Part1 | Part2

Anyway!

12.Nxd4 exd4 13.Bxd4 Bxd4 14.Qxd4 Nc5

Winning a key tempo with the threat of 15...Nb3.

15.Rd1 Qg5 16.Bf3 f5 17.0-0 f4!

This looks ambitious, but 17...fxe4 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Bxe4 Bxh3 20.f4 wins for White. 

18.Kh2 Nd7 19.Bg4 Ne5 20.Bxc8 f3 21.g3 Raxc8 22.Rh1 a6 23.Qd2 Qxd2 24.Rxd2 Nxc4 25.Rd4 Ne5

Bologan goes on to win an interesting endgame.

26.Rc1 h5 27.Nb1 g5 28.Nd2 g4 29.h4 Kf7 30.Kg1 Re7 31.Kf1 Nd7 32.Rdc4 Nf6 33.R1c3 b5 34.Rd4 Nd7 35.Ke1 Nc5 36.b4 Na4 37.Rc6 a5 38.bxa5 Nc5 39.Kd1 Ra8 40.a6 Nxa6 41.Rc3 Nc5 42.Kc2 Kf6 43.Rb4 Ra5 44.Re3 Re8 45.Kc1 Ke5 46.Kc2 Rea8 47.Kb2 R8a6 48.Ka2 Ra4 49.Rxb5 Rb6 50.Rxb6 cxb6 51.Kb2 Nxe4 52.Kb3 Rd4 53.Nxe4 Rxe4 54.Rxe4+ Kxe4 55.Kc4 b5+ 56.Kxb5 Kd3 57.Kc6 Ke2 58.Kxd6 Kxf2 59.Ke5 Kxg3 60.d6 f2 61.d7 f1Q 62.d8Q Kh3 63.Qd7 Kxh4, 0-1.

Here's one more example of Bologan's aggressive approach: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.a3 d6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 g5 8.Bg3 g4 9.Ng1 Nh5 10.e3 Nxg3 11.hxg3 h5 12.Bd3 Bg7 13.Nge2 e5 14.dxe5 Nxe5 with an unclear position, Sashikiran-Bologan, Linares1999.

I haven't seen the opportunities to test this opening against world-class players that Bologan has had, but I like this one where I faced the alternative fianchetto development.

Jay Bonin - Joel Benjamin [E10]
New York State Championship, Saratoga, 2000
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nc6 4.a3 d6 5.Nc3 g6 6.g3 Bg7 7.Bg2 0-0 8.0-0 Re8 9.h3

Obviously Black hoped for 9.e4 e5 10.d5 Nd4, but Black needs a plan after this patient waiting move

9...a6 10.Be3 Rb8 11.Rc1 Bd7

The Black “waiting” moves are paying dividends after 12.d5 exd5 13.cxd5 Ne7.

12.b4 b5 13.cxb5 axb5 14.Nd2 Ne7

Once again, e7-e6 comes in handy. Black has a good position with excellent square control.

15.Nb3 h6 16.Bd2 Nfd5 17.e4 Nb6 18.Na5 Nc6 19.Nxb5

Inviting unfavorable complications, but 19.Nxc6 Bxc6 is quite comfortable for Black

19...Nxa5 20.bxa5 Bxb5 21.axb6 Rxb6 22.Ba5?!

Again asking for trouble. White would be just a bit worse after 22.Re1 Bxd4 23.a4 Ba6 24.Bxh6 c5 25.Be3 e5.

22...Ra6 23.Bxc7 Qd7

24.Re1?

It seems that White has a miracle save here – 24.e5!! d5 (24...Bxf1 25.Qxf1 Ra7 26.exd6 Rc8 27.Bc6 Raxc7 28.Bxd7 Rxc1 29.Bxc8 Rxf1+ 30.Kxf1 Bxd4, =) 25.Re1 Rxa3 26.Bd6, =.

24...Rc8 25.Qb3 Bxd4 26.a4 Rxa4! 27.Bxd6 Rxc1 28.Rxc1 Qxd6 29.Qxb5

Or 29.Rc8+ Kg7 30.Qxb5 Bxf2+ 31.Kxf2 Qd4+ 32.Ke2 Ra2+ 33.Kf3 Rf2+ 34.Kg4 f5+ mating.

29...Bxf2+ 30.Kh1 Ra2 31.e5 Qa3 32.Rf1 Qxg3 33.Qc4 Rd2 34.Qc1 Re2 35.Qd1 Qxe5, 0-1.

It's gratifying to take part in the development of opening theory. It's also fun to watch your minions go forth and do your bidding. Last summer at the Castle Camp in Bradford, PA., a class implored me to explain the finer points of the Black Knights' Tango. The next day one of them won with the Tango in the weekend tournament. In the World Open I proudly watched my faithful Tango protégé score an impressive upset.

Hikaru Nakamura - Samson Benen [A50]
World Open Philadelphia 2003
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.a3 d6 5.Nc3 g6 6.d5 Ne7 7.g3 Bg7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 a6 10.Ne1 Rb8 11.e4 c5 12.f4 b5 13.e5 Ne8

The White center is overextended and Nakamura has to work just to keep the balance.  Moreover, he burned most of his time early and could not hold the position together when the time pressure hit.

This proves insufficient, but 34.Rh4 h5 35.Rxa6 Rc2 leaves White's king in trouble.

34...Rc1+ 35.Kg2 Bxd6 36.exd6 R1c2+ 37.Kh3 Kg7 38.Nd5 Rd8 39.Nb4 Rc3 40.Nxa6 Rxa3 41.Nc5 Ra5 42.Ne4 Re5 43.g4 f5 44.gxf5 gxf5 45.Nd2 Kf6 46.Kg3 Ke6 47.Rh4 Rxd6 48.Rh6+ Kd7 49.Rxh7+ Re7 50.Rxe7+ Kxe7 51.Nf3 Kf6 52.h3 Ra6 53.Ne1 Ke5 54.Nd3+ Ke4 55.Nf2+ Ke3 56.Nd1+ Kd2 57.Nb2 Kc2 58.Kf4 Kxb2 59.Kxf5 Rh6 60.Kg4 Kc3 61.h4 Kd4 62.Kg5 Rh8 63.h5 Ke5 64.Kg6 Ke6 65.h6 Rg8+ 66.Kh7 Rg1 67.Kh8 Kf7 68.h7 Kg6 69.Kg8 Kh6+ 70.Kh8 Ra1, 0-1.

Clearly 4.a3 is a very important move. One look at a database shows how often this position is contested in grandmaster games. I suspect in the future White will refine his setup in the quasi-King's Indian we see after 4…d6, but Black certainly has the resources for a reasonable position, as well as an interesting one.

The discussion of 4.a3 has taken so much space that I will have to make you wait for the conclusion of our Tango investigation next month. After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.Nc3 Bb4 we have a kind of Nimzo-Indian. Most people then play 5.Qc2 (which is the most popular Nimzo line to begin with) which puts us in a line that was popular for Black many years ago, but now nearly only appears out of the Tango move order. If I may, let me whet your appetite with a little fun trap:

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qc2 d6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4? (7.Bd2! is the critical move) 7…g5 8.Bg3 g4 and Black wins a pawn. Will that ever happen for you? Well, if memory serves me correctly, Yasser Seirawan fell into this trap against me in a blitz tournament. And there are other similar traps: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.Bg5 Bb4+ 5.Nbd2 h6 6.Bh4? g5 7.Bg3 g4 winning a pawn again. I got that one in tournament play as well!

More on this stuff next month, as well as an interesting question Jeremy posed to me from the first Tango column.

Part1 | Part2