Frankenstein-Dracula Variation
Encyclopedia
The Frankenstein–Dracula Variation is a chess opening
, usually considered a branch of the Vienna Game
, but can also be reached from the Bishop's Opening
. The opening involves many complications, however with accurate play the opening is very playable for both sides.
The variation was given its name by Tim Harding
in his 1975 book on the Vienna Game, in which he said that the bloodthirstiness of the character of play was such that "a game between Dracula
and the Frankenstein Monster
would not seem out of place."
The line is seen extremely infrequently in top-level play, mainly because the Vienna Game is seen so little at top-level play. Ivanchuk used the opening against Anand in Roquebrune in 1992 in a game that ended as a draw. Alexei Shirov
had also played this in a simul with black in Canada 2011.
3... Nxe4
4. Qh5
4... Nd6
5. Bb3
5... Nc6
6. Nb5 g6 7. Qf3 f5
8. Qd5 Qe7
9. Nxc7+ Kd8 10. Nxa8
centre and his bishop
s will be well placed on the long diagonals. He will try to justify his sacrifice
by avoiding a queen exchange
and attempting to checkmate
White. White will secure his king
(usually by castling
queenside) and his queen
(which for the moment is somewhat short of squares), hold onto his extra material and eventually may go on the offensive and attack the Black king stuck in the centre of the board. Whether Black has sufficient compensation is a matter of opinion. One possible continuation is 11. d3 Bb7 12. h4 (threatening to win Black's queen with Bg5) 12... f4 13. Qf3 Nd4 (13...Bh6 14.Bd2 is also possible) 14. Qg4 (a 1969 recommendation by Anthony Santasiere
, threatening to trade queens with Qg5), when Black chooses between 14...Bh6, 14...Bg7, and 14...Bxa8. (See Harding's 1998 column cited below.)
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
, usually considered a branch of the Vienna Game
Vienna Game
The Vienna Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves:White's second move is less common than 2.Nf3, and is also of more recent vintage; a book reviewer wrote in the New York Times in 1888 that "since Morphy only one new opening has been introduced, the 'Vienna.The original idea behind...
, but can also be reached from the Bishop's Opening
Bishop's Opening
The Bishop's Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves:White attacks Black's f7-square and prevents Black from advancing his d-pawn to d5....
. The opening involves many complications, however with accurate play the opening is very playable for both sides.
The variation was given its name by Tim Harding
Tim Harding (chess)
Timothy David Harding is a prolific chess player and author with particular expertise regarding correspondence chess. He published a correspondence chess magazine Chess Mail from 1996 to 2006 and has authored "The Kibitzer," a ChessCafe.com column from 1996...
in his 1975 book on the Vienna Game, in which he said that the bloodthirstiness of the character of play was such that "a game between Dracula
Count Dracula
Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
and the Frankenstein Monster
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
would not seem out of place."
The line is seen extremely infrequently in top-level play, mainly because the Vienna Game is seen so little at top-level play. Ivanchuk used the opening against Anand in Roquebrune in 1992 in a game that ended as a draw. Alexei Shirov
Alexei Shirov
Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov is a Soviet-born Latvian chess grandmaster. He has consistently ranked among the world's top players since the early 1990s, and reached a ranking as high as number four in 1998...
had also played this in a simul with black in Canada 2011.
Annotated moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bc4- The moves which bring about he variation. Another common way of reaching the same position is 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 (Bishop's Opening) Nf6 3.Nc3.
3... Nxe4
- This is the move that defines the Frankenstein–Dracula Variation. White cannot of course win material immediately, since 4.Nxe4 brings 4...d5.
4. Qh5
- 4.Nxe4 d5 is considered to give Black no problems. 4.Bxf7+?! Kxf7 5.Nxe4 is considered good for Black as long as he avoids 5...Nc6 (5...d5) 6.Qf3+ Kg8?? 7.Ng5! and White wins (7...Qxg5 8.Qd5#). 4.Qh5 threatens Qxf7#, a threat that White continues to renew in this line.
4... Nd6
- Surprisingly, this awkward move is the only good response to White's dual threats against f7 and e5; 4...Ng5 would be met by 5.d4 Ne6 6.dxe5 with some advantage. Also possible is 6.d5, when 6...g6?? loses to 7.dxe6!, as in Böök–Heidenheimo, 1925. Instead, 6.d5 Nd4 led to very complicated play in Kis–Csato, Hungarian Team Championship 1993.
5. Bb3
- Swedish grandmasterInternational GrandmasterThe title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
Ulf AnderssonUlf AnderssonUlf Andersson is a leading Swedish chess player. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1970 and the Grandmaster title in 1972 .-Career:...
recommended 5.Qxe5+ Qe7 6.Qxe7+ Bxe7 7.Be2!, claiming that White has some advantage. (See Harding'sTim Harding (chess)Timothy David Harding is a prolific chess player and author with particular expertise regarding correspondence chess. He published a correspondence chess magazine Chess Mail from 1996 to 2006 and has authored "The Kibitzer," a ChessCafe.com column from 1996...
1998 column cited below.)
5... Nc6
- 5...Be7 (returning the pawn) is a quieter alternative, e.g. 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nxe5 0-0 8.Nd5 Nxe5 9.Qxe5 Re8 10.0-0 Bf8 11.Qf4.
6. Nb5 g6 7. Qf3 f5
- David BronsteinDavid BronsteinDavid Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
once won a game with 7...f6!? 8.Nxc7+ Qxc7 9.Qxf6 b6 10.Qxh8 Bb7 11.Qxh7 0-0-0, but he has not found followers.
8. Qd5 Qe7
- 8...Qf6 has also been tried.
9. Nxc7+ Kd8 10. Nxa8
- Black almost always continues 10... b6, preparing Bb7 to trap the knight (see diagram). Black is at the moment a rookRook (chess)A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
down, but will eventually regain the knightKnight (chess)The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
, leaving Black down the exchangeThe exchange (chess)The exchange in chess refers to a situation in which one player loses a minor piece but captures the opponent's rook. The side which wins the rook is said to have won the exchange, while the other player has lost the exchange, since the rook is usually more valuable...
. In return, Black will play for an attack.
Competing strategies
In return for his material, Black has a good pawnPawn (chess)
The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
centre and his bishop
Bishop (chess)
A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
s will be well placed on the long diagonals. He will try to justify his sacrifice
Sacrifice (chess)
In chess, a sacrifice is a move giving up a piece in the hopes of gaining tactical or positional compensation in other forms. A sacrifice could also be a deliberate exchange of a chess piece of higher value for an opponent's piece of lower value....
by avoiding a queen exchange
Exchange (chess)
In the tactics and strategy in the board game of chess, an exchange or trade of chess pieces is series of closely related moves, typically sequential, in which the two players capture each others pieces. Any types of pieces except the kings may possibly be exchanged, i. e. captured in an...
and attempting to checkmate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
White. White will secure his king
King (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
(usually by castling
Castling
Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
queenside) and his queen
Queen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
(which for the moment is somewhat short of squares), hold onto his extra material and eventually may go on the offensive and attack the Black king stuck in the centre of the board. Whether Black has sufficient compensation is a matter of opinion. One possible continuation is 11. d3 Bb7 12. h4 (threatening to win Black's queen with Bg5) 12... f4 13. Qf3 Nd4 (13...Bh6 14.Bd2 is also possible) 14. Qg4 (a 1969 recommendation by Anthony Santasiere
Anthony Santasiere
Anthony Edward Santasiere was an American chess master. Santasiere was a high school mathematics teacher by profession. His hobbies included creative writing and oil painting.-Chess career:...
, threatening to trade queens with Qg5), when Black chooses between 14...Bh6, 14...Bg7, and 14...Bxa8. (See Harding's 1998 column cited below.)
Notable game
- Ost-Hansen vs. Nunn Jacob Ost-Hansen vs. John NunnJohn NunnJohn Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....
, Teesside 1974, 0–1