The Dragon Variation comes from 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. . Your bishop goes to g7 on the long diagonal and your king castles short behind it. When your opponent castles long and throws pawns at you, you strike back in the center with . Across 18,152 Lichess games rated 900–1700 (September 2026), you score 50%.
Lichess games from September 2026 (30,577,162 rated 900 to 1700) and 31,791 over-the-board games rated 2300+ from the last 12 months. Data updated: October 14, 2026.
19 named lines in this family; 1 with their own page.
The opening's share in each Lichess rating band.
After , opponents at your level split between bishop moves: 6. in 24 of every 100 games, 6. in 22 and 6. in 15. Among players rated 2200 and up, 6. rises to 59 in 100, and 6. doesn't make their top six. Against 6. you score 53 points per 100; against 6., 48. The gap opens on move 7: after 6. , strong players choose 7. 84 times in 100, while your opponents choose it 38 times. Another 23 in 100 of them go straight for 7..
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.2% | 52.4% | 59.2% | 89.2% | |
| 22.4% | 47.3% | no data | no data | |
| 15.4% | 45.2% | 8.1% | no data | |
| 9.6% | 45.0% | no data | no data | |
| 9.1% | 45.5% | no data | no data | |
| 5.2% | 49.7% | 9.0% | 10.8% | |
| no data | no data | 7.9% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 5.7% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 3.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95.7% | 52.3% | 87.0% | 68.2% | |
| 1.9% | 51.1% | 1.2% | 7.6% | |
| 1.3% | 46.8% | no data | no data | |
| 1.0% | 52.2% | 11.7% | 24.2% | |
| no data | no data | 0.1% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.9% | 55.4% | 84.3% | 100.0% | |
| 23.1% | 51.6% | 3.9% | no data | |
| 12.2% | 49.5% | 5.3% | no data | |
| 10.8% | 43.5% | no data | no data | |
| 10.1% | 52.9% | 5.4% | no data | |
| 4.4% | 47.1% | no data | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.4% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.2% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85.5% | 55.0% | 75.6% | 60.0% | |
| 12.3% | 53.2% | 18.1% | 40.0% | |
| 2.2% | 55.4% | 4.6% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 1.2% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.5% | no data |
| Move | Lichess 900–1700 | White's score | Online, 2200+ | Over the board, 2300+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85.3% | 55.6% | 88.6% | 100.0% | |
| 14.7% | 54.1% | 9.9% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.9% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.4% | no data | |
| no data | no data | 0.2% | no data |
Against strong opponents the game runs 6. 7. 8. 9. . The kings end up on opposite wings, so it's a race. Your opponent tucks the king on c1 and gets ready to push the g- and h-pawns at your castle. You open the center with before those pawns arrive. In over-the-board games between 2300-rated players, White castles long and you castle short in 52 of every 100 games; at your level, 34.
puts the bishop on the long diagonal from h8 to a1. As long as your knight sits on f6, the bishop sees no further than that square. Each time the knight jumps away, the bishop is aimed at d4 and whatever stands behind it.
7. heads off your counterplay before it starts. The pawn backs up e4 together with the c3 knight, and it takes g4 away from your knight. If your opponent plays 7. first, hits the e3 bishop, and no white piece can capture that knight.
tucks your king in behind the g7 bishop, which covers h6 and f8.
8. lines the queen up behind the bishop on the c1–h6 diagonal. The e3 bishop already eyes h6; with the queen backing it, it can go there and trade off your g7 bishop, the piece guarding your king. The move also clears the back rank for 9..
develops and attacks the d4 knight, which your opponent has to hold with the queen and the e3 bishop.
is the break everything before it was building toward. The pawn attacks e4, which the c3 knight and the f3 pawn defend, and it's backed by your f6 knight and your queen. If your opponent trades on d5 and you recapture with the knight, f6 is vacated and your g7 bishop now hits the d4 knight. The center opens right in front of a king that has just castled to c1, while the g- and h-pawns still haven't moved.
At your level, after 7. , 85 in 100 opponents continue 8.. That's where the mistakes below start: in every one, the right move was or, a move later, .
| Move | Strong games | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|
| 8,232 | 59.4% | |
| 4,871 | 86.7% | |
| 4,256 | 84.5% | |
| 4,068 | 75.5% | |
| 3,034 | 88.7% | |
| 2,717 | 96.2% | |
| 3,231 | 64.3% | |
| 1,959 | 64.8% |
After 8., spends a tempo on the e-file, closed by your e7 pawn, and takes the rook's guard off f7. With opposite-side castling that tempo matters: your opponent castles long, plays 10. and pushes 11.. It's an inaccuracy, but it shows at your level: 8 in 100 play it and score 33 points per 100; with , 48.
8 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1 pawn of advantage. It scores 33.3%; scores 47.6%.
With the enemy king already on c1, ignores the center and hands over the time for 10. 11.. After 12. , the g-file is half-open in front of your king. hits e4 before any of that happens. 26 in 100 play it and score 44 points per 100; with , 58.
26 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.5%; scores 57.5%.
After 8., covers b5 but develops nothing and puts no pressure on d4. Your opponent castles long with 9. and, after 10. , breaks with 11. against your h5 pawn. It's an inaccuracy that rarely gets punished at your level: 7 in 100 play it and score 43 points per 100; with , 48.
7 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.9 pawns of advantage. It scores 43.3%; scores 47.6%.
After 9., trading with brings the enemy bishop to d4 with 10.. From there it attacks your f6 knight and blocks the diagonal of your g7 bishop. opens the center with all your pieces still on. 16 in 100 choose it and score 45 points per 100; with , 58.
16 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.6 pawns of advantage. It scores 45.3%; scores 57.5%.
With the enemy king on c1, does nothing against the attack. After 10. 11., your opponent gives up the g-pawn: following 12. , the h-file is open and the h1 rook already hits your knight. It's a heavier mistake than . 7 in 100 play it; the data doesn't show how it scores at your level.
7 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 1.3 pawns of advantage.
After 8., develops the bishop ahead of the b8 knight and leaves d4 under no pressure. Your opponent pushes 9.; if you stop it with , then 10. 11. puts the rook on the half-open g-file, facing your g6 pawn and your king. 5 in 100 play it and score 41 points per 100; with , 48.
5 in 100 play it in this position. It gives away 0.7 pawns of advantage. It scores 41.0%; scores 47.6%.
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 9,057 | ||
| 6,083 | ||
| Not castled | 1,164 | |
| Not castled | 648 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 541 |
| Not castled | 516 |
| White | Black | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 53 | ||
| 34 | ||
| Not castled | 10 | |
| Not castled | 2 | |
| Not castled | 2 | |
| Not castled | Not castled | 1 |
1. 2. 3. 4. · 3,535 amateur games
Here comes before the knight reaches f6. You score 52 points per 100 with it.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · 3,498 amateur games · 52 over the board
From 6. 7. , the setup for 8. and long castling. You score 42 per 100.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · B70
1,790 amateur games · White's score: 51.1%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. · B35
1,059 amateur games · White's score: 49.8%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · B71
305 amateur games · White's score: 48.2%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. · B72
175 amateur games · White's score: 58.6%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. · B73
145 amateur games · White's score: 49.7%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. · B72
129 amateur games · White's score: 51.2%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · B70
91 amateur games · White's score: 54.4%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. · B74
29 amateur games · White's score: 48.3%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. · B74
26 amateur games · White's score: 51.9%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. · B71
13 amateur games · White's score: 38.5%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. · B74
1 amateur game · White's score: 0.0%
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. · B74
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. · B74
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. · B74
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. · B74
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. · B73
At 900–1700 you score 50 points per 100 with it, and across rating bands the result stays between 49 and 53. Among 2300-rated players over the board, the Dragon side scores 42, and after 6. every one of their opponents plays 7.. Once White castles long, answering with scores 58 points per 100 at your level.
Your bishop sits on g7 behind the f6 knight and your king castles short behind it. After 8., attacks the d4 knight. Once your opponent castles long, hits e4, and if the knight recaptures on d5, the g7 bishop sees d4. Your counterplay comes through the center, not by waiting.