and loved by Fischer and Kasparov.
Najdorf Variation
5…a6: a small move and an enormous body of theory. Fischer's and Kasparov's weapon.
Sveshnikov Variation
5…e5: a hole on d5 in exchange for time and active pieces.
Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess.
Updated November 14, 2026
5… g6
The Dragon Variation. The bishop is heading for g7.