When1975 dawned, the Sicilian Dragon, the most ferocious and exciting of openingsthe chess world had ever known, was on its knees begging for mercy.AnatolyKarpov had just slain Viktor Korchnoi and Fischer’s contemptuous approach –“open the h-file, sac, sac, mate!” – seemed to have spelled the Dragon’s end.But already in the background there were acolytes attempting to repair thedamage, to replace the beast’s scales and recharge its fiery breath.DragonMasters2 coversthe tempestuous two decades that followed, pitting the world’s deadliestattackers against each other: tactical brutes such as Planinc and Velimirovic,Miles and Mestel, Short and Tiviakov – all choosing sides in the greatestopening debate of all.Wouldthe sword-and-spear DragonSlayer followers of Karpov and Fischer prevail onceagain? Or would the reinvigorated DragonMasters prove that myth and legendcould survive in a modern setting? The final answer would arrive at the verytop of the world...
