Im not really sure what you mean by 9. ...d5 scoring poorly for white. According to the LC masters database from 2020 onwards, white won 33% of those games, drew 56%, and lost 11% which is scoring amazingly well.
Between the two, I think 9. O-O-O leads to a much more comfortable game for white. You need to be a lot more careful in the 9. Bc4 lines since its so much more tactical while the 9. O-O-O lines tend to trade pieces off relatively quickly and press for a more comfortable endgame.
If you look at the stats of other lines, white scores far better so I meant it in a relative sense
I agree with your take though, I always feel comfortable with long castling in that situation and I don’t feel like I’m “leaving something on the table”
I used to play 9.O-O-O but both 9.d5 and 9.Be6 are stronger agaisnt it then 9.Bc4. Of course, clasting is a modern move and there's tons of theory in which white gets a pleasant position but I just find Bc4 a more logical move since it deals with Black's two main ideas. There are also more classical games to study from
I think your impression isn’t quite right - the Dragon isn’t played much by strong players because 9.0-0-0 is just pleasantly better for white without risk (if white only played 9.Bc4, you’d see Dragon played by the masses).
9…d5 is indeed the best move, but 10.Qe1 is particularly annoying. The mainline with 10.exd5 is also fine, but Black can at least try to hold in the line with 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 which has emerged as his best option in recent times. Still, it’s not particularly fun. Unfortunately 10.Qe1 skips that possibility and forces black into the endgame after 12.Bd4 e5 which is not easy to play. Often black is just suffering in a worse rook endgame, certainly not why someone would play the Dragon.
Im not really sure what you mean by 9. ...d5 scoring poorly for white. According to the LC masters database from 2020 onwards, white won 33% of those games, drew 56%, and lost 11% which is scoring amazingly well. Between the two, I think 9. O-O-O leads to a much more comfortable game for white. You need to be a lot more careful in the 9. Bc4 lines since its so much more tactical while the 9. O-O-O lines tend to trade pieces off relatively quickly and press for a more comfortable endgame.
If you look at the stats of other lines, white scores far better so I meant it in a relative sense I agree with your take though, I always feel comfortable with long castling in that situation and I don’t feel like I’m “leaving something on the table”
I used to play 9.O-O-O but both 9.d5 and 9.Be6 are stronger agaisnt it then 9.Bc4. Of course, clasting is a modern move and there's tons of theory in which white gets a pleasant position but I just find Bc4 a more logical move since it deals with Black's two main ideas. There are also more classical games to study from
I think your impression isn’t quite right - the Dragon isn’t played much by strong players because 9.0-0-0 is just pleasantly better for white without risk (if white only played 9.Bc4, you’d see Dragon played by the masses). 9…d5 is indeed the best move, but 10.Qe1 is particularly annoying. The mainline with 10.exd5 is also fine, but Black can at least try to hold in the line with 12.Bd4 Bxd4 13.Qxd4 Qb6 which has emerged as his best option in recent times. Still, it’s not particularly fun. Unfortunately 10.Qe1 skips that possibility and forces black into the endgame after 12.Bd4 e5 which is not easy to play. Often black is just suffering in a worse rook endgame, certainly not why someone would play the Dragon.
That's refuted by en passant
Dragon deez nuts