1 d4 t2Jc6 2 c4
To my mind, this is already a lax move. White puts up no resistance to Black's logical follow-up. Presumably some players are hoping for a Chigorin (after 2 ... d5).
2 . . . es
3 dS Instead:
a) The lame 3 e3 offers Black a few methods: 3 ... exd4 4 exd4 d5 5 tt::lf3 tt::lf6 is an equal Exchange French position. 3 ... d5 ! ? is a kind of Chigorin/Albin which has been played repeatedly by many GMs - with poor results, how ever.
Personally, I like 3 ... i.b4+ 4 tt::lc3 i.xc3 5 bxc3 d6, playing a kind of Nimzo-lndian with ... e7-e5 in one go. After 6 i.d3 f5 ! or 6 tt::lf3 e4 7 tt::ld2 f5, the game can also be thought of as a reversed Grand Prix Attack (cf 1 e4 c5 2 tt::lc3 tt::lc6 3 f4 e6 4 tt::lf3 d5 5 i.b5). Of course, 4 �d2 is also possible: 4 ... exd4 5 i.xb4 (5 exd4? 'ii'e7+! wins the d-pawn) 5 ... tt::lxb4 6 exd4 tt::lf6 (not 6 ... 'ii'e7+ 7 i.e2 'ii'e4?! 8 'it>fl! and Black's queen is worse than White's king) 7 ti::lf3 d5 is at least equal - the exchange of bishops will help Black in the coming isolated queen pawn position. If instead 7 a3 tt::lc6 8 d5?!, then 8 ... 'ii'e7+! 9 i.e2 tt::le5
and Black is better, as White must fig ure out some way to develop and guard the c4-pawn.
b) 3 dxe5 tt::lxe5 (3 ... d6! ?) cannot be dangerous either. Black's position re sembles a Budapest Gambit, but with out any of the inconvenience normally associated with recovering the e-pawn; e.g. 4 e3 tt::lf6 5 tt::lc3 i.b4 6 i.d2 0-0 7 i.e2 c6! ? was fine and worked out well
for Black in R.Aghasaryan-A.Chibukh chian, Kajaran 2011 (see Game 18). And 4 e4?! is an especially bad idea: after 4 ... ..ic5 White is already worse and must be very careful; e.g. 5 ..ie2 'ifh4! or 5 lLlf3 tt:Jg4 6 tt:Jd4 d5 ! ? 7 cxd5 't!Vf6 8 .1e3 tt:Jxe3 9 fxe3 'ifh4+ and White will be needing both his chess resources and his sense of humour as he plays 10 1td2.
c) 3 lLlf3 transposes to 1 c4 tt:Jc6 2 .'Z::lf3 e5 3 d4, covered at the beginning of Chapter Seven.
3 . . . ..ib4+!
3 ... tt:Jce7 is played 90% of the time, and with excellent results, but if White really understands what's going on, Black will be forced to play positions I cannot recommend; e.g. 4 lLlf3! tt:Jg6 5 M! ..ib4+ 6 tt:Jbd2 h5 7 g3 tt:Jf6 8 tt:Jg5!? and Black doesn't have much to look forward to - White has all the squares and will soon have the bishop pair unless Black makes a pathetic retreat. Black also needs to worry (after 5 tt:Jc3 lLlf6) about all of the "dynamic" tries mentioned in Richard Palliser's 2005 book on the Tango, some of which pose questions to which Black has yet to find answers. (Whenever Black reaches the Tango via the Dark Knight, White is already com mitted with a pawn on e4, which takes away all "dynamic" tries, leaving "classi cal" tries, which Palliser rightly considers to be pleasant for Black.)
Attempts to transpose to a King's Indian with 4 lLlf3 d6 do not bring hap piness either, because (to make a long
1 d4 lLlc6 2 c4
story short) White gets to break on the queen side early with 6 c5 or 7 c5.
Instead, with 3 ... ..ib4+, Black devel ops his bishop before it gets obstructed by ... tt:Je7 or ... d7-d6, incidentally solv ing his space issues and defusing White's h2-h4-h 5 ideas. What could be more logical?
White blocks with: A: 4 ..id2 36
B: 4 liJd2 40
4 tt:Jc3 ?! is legal and it doesn't lose material. So much for its positive points. 4 ... tt:Jce7 5 �c2 (otherwise 5 ... SLXC3+) 5 ... a5 6 a3 SLXC3+ 7 't!Vxc3 d6 8 e4 f5 gives Black a comfortable posi tion typical of this chapter. Our devel opment is simple and we can consider clamping down on the queenside with ... a5-a4 when we feel we can spare the time. 9 �g3 tt:Jg6 10 exf5 ..ixf5 11 h4 �e7 12 tt:Je2 tt:Jf6 13 h5 tt:Jf8 14 tt:Jc3 tt:J8d7 15 �g4 ..ic2 ! might make White feel like a tough guy, but it does not lead to an advantage.
Th e Dark Kn ight System A: 4 ..id2 i.xd2+
5 'ii'xd2
Alternatively, 5 t2Jxd2 t2Jce7 6 d6!? (or 6 e4 d6 7 ..id3 t2Jf6! - in this particular position it is too costly to play 7 .. .f5?!, activating both White's ..id3 and his ridiculous t2Jd2; instead, Black plans ... o-o, ... t2Jg6, ... 'ii'e7, ... tLlh 5, and/or ... a7- a5, ... b7-b6, ... ..id7) 6 ... cxd6 7 t2Je4 'ii'a5+ 8 'i'd2 'i!Vxd2 9 �xd2 tLlf5 10 g4 l2Jh4 11 t2Jxd6+ <:Ji;e7 12 c5 b6 13 b4 l2Jf6 14 t2Jf3 t2Jxf3+ 15 exf3 t2Je8 is equal.
s ... t2Jce7
A1: 6 d6!? 3 6 A2: 6 t2Jc3 38
Here 6 �g 5 t2Jg6 7 'i!Vxd8 <:Ji;xd8 8 t2Jc3 d6 is just equal, though not with out play.
A1: 6 d6!?
6 ••. cxd6
A.Hoffman-A.Femandez, Mar del Plata 1996, went 6 ... t2Jc6?! 7 t2Jc3 cxd6 8 tLlb5 t2Jf6 9 t2Jxd6+, and gives a good example of what Black must avoid (see Game 19).
7 'i!Vxd6
7 t2Jc3 t2Jf6 (or 7 ... d5 8 t2Jxd5 t2Jxd5 9 'ii'xd5 'ii'e7!) 8 t2Jf3 d5 9 cxd5 (or 9 t2Jxe5 d6 10 t2Jf3 ..ie6) 9 ... d6 10 e4 o-o is no problem for Black.
7 ..• t2Jf6! 8 t2Jc3
8 'ii'xe5 frees Black's d-pawn and does nothing to address White's devel opment - he is still four {!) moves away from castling kingside and the queen side is not a safe place: 8 ... 0-o 9 t2Jc3 d5 ! 10 cxd5 (10 e3 ..ie6 11 t2Jf3 t2Jg6 12 'ii'd4 dxc4 13 'ii'xd8 .:taxd8 is equal; or 10 t2Jf3 t2Jc6 11 'ii'f4 'ii'a5 12 cxd5 t2Jxd5 13 'ii'd2 t2Jxc3 ! 14 'ii'xc3 l2Jb4 15 l2Jd4 lld8 with considerable pressure; or 10
o-o-o i..d7! 11 lbf3 :res 12 cxd5? :es 13 "ii'd4 lbexd5 14 'it>b1 lbxc3+ 15 bxc3 -'Lle4, winning) 10 ... lbexd5 11 lbxd5 -'Llxd5 12 a3 (this sad move is necessary to prevent 12 .. .'i!Va5+; cast ling just loses after 12 0-0-0?? i..e6, with 13 ... l:tc8+ 14 ittb1 lbc3+ coming) 12 ... l:te8 13 'fi'd4 (after thirteen moves, White's kingside is hilarious - the most plausible expla nation is that he rolled very bad dice in his Chaturanga game) 13 ... b5! 14 lbf3 ..i..b7 15 e3 "fic7 16 i..e2 l:tad8 gives Black plenty for the pawn.
8 . . . 0-0
Which brings us to: