The Accelerated Dragon, Maroczy Bind is a variation of the Sicilian, Dragon Variation, catalogued as ECO B36. The line runs 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4, reaching the position shown below after 9 half-moves.
White holds the centre with pawns on e4. Development is level at one minor pieces each. It is Black to move after five moves.
On the Sicilian, Dragon Variation generally: One of the sharpest openings in chess. Black fianchettoes the bishop to g7 creating a 'dragon' formation. The Yugoslav Attack leads to opposite-side castling and mutual attacks.
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See all 15 Sicilian, Dragon Variation variations →
The Accelerated Dragon, Maroczy Bind goes 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4. It is a variation of the Sicilian, Dragon Variation and is catalogued as ECO B36.
The Accelerated Dragon, Maroczy Bind is ECO B36. ECO codes group openings by their move order, so nearby codes cover closely related lines of the Sicilian, Dragon Variation.
Stockfish evaluates the position after 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 at +0.52 at depth 18, which is a slight pull for White, within normal opening margins. Engine evaluation is only a starting point — at club level the practical value of a line is mostly about whether you know its plans better than your opponent does.
White holds the centre with pawns on e4. Development is level at one minor pieces each. It is Black to move.