There is no opening quite like the Sicilian Dragon. Mikhail Botvinnik, never one to play an opening he didn’t fully believe in, used it at the very highest level and Garry Kasparov surprised the world in general – and his title opponent Vishy Anand in particular – to score two wins and a draw with the Dragon in the 1995 World Chess Championship match. It was a pivotal point in the match.
The Dragon is steeped in history. Some elite players strive to build it up (Botvinnik and Kasparov, as already mentioned, for example) and others seek
to tear it down (Bobby Fischer and Anatoly Karpov spring instantly to mind). Yet it keeps bouncing back and gaining new fans and the literature on this
great opening continues to grow too.
The latest tome, Dragon Masters: Volume 1 by Andrew Burnett, is an essential addition to anyone’s collection, whether Dragon players or slayers. The blurb points to a new approach, saying the book ‘charts the history of the most exciting and dangerous opening known to chess – the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defense. Unlike almost all other books on the Dragon, the focus is not purely on theoretical development. Instead, the author has combined the most historically important games, the famous players who chose to fight either side (sometimes both sides!) of the opening, and the most
unexpected and interesting stories featuring the Dragon.’
The historical journey starts back in 1851 and volume one leaves the Dragon apparently stuck in the doldrums, with Anatoly Karpov’s crushing victory over
Viktor Korchnoi in game two of their famous 1974 Candidates match. The story will be continued in ‘at least one, if not two further volumes.’ This fascinating book deserves the highest recommendation and the good news is that is just the first volume.
Incidentally, Dragon fans with long memories and an appreciation of chess literature will be very interested to see that the book has been edited by David
Levy, one of the first specialists in the defense. It seems the Dragon is all set to live on, despite numerous attempts to put it to the sword.
Sean Marsh, Spring 2024, Forward Chess
