(1) Dragon trap [B76]



1.e4 c5
The Sicilian

2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6
The Dragon variation

6.Be3
With the idea of f3, Qd2, 0-0-0, and attacking the Black 0-0 king with h4-h5 and Be3-h6

6...Bg7
[6...Ng4?? 7.Bb5++- Bd7 (7...Nd7 8.Qxg4 ; 7...Nc6 8.Nxc6 bxc6 9.Bxc6++- ) 8.Qxg4 ]

7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0
Bc4 and g4 are playable, but in this varaition, white prefers first to safeguard the king and to respond to Nc6-e5-c4 with a single move Bf1xc4 (rather than three moves: Bc4-b3xc4)

9...Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Kb1!
Setting a trap into which black now falls with

11...Qa5?
Diagram [11...Qc7 Idea Rfc8 and only then Qa5]

12.Nd5!
The most powerful threat, of course, is Qxa5, but white also threatens Nxe7+ winning a pawn

12...Qxd2
Thanks to Kb1, this is NOT check, permitting white to play an intermezzo (an in-between move) [12...Qd8 13.Nxf6+ Bxf6 (13...exf6 14.Bc3+/- ) 14.Bxf6 exf6+/- ]

13.Nxe7+ Kh8 14.Rxd2 Rfe8
Trying to trap the Ne7

15.Bxf6!
[15.Nd5!? Nxd5 16.exd5 Bxd5 17.Bb5+/- ]

15...Bxf6 16.Nd5+-
And white emerges a clear pawn ahead and with a target on d6 1-0