Two to Tango! The variation 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6!?

[Frank Dixon]

The next game is in one of the quieter, less forcing variations. An important one to examine, I think.

John Klapstein (2055) -- Frank Dixon (1968)
Kingston 2004, played Sept. 20
Kingston Chess Club Fall Active (4)
TD: Wayne Coppin, Org.: Kingston Chess Club
Time control: G/30'
Clock times in brackets
Black Knights' Tango, E20
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Nc3
[Here, 4...Bb4 would lead to the Taimanov variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense. I think it is the preferable way if Black wants a combative game. I was aiming to stay true to my variation, with new paths, but wind up a bit too passive.]
4...Be7 5.e4 d5 6.e5 Ne4 7.Bd3 f5 8.exf6 Bxf6 9.O-O O-O (4,3) 10.Re1 Nxc3 11.bxc3 g6
[White is at least slightly better here.]
12.Qc2 Kg7 13.Bf4 dxc4 14.Bxc4 Re8 15.Ne5 Na5 16.Qa4 c6 17.Bd3 b5 18.Qc2 Bxe5 19.Rxe5 Nc4 (13,12) 20.Bg5 Qd6 21.Bxc4 bxc4 22.Rae1 Bd7 23.Qe2 Rab8
[White has a clear advantage, and Black is left without active counter-play.]
24.h4 Rb5 25.Bf4! Qe7 26.h5 Rf8 27.Rxb5 axb5 28.Qe5! Kg8 29.d5! Rf5 (23,21) 30.Qb8+ Qf8 31.Qxf8+ Kxf8
[I am aiming for a draw, placing my trust with sufficient activity in the opposite-colored bishops endgame, but I must be very concerned about the potential passed e-pawn.]
32.Bd6+ Ke8 33.hxg6 hxg6 34.dxe6 Bc6 35.f3 Bd5 36.e7 Rf6 37.Bc5 a6 38.Kh2 a5 (27,25) 39.Kg3 Rc6 40.Ba3 Rb6 41.Re5 Bf7 42.Bc5 Rc6 43.a3 Re6 44.Kf4 Kd7 45.Rd5+ Kc6 46.Rg5 Kd7
1/2 -- 1/2. (29.5,28.5)
[Black had a bit more time, and offered a draw here, which was accepted. Very well played by White, who is better at the end. John had just begun a PhD Math program at Queen's, and was making his name in chess and poker circles in Kingston. He had earned his undergraduate and Master's degrees at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Unfortunately, his Queen's program didn't work out well for him, and he left it unfinished, returning to Nova Scotia. He and I had many interesting games together.]

[Frank Dixon]

Games soon to be posted here:
1) Dr. Roger Kewley 1/2 Frank Dixon, Kingston 1977. My first game in 'The Variation' against a strong player.
2) Ken Braithwaite 0-1 Frank Dixon, Kingston 1979. I defeat one of Canada's most skilled problemists, with 'The Variation'.
3) Peter Bokhout 0-1 Frank Dixon, Ontario Open, Kingston 2003. My first published game in 'The Variation'. Maybe my best-ever game!
4) NM Maher Saleh 1-0 Frank Dixon, email corr. 2000. I lose, but my opponent offers vital advice afterwards, in a key line of 'The Variation'.
5) Brian Profit 0-1 Frank Dixon, Kingston Championship 1997. In a 'Cousin Variation', Black recovers from a tough position to deal the eventual champion his only loss.
6) Dr. Peter Sibbald 1/2 Frank Dixon, Kingston 2003. White declines to really challenge Black, and 'The Variation' nets another half-point in a quiet draw.
7) IM David Ross + Raja Panjwani 1/2 Frank Dixon, Kingston training, consultation game, 2000. I put the lesson from 4) to good use!
8) Dave Gordon 0-1 Frank Dixon, 5th match game, Kingston 1995. With a surprise, I climb back into the match!
9) Chris Benson 0-1 Frank Dixon, 2nd match game, Kingston 2002. A rare game in the 4.d5 line.
10) NM Chris Pace 1-0 Frank Dixon, Gananoque 2018. I have only part of the game score, in this important fragment from the 4.d5 line.

[Hans Jung]

Nice queen sacrifice in the Schwenger game Frank!

[Frank Dixon]

My next game is NOT one of those listed in the post of May 27 (#32), but fits well with the themes of several games already presented.

I played four games in the BKT variation in May 1995, in the end-of-season G/30' portion of the Kingston Chess Club schedule. Scoring 3.5/4, I was encouraged! I was working towards feeling confident enough to try it in a rated game against a strong opponent, which I did for the first time in early 1997.

Francisco de la Parra (1880) -- Frank Dixon (1900)
Kingston 1995, played May 29
Kingston Chess Club spring rapid (rd. 7)
TD: Chris Hargreaves, Org.: KCC
Time control: G/30'
Black Knights' Tango, E20 (from Nimzowitsch Def., B00)
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 d5 (5,2)
[Francisco is a resolute 1.e4 player, so I am playing with a bit of fire by aiming for the variation in this move order, and in trying this, did have several other games where I wound playing the Black side of 1.e4 e5 (after 1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5), and offbeat Nimzowitsch Defense lines, but I did study those enough to get decent positions. If 4.e5, then 4...Bb4+, followed by 5...Ne4 gives positions similar to those in some Queen's Indian Defense lines, where a couple of minors usually get exchanged early. GM Tony Miles did play the Nimzowitsch Defense extensively for a number of years, not without success, forging many new paths.]
5.Bg5 Bb4 6.e5 h6 7.Bxf6
[This is the only game where I have faced this, giving up the two bishops to spoil Black's kingside structure. More common was 7.exf6 (for example Struthers -- Dixon, see above), and I have a couple of games with 7.Bh4, for example Wen -- Dixon, (see above). Also, at 365chess.com, there are no games, even today, at this juncture, with 7.Bxf6.]
7...gxf6 8.exf6 Qxf6 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Bb5 Bd7 (11,4) 11.Nf3 Qe6+! 12.Qe2 O-O-O 13.O-O Rdg8
[I liked my position, with opposite sides castling, two bishops, open lines to attack, and an edge on the clock. I must be efficient, to keep my edge.]
14.Qxe6
[He thought a while on this. The position is more dangerous for Black with the Queens staying on the board, I believe.]
14...fxe6 15.a3 Bd6! (17,7) =/+ 16.Rfc1?!
[I believe this is too ambitious. White gets into tactical difficulties later, on the long black diagonal. I think 16.Rac1 is more balanced. But White said later that he wanted to keep pace, with Black's two rooks aimed aggressively at White's King.]
16...h5 17.b4 h4 18.h3 Rg7 19.Na4?!
[Again, this causes tactical difficulties in a few moves. How about 19.Kh1, with Rg1 to follow, to try to hold the Kingside. Black's pressure is building more quickly.]
19...Rhg8 20.Bf1 e5! (19,13)
[Cracks open the center, with all of Black's pieces expanding their activity.]
21.dxe5 Nxe5 (23,14)
[Add the clock to White's list of challenges. He has a tactical crisis, with major problems on a4, a1, and h3.]
22. Nxe5 Bxe5 23.Nc3
[Solves two problems (a4 and a1), leaving Black to win attractively and quickly on the Kingside.]
23...Bxh3! 24.Ra2 Bxg2 25.Bd3 h3 26.f3 h2+ 27.Kf2 Bxc3, 0-1. (28,19)
[Francisco said later he knew Black's pressure was building, but didn't expect a crisis quite so soon! He is a Chilean immigrant, computer scientist, whose wife is a professor of languages at Queen's University; she is a specialist in Spanish, Italian, and French. FDLP played at KCC for a few years in the mid-1990s, making many friends, and playing many fine games. But he left chess to earn his Master's and PhD at Queen's. He returned to KCC for a couple of years about 20 years after this game. For whatever reason, I scored very well against him (5.5/6), but this game was our only one which didn't last a long stretch. For a more competitive example, see Chess Canada Dec. 1995, where IM Deen Hergott annotated our game. FDLP is very courteous, and clearly very intelligent. He said he had been a Candidate Master in Chile in his early 20s.]

[Frank Dixon]

After a break of several months, I am returning to this thread with another game. The time has been used to organize some more material.

This is my first-ever tournament game in the variation, entered through the move order I was using at that time.

My opponent here, Georg Melin, is the person with whom I played more chess than anyone else in my life. He and I met in 1968 in grade six, upon my family's return to Canada from three years in the Caribbean. Georg proved to be stronger than me at that time. When he invited me to his home, I soon learned that both his father and mother were much stronger players than me. His father had been a first category player in Sweden in his twenties; his mother was a strong player who had moved from Latvia with her family just before World War II. They had met through chess in Sweden, before they married and immigrated to Canada. The family had a fine chess library. Mr. Melin was a very skilled metal machinist at Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, which also employed my father as an engineer. They worked together on some projects. When I encountered such chess skill, I began a study program, part of which was playing through the tenth edition of Modern Chess Openings from cover to cover, which took me over two years. At the time of this game, I was now a bit stronger than Georg, and played a higher board on the high school team. Georg was talented in math and science, and spoke solid Swedish, Danish, and Latvian; he was learning German. We probably played half a dozen head-to-head casual and blitz games per week for six years! We were playing a lot of chess, with almost none of it CFC-rated, as the high school league was at G/30', which the CFC did not rate at that time. We had no chess secrets from each other! But the Ontario HS Championship was coming up in Toronto! It was before Chess 'N Math, before CYCC; prehistoric, really, compared to today for youth chess! We didn't care!

Georg Melin (unr) -- Frank Dixon (unr)
Site: Deep River 1974
Event: Mackenzie H.S. Championship (rd. 3 of 7), played March 12, 1974
Time control: G/60'
Organizer: James Hegney, TDs: James Hegney and Frank Dixon
Opening: Black Knights' Tango, from Nimzowitsch Defense, E20
Notes by Frank Dixon
Clock times in brackets

1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 d5 5.Bg5
[The event was an 8-player round robin. Our organizer was the HS chess coach, and a 1700 rated player, teacher of French language, economics, golf coach and women's volleyball coach as well., His wife Elizabeth taught us mathematics, and helped coach the Reach For The Top team, which I was on that year. They were Australians from Perth, and Mr. Hegney had known C.J.S. Purdy in Australia, winner of the first World Correspondence Championship!
The two previous champs had graduated, so that year's HS title fight was wide open. The schedule gave me Black against my four strongest rivals, one of whom was Georg. We had both started with two wins. He and I had debated and analyzed this line together previously, but while trying 5...Bb4 and 5...dxc4, I had never before tried the 5th move text seen here; indeed there are NO games at 365chess.com after Black's fifth in 2023!]
5...dxe4!? 6.f3!?
[Georg looked for a couple of minutes, then played this, which fits his sharp, ambitious style. His favorite player was GM Mikhail Tal, and he had many issues of Latvian and Swedish chess magazines at home. We can call this move the Melin Gambit! I have also faced 6.Nge2 and 6.Nxe4.]
6...exf3 7.Nxf3 Be7 8.Be2 O-O 9.O-O Ng4!? (7,15)
[An example of playing the opponent rather than the board. This is probably questionable, but I was aiming to encourage Georg to sacrifice further.]
10.h4!?
[Objectively, 10.Bc1 is likely best. Georg disliked retreats!]
10...Bxg5 11.hxg5 Ne3 12.Qd3 Nxf1 13.Rxf1
[Georg had a wide grin! He has advantages in space and development, as compensation for his sacrificed material, and could easily put together a dangerous attack. Concerned, I needed to study the situation carefully, and wound up well behind on the clock for a while. Black decides to transfer his minors to the kingside to defend; a fairly obvious plan, but I needed to be precise here.]
13...Ne7 14.Bd1 Ng6 15.Bc2 Bd7 (13,28) 16.Ne5!
[Here we go! Clearly 16...Nxe5?? is out, due to mate on h7.]
16...Be8 17.d5! Qxg5 18.Nxg6 hxg6 (22,33) 19.dxe6!? f5!!
[This was the resource I was counting on. The game's finest move. Black's position looks a bit ugly, but it holds together.
20.Nd5 Rc8 (48,34)
[Georg slowed his play abruptly on seeing my 19th move! He said later that he had not considered it, and believed he was heading for a strong kingside attack. Indeed, on other 19th moves, Black is in trouble.]
21.e7 Rf7 22.b4 c6 23.Nf4 Rxe7
[Georg said later he had simply miscalculated. There could be improvements for White, so the idea should not be dismissed!]
24.Nh3 Qe3+! (57,38)
[With the Queens to be exchanged, the game is essentially over, as Black has plenty of time left. But Georg, even so short of time, was a bitter-ender, and, with limited options, hopes for a swindle or a Black blunder.]
25.Qxe3 Rxe3 26.Ng5 Rd8 27.Bb3 Bf7 28.Nf3 Rdd3 29.Nh4 Rxb3 30.axb3 Rxb3 (58,42) 31.c5 Rxb4 32.Nf3 Bd5! 33.Ng5 Rb2 34.Re1
[Threatening mate!]
34...Rxg2+
[Here Georg tried to play 35.Re8#!?, arguing that, although he himself was in check, his checkmate ends the game! Nice try! White must answer the check first!]
35.Kf1 Rxg5 36.Re8+ Kf7 37.Ra8 a6 38.Ra7 Rg2 39.Rxb7+ Kf6 40.Ra7 Rc2 41.Rxa6 g5, 0-1. (59,45)
[Black's passed pawns will decide. Not a bad game for the new variation, it did not lack for excitement or originality!]

[Hans Jung]

Congratulations Frank! That means 50 years playing the same opening! and what an interesting opening indeed.

[Frank Dixon]

Thanks for the kind words, Hans!! I hope you are doing well.
I have another game in this line ready, and will post it over the next few days.
Cheers,
Frank

[Frank Dixon]

Serge Lacroix (1950) -- Frank Dixon (1895)
Quebec City 1989, casual game, G/30'
Played 1989-01-31
Black Knights' Tango, E20
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6
[By request, from Black. Serge and I were both in Quebec for the first two games of the Spraggett -- Yusupov Candidates match. Friends since 1973, we got together for some friendly chess before the second match game, which GM Kevin Spraggett was to win in dramatic fashion!!]
4.e4 d5 5.Bg5 dxe4 6.Nge2!!
[In over 15 years of playing and analyzing this line, I had never met nor analyzed this move! It is highly logical, delaying the recapture to keep options open, heading into a more strategical line, in what can be a very tactical sub-variation. We can call this the Lacroix variation!]
6...Be7 7.g3 O-O 8.Bg2 e5!?
[Often played by Black; it may be premature here, but I wanted to complicate.]
9.d5! Nb4!? 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 (9,5)
[My original idea was 10...Nd3+!? to mess up his development, but I couldn't evaluate the variations well enough. The position after 10...Nd3+ 11.Kf1 is probably unclear, but is likely better for Black than the text.]
11.Nxe4 Be7 12.O-O f5 13.N4c3 Bf6 14.a3! Na6 15.b4 Qe7 16.Qb3! Kh8 (13,8)
[White is playing in excellent style, and has an advantage. Black essentially has a solid position, with the two bishops, but he lacks space and active counterplay, with his knight offside at a6.]
17.Ra2
[Aiming to double rooks; precisely where is not immediately clear, but this keeps flexibility.]
17...Bd7 18.c5! Rad8 19.d6?!
[Certainly the right idea, but premature, as Serge and I agreed afterwards. I had expected 19.Rd1, and planned 19...Qf7! to create a pin on the d-pawn, with White's undefended Queen, on the a2-g8 diagonal. White can then rearrange his pieces into a safer situation, but could then expand his advantage with a Q-side majority attack.]
19...cxd6 20.Bxb7?
[White aims for the weaknesses on b7 and the offside N/a6, but when lines open, pieces gain activity for both sides! He could keep advantage with 20.cxd6 Qxd6 and then 21.Bxb7.]
20...Be6!! (15,11)
[Serge said later that he completely missed this double-attack move. The heretofore hidden resources in Black's position rare themselves up!]
21.Bd5
[Only move. On 21.cxd6 Rxd6! wins.]
21...Bxd5 22.Nxd5
[On 22.Qxd5 dxc5! is strong; for example, 23.Qc6 Nxb4! 24.axb4 Rc8!]
22...Qe6!! (18.13)
[Really strong. White has lost the initiative, and is thrown onto the defensive for the remainder of the game.]
23.Rd1 dxc5! 24.N2c3 cxb4! 25.axb4 Nc7!
[Black's formerly offside knight leaps into the game with activity!]
26.Rxa7 Nxd5 27.Nxd5 Rd6! 28.Ra5 Rfd8! (24,19)
[Not only does White have a very difficult position, but his clock is becoming a factor.]
29.Qa2 h6 30.Ra8 Rxa8 31.Qxa8+ Rd8 32.Qb7 f4!
[Black uses his superior coordination to threaten White's weak back rank.]
33.Nc3 Rxd1+ 34.Nxd1 Qg4! 35.Qa8+ Kh7 36.Qe4+ h6 37.Qe1 e4! (28.22)
[White has maintained the material balance, and has everything defended -- for the moment.]
38.b5 Bd4!
[Keeping the passed b-pawn under control, while activating this bishop, quiet until now!]
39.Qf1 h5!
[Black could already play 39...fxg3 40.hxg3 Qxg3+!, but keeps this in reserve while piling on the pressure with his K-side majority.]
40.Kg2 h4 41.h3 Qf3+ 42.Kg1 hxg3 43.h4 gxf2+ 44.Nxf2 e3 45.Qg2 Qxg2+ 46.Kxg2 exf2 47.Kf1 Kh6, 0-1. (29:45,26)
[Only not ...f4-f3?, which creates stalemate chances! We had time for some analysis, and then one more game at G/30', before the Candidates' match game, and Serge exacted his revenge! After GM Spraggett won, he threw a victory party at a nice restaurant, and Serge and I both attended!]

[Frank Dixon]

This game will be my last post for this variation in 2023. Enjoy my holiday-time present to chesstalk patrons and Canadian chess!!! I plan to resume posting on this variation 2024!

Geoff McKay (2159) -- Frank Dixon (2069)
Kingston 1999, training game, played July 23
Time controls: G/45'
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.cxd5 exd5
[This was the first time I had faced this particular sequence, with the common 5.Bg5 Bb4 (5...dxe4, 5...dxc4, and 5...Be7 are also playable), and THEN an immediate pawn exchange on d5, followed by the pawn advance e4-e5. I had, however, analyzed it in some depth, figuring that I would see it eventually. Geoff had asked me to play some training games with him, as he prepared for the 1999 North Bay International Open, which he would attend with his wife Mary; we played about a dozen games during this period. The McKay's invited me to join them for the trip, but, alas, it was during the heart of my competitive golf season, and I had commitments, so declined with regrets. Next year, I said; but 1999 was to be the last one of the six-year North Bay series! Geoff was coming off a 2300+ performance in the 1999 Kingston Championship, which he had won unbeaten; I was second with a 2200+. And, in this variation, we had already played a couple of games, and would wind up playing several more, all of them interesting and hard-fought. Geoff analyzed assiduously in the variation, and talked about maybe taking it up himself! He always had something challenging ready for me, and doesn't disappoint here!]
7.e5 h6 8.exf6 hxg5 9.fxg7 Rg8 10.Bb5 Be6 (3,8)
[Safer is 10...Bd7. The text guards against checks on the e-file.]
11.Qh5 Qf6 12.Nf3 O-O-O!?
[Perhaps better is 12...Qxg7, with the Queens staying on the board. I figured he had probably expected that. Black temporarily sacks a pawn, but will get excellent compensation.]
13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Qxg5 Qxg7 15.Qxg7 Rxg7 (16,11)
[White is temporarily a pawn up, and has smashed Black's structure. Black has two bishops against two knights, in an open position. But White now faces the challenging decision on where to put his King.]
16.O-O!?
[I think 16.O-O-O Rxg2 was safer, with still an interesting battle in prospect. I think Black is at least equal there.]
16...Bh3 17.Nh4!?
[I had earlier analyzed positions with 17.Ne1 Rdg8, although later, when I searched, I couldn't find my recorded analysis with this particular position. Geoff's choice does preserve the Exchange, but he will face withering pressure. On 17.g3 Bxf1 18.Kxf1, Black is a bit better.]
17...Rh8 18.Kh1!? Rxh4 19.gxh3 Rxh3 (23,15)
[19...Rxd4 was also good.]
20.Rg1 Rgh7
[Threatens mate.]
21.Rg2 Bd6! 22.Re1 Bxh2 23.Rg8+ Kb7 24.Ree8
[This move can be interpreted as a tribute to Dutch GM Hans Ree, as it contains his surname! If White was looking for a safer alternative, there is 24.Kg2, but Geoff also has attacking plans, with possible mates in the Queenside. He figured he could avoid mates, while pursuing his own.]
24...Be5+!!
The finest move in the game. This bishop is destined for a starring role. It will soon dominate both wings, and also win the f2-pawn, for a haul of three pawns. It is also ready to defend important dark squares such as c5, c7, b6, and a7.]
25.Kg2 Bxd4 26.Rb8+ Ka6 27.Na4
He wants to preserve the knight from capture by the bishop. White envisions patterns like: Rb3, Rgb8, Ra3, and Nc3#. I had to be very alert, figuring to attack points such as b2 and a2 with doubled rooks on the second rank, to prevent this. As the game goes, I find a different defense!]
27...Rh2+ (28,26) 28.Kf3 Rxf2+ 29.Kg3 f5!
[The f-pawn joins the party! Black, three pawns up, is now clearly better, but the game is by no means won just yet!]
30.Rgc8 Rhh2! 31.Re8
[Geoff avoids the blunder 31.Rxc7?? Be5#!]
31...f4+ 32.Kg4 f3 33.Rb4!?
[He thought quite a while on this, getting into time pressure, with the control at 45 minutes.]
33...Bb6!
[Time for the bishop to play some defense! Cuts communications between White's rooks, frees the d4 square, while defending a7 and c7.]
34.Rb8 Ka5! 35.a3 c5! 36.Rf4 d4! (41,33)
[Pushing this strong passer, while also cutting the rook's defense of the N/a4, AND taking away c3 from the knight. Is is possible to ask for more from a single pawn move!?]
37.Nxb6 cxb6!
[Black's structure is now repaired!]
38.Rd8
[Otherwise 38...d3! is crushing.]
38...Rxb2! 39.Rxf3 Kb5 40.Rf7 a5, O-1. (44,38)
[Black's queenside pawn mass is just too strong. A sharp, original game which shows the potential of this BKT variation!]

[Frank Dixon]

Concerning McKay -- Dixon, Kingston 1999 (posted Dec. 23/23), I should have added that after 30.Rgc8?, Black could have forced mate in three with 30...Rg7+! (instead of my 30...Rh2), since White's King must go to the h-file, and then Black can simply play 31...Be5!, with 32...Rh2# next, which can't be stopped. I was attracted to a different mate (as explained in the original notes), and was also focused on defending my Queenside against White's potential mating threats.

[Frank Dixon]

Well, we are into the New Year 2024. Happy New Year to everyone! I am posting my next game in this variation.

Joshua Bates (1780) -- Frank Dixon (1950)
Kingston 2001, played Nov. 21
Queen's University Chess Club, Club Active, rd. 2 of 3
Org.: QUCC; TD: Frank Dixon
Time control: G/30'
Black Knights' Tango, E20
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e4 d5
[Josh was an Engineering student at Queen's, originally from Kamloops, British Columbia. During his four years in Kingston, he took part in a few events at the Kingston Chess Club, placing second in the 'B' section Kingston Championship on one occasion. He was a regular at QUCC, academic pressures notwithstanding. He also represented Queen's in the 2004 Post-Secondary Team Tournament, hosted by Queen's, directed by Alex Lambruschini; I served as assistant TD. During his Kamloops years, while gaining playing experience, Josh was also a youth chess organizer, so that earns him gold stars, in my view!!]
5.Bg5 Bb4 6.e5 h6 7.exf6 hxg5 8.fxg7 Rg8 (5,2)
[This was the first time I had played this against Josh, and his first time ever facing the variation. He was quite astonished that Black could apparently play this way and get an acceptable game! We spent some time afterwards, looking at early alternatives for both sides. A polite fellow, Josh concluded this discussion by stating: "Frank, it's evidently sound, so far as I can see. Congratulations, and thanks for the lesson!"]
9.a3
[We saw this idea in Struthers -- Dixon (first game posted on this thread); in that game we had 9.Qh5 Qf6 first. Josh avoids the sally with Qh5.]
9...Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 Qf6 11.cxd5 exd5
[Once again, the pawn exchange on d5, as in McKay -- Dixon (see immediately previous post), followed soon by Bb5; but that game also had Qh5 for White, so we are into new territory here.]
12.Bb5 Bd7 (9,4) 13.Qe2+ Kd8 (12,5)
[Black is not able to castle, and this was a concern, but it does work out all right for me, with King safety.]
14.Nf3 Rxg7
[Black could not play 14...Re8 to gain advantage, due to 15.g8Q.]
15.O-O g4 16.Ne5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Qe6! (15,7)
[Black is able to blockade this potentially dangerous e-pawn with his Queen, and keep the e-file closed.]
18.Bxd7 Kxd7
[We are now into a major piece middlegame, with Q + 2R for each side, with equal pawns, and both sides having good pawn structure, and a few potential weaknesses. White is slightly better, with more space and freedom of action. But, this is NOT AN ENDGAME!! I played chess for many years without properly understanding this, often to my cost. The first book I saw which adequately explained this vital point was "Chess Middlegames", the wonderful two-volume set by IM Peter Romanovsky, translated by Thad Rogers. Romanovsky was one of the strongest pre-Soviet era Russian Masters, and had several excellent results in 1920s era Soviet Championships. His work was originally lost in a fire during the Leningrad siege of 1941-44, of World War II, but he survived the siege, and later rewrote the work. Hard to find, but highly recommended!]
19.Rab1 b6 20.Rfd1 Ke7
[Getting the King off the potentially dangerous d-file.]
21.Rd4 Rg5 (17,10) 22.Re1 Rag8
[Perhaps 22...Rh8 was better.]
23.g3 c5! 24.Ra4 a5 25.Rf4 R8g6 (20,14)
[I think Black is now a bit better. White did not achieve anything significant with his earlier edge, and has now dissipated it.]
26.a4 Rh6
[Black is building up on the Kingside, and White is on the defensive, which is always somewhat unpleasant in these positions.]
27.f3
[A very committal move, which changes the game tremendously.]
27...gxf3 28.Rxf3 Qh3!? (26,16)
[Somewhat risky, but I could not see a refutation. It could not have been pleasant for Josh to see my Queen land on his King's doorstep, at this juncture. And Josh's clock was now a factor.]
29.Rf2?
[I think 29.Rf4 is better; at least it would have avoided the following tactics.]
29...Rxg3+! 30.Rg2?
[White can simply play 30.Kh1, and Black, while much better, seems to have no immediate forceful follow-up.]
30...Qxh2+!
[Consecutive White errors means it is now all over. Win by pin!]
31.Kf1 Qh1+ 32.Rg1 Qxg1#, 0-1. (27,19)

[Frank Dixon]

Lines that are solid for White, avoiding early sharp possibilities, have been quite frequent choices against my Tango line, and this is one such example.

David Ho (1600P) -- Frank Dixon (1950)
Kingston 2002, played Nov. 30
Queen's University Chess Club Active Quad, rd. 3 of 3
Time controls: G/30'
Org: QUCC; TD: Frank Dixon
Black Knights' Tango / Queen's Pawn Game, E20
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e3
[White declines the invitation for 4.e2-e4. By 2002, word was getting around Kingston chess about my variation and success with it, and several players were choosing NOT to challenge the several sharp lines I had been playing. My opponent David Ho was a Queen's student from Red Deer, Alberta, and quite new to CFC chess. The 'P' next to his rating denotes provisional; fewer than 25 rated games. However, he plays well above that level in this game, as we shall see!]
4...Be7 5.a3 O-O 6.b4 a5 7.b5 Nb8
[White goes for an early Queenside advance, forcing back the Tango knight to b8. We are in new territory already!]
8.Nf3 b6 9.e4 Bb7 10.Bd3 d5
[Avoiding the major alternative, 10...d7-d6 with plans for a later...e6-e5, transposing into a form of Old Indian position. I had played plenty of those, and avoid that idea, aiming for an original game here.]
11.e5 Ne4 12.Bb2 c5 13.O-O Nbd7 14.Re1 f5 =
[Somewhat similar to certain Dutch Defense Stonewall formations, excepting White's pawn being on e5 so early on.]
15.cxd5 exd5 16.Bc2 cxd4 17.Ne2 d3 18.Bxd3 Ndc5 19.Ned4 Kh8 (8,10)
[White continues to play well, and is even slightly ahead on the clock, in a complex position! Here, 19...Nxd3! 20.Ne6 Nxb2 21.Nxd8 Nxd1 22.Nxb7 Ndxf2 is very good for Black, but White could simply play 20.Qxd3, and if now 20...Qd7, 21.e6! concerned me.]
20.Bc2 Qe8 21.a4 Qh5!
[Again, borrowing from the Dutch!]
22.h3 Rac8 23.Ba3 Rce8 =/+
[Two consecutive moves with this rook, but in such a closed and balanced position, White cannot take advantage of the time loss. I figured to defend the B/e7, in view of White's last move.]
24.Nb3 Nc3! 25.Qd2 N5e4 (13,13)
[White's play has been solid but somewhat passive, and I decided to try to sharpen the game in the next few moves.]
26.Bxe4 Nxe4 27.Qe2 Bxa3 28.Rxa3 g5!?
[Going for it on the Kingside, again a Dutch theme.]
29.Nbd2 g4 30.Nxe4 dxe4 31.Nd4 Rxe5 -/+
[Black has won the important e5 pawn, but also opened the long diagonal for White, who proceeds to generate interesting threats, which needed my full attention.]
32.Nc6! Ree8
[Another in-game tribute to Dutch GM Hans Ree, as this move contains his surname!]
33.Qb2+! Kg8 (22,19) 34.Rg3!?
[Pins the g-pawn, but puts this rook in a somewhat precarious position.]
34...Qg5! 35.Rd1 h5!? 36.Rd7!?
[Threatening a potential mate on g7; White is showing plenty of fight!]
36...Bc8! 37.Rc7 f4! 38.Rc3
[The deflection try 38.h4!? can be strongly answered by 38...Qf6!, but not 38...Qg6? 39.Ne7+!, with advantage to White.]
38...gxh3! (25,22)
[White is now in serious trouble, with a gathering storm approaching his King, which has been left to fend mostly for himself, with three of White's four pieces now far away.]
39.g3 e3! 40.Qe2 Bg4! 41.f3 Bxf3!
[The finishing sacrificial stroke, as the open Kingside files now unleash Black's majors.]
42.Qxf3 fxg3 43.Qe2 h2+ 44.Kh1 Qd5+ 45.Qg2 Rf1#, 0-1. (28,26)
[This pretty, original game helped me about six months later against Toronto Expert Peter Bokhout, when the strategic battle followed similar themes. It was published in the April 2004 Chess Canada magazine; I plan to present it again here in the near future.]

[Frank Dixon]

My next post on this topic will cover in some depth the variation 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.d5!?

The stem game for me in this line is: Ward Green 0-1 Frank Dixon, Deep River 1975.

Two of the significant games for me with 4.d5 are Raja Panjwani 0-1 Frank Dixon, Kingston Training 2002; and Chris Benson 0-1 Frank Dixon, 2nd match game, Kingston 2002.

I note that the site 365chess.com has a few games this line, as well, all after 1975.

My plan is to present the Green -- Dixon game first, with fairly deep notes, over the next few days. I will later present the R. Panjwani -- Dixon and Benson -- Dixon games.