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Hi Frank, First of all I envy you that you have an opening system that you've stayed with from the beginning and through your tournament years. The only thing close for me is 1.Nf3 which I started with and kept coming back to. When one first looks at 4.Nh3 one tends to think - what the heck? - but on closer look you have many ideas to complement it. - so I say kudos on your part. Its counterintuitve in that the knight on h3 is slow to get into play but the ideas are there.
I looked at the David Cohen game first and your play was enterprising from the start - although Black's play was vintage David - brilliant play followed by off the cuff moves. Congratulations on your incisive play and congratulations to David for making you look like a genius.
I only looked at two other games closely. First the one with Geoff Mackay. Its clear you could have won much more quickly although you must have enjoyed the attack. Then I went to the Dr Roger Kewley game looking for more solid play for Black. However 10.Bxh7+ should have been played and Black is sorely busted. Are you sure the scoresheet is correct?
Anyways, you present many ideas of creative play and I think the opening is a very viable one.
I've got a new game in the 4.Nh3 Nimzo to share! Played last night, in fact! And I will reply to Hans's post of Dec. 29, shortly!
Frank Dixon (1842) -- Rob Hutchison (1774)
Kingston 2025, played Sept. 29
Kingston Sept. Rapid, G/30' + 10", rd. 6 of 6, bd. 3 of 10
Org.: Kingston Chess Club; TD: Jake Van Rooy
Nimzo-Indian, 4.Nh3, E20
Notes by Frank Dixon
Clock times in brackets
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3
[This is the third time Rob and I have debated this variation in just over a year; one is posted here, one not yet; I won both. The first two were at G/10' + 5", so this rapid time control game is a better test for both players. I first played Rob in a G/30' battle at KCC 30 years ago, Sept. 1995, and he won!]
4...b6 5.Bg5 Bb7 6.f3 h6 7.Bh4 O-O 8.e4! g5?!
[I hesitate to give this a '?', but it does allow a sacrificial idea which I have successfully played before several times in the line, and which lands Black a difficult game. The g7-g5 move is certainly playable with Black not yet castled, or castled long, I believe.]
9.Nxg5! hxg5 10.Bxg5 Be7 11.Bh6 Re8 12.Bd3 d6 13.Qd2 Nh7 14.O-O-O Bg5 (4,4)
[White was threatening Kingside attack, so at least this trades off one set of minors. However, Black's real problems are just beginning!]
15.Bxg5 Qxg5 16.f4! Qg7 17.Bc2 Nd7 18.g4! a6 19.h4 Rad8
[I don't recall ever having had previously my c, d, e, f, g and h-pawns all advanced so majestically to the fourth rank in the early middlegame! And all of them unchallenged! It's a rather picturesque sight!]
20.Rhg1 e5 21.fxe5! dxe5 22.d5! Ndf6 23.Qg2 Kh8 (6,10) 24.Rdf1 Rg8 25.Bd1 Nh5!? / ?!
[It's an interesting idea, using the g-file pin to head for f4, and it will exchange a pair of knights, stopping White from eventually taking a square such as f5, which would have been strong. But Black does use a lot of time for this sequence, taking his knight from b8 to d7 to f6 to h5 to f4 to e2, for exchange. I believe I have compensation for my material, with an enormous space advantage, and with Black having no real active-play ideas, in this major-piece middlegame, probably the toughest type of position to play successfully, for either side. There is not yet a clear winning plan.]
26.Qf3 Nf4 27.Ne2 Nxe2+ 28.Bxe2 Rd7 (10,14) 29.g5 Bc8 30.Kb1 Re7 31.Qe3 Bd7 32.Bh5! Be8 33.Qa3! Rd7 (15,19)
[White gets a third pawn for his piece with this double attack, and is now clearly better.]
34.Qxa6 Nf8 35.Qa3 Ng6 36.Bxg6! Qxg6 (17,22) 37.Qe3! Rg7?
[After this Black is lost, as he loses his Queen for a rook. Rob said later he missed my reply, but Black has a very difficult game in any case.]
38.Rf6! Rd6 39.Rxg6 fxg6 40.Rf1 Kg8 41.Rf6 Rd7 42.Qf3 Rdf7 (19,26) 43.Rxf7 Rxf7 44.Qc3 Rf1+ 45.Kc2 Rf2+ 46.Kb3, 1-0 (time) (21,30).
[More clock time wouldn't have helped Black. White needs only to play a2-a3 and tuck his King away on a2, then exercise a modicum of care to convert the ending.]
I think (in your game with Rob Hutchison) critcal is 9...Nh7 immediately after you sacrifice 9.Nxg5. Black keeps the h pawn, can defend much better, and should keep the piece. As p[ayed White has those dominating pawns and Black's pieces seem all on awkward squares. A nice easy steamroller for you. It would be interesting to see that variation without the sacrifice. Wnite would have interesting pawn lever play if he can solve the placement of the Nh3.
Thanks very much for the feedback, Hans. However, I do believe the variation you suggest, after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3 b6 5.Bg5 Bb7 6.f3 h6 7.Bh4 O-O 8.e4 g5 9.Nxg5, with 9...Nh7 instead of 9...hxg5 as played in the FD vs. RH game, is in fact incorrect. White can simply reply 10.Nxh7!, and if then 10...Qxh4+, then 11.g3! wins immediately, since Black's Queen and R/f8 are both attacked. I saw this line during the game.
Frank Dixon (2021) -- Raja Panjwani (1729)
Kingston training game, 2000, played Sept. 20
Nimzo-Indian, 4.Nh3, E20
Time control: G/45'
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3
[This game was part of our regular weekly training sessions. I had been training Raja, then aged ten and a half, for eight months by this stage, and he had raised his rating from 1210 to 1729, with a very busy tournament programme, with his father, Dr. Dilip Panjwani, accompanying him, and playing the same non-youth events. Dilip was also sitting in on almost all of our training sessions, asking questions, playing games with me, and he had improved his play significantly as well. Raja had finished second in the 2000 CYCC B10 over the summer. Dilip had hired IM David Ross, well known as one of Canada's top youth coaches, to stay with the family in Kingston for about a week in August, for some additional intensive preparation for the 2000 WYCC U10; Dilip, funding the trip, as only age group champions got complementary trips from the CFC, would travel to Spain as well, for that event, as part of the Canadian delegation. Raja would score the most points of any Canadian that year at the Worlds!!! Raja's regular defense to 1.d4 was the Nimzo at that time; he would later diversify and widen his repertoire. Previously we had debated several other Nimzo lines, but with Raja's improvement, I decided to try out the line I had played successfully for nearly 30 years!! Usually I kept our training games private, but it is 25 years ago now, Raja is almost a GM, and this game is important to the series of games I have been presenting on the variation, so I am presenting it now.]
4...d5 5.Bg5 Nbd7
[This line is solid, but gives Black a somewhat cramped position. I had seen it frequently, and analyzed it quite deeply.]
6.cxd5
[This early exchange variation reduces Black's options for active play, and we are now in what is essentially a Queen's Gambit position, not a part of Raja's regular repertoire with Black at this stage.]
6...exd5 7.g3 O-O 8.Bg2 c6 9.O-O b6 10.Rc1 Bb7 11.Qb3 Be7 (3,11)
[My first time encountering this idea in a game, but I had analyzed it. Dixon -- Vernon Jones, Pembroke 1973 (my first tournament game in the line, presented earlier on this thread), saw 11...Bxc3 12.bxc3 Qe7 13.Rfe1 Rad8, and White won in 27 moves. Black keeps more material on the board here, but White has more space and a number of active ideas, for a slight advantage. Also, 11....Bd6!? would be an interesting try; I also have one game in that line.]
12.Rfd1 h6 13.Bxf6 Bxf6
[Perhaps 13...Nxf6 is more flexible for Black here; he is trying for activity.]
14.Nf4 Re8 15.Nh5!
[Thematic in many of my games in this line. The N/h5 presents some awkward problems for Black.]
15...Be7 16.e4! dxe4 17.Nxe4 Rc8 (8,23) 18.g4!?
[White embarks on a somewhat risky plan, but was facing no immediate counter-play.]
18...c5
[Also thematic in these positions, and likely Black's best chance to free his game.]
19.d5!
[On 19.dxc5?!, White surrenders his advantage after the line Raja was counting on, with 19...Bxe4! 20.Bxe4 Rxc5!, as Black gets a minors exchange and gains some space. White would win after, for example, the following line: 19...Bxc5? 20.Nxc5 Bxg2 21.Rxd7! Qg5 22.Qxf7+ Kh8 23.Qxg7+ Qxg7 24.Rxg7 Bd5 25.Rd1! Bxa2 26.Rdd7 Bg8 27.Nd3, consolidating his piece advantage.]
19...Ne5 (15,31) 20.Qg3! f6 21.f4! Nf7 (18,38) 22.h4 Bf8 23.g5 hxg5 24.hxg5 fxg5 25.f5! Qc7
[Looking to exchange Queens, but Black will be in a critical position after White's strong reply.]
26.d6! Qd7
[Other reasonable moves allow the pawn fork 27.d7, also winning.]
27.Nef6+!, 1-0. (21,41)
[A family fork is a pretty tactic to decide. Capture one knight on f6, and the other N/h5 jumps in! This game was fairly typical of many, but NOT all, of our training games at that time. Afterwards I was recalling the game Geller 1-0 Karpov, 44th USSR Championship, Moscow 1976. GM Geller was World Champion GM Karpov's coach at the time, and a similar knight fork was the key in that game. GM Karpov still won the title!]
Thanks very much for the feedback, Hans. However, I do believe the variation you suggest, after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3 b6 5.Bg5 Bb7 6.f3 h6 7.Bh4 O-O 8.e4 g5 9.Nxg5, with 9...Nh7 instead of 9...hxg5 as played in the FD vs. RH game, is in fact incorrect. White can simply reply 10.Nxh7!, and if then 10...Qxh4+, then 11.g3! wins immediately, since Black's Queen and R/f8 are both attacked. I saw this line during the game.
You are right Frank. None of the black knight moves work, except 9...Nxe4 is fun. So the sacrifice is brilliant and the game from your side is well played. Well done!
Thanks for the compliments on the Hutchison game, Hans! I agree with you that 9...Nxe4 looks very interesting. I am also proud of my win over Raja from Sept. 2000 in this line, but he kept improving quickly, and defeated me in a beautiful full-length tournament game, only a few months later, in a different variation!
I've got a couple more fairly tactical games coming soon in the 4.Nh3 Nimzo line!
Lovely game against young Raja, Frank! and spectacular finish. I just want to note that 21.d6 could also have been played but your finish is more decisive.
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