Improved Fort Knox!
by Yago Santiago
Our starting position arises after the moves 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bd7!?.
This is an extremely interesting line that I recently came across by following Erigaisi's games. It has less than 40 games in the database, which gives us an unexplored field - and potentially a big element of surprise for our opponents! The main point in comparison with the classic Fort Knox variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7) is that usually when Black plays ...Nf6, White reacts with Nxf6+ and takes the initiative. Here we will see that 6.Nxf6+ is still an option, but White needs to be prepared for major complications after 6...gxf6, a line where we now gain a tempo by threatening the bishop on g5.
Now let´s leave the introduction behind and get to the variations!
A) 6.Nf3
The main move in human games, when after 6...Bc6 White needs to make another decision. I will analyse A1) 7.Bd3, A2) 7.Nxf6+ and A3) 7.Bxf6.
A1) 7.Bd3
The most frequently played move. However, after 7...Be7! we transpose to a very good and solid version of the original Fort Knox variation. 8.Ned2 (8.Qe2 occurred in Gkoumas,G - Christiansen,J ½-½, when after 8...Nbd7 9.h4 h6 10.Bf4 Bxe4 11.Bxe4 Black could have reached a good version of the Caro-Kann with 11...Nxe4! 12.Qxe4 c6 13.0-0-0 Nf6 14.Qe2 Qd5!) 8...Nbd7 9.0-0 h6 10.Be3 0-0 11.c4 b6
and Black didn't have any problems after the opening, as we can see in the game Vachier Lagrave,M - Erigaisi,A ½-½.
A2) 7.Nxf6+
7...gxf6 8.Be3 (8.Bh4 Be7 9.Be2 Nd7 10.c4 was played in Hoynck van Papendrecht,F - Speisser,P 1-0, but now we have an interesting novelty: 10...Nf8!?N. The knight goes to g6 to bother the bishop on h4. 11.Qd2 Ng6 12.Bg3 h5 13.h4 Bd6 14.Bxd6 Qxd6 with good counterplay.) 8...Qd6!N (stronger than 8...Nd7 from Sick,O - Dobosz,H 1-0).
The point of this curious novelty is to gain a tempo with the threat of ...Qb4+, and only then follow up with ...Nd7, with better harmony of pieces than if the queen were on d8. 9.Qd2 Nd7 10.0-0-0 0-0-0 11.Kb1 Rg8 with an equal position, see the notes on Sick,O - Dobosz,H 1-0.
A3)7.Bxf6
This move was played a lot in blitz games. 7...gxf6 8.Bd3 and now we will see a powerful setup to get an active position for Black: 8...f5!N 9.Ned2 Rg8! 10.Rg1 Bh6! 11.c3 Nd7.
The bishop pair with the pressure on the g-file compensate for Black's damaged pawn structure. 12.Qe2 Bxd2+!? 13.Kxd2 (13.Nxd2 Qh4! and Black takes the initiative) 13...Bxf3 14.gxf3 (14.Qxf3 c5! and again Black has a lot of counterplay and activity) 14...Rxg1 15.Rxg1 Kf8 with equal chances, see annotations on Naskovic,F - Isak,I 1-0.
B) 6.Nxf6+
This is the first move of engines, and after 6...gxf6 White needs to decide where to put their bishop. I will analyse B1) 7.Bh4 and B2) 7.Be3.
B1) 7.Bh4
This position arose in Antonica,D - Samsonkin,A 0-1 , but now we have a very interesting novelty: 7...c5!?N. After 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Qd2 Nc6 10.0-0-0 Be7! 11.Nf3 Qc7 12.Bc4 0-0-0!
Black has good counterplay.
B2) 7.Be3
7...c5!N. Again we can use this freeing concept. 8.dxc5 Na6! 9.Bxa6 Qa5+! .The point, and a recurring motif in this line! With the white bishop on e3, there is no pressure on the f6 pawn, allowing the black queen to gain freedom. 10.Qd2 Qxa6 11.0-0-0 0-0-0 12.Kb1 Be7 13.Nf3 Rhg8
and Black has a very good compensation for the pawn thanks to the bishop pair and the activity on the g-file, as we can see in the notes of the game Antonica,D - Samsonkin,A 0-1.
C) 6.Qf3!?
An interesting try from correspondence games, the queen targets f6 and b7. 6...Be7 and again White needs to choose which piece to take on f6.
C1) 7.Bxf6
7...Bxf6!N (7...gxf6 allowed White to gain some pressure in De Waele,W - Carbonell Bofill,C ½-½) 8.Nxf6+ Qxf6 9.Qxb7
Qxd4!! 10.Qxa8 Qxb2! 11.Rd1 Qc3+ 12.Rd2 Qa1+ 13.Ke2 Qe5+ 14.Kd1 Qa1+ with perpetual check.
C2) 7.Nxf6+
7...gxf6 8.Bf4N (8.Qxb7?? was played in Azizoglu,A - Demir,Z 0-1, but after 8...Bc6!N Black is winning by force: 9.Bb5 Bxb5! 10.Qxb5 c6 11.Qb7 fxg5! 12.Qxa8 Qb6! and the white queen is trapped!) Bc6 9.Qe3 Qd5!? 10.Bxc7 Na6! 11.Bxa6! Qxg2! 12.0-0-0! bxa6 13.Ne2 Qf3!?
and Black has good play thanks to the bishop pair, see annotations on Azizoglu,A - Demir,Z 0-1.
Conclusion: The presented variation is a very interesting approach against 4.Bg5 (which has been gaining popularity again recently), with great power to surprise. Another point in our favour is that Black´s ideas and setups are easy to remember, so in rapid and blitz it turns out to be even more successful. I wish you good luck with 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bd7!? in your own games, dear reader!