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On move 20 ...a5! and black must be better. As played white has 23,Nxd5 cxd5 24.Qc6 with distinct pressure.
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On Chow -- Dixon, Hans comments in above post. Hans, I think you are right on this one. I knew I was playing with fire on the continuation I chose; it is very double-edged!Comment
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I do have to tell you Frank that I really like the tactical opportunities that this opening leads to. It's dynamic (the positions are alive, not structurally restrictive). When you presented the game to the magazine in 2004 I played the following game: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3,Nc3 Nc6 4.e3 d5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bd3 a6 7.Nge2 Bd6 8.0-0 Bxh2+ 9.Kxh2 Ng4+ 10.Kg3 h5 11.Nf4 Qe7!??! 12.Ncxd5 h4+ 13.Kf3 Nxd4+ 14.exd4 Nh2 checkmate. It isnt much of a game and was won on my opponents tactical error. (the game is mainly about psychology and my opponent relaxing because he thought he was out of book) White was Alex Friedman and his rating at the time was around 2100 (2004). More importantly it helped me win the tournament. I have had great success with the Black Knights Tango the few times I have played it and you deserve the credit.Comment
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Well, Hans, all I can say is: thanks so much for the kind words!
It makes sense that you would do well with this line, since you have long had a fondness for, and skill with, openings off the beaten path.
But I don't think I deserve all the credit; you do have significant talent, experience, and imagination!!
The sharp example you provided above is in a line which I have never looked at, so it just goes to show the unexplored possibilities!
I do have some more interesting games coming up for posting here in this variation, including some which I have lost. One of those losses, to a National Master, was vital in finding the best way in a troublesome variation, because of my opponent's amazing suggestion later, of the best move! Another loss was to a GM in a simul (in what I am calling a 'Cousin' variation, with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3, with Black still continuing with 3...Nc6). Still another came in a G/15' to a National Master, but I only have the first part of that game. I think I will still post what I have there, since the line is interesting.
Overall, I have done better with the line than I otherwise would have, I think, and have had a lot of fun along the way!!Comment
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Frank, thanks also for the kind words. That is the main thing having fun along the way and also the big thrill of discovering an original opening system that keeps evolving with new ideas. May you keep finding new ideas!Comment
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Coming up soon from my side are games in the following Tango lines:
a) 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e4 d5 5.Bg5 Bb4 6.e5 h6 7.Bh4 (we have seen a game with 7.exf6);
b) 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e4 d5 5.e5 Ne4 6.Nxe4 dxe4 7.Ne2 Bb4+;
c) 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e4 d5 5.Bg5 dxe4 (we have seen games with 5...Bb4 and 5...dxc4).
And others!Comment
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My next offering covers a) in the above post.
Jean-Francois Wen (2170) -- Frank Dixon (2000)
Kingston 1991, played August 11
Kingston Summer Active 'A' 1991 , round 3 of 3
Time controls: G/30'
TD: Frank Dixon, Org: Kingston and Queen's University Chess Clubs
Black Knights' Tango, E20
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e4 d5 5.Bg5 Bb4 6.e5 h6 7.Bh4
[I have encountered this line a couple more times since this game, and believe it is not particularly good for White. Comparison is possible to a kin line in the French MacCutcheon (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Bh4 g5 7.Bg3), which is judged as inferior for White; and also to another kin line in the hybrid Nimzo / Queen's Indian (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 g5 7.Bg3). There are more 'kin' lines as well, in the Semi-Slav and Queen's Gambit. This Tango line with 7.Bh4 has NO examples at 365chess.com, even now, 30+ years after this game.]
7...g5 8.Bg3 Ne4 9.Nge2 f5 (8,3)
[The event was a two-section quad format, all in one day, and the top group was strong: GMC/FM Dr. Martin Kreuzer (2370), Paul Williams (2150), J-F, and myself. Martin drew all of his games; he was to return to Germany within a few weeks, after two years' post-doctoral math fellowship at Queen's. Paul won the event with +1, and was nearing completion of his undergrad math degree. J-F (-1) was nearing completion of his economics doctorate. I won one, drew one, and lost one. While there were many draws, they were certainly not peaceable ones! Veteran Dave Gordon, many times Kingston champion, won the 'B' group.]
10.f3 Nxg3 11.Nxg3 dxc4 12.a3 Ba5
[I elected to preserve the bishop, and in other Tango lines have exchanged on c3, and retreated to e7, when faced with this question from the a-pawn. It works out well for me here, as this piece will have a central role in the endgame.]
13.Bxc4 Qxd4
[One central facet of the Tango is that the N/c6 is active early and hitting this pawn, which can sometimes be snapped, as here.]
14.Qxd4 Nxd4 15.O-O-O c5 (13,6)
[I liked Black's position here, which I had reached in prior analysis.]
16.Nh5!?
[This was new to me! We now head into some strange waters.]
16...Kf7 17.Nb5!
[An effective way to remove the strong N/d4, or force it to retreat. White activates his bishop as well; he has a number of tricky possibilities, with a slight development advantage, although a pawn down.]
17...Nxb5 18.Bxb5 Bc7! 19.Rhe1 Kg6!? 20.g4 a6 (18,9) 21.Ba4 b5 22.Bb3 Ra7 23.Ng3 Rf8 24.gxf5 exf5 (21,14) 25.e6!?/?!
[Looks dangerous, with the passer advancing, but it turns out Black has adequate resources, having caught up in development. White lacks sufficient support for the passer. I think White needed to focus on how to hold the position, which was still possible. J-F looks to complicate, but Black's dormant pieces spring to life.]
25...Bf4+! 26.Kb1 Re7! 27.Nf1 c4! (24,16)
[Cuts off the B/b3 from the passer's defense. J-F had underestimated this sequence, he said later.]
28.Bc2 Rxe6
[Black has a clear advantage, with an extra pawn on each wing. He is faced with the challenge of finding a winning plan with limited time on the clock. White's clock is becoming a factor.]
29.h3 Rfe8! 30.Rxe6
[Although down material, White has little choice but to trade rooks here, since conceding the e-file would be even worse.]
30...Rxe6 31.Rd8 Bb7
[Black needs to watch White's active rook very carefully for traps.]
32.Bd1 Kf7 33.Rd7+ Re7 34.Rd8 a5! (27,22) 35.Kc2 b4 36.Rh8 Kg7 37.Rd8 b3+ 38.Kb1 g4!
[I elect to sacrifice a pawn to free the light-squared bishop. White's King is vulnerable on the back rank, and this decides.]
39.hxg4 fxg4 40.fxg4 Be4+ 41.Ka1 Bc2! 42.Rd4 Re1!, 0-1. (29,26)
[Within two years of this game, J-F, a friend to many in Canadian chess, was to have his life advance enormously. He completed his PhD in 1993, proposed to his longtime girlfriend who accepted with marriage soon to follow, and the newlyweds soon started a family. He then landed his first academic post-secondary teaching job, and, after years of near-misses, raised his rating over 2200! To help with that, he borrowed a few of my chessbooks!]Comment
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Here is a delightful miniature from one of my first efforts with the line in tournament play. I had lived in Calgary and worked for the previous six-plus years, and played perhaps 50 CFC-rated games during that period. Returning to Kingston, I decided to indulge myself more than that, so rejoined the Kingston Chess Club, and embarked on a year with quite a bit of chess activity, in Kingston and beyond. I returned to KCC 350 rating points higher than my previous membership period. I had not played the Tango in Calgary, but had analyzed it a lot.
Lyman Smith (1800) -- Frank Dixon (1780)
Kingston 1987, played January 11, 1987
Kingston Chess Club Winter Warm-up, rd. 3 of 6
Time controls: G/30'
TD: Dr. James Cairns, Org.: Kingston Chess Club
Black Knights' Tango, E20 (from Flohr -- Mikenas -- Kevitz Variation of English)
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 Nc6 4.d4 d5
[My opponent was a Professor of Engineering at the Royal Military College of Canada, located in Kingston. He was a highly experienced player, one of a cohort of somewhat similar KCC Class A players, all much older than myself (including Jim Cairns, Gerald de Lugt, Mario Adriano, and Dave Gordon), from whom I was to learn much in the years ahead. I had played him several times in 1980 when I had last been a KCC member, losing our first game in the 1980 Kingston Championship prelims, but winning in the K. Ch. B' final, when I won the tournament; and two other G/30' games from that era. I had had Black in all those games, and once again here. Dr. Smith liked to take 20 to 30 minutes in thought when starting the middlegame, so this short-game format was tough on him; he showed far better in a longer time control.]
5.e5 Ne4
[Learning from ECO volume A (1979) and Hugh Myers' 1984 book on the Nimzowitsch Defense to 1.e4, I had broadened my knowledge of this line, which I had first analyzed in high school in the 1970s. Section A18 from ECO is the key one. The Flohr-Mikenas English, with White's first three moves here, originated mainly as a Grunfeld Defense avoider. I had seen several issues of the Myers Opening Bulletin in high school; Hugh Myers, an American Master and openings maven, found many obscure games in the Nimzowitsch, and played it himself. The move order here, with the knight jump forward, is, I believe, named for Alexander Kevitz, USA, 1902-81, a pharmacist who was about IM strength at his peak in the 1930s and 1940s. Kevitz, part of an astonishing group of really strong Americans of that era, virtually all of whom lived in the New York City area, made a number of interesting opening contributions. For example, the Kevitz Gambit in the English: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d5 6.cxd5 Bc5, used to good effect by a young Garry Kasparov. Both he and GM Flohr played in the 1945 Radio Match, USA vs USSR, on ten boards, with two cycles, the most consequential team match of all time (USSR 15.5, USA 4.5)]
I studied and played, as well, related lines, such as Chigorin's Defense to the Queen's Gambit, the Guimard and MacCutcheon Frenches, and the Taimanov Nimzo-Indian; all of these have Black playing ...Nb8-c6 before ...c7-c5. This Tango line is somewhere in the middle of all of them. Incidentally the name Black Knights' Tango did not then exist, and was first fashioned by IM Orlov when he arrived in the USA several years after this game; he is likely the most successful practitioner, but prefers the move order 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6., which had been around since Mexican GM Carlos Torre played it in the 1920s.]
6.Nge2
[Not covered today at 365chess.com, which has 14 games covering other sixth moves. I hadn't analyzed it, and haven't seen it since. While avoiding doubled pawns, it seems a bit too passive for White.]
6...Bb4 7.Qd3
[This does not work out well. I think the Queen belongs on c2, saving d3 for the bishop, which is blocked by the N/e2. I have faced that formation quite a few times, in various settings in the line. White's idea here could work, if he were to keep the position closed (not pawn-exchanging on f6 (move 8) and d5 (move 11), as he does in the game), then quickly fianchetto his KB, with Kingside castling. I have faced that as well, in a slightly different situation.]
7...f5 8.exf6 Qxf6 9.Be3 O-O 10.f4
[Perhaps better is 10.f3, putting the question to the N/e4, which causes so much grief later on.]
10...Ba5
[Looks weird, but I keep the pin on the N/c3, and open the b4 square for a possible advance from the N/c6, hitting the Q/d3.]
11.cxd5 exd5 12.Rc1 Bf5! (11,4)
[Lyman said later that he realized he was in trouble after this move. Black's minor pieces are all active; White's Kingside is mostly sleeping and will remain so.]
13.Qb5!?
[Attacking two unguarded pawns. I was willing to let him take on b7, but not on d5. This move, over which he thought for ten minutes (a third of his game allotment) was accompanied by a draw offer. I declined; I knew I was better and wanted to see what would happen. We looked at 13.Qd1 afterwards, but Black has big development and space edges.]
13...Rfd8 (21,5) 14.a3 a6! 15.Qxb7?
[White needed to avoid temptation with 15.Qa4 b5 16.Qb3, where he is certainly worse, but Black has no immediate winning plan. Now he is lost, through a picturesque sequence.]
15...Rab8 16.Qxa6 Rb6 17.Qd3
[Back into the frying pan, as GM Andreas Adorjan put it in his great book 'Black is OK!', in a similar situation.]
17...Nxc3!
[This shocked him; he had been more worried about 17...Ng3, which is also very strong, but there the active knight wins the R/h1, which is doing nothing.]
18.Qd2 Nb1!!, 0-1. (28,11)
Black wins White's Queen for only a minor piece, after 19.b4 Nxd2 20.bxa5 Rb2 21.Bxd2. It's a problem-like finish, as the B/a5 pins the Q/d2, while guarded by the N/c6; and the N/b1 attacks the Q/d2, while guarded by the B/f5!]Comment
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Apologies, my bad!
Some people may have noticed that, according to the game score for L. Smith -- Dixon, above, Black could have played 15...Rdb8 and won White's Queen straightaway.
Actually, that could not have happened, since I had actually played 13...Rad8, instead of the supplied 13...Rfd8, in the game.
The corrected game score runs as follows:
Dr. Lyman Smith -- Frank Dixon
Kingston 1987
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 Nc6 4.d4 d5 5.e5 Ne4 6.Nge2 Bb4 7.Qd3 f5 8.exf6 Qxf6 9.Be3 O-O 10.f4 Ba5 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Rc1 Bf5 13.Qb5 Rad8 14.a3 a6 15.Qxb7 Rb8 16.Qxa6 Rb6 17.Qd3 Nxc3 18.Qd2 Nb1, 0-1.
Comment
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My next submission is dedicated to the spirit of GM David Bronstein, chess improvisor.
A book titled precisely that -- 'David Bronstein -- chess improvisor' was written by his very good friend Boris Vainshtein, who was apparently a member of the Soviet Secret Service, as well as a fairly strong player and great chess fan. The book is crazy great.
In this game, with my good friend Geoff McKay, we both played in the improvising spirit!
First, I will set the stage.
I have played more chess as an adult with Geoff than with anyone else, and have enjoyed it more than with anyone else. I learned along the way, and I think Geoff learned something from me, as well. He was the stronger player. I found, over time, that I could narrow the gap between us with a faster time control, and also, by using this variation; Geoff is a strict 1.e4 player in tournament play.
For this game, Geoff invited me to dinner; his wife Mary is an excellent chef, and before the fine meal with wine at their home, we all enjoyed jazz and classical music from their wide collection.
The game was to be in my variation of the Tango, by arrangement, and for preparation, to set the mood, Geoff insisted on an album of Tango music from Argentina!! Over dinner, Geoff said, 'Frank, I've got something for you tonight', meaning he had analyzed and prepared something new. Did he ever! That left me thinking all through the meal!
For this game, it was 'Geoff McKay and Frank Dixon, chess improvisors!'
Geoff McKay (2100) -- Frank Dixon (1980)
Kingston 2002, played March 3, 2002
Friendly challenge: Touch move, with a clock, not CFC rated
Black Knights' Tango, E20
Time controls: G/60'
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e4 d5 5.cxd5 exd5
[This could be called the 'Exchange Variation'.]
6.e5 Ne4 7.Nge2
[Recalled memories of Lyman Smith 0-1 Frank Dixon, Kingston 1987 (see above), where the pawn exchange on d5 came later. I had shown that game to Geoff, and as someone who grew up in Kingston, and as a product of Kalev Pugi's Kingston Junior Chess Club, he knew Lyman well.]
7...Be6?!
[Knowing that 7...Bb4 is stronger, I decided to vary, to try to avoid Geoff's surprise. Perhaps not such a good idea.]
8.f3! Nxc3 9.bxc3!? f6?! 10.Nf4! Bf5 11.g4!?
[Geoff likes this thrust in the Advance Caro-Kann, causing me to drop that line against him.]
11...fxe5!?
[I was well on my own here, having to improvise; Geoff said later he was also well away from what he had prepared.]
12.dxe5 Qh4+ 13.Ke2 Bxg4!? 14.fxg4 Qxh4+ 15.Ke1 Qxd1+ 16.Kxd1 Nxe5! (23,20)
[This move saves Black; he gets a third pawn for the piece. White cannot play 17.Nxd5?? due to 17...O-O-O!, winning the knight. Both players have dug well into their clock times!]
17.Rb1 O-O-O 18.Bg2 c6 19.Re1 Bd6 20.Ne6
[I had been expecting this since move 17, and we discussed it afterwards. Geoff didn't want to play it at 17 and exchange the B/f8; he thought to use the knight to probe weaknesses in Black's position (as he does), and also, exchanging it would mean he didn't have a knight, when I did. Geoff has developed efficiently, taking open lines, and he is making Black hurt already. I have to confess I was not very optimistic about my position and my chances here; Geoff was very strong in precisely this type of unbalanced position, as I had learned the hard way. But in my favor, with a piece for three pawns, without Queens in the middlegame, my pawn structure is very good, without clear weakness, and with only two pawn islands, and no isolated pawns. I had to fear a piece buildup by White, probably against my King, and knew I would have to defend for a good long period. If I could hold the fort, and arrange a couple of piece exchanges, then I could have chances in the endgame, especially since all White's pawns are isolated.]
END OF CHAPTER ONE!! TO BE CONTINUED!!Comment
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Frank, In your miniature against Dr. Smith 11.a3 is correct and gives you troubles. As played Bf5 is very strong and allowed you a magnificent finish. Another noteworthy miniature!Comment
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Thanks to Hans for his comment on L. Smith 0-1 F. Dixon. I think Hans is right, and that is why I played ...Ba5, anticipating White's a2-a3.
Now, continuing McKay -- Dixon, Kingston 2002:
I will re-enter the first part of this game. For notes to it, see two posts above.
Geoff McKay -- Frank Dixon
Kingston 2002, March 2, G/60'
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e4 d5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.e5 Ne4 7.Nge2 Be6 8.f3 Nxc3 9.bxc3 f6 10.Nf4 Bf5 11.g4 fxe5 12.dxe5 Qh4+ 13.Ke2 Bxg4 14.fxg4 Qxg4+ 15.Ke1 Qxd1+ 16.Kxd1 Nxe5 (23,20) 17.Rb1 O-O-O 18.Bg2 c6 19.Re1 Bd6 20.Ne6
PART 2 OF CONTINUED GAME:
20...Rd7 21.Bh3 Kb8 22.Nd4 Rc7 23.Bf4 Nc4! 24.Bxd6 Nxd6 (44,31)
[Geoff had thought for quite a while on his last eight moves, from 17 to 24, as per his habit, in the early middlegame, and he is usually very successful with this method. But we are in a G/60' format. Compared to a slower control, it is tougher to take a lot of time, and to know when to take it, unless one CAN FIND a winning sequence. It was here that I felt I had escaped the worst; had he been able to combine a bit more in a 'close-to-the-vest' manner, he might have caught me out, with his combination of two rooks on open files, two strong bishops, and the probing knight shuttling back and forth, attacking weaknesses. But I don't have any clear and easy targets! I tried to avoid unnecessary pawn moves. We looked at it for a while after the game, and did not find anything concrete that was better for White than what he had played. I was able to concentrate well and use his thinking time well, during this part of the game, for my own analysis. Thinking that one could be about to lose is often a wonderful concentrator of the mind! Trading this pair of bishops made me breathe a bit easier, and my knight is now on an excellent square, guarding important points such as b7, e8, e4, b5, c4, c8, f5, and f7.]
25.Ne6 Rf7! 26.Nc5 b6 27.a4 Ka8 28.Ne6 Ne4!
[Creating a threat of my own, with the possible fork on c3.]
29.Re3 Rb8
[I decided to use this rook, which hadn't had a role until now, to defend, after being unable to place it on an active square, due to the strong N/e6, and possible tactics.]
30.Kc2 h6 31.Rg1 g5 32.Nd4 Kb7 33.Bg2 Rf2+! 34.Kb3
[Certainly not 34.Kd3??, due to 34...Rd2#!]
34...Nc5+! 35.Ka3 Rc8 (53,37)
[I think Black had by now at least equalized, and may actually be a touch better. The clock is now starting to become a factor for White.]
36.Re7+ Kb8 37.Bh3 Rc7 38.Rxc7 Kxc7
[I declined White's draw offer here, and felt it was time to bring my King out into the game, with the exchanges, if given an opportunity. White had to keep both sets of rooks on, for any winning chances, to complicate the game.]
39.Re1
[White had to play 39.Rg2 to try to defend; if this, I intended to withdraw my rook to a safe square. I realized I had to keep the rooks on, for winning chances. Black's advantage now grows steadily, as he gains a fourth pawn for the piece, and has two connected Kingside passers. White continues to pursue aggressive lines, which forces me to be careful.]
39...Rxh2 40.Bf5 a5! 41.Re7+ Kd6! 42.Rh7 h5 43.Bg6 h4 (56,43)
[White is hoping to weaken my g-pawn, and win it later.]
44.Be8 Rh3 45.Nxc6 Rxc3+ 46.Kb2 Nxa4+ 47.Kb1 Re3
[I felt I had a winning advantage, but knew Geoff would not resign easily. With memories of an earlier game between us, where I had botched a winning ending, with two extra pawns in a rook and bishop vs. rook situation. Geoff's clever play won back the pawns, and then he set up the 'second-rank defense', on the weaker side, in rook and bishop vs. rook, to hold a miracle draw! Here, he has won one of my pawns, and increased my number of pawn islands to three, while I have now won all of his pawns.]
48.Rh6+ Kc5 49.Bd7 Nc3+ 50.Kc2 Ne4! (57,48)
[Defending g5. Geoff continues to play accurately while using almost no clock time; he is using my time to think! I am slowing down, my time is starting to dwindle as well. and he still has mating material. I will have to combine multiple threats in order to win, since I lack an overpowering single threat. See Shereshevsky's chapter: 'The Principle of Two Weaknesses', for excellent explanations and examples.]
51.Bg4 a4! 52.Ne5 a3 53.Nd3+ Kb5 54.Bd7+ Ka5 55.Nc1 b5
[The knight returns in time to control the a-pawn; Geoff decides to surrender the knight for the a-pawn.]
56.Be6 Rc3+ 57.Kb1 Nd2+ 58.Ka2 Rxc1 59.Kxa3 d4 60.Kb2 Rc6! (58,51) 61.Rg6 h3 62.Rxg5 Rxe6 63.Rh5 Re3
[I have now reduced White's forces to a single rook, but can't get careless. I need to be aware of possible stalemate swindles!]
64.Kc2 Nf1 65.Rh8 Kb4 66.Rh4 Kc4 67.Rh8 h2 68.Rc8+ Kb4 69.Rh8 Rg3 70.Rh4 Kc4 71.Rh8 Rg2+ 72.Kd1 Rg1 73.Rc8+ Kd3! 74.Rh8 Ne3#!, 0-1. (59'45", 56')
[It is the Tango knight, from b8, which applies the concluding lovely mate, discovered and double check!! It had a great career, and deserves to be 'knighted', on the battlefield!! I surprised myself by winning this game over Geoff, from what I thought was a shaky position early on. As a true chess gentleman, he took it well, with his home, dinner, wine. music, and hospitality all graciously offered and enjoyed; he put it down to the mystique of the Tango!!]Comment
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My lessons with young Raja Panjwani, in Kingston, ONT, from 2000-2004, remain a vivid memory and a great experience, I think, for all involved. We would meet once a week (occasionally twice), when they were in town, for three hours, and I believe I gave good value, at $20 for those three hours, with Raja's father Dr. Dilip Panjwani sitting in on probably 95 per cent of those lessons. Wayne Coppin, the major chess teacher in the Kingston area, charged $20 for ONE hour. By early 2003, I had stopped charging them for lessons, and we were meeting less often, as Raja got stronger, winning his first Kingston Whig-Standard Championship in late 2002, at age 12 years, 8 months; he defeated me in a key game! I had won our previous two tournament games, after losing to him in early 2001, just before he turned 11.
My next submission is a training game from one of those sessions. Raja and his father played many games with me in this Tango variation, and I owe them my sincere thanks for taking it on readily, with creative ideas tried against my own concepts. I think it was something of a revelation to them that there could actually exist an opening line NOT IN in any of the textbooks which was pretty good for Black, and indeed, I scored very well against them in those games. I know I benefited greatly from those games!
Raja Panjwani (2147) -- Frank Dixon (1942)
Kingston 2002, played Oct. 16, G/45'
Kingston training game, with a clock, touch move, not CFC-rated
Clock times in brackets
Black Knights' Tango, E20
Notes by Frank Dixon
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e4 d5 5.e5 Ne4 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Be3 Bb4 8.Qc2 O-O 9.f3!?
[On chess365.com, there are NO games with this position. White could play 9.Nf3 with a balanced position, as per several of my games; others have also followed that path. With the text, White shows excellent strategic sense, since if 9...Nxc3, then 10.bxc3 and the B/b4 must retreat, with a future c3-c4 coming for White, building a strong center. Raja and I had already played similar lines to this game, but this was the first with this particular sequence. Another thing to note: Raja avoided 1.d4 and did NOT allow me to play this variation against him in our tournament games!!]
9...Qh4+!?
[This is the tactical test, and it is an important one; this theme with the Queen and knight combining early in the game, is seen quite often in other lines, such as the King's Gambit. See my previous post, the McKay -- Dixon game, for another example.]
10.g3 Nxg3 11.Bf2 Nxd4!? (7,4)
[I had prepared this idea.]
12.Qd3
[Allows a tempo gain by Black on his next move. The possible refutation is 12.Qd1!, and I had intended 12...c5!? 13.Bxg3 Qh6, with an unclear position. Black would have two pawns for the piece, a safe King, and active development. With Queens staying on the board, it would be a very different game. Not 12.Qd2? Nxf1!]
12...Bf5! 13.Qxd4
[Gives up the Exchange, but Black's knight will be trapped on h1, and can be rounded up later by White. So, White's play seems sound tactically as well. We shall see. From a player only 12 years old, it is mighty impressive, to be sure! Even though he winds up losing.]
13...Qxd4 14.Bxd4 Nxh1 (20,9)
[Less familiar with the variation than his opponent, White used quite a bit of clock time for his past three moves, and this was something we had been working on -- clock management. Raja's issues with the clock at this stage of his development were somewhat like my own; we both tended to play too quickly, too often, in complex positions, missing strong possibilities. But he was making major strides in this regard.]
15.a3 c5! 16.axb4 cxd4
[Black profits from this sequence, although White wins a pawn. Black's passed d-pawn becomes a problem for White, as the game progresses, and he does not generate enough piece activity or coordination to counter Black's threats.]
17.Nxd5 Rfe8 18.f4 Rac8 19.Bg2 Rc2! (27,14)
[White decides to round up the N/h1, which was not doing anything significant.]
20.Bxh1 Rxh2 21.Bf3 a6 22.Ne2 d3! 23.Nd4
[Better may have been 23.Ng3, since on that square, the knight guards h1 and f1, as well as hitting the B/f5.]
23...Bg4!
[Raja had missed the strength of this, since if he takes the B/g4, he loses his R/a1 to the skewer ...Rh1+. White is being dominated on his King's flank by Black's R/h2, bishop, and passed pawn.]
24.Be4 d2+! 25.Kf1 f5! (38,21)
[Black's threats keep on preventing White from doing anything significant. White has an extra piece, but his R/a1 is idle, while Black's pieces will soon hit maximum efficiency, both individually and as a coordinated force.]
26.Bf3 Rd8! 27.Ne7+
[White could perhaps hold out longer with 27.Nc3, aiming to defend more precisely the key squares, such as d1.]
27...Kf7 28.Nexf5
[Apparently keeping everything under control, but a straightforward exchanging sequence illustrates Black's dominance.]
28...Bxf3! 29.Nxf3 Rh1+ 30.Ng1 d1Q+! 31.Rxd1 Rxd1+, 0-1. (42,27)
[Black, up two Exchanges, will now also win a piece. A very lively game, showing the variation's potential!]
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A sparkling win against Raja! Very nice!Comment
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Thanks, Hans!
Next is another game in the same variation as R. Panjwani -- Dixon, played in 1995, seven years earlier.
Robert Schwenger (1750) -- Frank Dixon (1900)
Kingston 1995, played May 15, time controls G/30'
Kingston Chess Club spring active (4)
TD: Chris Hargreaves, Org.: Kingston Chess Club
Clock times in brackets
Black Knights' Tango, E20
Notes by Frank Dixon
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4
[I had drawn with Bob, an experienced player, a few years older than myself, but without much CFC background, in the 1994 Kingston Whig-Standard Championship, also as Black, played about seven months before. That game was a Grunfeld, and he prevents that strategy this time. I had sacrificed material, thought I had a win, and he was in great time pressure. But he found a neat way to return the material, defended well, and held the draw; I eventually finished half a point out of the lead. Then he showed me how I could have won! I decide to try what I was calling at the time 'my variation', not yet knowing of IM Orlov's christening 'Black Knights' Tango'!]
3...Nc6 4.d4 d5 5.e5 Ne4 6.Be3 Bb4 7.Qc2 O-O 8.cxd5 exd5 (8,2)
[We have arrived at the same position as R. Panjwani -- Dixon above, through a slightly different move order.]
9.f3!?
[Bob, a great sailing enthusiast, said later he had never seen this line before, but his choice on move nine is quite a popular one; I have faced it at least ten times in all.]
9...Qh4+ 10.g3 Nxg3 11.Bf2 Nxd4 12.Qd3 c5 (11,3)
[In R. Panjwani -- Dixon, I later played 12...Bf5, which is probably stronger.]
13.hxg3!? Qxh1 14.O-O-O!?
[Now this is very different from the above game; White gives up the Exchange, and aims to restrict and possibly trap Black's Queen! In contrast, he gets his King to relative safety, and gets decent development.]
14...Bf5 15.Qe3 Rfd8 (18,8) 16.f4 Rac8 17.Nge2 Nxe2+ 18.Bxe2 Qxd1+! (25,11)
[I didn't like the possible retreat 18...Qh6, with a dangerous-looking Kingside pawn buildup coming for White. Black gives up his Queen, but will regain material due to the coming pawn fork ...d5-d4, maintaining approximate material equality, in an unbalanced position. Black's rooks are menacingly placed.]
19.Bxd1 d4! 20.Qf3 dxc3 21.bxc3?
[A time trouble blunder, but I think Black is at least a bit better in all lines.]
21...Ba3#! 0-1 (28,15)
[A picturesque checkmate!]
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