The Sicilian Dragon is among the most thrilling and well-liked openings in the entire realm of chess, an essential for every chess enthusiast. It boasts games filled with stunning combinations and thrilling onslaughts. This updated version showcases larger diagrams and addresses all vital principles of the Dragon, from the opening moves and latest developments, to the endgame tactics.

Readers will acquire knowledge of all essential strategic and tactical concepts. However, unlike most contemporary chess literature, this book avoids overwhelming readers with excessive theory, instead it focuses on presenting the crucial opening ideas. This approach helps readers to play the popular opening sequences with confidence, enthusiasm, and victorious outcomes.

People often say that one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but the moment I saw the artwork on the front of this well-proportioned volume, I knew it was going to be exceptional! I’m fond of Eddy and I appreciate his book. It’s likely that Dragon enthusiasts will collect every publication related to their preferred opening, but in my view, this will be a valuable enhancement to their collection.

The book features an appealing layout that makes it highly accessible and the preliminary pages are especially intriguing. Given the author’s abundant praises for me, it’s only right that I reciprocate, but the truth is, it’s evident that a significant amount of effort has been invested in the realization of this project, comprising extensive and fresh analysis.

Even though the encounter of h4 with …h5 takes the spotlight in the 9 Bc4 section, other Black strategies are also discussed, though it’s noteworthy that Dearing doesn’t touch upon the Bg5 system in his review of …Qa5, a method that IM Andrew Martin now proposes as the counteraction (see Feb 2005 grab-bag)! A possible critique might be that Eddy attempts to cover too much ground, resulting in a book that goes beyond a ‘repertoire’ but falls short of being ‘complete’.

It seems as though he’s supplying the reader with a Dragon routine while also offering crucial external variations that might be essential for its sustainability. The downside to this method is that some elements are bound to be overlooked. In the 9 0-0-0 Yugoslav Assault, for instance, post 9, the primary focus is understandably on the white h-pawn razz, which has been a prominent feature on this website, as well as the more subdued h-pawn and g-pawn collective assault.

While these may be the most significant differences, it’s surprising that there’s no reference to the positional strategy 12 Nd5. It’s a common occurrence for lines to evolve and advance post-publication of books, and as someone who has been criticized for excluding elements from my 1994 book ‘Winning With The Dragon’ that have only surfaced relatively recently, I can empathize with authors who are unfairly criticized in this way. However, even though Eddy couldn’t have possibly known about Kiril Georgiev’s preference for this move (outlined in the January 2005 update), it’s not like 12 Nd5 is a novel concept and it’s been employed by some highly skilled players in the past.

Just to set the record straight, Dearing, in his preface, characterizes this book as being ‘a tad more comprehensive than a standard repertoire book’. Besides, why shouldn’t he incorporate what he desires? Anything beyond a repertoire surely acts as an added advantage for the reader. My only other significant critique that I observed was the sporadic use of vague phrases such as ‘xyz has always been considered bad’ without providing additional details. However, since I can’t seem to find an instance of that now (plus considering the vast subject of the Dragon, boundaries have to be set somewhere), I think I’ll overlook that and simply extend my congratulations to Mr Dearing.

This is a thorough study of the dragon variation in the Sicilian defense. Every variant, from the Yugoslav to the anti-dragon systems, is meticulously dissected and explained. Additionally, guidance is given on how to stay current with the latest information through the use of the Internet.

This book is outstanding, and is certainly a valuable acquisition!