Something different! 4.Nh3 vs. Nimzo-Indian, E20

[Frank Dixon]

Going through my archives, I've come across a few games from my experimental youth in unusual openings. The 4.Nh3 Nimzo is one of them, and I actually played quite a number of games with it, with decent success. I got drummed using it a few years ago by NM Chris Pace in a Kingston Chess Club event, and hadn't thought about it since, until now! But I think the game I present here has some merit! Not many examples from other players!

Frank Dixon -- Dr. John Ursell
Kingston 1976, played October 24
Casual game, G/45'
Nimzo-Indian, 4.Nh3, E20
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3!?
[While searching for rare debuts that are playable, I came up with this while in high school, and tried it out several times in quick games. My opponent, Dr. John Ursell (1938-2009), was a professor of Mathematics at Queen's University, where I was a student at the time this game was played. Professor Ursell, known to everyone as John, was a friendly and somewhat eccentric fellow, who sometimes rehearsed his forthcoming course lectures in empty classrooms in the Math building during quiet evenings, when I was sometimes studying nearby, and we connected. The department kept several chess sets and a few clocks in the library, and we probably played about 30 games in the years I was at Queen's, with honors about even. John had earned his PhD from Oxford in 1963, but did not play chess for Oxford in the annual Varsity match against Cambridge, which dates back into the 1800s. His father was also a mathematics professor in the U.K. John was a member of a chess-playing family, going back several generations, and had played club chess in England, prior to taking his professorship at Queen's. He donated a number of chess books to Queen's, and to the City of Kingston library. Eventually, as we became friends, he sought my feedback on his lecture presentations. I never actually had him as a professor in any of my courses; he was very well liked by his students!]
4...b6
[I have also seen 4...O-O; 4...c5; 4...d5; 4...h6; and 4...d6 here.]
5.Bg5
[This idea is from the Leningrad variation, one move later; the line was popularized by a young Boris Spassky.]
5...Ba6
[This extended fianchetto was used frequently by GM David Bronstein in the Nimzo, in his 1951 drawn world title match with champion GM Mikhail Botvinnik. I am certain we have left recorded praxis at this stage! It's shaping up to be an interesting, unbalanced contest!]
6.Qb3 c5 7.e3 O-O 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.a3 Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 d5 (9,9)
[John is showing strong command of thematic Nimzo ideas; this was his main defense against 1.d4, I came to learn. I can't capture on d5, and I face danger with a coming ...Na5!, with Black's potential advantage.]
11.Qc2 dxc4
[Perhaps 11...h6 first is better, as my bishop becomes strong after capturing h7.]
12.Bxh7+ Kh8 13.O-O
[I have also tried both long castling, and leaving my King in the center, in the variation.]
13...Rc8 14.dxc5 Ne5!? (17,14)
[Potentially heading for a strong post on d3.]
15.cxb6 axb6 16.Nf4!
[Protecting d3, and preparing a transfer to h5, where I aim to increase pressure on Black's Kingside.]
16...b5
[A little slow, but by no means a bad move.]
17.Rad1 Qe7 18.Nh5!
[White has an advantage, but Black still has many resources.]
18...Rc7 19.Rd4!
[Looking to double rooks on the d-file, and possibly transfer this rook to h4!]
19...Ned7 (23,28)
[Electing to reinforce his King's defense.]
20.Rfd1 Bc8 21.Rh4 Qxa3! (25,31)
[With f6 now better protected, Black regains his pawn, and can create some potentially dangerous counterplay with this move! White, looking for combinations, must watch his back rank carefully.]
22.Ng3
[Withdrawing this knight from an attacking role, but fortifying the back rank.]
22...Qb3!
[Very resourceful play from Black. With a queen exchange on c2, White would give discovered check on the h-file, with his bishop recapture, gaining a tempo.]
23.Rxd7! Rxd7! 24.Bxf6! Rd1+! 25.Nf1! gxf6
[Not sure if Black, now down a piece until this recapture, can still save the position here.]
26.Bg8+! , 1-0. (34,40)
[This discovered check was what he had overlooked. White will give mate with his queen on h7! Certainly a lively encounter, illustrating the potential of the lesser-known variation!]

[Frank Dixon]

Frank Dixon -- Donald Dixon
Deep River 1975, played Oct. 23
Casual game, G/45'
Nimzo-Indian, 4.Nh3, E20
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3 c5! (1,7)
[Dad took some time to decide on this, but I believe it could be the strongest response to White's offbeat strategy. Others have played this against me as well, including my strongest opponent in a tournament game using the variation, NM Chris Pace, who defeated me in a Kingston Chess Club event a few years ago. Dad knew about this line from our regular chess banter, but this game was the first where I tried the new line against him. I hadn't found anything on it in any book I consulted.]
5.d5 exd5 6.cxd5 d6 7.Bg5 Nbd7 8.Qc2 a6 (5,13)
[I believe White has to advance d4-d5 on move 5 here, and the game has then headed into a type of Benoni central pawn structure, something I was not so well prepared for, being almost exclusively a 1.e2-e4 player. Dad, knowing my game very well of course, aimed to catch me on less prepared terrain; his plan works! There is some praxis from kin variations in the Leningrad variation with an early ...c7-c5, followed by d4-d5 from White, but not with an early Nh3 from White.]
9.e4 O-O 10.Be2 b5 11.O-O Re8 12.f4 Bb7 13.Bf3 Qb6 (12,21)
[Both sides have developed efficiently, the importance of which I learned early on from Dad, who introduced me to chess at age 7, as his father had done with him. Black has an excellent position with a queenside pawn majority, and he heads to the middlegame looking to enhance his prospects on that side of the board, while knowing I will likely attack in the center and the kingside, with my majority there.]
14.Kh1 h6 15.Bh4 c4! 16.Bf2 Nc5 17.Rae1 Rac8 18.Bd4 Qc7 (17,29)
[Here, considering Black's subsequent queenside attack, I would have likely done better with 19.Nf2, opposing the Black knight's entry to the strong d3 square, but was planning to advance in the center with e4-e5 soon, so figured that defensive move would hold back my pressure buildup. I unwisely decided against a central advance, being unable to calculate its consequences. But I now think 19.e5 is best here, with a sharp, unclear game coming up.]
19.Re2 Nd3! 20.a3 Bxc3 21.Bxc3 a5! 22.Bxf6 gxf6 23.Bh5 b4! (21,34)
[With only a pair of pawns swapped in the first 19 moves, the game's first exchanges of pieces have opened up the board considerably. I figured Black was somewhat better here, and that I would be unable to defend the queenside, so had to get my kingside attack moving to try to hold the balance in what will soon become a very sharp struggle. Hence, I damaged Black's king position, with 22.Bxf6, and now try to open lines towards it. My more frequent game practice, from regular high school team matches at G/30', will often tell to my advantage against out-of-practice Dad, when his time gets short, as it is now starting to! He does have a 20+ years experience advantage, however!]
24.axb4 axb4 25.Re3 f5! 26.Rg3+ Kf8 27.exf5 b3! 28.Qc3 Bxd5 (26,41)
[Now each player gets to see how his own plans will work out! Black has brought his inactive B/b7 to defend the important f7 square, while also hitting g2.]
29.Qg7+ Ke7 30.f6+
[A vital decision; I knew my queen on g7 would lose connection to the critical b2 square, but could see no other way to pursue my attack. White is heading into a losing position.]
30...Kd8 31.Qxh6 Nxb2!
[Now Black's queenside pawns are both far-advanced passers, and I have to use precious time to bring my attacking forces forward.]
32,Rg7 c3! 33.Ng5 c2! (-+) (28,44)
34.Nxf7+!? Kd7??
[With Dad's flag hanging, I had decided to resign to him on the reply 34...Bxf7!! Although I could play to flag him, even on that, he has outplayed me, and deserves to win, if he finds this move. I do have plenty of attacking firepower on the kingside, but it is not quite coordinating for victory. But Black, under pressure, is not able to see that he absolutely must eliminate this knight (the 4.Nh3 knight!), my most dangerous piece, and that after that he will be safe from immediate further attack, and then able to convert his dominant advantage by queening his c-pawn and threatening mate on my back rank. Easy to see with plenty of time on one's clock, of course!]
35.Ne5++!
[A complete game changer. Now if he picks 35...Kd8!, I can fight on with 36.Rxc7 Rxc7 37.f5!, connecting my Q/h6 to the queening square c1, when there is still lots to play for.]
35...Ke6? 36.Bg4#!, 1-0.
[A heartbreaker for Dad, but, though disappointed to be sure, he didn't get upset at all. He praised my original opening concept, and my fighting spirit in a tough position. He had played really wonderfully until right near the end. He did say, however, that I would definitely also find myself on the other side of winning undeservedly, if I played enough chess! Now true those words proved to be in future for me!, on a few occasions!]

[Frank Dixon]

Frank Dixon -- Vernon Jones
Pembroke 1973, played March 3
Renfrew Country High School League, match day 6 of 7, rd. 6 of 7
TD/Org: RCHSL
Time controls: G/30'
NimzoIndian, 4.Nh3, E20
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3
[This was my first tournament game with this variation. My coach James Hegney gave his OK for me to play the line in this game. He was somewhat unconvinced about the line's worth, but at this juncture in the event, our team had clinched no worse than a tie for first; we would have the bye in the last round; and I had clinched no worse than a tie for first on my board. The league's format had each of the very rural county's seven high schools host a one-day round-robin team tournament, on a Saturday, usually with six or eight boards, with G/30' format, not yet termed 'Active chess' that term would not arrive until the late 1980s. So, simply 'Rapid' chess! It meant a lot of chess in one day, but was a great way to improve! This was the sixth match day of the season, and my school, Mackenzie of Deep River, had won every match day event that season, so far, and would make a clean season sweep in #7.]
4...d5 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.cxd5 exd5 7.g3 O-O (3,7)
[Vernon was a regular opponent for me that year, and I scored well against him, but he did defeat me in a very nice game, at the Ontario HS Championship in Toronto in May 1973. He elects to go into a Queen's Gambit style of game, and I exchange on d5 to take away many active possibilities for Black. The game winds up in a Nimzo-Catalan hybrid, new territory to be sure.]
8.Bg2 c6 9.O-O b6 10.Rc1 Bb7 11.Qb3 Bxc3 (5,9)
[White has developed very efficiently, and any possibly detrimental effect of the 'kooky' 4.Nh3 is already minimal. In view of what happens later, 11...Be7 may have been more prudent, but Vernon was not much interested in defense. In fact the entire league was pretty much 'cut-and-thrust', with many inexperienced players. We were in the 'Fischer Boom' years, with chess interest growing fast!]
12.bxc3
[With three choices on recapture, I pick this one, with the potential for a c3-c4 advance later, to further pile up on d5, which was my main plan.]
12...Qe7 13.Rfe1 Rad8 14.Nf4!
[It turns out that this move is not only strong, but has saved time with its arrival on f4, before advancing my e-pawn.] It has good prospects both in the center and on the kingside.]
14...Rfe8 (11,15)
[Vernon said later he was looking for more active play than he got; that is when he is at his most dangerous.]
15.e4! Nf8!? 16.Nh5!
[At first I thought I would be just winning after 16.e5, but then looked deeper, to see 16...h6! 17.exf6? Qxe1+! 18.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 19.Bf1 Ba6!, and White is either lost or close to it. A typical Vernon trap! Instead I decide to conserve the energy in the position, while building my pressure.]
16...dxe4 17.Rxe4 Ne6 (13,20) 18.Bxf6! gxf6 19.Rce1 c5
[Black opens up the game further; he was facing a major problem with a possible f2-f4-f5 advance, hitting the pinned N/e6.]
]20.Rg4+! Kh8 21.Bxb7 c4!? (15,22)
[Vernon said later he wanted to lure my Queen out with this zwischenzug pawn sac, so he could harass it with his rooks, but I decline it, and retreat her majesty to a square I wanted to go anyway.]
22.Qc2! Qxb7 23.Nxf6!
[The situation is grim for Black on the kingside, but he has a nice little surprise for me!]
23...Ng5!?
[Faced with a mate threat, Black defends it and threatens mate of his own! Defensive tries lose quickly.]
24.Rxe8+
[I took five minutes here, and carefully worked it out to the end. Losing are both 24.Rxg5?? Rxe1#; and 24.Nxe8?? Nh3+! 25.Kf1 Qh1+ 26.Ke2 Rxe8+, mating.]
24...Rxe8 25.d5!
[Suppressing the Black queen's activity on the long diagonal.]
25... Re1+
[On 25...Qe7, 26.Qf5! wins quickly.]
26.Kg2 h6 27.Qh7+!, 1-0. (24,28)
[A spirited battle, and a solid debut for the new line! This game was selected as the third best for the league season, in a vote of team coaches -- good for a copy of 'Pawn Power in Chess', by IM / IA Hans Kmoch, a classic tome!]

[Frank Dixon]

This game marked my first attempt with the variation facing a very strong, experienced opponent. Dr. Roger Kewley was Professor of Chemistry at Queen's University, and he approached me with the idea that he could coach me for ten Sunday-night sessions, as my dad didn't want me playing tournament chess, but I needed some fun in my very drab life, other than seemingly endless classes, labs, and assignments in first-year engineering. Even better, student residence didn't provide a Sunday dinner, and Roger's wife had her 'ladies night out' that night with her friends, so he invited me for dinner, as well, before our sessions! My dad agreed to the plan. Roger would pick me up at my dorm, drive me to his home, his wife would take the car for her evening, and Roger and I would settle in for a great meal, already prepared, followed by chess. And all at no charge! This was our second actual training session; the format was a G/45' with a clock, followed by analysis, then a Q + A, and some assigned problems for me, to be presented the next week. Roger was among Kingston's strongest OTB players, and had been 1970 Canadian Correspondence Champion. Perhaps my happiest time in chess!

Frank Dixon (1436P) -- Dr. Roger Kewley (1931)
Kingston 1977, played Jan. 26
Training match, game 2 of 10
Time controls: G/45'
Nimzo-Indian, 4.Nh3, E20
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3
[Roger was doubting this was a serious variation, but I told him I had scored well with it!]
4...O-O (1,6) 5.Bg5 d6 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Bd3 c5 8.Qc2 b6 (8,13) 9.O-O-O!?
[This was my first try with long castling, although I had analyzed it.]
9...Qe7 10.Nf4 cxd4 11.exd4 Bb7 12.Kb1 Rac8 (13,17) 13.Nh5 Ba6
[Black was having no part of 13...Bxg2?!]
14.b3 h6 15.Nxf6+ Nxf6 (24,30) 16.Bh7+ Kh8 17.h4 b5! 18.Ne4!? bxc4! (31,35)
[Black can lose in many attractive ways, should he capture the B/g5, as the h-file is opened, and squares like h7 become fatally weak. But Roger calculated that White could not strengthen his attack if Black declined the sacrifice! Instead, Black builds his counterattack on the queenside, and he has worked it all out, as we will see! This 18th move by Black is the first of nine successive captures. I was feeling anticipation for a possible win; our first game was won by Roger in straightforward fashion, as White against my King's Indian Defense. But over the next few moves, I also realized I had no way forward.]
19.Nxf6 cxb3! 20.Qxb3 gxf6! 21.Bxh6 Kxh7! 22.Nxf8 Qxf8!! (37,41)
[Yes, indeed! I had earlier calculated 22...Rxf8? here, figuring to win with 23.Qxb4, but that is now met by 23...Rb8!, and Black wins!]
23.Qf3 Rb8! 24.Qh5+ Qh6 25.Qxh6+ Kxh6, 1/2--1/2. (40,42)
[Black's draw offer was accepted. Roger said that if he had more time, he would play on. White's King is in danger, and will be under pressure. White's passed h-pawn is not a factor. But Roger complimented my 4.Nh3 idea, and said I had played well; he said the variation had potential! Incidentally, my 1436P rating was provisional, based on fewer than 25 CFC-rated games. At the end of our sessions, Roger said he thought my strength was about 1700, and that this would show up when I played more games. He was proven correct; my first regular rating, in late 1980, was 1786, after a 'rating boon' to account for deflation in the CFC system.]

[Fred Henderson]

Interesting games I'm sure. I looked through the notes. Is there a point to 4.Nh3 other than to get them out of the book? Any strategic significance?

[Frank Dixon]

Thanks, Fred, for your interest and questions. For the next two weeks, my chess interest will be focused on the Olympiad in Budapest, and especially Canada's performances there. And I have another group of games ready to post in the 4.Nh3 Nimzo, beginning in two weeks. After that, I will respond to your questions in detail! I think the upcoming games will illustrate more of the variation's themes.

[Frank Dixon]

This is my first game for quite a while in this line. I have been reviewing several older-era games for posting, and then had the chance to play the variation for the first time in several years!! It worked out pretty well!

Frank Dixon (1844) -- Rob Hutchison (1774)
Kingston 2024, played Sept. 30
Kingston Chess Club blitz tournament, rd. 3 of 4
Time control: G/10' + 5"
TD: Jake Van Rooy; Org: KCC
Nimzo-Indian, 4.Nh3, E20
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3
[Rob is my friend and chess opponent for 30 years in Kingston. A CFC Life Member, he had a peak rating of 1974 some 20 years ago, won the Group B title at KCC, and was the last KCC member to defeat future IM Raja Panjwani, then age 14, in 2004, before the Panjwani's moved to Kitchener that year. Rob and I also partnered to run the Kingston Open for several years; Rob as Organizer, myself as TD. He has recently returned to chess, after a lengthy break. Rob recently completed a very successful four terms on Kingston City Council, for a total of 16 years served, before choosing to not run for re-election in 2022. He has also retired from his career as a Housing Co-Operative manager. I've scored well against him, losing only one regulation-length tournament game.]
4...c5 5.d5 d6
[Fascinating was 5...b5!? 6.Bg5 Bb7!?, as first seen in Dixon -- Frank Kluytmans, Calgary 1981, and several other subsequent games! The position is a hybrid Blumenfeld Gambit / Nimzo-Indian Defense!]
6.Bg5 O-O 7.g3 h6
[A good response.]
8.Bd2
[I had never retreated this bishop to d2, following ...h7-6, in all the games I have played in this line! I have exchanged it for a knight on f6, retreated it to h4 and g3, sacrificed it on g5 after Bh4 g5, and sacrificed it on g5 by letting it be captured ...h6xg5. So we are opening up some new vistas.]
8...exd5 9.cxd5 Re8 10.Bg2 a6 11.O-O Bf5 12.Re1 Nbd7 (2,4)
[Black has a very good position.]
13.e4!?
[This leads to some sharp play, but doesn't it just lose a pawn!?]
13...Bxc3 14.Bxc3 Bxe4
[As Rob said later, 14...Nxe4 is also interesting.]
15.Bxe4 Nxe4 16.Bxg7! Ndf6 (3,7)
[This move cost Black a couple of minutes; not so long, but in a blitz game, quite a lot! Key alternatives include: A) 16...Kxg7 17.Qg4+ Qg5 18.Qxb7, which I evaluated as fine for White; and B) 16...Kxg7 17.Qg4+ Ng5 18.Nxg5 Nf6 (seemingly winning), and now 19.Ne6++!!, mating next move!. Rob did see this, and avoided it.]
17.Bxh6 Qd7 18.Nf4 Qf5 19.f3! Ng5 20.Rxe8+ Rxe8 21.Bxg5 Qxg5 22.Qd3 Re5 (6:30,9:30) 23.Rd1 b5
[White has exchanged off a couple of pieces, caught up in development, and has his d5 weakness sufficiently protected. Black is a pawn down, but his queenside majority could provide counter-chances. However, he has no pieces on that side of the board.]
24.Kf2 c4 25.Qd4!
[A strong square for the queen. Black by now was virtually reduced to playing on the increment, a dicey business for anyone, let alone a player past age 70 who hasn't played competitive chess for nearly 20 years.]
25...a5 26.h4! Qf5 27.g4 Qc2+ 28.Kg3 b4?
[Drops a pawn.]
29.Rd2 Qa4 30.Qxc4, 1-0 (time) (8,10).
[I think White should win, had the game continued. He has dangerous possibilities on the kingside, and Black has no real threats. An original and well-played game, despite the fast time control.]

[David Ottosen]

Ok but where's this game against an NM who drummed it? :)

[Frank Dixon]

Replying to David Ottosen: that game with NM Chris Pace, from the late 2010s, will be coming up on this thread in due course.

For the most part, my plan with this thread has been to work my way through my archives, which had been really disorganized as of four years ago, but now are in a somewhat better state, as I have recycled most of the unneeded paper, and sorted game scores, tournament reports, lesson plans, and so forth. I am coming across games in this variation from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, which will appear before the game with NM Pace. Also, I do want to demonstrate the major possibilities for Black, on move four. I have seen the following possibilities: a) 4...d5; b) 4...b6; c) 4...c5; d) 4...O-O; e) 4...c6; f) 4...d6; g) 4...h6, and h) 4...Bxc3+. So far, in the five games posted, the only repeated line is with 4...c5, and that game posted last week is quite different from Frank Dixon vs Donald Dixon, Deep River 1975.

Also, I need to correct an error in the analysis of Dixon -- Hutchison, posted above. In the note to Black's 16th, variation A), I should have written 17.Qg4+ Ng5 18.Nxg5 Qxg5, and ONLT THEN 19.Qxd7. I omitted 18.Nxg5 Qxg5, writing instead 17...Qg5, which simply hangs Black's queen to the N/h3. Sorry about that.

[Frank Dixon]

Here is the next game in the series. It features 4...c6, a rare reply, then heads into a type of Semi-Slav, with an early ...dxc4.

Frank Dixon (2069) -- Geoff McKay (2159)
Kingston 1999, played July 14
Nimzo Indian, 4.Nh3, E20
Friendly training game, time control G/45'
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3
[Geoff and I were playing a lot of chess that summer, as he asked me to help him prep for the 1999 North Bay International Open. Geoff had just won the 1999 Kingston Championship, unbeaten, with a performance rating over 2300, while I was second, with a performance rating over 2200. He defeated me in the key game. In this game, I asked Geoff if he wanted to see my idea against the Nimzo; he said he would, so we went for it, with no more preparation on his part! His main defense to closed openings is the Grunfeld, backed up by the Dutch and Nimzo, with an occasional Slav / Semi-Slav.
4...c6 5.Bg5 d5 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Qc2 O-O 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b5 10.Bd3 h6 (5,3) 11.Bh4 g5!?
[Not sure if Geoff would have played this in a serious tournament game, where he was usually more restrained. I will say this about Geoff's play: he is the strongest non-Master I have ever faced, and we played each other a lot over a period of 15 years, from 1994 to 2009, when he built an edge as the strongest player in the Kingston region. The game heads into a very sharp struggle, with both players in a 'va banque' sort of mood! I had been studying GM David Bronstein's amazing book 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' (1995), and aimed to play in his style!]
12.Nxg5 hxg5 13.Bxg5 Bb7 14.h4 Qb6 15.f3 Rac8 16.Kf2!? Rfe8 17.h5 c5! (9,11)
[I am using a plan suggested originally for this variation with 4.Nh3 by Dr. Roger Kewley, when he coached me in 1977 -- don't castle on either side, but stroll the King to f2, connecting the rooks.]
18.Bxb5 cxd4 19.exd4 Qxd4+ 20.Be3! Qd6 (10,13) 21.Rd1!? Qe7 22.Qe2!? Bxc3 23.bxc3 Rxc3 24.Bd4! Rc7 25.Qb2!? Nh7 (17,22)
[White continues to offer material, to open lines and enhance his attacking chances on the Kingside. Geoff is only too happy to accept!]
26.Bd3 Ndf8 27.Rh3 a6 28.h6 Ng6 29.Rg3 Nhf8 30.Rh1 f5 (24,30)
[Black's committal move closes some lines, while opening others.]
31.h7+! Nxh7 32.Rxg6+ Kf8 33.Bg7! Kf7 34.R1h6 Rg8!! (29,34)
[Of course, there were many alternatives for both sides, for the previous few moves. I don't plan to annotate the game in detail here. At this juncture, I was optimistic about winning, and in our post-game analysis, I was better or winning against any other try here, so this 34th move is an inspired choice by Geoff.]
35.Rxe6
[After the game, I was unable to improve here, the critical position. But perhaps there is better; it certainly seems as if White should be taking control.]
35...Qc5+!
[A vital intermezzo!]
36.Bd4 Qc1! 37.Qxc1 Rxc1
[Black has exchanged the Queens and this eases his defense significantly, removing most mating possibilities for White.]
38.Rxh7+ Kxe6 39.Rxb7 Rd8!! (32,37)
[Once again, Geoff finds a fantastic reply, and it only gradually dawned on me that his plan was to chase my King with his rooks, despite his material deficit. I don't think White can win, as his King is too insecure, he can't advance his passers, nor can he generate meaningful attack on Black's King!]
40.Rb4 a5! 41.Ra4 Rdd1! 42.Bc4+ Ke7 43.Bb6 R8d2+! 44.Kg3 f4+! 45.Kxf4 Rxg2 (35,39) 46.Rxa5 Rb2! 47.Bb3 Rh1! 48.Bc5+ Kd7 49.Ba3 Rh4+ (37,41) 50.Ke3 Rbh2! 51.Rd5+ Kc6 52.Rd4! Rh5! 53.f4 R5h3+ 54.Ke4 Re2+ 55.Kf5, 1/2 -- 1/2. (43,43)
[White's draw offer was accepted, with both players short of time, just before the control. I was disappointed not to win, but I think the draw was a fair result, in a fascinating struggle!]

[Frank Dixon]

Frank Dixon (1785 CFC) -- Hamish Carrick Burns (USA, unr.)
Troon (Scotland) 1987, played May 29
Match (2 of 2), time control G/45'
Nimzo-Indian, 4.Nh3, E20
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3
[I was in Scotland for four weeks, representing Canada at the British Amateur Golf Championship, the world's oldest amateur event, dating to 1885. I met Hamish as we were both finishing our casual rounds at the Royal Troon Golf Club (site of the 2024 British Open, and many more major events), just north of the tournament site, Prestwick Golf Club. The actual event was to start three days later. He and I were both in the clubhouse, we noticed a couple of chess games in progress, and wandered over to check out the action. We introduced ourselves, and found that, in addition to our golf interests, we both played chess! After a drink and a snack, he proceeded to invite me to his nearby home to challenge me to a match! Just like that! We settled on a two-game format, G/45', loser to treat the winner to dinner that night. Hamish is an American, late 40s, wealthy, international businessman and investor, with homes in New York, Scotland and St. Bart's, in the Caribbean. I had won the first game. He is a very strong unrated player, who had never played organized chess, but played chess since high school, and followed the rise of Bobby Fischer, a few years younger, in New York. He played private correspondence games with friends, and many casual games with strong players in New York, I learned later. He is a multi-faceted and skilled sportsman, with golf, tennis, sailing, hunting and fishing, equestrian, polo, and lacrosse among his interests, besides chess.]
4...d6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 b6 7.Bd3 Qe7 8.Qc2 c5 9.Nf4 O-O 10.O-O-O cxd4 11.exd4 Ba6! (3,10)
[I had analyzed this line with opposite sides castling quite extensively, before and since first playing it in a serious game for the first time against Dr. Roger Kewley, Kingston 1977, posted on this site, a spirited draw. I had also analyzed it since then, and scored a couple of wins. But as this game unfolded, I realized that, despite a quite different move order early on, Black was a tempo ahead of the Kewley game, due to playing ...Bc8-a6 in one move instead of two! This concerned me, but I still decided to try a similar piece sac, which had been declined in the Kewley game.]
12.b3 Rac8 13.Nh5 h6 14.Nxf6+ Nxf6 15.h4?!/!?
Safer would be 15.Bh4.]
15...Rfd8! 16.Kb1 hxg5 17.hxg5 Nd7 (8,21)
[Black has accepted the piece sac, and with his 15th move, creating some back-rank room, shows his intent to later slide his King to e8, and block any back-rank checks from White's majors by ...Nf8!]
18.Be2 g6 19.Ne4 b5! 20.c5 d5 21.Nd6 Rc6 22.f4
[Alternatively, Black seems to hold after, for example, 22.Qd3!? Qxg5 23.Qh3 Qf6 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Rd3 Rxd6! 26.cxd6 Bxd6 27.Rf3 Qg7 28.Qh4 Be7 29.Qf4, and can now defend against 30.Rh8+! in several ways, such as ...Bf6, ...f6..., ...f5, or ...Nf6.]
22...Rxd6! 23.cxd6 Bxd6 (13,25)
[The middlegame here is unfolding in a very different manner from the Kewley game. Black has returned some of the material to eliminate the strong N/d6, and has gotten his B/b4 back for a defensive role. I felt I was probably worse here, but decided to go for the attack on the Kingside anyway.]
24.g3 Rc8 25.Qd2 f5
[Quite committal, but it does keep White's bishop away from Black's Kingside, to be sure.]
26.Rh6 Nf8 27.Rdh1 Kf7 28.Rh8 Ke8 29.Qa5 Qb7 30.R1h7 Be7 31.g4 Qc6! (21,33)
[Black has fended off White's efforts, and now begins to cause me some problems! I had to be very alert.]
32.Qd2 b4! 33.Bxa6 Qxa6 34.gxf5 Qf1+! 35.Kb2 exf5 36.Rh2! Rc3! 37.Re2! Kd7 38.R8h2! Ne6 (29,40)
[I had hoped to invade Black's Kingside with my rooks, but I have had to retreat them to defend my own King. But perhaps Black did not quite appreciate that White has offensive threats with his rooks, as well!]
39.Rhf2! Qh3 40.Re5! Qh1 41.Rfe2!
[Decisive, but Black fights on, requiring me to be really watchful in the final stretch, since both sides have pieces both threatening and vulnerable! Black's clock was becoming a factor.]
41...Nxd4!? 42.Rxe7+ Kd6 43.Re1! Nf3!? 44.R7e6+ Kc7 45.Rxh1 Nxd2 46.Rh7+ Kd8 47.Rxg6 Re3 48.Rxa7 Re8 49.Rd6+ Kc8 50.Rxd5 Kb8 51.Rf7 Ne4 52.Rb5+ Kc8 53.Rxb4 Nf2 54.Rc4, 1-0. (41,44)
[A great battle! And a festive evening was to follow, with Hamish and his wife, at one of Troon's best restaurants. He did ask for one thing from me: a chess lesson! I was happy to oblige, and we got a golf game together two days later, as well. He shot in the low 80s, pretty good!]

[Frank Dixon]

Frank Dixon (1436P) -- Dr. James Cairns (1609)
Kingston 1978, played January 29
Team match: FD for Queen's University Chess Club, JC for Kingston Chess Club, board 8
Nimzo-Indian, 4.Nh3, E20
Time controls: 40/120', SD/60'
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3
[This was my first-ever game with Dr. James Cairns, one of the leaders of Kingston chess for decades, and we would meet fairly often for the next 30+ years. Jim was Professor of Economics at Kingston's Royal Military College of Canada, and eventually served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts there. He would have been in his mid-50s at this time, while I had just turned 20 years of age, and was in my second year at Queen's. The team match between the two clubs dates to before World War II, and another installment is planned for 2025. For this game, we played it on the Sunday, instead of at the usual Monday night KCC meeting, since on that Monday, Jim was to be supervising an exam, while I would be writing one. He invited me to his home for dinner, we enjoyed a very nice roast beef feast with some fine wine, and then settled in for battle. I especially enjoyed the longer time controls, as I had had comparatively little experience with these, playing most of my high school chess at G/30'. Jim had grown up west of Toronto, in the Georgetown area, completed his undergrad studies at the University of Toronto, and then his doctorate at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University, one of the world's top economics programs. He had been a good schoolboy chess player in the mid-1930s, and was part of the great generation which built much of Canadian chess, along with such major figures as GM D.A. Yanofsky and IA Phil Haley. Jim was also a keen and skilled correspondence player, and retained an OTB strength of about 1800 into his 80s! He defeated me in an excellent game in 2009, in another KCC vs QUCC match, a year before his death in 2010, at age 87!]
4...d6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 b6 7.Be2 Bb7 8.O-O Qe7 (11,26) 9.f3 c5 10.Qb3 O-O-O!?
[This game was the first one in this variation where I faced queenside castling from Black. I had tried queenside castling myself as White, the previous year, against Dr. Roger Kewley, a good friend of Jim's. That game, which wound up drawn, has been posted earlier here, and Jim knew about it. I decided to try to utilize my time well to counter the new plan from Black, which I had never even analyzed.]
11.Rac1 Kb8 12.a3 cxd4!?/?! (23,41)
[Similar ideas are often played in other Nimzo lines, but I am not convinced it is best here, or even that good, as the game shows. Black has allowed the c-file to open, and that is hazardous for his King, while at the same time seeking activity, which I was to learn was typical of Jim's style.]
13.axb4 dxc3 14.Rxc3 h6 15.Bh4 g5 16.Bg3! Rdg8 (31,55)
[We are shaping up for a battle of opposite wing attacks, but I believed my dark-squared bishop, now pointed at Black's King, would be a strong weapon, and so it proves. I think White is now a bit better, with two bishops in a game which is about to open up.]
17.c5! Ne8 (53,62)
[I used about 20 minutes on my strong 17th move, one of my longest ever expenditures to that stage, in about 15 years of chess, and I think Black is now in some trouble.]
18.cxd6! Nxd6 19.Rd1! e5 20.Rcd3! Rg6 (55,74)
[White has a clear advantage, with building pressure on the d-file, and on the h2-b8 diagonal. Black must be very careful. He is holding, for the moment.]
21.Nf2!
[I am aiming to reposition this knight, hopefully to f5, to enhance my threats.]
21...h5 22.h3 h4 23.Bh2 Ka8 (60,78) 24.e4! Rhg8 25.Ng4 Rd8 (69,93)
[Black realizes the danger, and has to abandon his kingside attacking dreams, undoubling his rooks, for precise defense.]
26.Ne3 Nb5 27.Nf5! Qe8 28.Bxe5! Qxe5 29.Rxd7 Rxd7 30.Rxd7 a6 (91,107)
[White has won a pawn, and his threats continue, across the entire board, as the position opens up further!]
31.Qxf7! Qxb2!?
[Seeking complications. White's position is very good, and he can afford to take some time to carefully defend against the Black Queen's incursion.]
32.Bxb5 axb5 33.Ne3! Qc1+ 34.Nf1 Bc8 35.Qa2+!, 1-0. (98,112)
[White will mate in a few moves. A very satisfying win, while managing my clock well, facing a new plan, over such an experienced player, in my own variation!]

[Frank Dixon]

Frank Dixon (1907) -- IA David Cohen (1866)
Ottawa 2013, played July 18
Training game
Nimzo-Indian, 4.Nh3, E20
Time control: G/60' + 30"
Clock times in brackets
Notes by Frank Dixon

[I was in Ottawa for two weeks as an arbiter for both that year's CYCC and Canadian Open. David was a competitor in the Canadian Open. He and I had only played a handful of blitz games together, so I asked him if he was interested in a training game with me, unrated, in this Nimzo-Indian variation. He was interested, and asked for a few days to study the position after 4.Nh3. Granted!]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nh3
[The game began from here. We played on a day when David was taking a bye from the Open, so was free to play me, before the evening's round, when I was to officiate.]
4...d5 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.cxd5 exd5 7.g3 O-O (2,2) 8.Bg2
[So far as in Dixon 1-0 Vernon Jones, Pembroke 1973, which has been posted here. But David has a stunner with his next move!]
8...c5!!?
[How to describe this move!? Jones had played 8...c6. In 40+ years with the variation, I had never analyzed this possibility! Black will almost certainly get much more activity than in the Jones game. It seems the game may head in a direction similar to the Tarrasch Defense to the Queen's Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5), a line I know little about in detail. In the Tarrasch, the main line has White exchanging pawns on d5 early, then playing a fianchetto with his King's Bishop, akin to this game in certain elements. David said later that he had spent several hours in analysis, and came up with half-a-dozen possibilities, not knowing, of course, what I would play!]
9.O-O cxd4 (11,3) 10.Qxd4 Bc5 11.Qf4 d4!? 12.Nd5! Be7 (22,6)
[I passed up a number of tempting alternatives, and aimed for efficient development and to suppress Black's active chances, while at the same time trying to steer the game into lines he may not have analyzed beforehand! David said later that he was away from his analysis after White's 12th move. However, White is well behind on the clock already, in a G/60' format, with increment. So Black's choice of variation is already somewhat justified!]
13.Nxe7 Qxe7 14.Rfe1 Rb8!? 15.Rad1 Qc5 (25,17) 16.Qd2! Rd8 17.Bf4! Ne5 (29,23)
[White retreated his Queen to d2 to free the f4 square for the bishop, to increase the pressure. I liked my position. Black is somewhat tied up, and will have some difficulty developing his Queenside. He is having to spend valuable clock time to find good moves, and is catching up to me on the clock.]
18.e3! d3!? 19.b4! Qc7 20.Qb2! Re8 (32,33)
[White is seizing space on the Queenside, and wants to optimize his piece placement before winning the advanced d-pawn, while watching carefully for tactical tricks. Our blitz games had shown me that David can be a dangerous tactician.]
21.a4 Bd7 22.b5 b6 23.Rc1 Qd6 24.Red1 h6 25.Qd4!
[Offering a Queen trade; Black cannot accept here, since he would lose material, due to the pin on the N/e5, after an e-pawn recapture on d4.]
25...Qe7 26.Rc7! Rbd8 (38,41) 27.Qxe5 Qxe5 28.Bxe5 Rxe5 29.Rxd3 Re7 (40,44)
[White has a clear advantage, with an extra pawn, more space, better piece placement, and potential for continued active play, and to win more material. Black is forced to a defensive posture, and now trails on the clock.]
30.Nf4! Kf8 31.Rxa7 Ke8
[David, whose death from cancer, a few years ago, while still a comparatively young man, was an enormous loss for his family and friends, and also for Canadian chess. He was one of the giant modern builders of Canadian chess. He earned the IA title, and served as a CFC Governor. He earned a Master's degree from Yale University. He ran the 1984 PanAmerican Intercollegiate Team Championship at Waterloo, the second time it had been held in Canada (first at Montreal 1969). He was involved with running many important events, including the 2004 Canadian Zonal in Toronto. He earned a 2000+ rating over-the-board at his peak, and was also a successful correspondence player. He built a website with short bios of key figures in Canadian chess, with ongoing research and updates. He founded and ran the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame, developing it into a widely respected entity, which continues today after his death. And he devoted significant energy and effort for charity fundraising, asking young Masters to give simuls to raise money. All in all, the energetic and imaginative David was one of my favorite people in Canadian chess. When he played in a Kingston Open, where I was on the organizing team, he made a point to thank me afterwards, saying how much he had enjoyed the event!]
32.Rb7 Rc8!? (39,47)
[This move was accompanied by a draw offer, which I declined. Black hasn't had any significant activity so far in the game, and he tries to catch me napping here.]
33.h3 Rc1+ 34.Kh2 g5 35.Rb8+ Rc8 36.Rxc8+ Bxc8 37.Bc6+! Nd7 38.Nd5!
[Decisive. Black must lose at least the Exchange.]
38...Re6 39.Nc7+ Ke7 40.Nxe6 fxe6 41.f4 gxf4 42.gxf4 e5 (44,52)
[I was expecting David to resign around here, but he makes me play out the rather straightforward ending.]
43.f5 Nf6 44.e4 Nh5 45.Rc3 Nf4 46.Ba8 Bd7 47.Rc7 Kd6 48.Rb7 Be8 (47,54)
[David had been of exceptional service to the CYCC a few days earlier. Chief Arbiter Halldor Palsson had handed me a tricky problem after play had been completed, on the Friday night, a week previous to the current game. He had been involved earlier with this game, so disqualified himself from further involvement. We had an appeal, and no committee had been set up. With the key assistance of the ever-helpful, multi-talented John Upper, we teamed to unscramble a deep mystery in a game from the G18 section, final round, which impacted WYCC qualification. First, John and I had to ascertain the facts, so we summoned both players to a closed room, and during a period of some two hours, managed to get the truth, with their full cooperation. Both scoresheets had a significant number of errors, so we had to create a correct game score, which we did, with both players agreeing to it. It was only then that a decision could be made. David was in the tournament site, so I asked him to join me on an Appeals Committee, and we also recruited the highly experienced Herb Langer, a longtime leader in eastern Ontario chess. David put aside his evening's plans, and served as Chair, since he was the most qualified (I am NTD since 2004, with a pass of the 2010 FIDE Arbiter Course, while Herb is a RTD). After thorough and detailed discussion, we rendered a decision right around midnight, nearly six hours after I was handed the problem! CYCC playoffs were to be held on the following Saturday morning, with the Canadian Open set to begin that same afternoon, so it was a very busy time, with a tight schedule!]
49.Rxb6+ Kc5 50.Rxh6 Kb4 51.Ra6 Nd3 52.b6 Nc5 53.Ra7 Bxa4 54.b7 Nd7 55.f6 Bb3 56.b8Q+ Nxb8 57.Rb7+, 1-0. (53,57)
[Black, losing a piece, has finally seen enough. White will be able to queen at least one of his passed pawns, with a simple win. An important and interesting game in a sub-variation I had not contemplated beforehand! David congratulated me on my good play, and wished me the best in extending my own arbiter experience!]