White takes the center and signals direct play.

We answer with an active, asymmetrical fight.

We support ...Nf6 and keep e5 under control.

White opens the center, so we must exchange it right away.

We develop with tempo on e4.

The Dragon begins here, with the bishop on g7 as the key piece.

This move often prepares queenside castling and a direct attack.

We put the king in safety before launching our counterplay.

The knight completes development and prepares pressure on d4.

We stay flexible before choosing the right queenside plan. Above all, remember Black's basic structure.

White takes the center and signals direct play.

We answer with an active, asymmetrical fight.

We support ...Nf6 and keep e5 under control.

White opens the center, so we must exchange it right away.

We develop with tempo on e4.

The Dragon begins here, with the bishop on g7 as the key piece.

This move often prepares queenside castling and a direct attack.

We put the king in safety before launching our counterplay.

The knight completes development and prepares pressure on d4.

White chooses opposite-side castling, so our priority will be the queenside. Remember that this castling move immediately fixes Black's plan.

White takes the center and signals direct play.

We answer with an active, asymmetrical fight.

We support ...Nf6 and keep e5 under control.

White opens the center, so we must exchange it right away.

We develop with tempo on e4.

The Dragon begins here, with the bishop on g7 as the key piece.

The bishop comes out early, but the white king has not committed yet.

Both kings are safe, so the game will be less violent.

This move develops while putting pressure on e7 and d8.

We complete development without making concessions.

We recapture toward the center and keep an active structure. Here, Black's plan becomes more positional than tactical.

White takes the center and signals direct play.

We answer with an active, asymmetrical fight.

We support ...Nf6 and keep e5 under control.

White opens the center, so we must exchange it right away.

The queen comes out too early and becomes a natural target.

We gain a useful tempo without weakening anything.

White wants to avoid more theoretical setups.

We remove tactical ideas on c6 before developing freely.

The recapture centralizes our play and leaves us with no real problem. Here, the main thing is to play simply and win free tempos.

White takes the center and signals direct play.

We answer with an active, asymmetrical fight.

We support ...Nf6 and keep e5 under control.

White avoids the Open Sicilian and looks for simple development.

We change the tone and refuse to give the white bishop easy squares.

Black's development is clean and has no immediate target. Remember that here the main thing is to stay solid and simple.

White takes the center and signals direct play.

We answer with an active, asymmetrical fight.

We support ...Nf6 and keep e5 under control.

White wants to support d4 without entering the Open Sicilian right away.

We prevent White from getting too comfortable a center.

We block the d4 idea under good conditions. Remember that here the most important thing is to cut off White's plan before it starts.

White develops the attacking bishop before the queen.

We stay within our normal plan and keep all our flexibility.

Black's setup is ready and the queenside will remain our base for counterplay. Remember that White's move order does not change our structure.

White castles queenside without bringing the bishop to c4. This speeds up the wing battle. Remember that our answer will remain fast play on the c-file and the queenside.

White immediately shows the intention to attack our king. Remember that this move allows us very concrete counterplay on the other side.

White gains space, but also weakens many squares. Remember that the earlier their attack starts, the faster our counterplay must be.

White simplifies and hopes to reduce our activity.

We recapture toward the center and open the b-file for later. Remember that this Black structure remains very healthy and very playable.

White's development is logical, but it does not create a concrete threat yet.

We calmly complete development and keep very simple play.

The recapture strengthens our central presence. Here, the main thing is to understand that White's kingside castling greatly slows the attack.

The bishop comes out early to hinder our natural development.

We immediately ask the white bishop a useful question.

We gain time and keep very clean play. Remember that against Bg5, you should first chase the bishop before doing anything else.

White's queenside castling immediately makes the center more tense.

We take advantage of White's overload in the center. Remember that this tactical move often comes from the right development order.

The bishop comes out early to hinder our natural development.

We immediately ask the white bishop a useful question.

White retreats, but the g4 square becomes very useful for us.

We immediately attack the key piece in White's setup.

The exchange removes a strong white attacker and simplifies our defense. Remember this theme as soon as the bishop is no longer protected by f3.

White develops naturally, but the bishop can become a target.

We use the absence of f3 to attack e3 immediately.

The simplification favors us because it reduces White's attacking potential. Remember that ...Ng4 works especially when the bishop on e3 lacks support.

White's kingside castling removes a lot of venom from the direct attack.

We complete development without any particular urgency.

Our structure remains active and Black's center is not suffering. Remember that against this White choice, the game becomes more strategic.

White chooses a calm system and avoids the open center.

We return to a Dragon structure without taking risks.

We refuse any lasting discomfort on f6.

We gain space and push back the white bishop.

Our bishop becomes active and already pins the knight on f3. Remember that here you should play simply, but with energy.

White develops calmly and limits immediate exchanges.

White's plan often aims for e5.

We put pressure on b2 and force White to calculate right away. Remember that the black queen becomes active very quickly in this structure.

White develops calmly and limits immediate exchanges.

White supports e4, but delays activity.

We open the center while our king is already safe. Remember that this move is the right answer when White plays too slowly.

White develops calmly and limits immediate exchanges.

White castling relaunches the game on more direct ground.

We immediately attack the central piece in White's setup. Remember that this move is strong precisely because White has not played f3.

White threatens to occupy e5 with space.

We add a key defender to that square.

White removes this defender and looks for a favorable structure.

We recapture toward the center, which keeps active play.

We refuse to simplify too early.

Black's center remains flexible and healthy. Remember that against f4, control of e5 is the absolute priority.

White threatens to occupy e5 with space.

We add a key defender to that square.

White develops without forcing the e5 push yet.

We place the bishop on its best diagonal and keep very natural development. Remember that this version mainly requires discipline, not haste.

White wants to gain ground without waiting.

We stop h5 and fix squares that will serve our counterplay. Remember that this calm response slows White's attack a lot.

White's castling announces a very direct plan against our king.

We prepare the right counterplay order before the pawn pushes. Remember that good piece placement comes before the attack itself.

White gains space, but also weakens several dark squares.

We develop a useful piece while eyeing c4 and a2. Remember that this move prepares very dynamic Black play without forcing anything.

White wants to simplify before Black's attack takes shape.

Even so, we keep an active structure and several useful files. Remember that simplifying is not enough to neutralize the Dragon.

White chooses a more flexible move order, but the general idea remains the same.

We continue naturally without changing our structure.

Black's setup is complete and ready for play on the queenside. Remember that White's move order changes little when our base is correct.