Chess lessons › Chess openings
The Accelerated Dragon
Black plays ...g6 before ...d6, which keeps ...d5 in one move; White can answer with the Maróczy Bind.
The idea
Black plays ...g6 before ...d6; White may answer with the bind.
- The d-pawn is still on d7, so ...d5 would take one move.
- The pawn on c4 is the Maróczy Bind.
- Pawns on c4 and e4 both cover d5, so ...d5 is hard to play.
In a game: If White plays Nc3, f3 and Qd2 without c4, look for ...d5 in one move.
How the lesson begins
In the Accelerated Dragon, 2...Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6, Black gets ready to put the bishop on g7 before playing ...d6 or ...Nf6. The d-pawn is still on d7, so later it can go to d5 in one move.
- 2... Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6
Find the move
White to move. With no black knight on f6 yet, nothing hits the pawn on e4. Push a pawn that takes control of d5 together with e4.
A hint
Use the c-pawn.
Show the answer
5. c4
5.c4 is the Maróczy Bind, named after Géza Maróczy. The pawns on c4 and e4 both cover d5, and that makes ...d5 and ...b5, Black’s freeing pawn moves, hard to play.
In numbers
How often it is played
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | Too few games |
| 800 to 1199 | 0.2 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 1.3 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 3.1 |
| 2000 and up | 5.2 |
How the games ended
White won 49%, 5% were drawn and Black won 47%, over 4,211 games that start this way, in a sample of rated Lichess games from 2026.