I play the Tango, I find it is a great weapon, not too many seem to play critical lines and I tend to end up in an improved KID with my Bishop on c5, if you are interested in the Old Indian you could employ d6 lines vs 3.Nf3 rather than the Nimzo lines with e6.
Old Indian or Tango
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I play the Old Indian on a regular basis. It's far more sound than the Tango, and Black can actually get some interesting games out of it.
Here was my game from this past Tuesday Night:
I am not sure the Old Indian is more sound than the Tango mate, what lines do you think are problematic for Black? I think they are both perfectly sound and it is simply a matter of taste
Nice game, quite a similar attack to those that arrise from the Nc3 Tango actually. I am pretty sure when folk like Nakamura, Yermolinski, Benjamin play an opening it is sound...
Not the greatest game ever, my first OTB in the Tango, I guess the Old Indian is more solid but the Tango is more dynamic
SuirenBoid wrote:
I am not sure the Old Indian is more sound than the Tango mate, what lines do you think are problematic for Black? I think they are both perfectly sound and it is simply a matter of taste
This assessment is based on "theory", on the basis that both players know what they are doing, so to say that White is "less familiar" is not a factor when comparing.
The problem witht he Tango is the lines with 3.Nf3 and directly transposing to the Zurich Variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defense. The Zurich Variation (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nf3) is already known to give White a pretty substantial advantage with correct play, teetering between +/= and +/-. (Thru the Tango, that would be 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.e3)
If White cooperates and plays 3.d5 or 3.Nc3, then yes, Black's fine!
I personally think the h4 lines are more trying, but still fine for black, black does have other options at 3.Nf3, Orlov mentioned that d6 is ok and there is the offbeat line 3...e5 which likely transposes into Nf3 Budapest Gambit, but in all honesty I dont see the problem with the e6 lines, I actually quite like the a3 positions too as I used to play the KID
If choosing between these 2 from Black's perspective, which one would you prefer and why? I'm leaning towards the Tango, because the space deficit tends to be offset by a minor piece trade early, but the Old Indian seems to keep the bishop pair. Your insights would be helpful.