Prepare against R.A. Tony Dowden
CM · New Zealand · World #39,003 classical · FIDE ID 4300572
When preparing against R.A. Tony Dowden, expect 1.e4 in 57% of White games. Against 1.e4 the reply is 1...e6 (90% of games); against 1.d4, 1...Nf6 (55%). Lowest win rate among frequent openings: French: Tarrasch Variation as Black, 26.7% over 15 games.
Our database contains 309 games by R.A. Tony Dowden, covering Apr 2003 to Nov 2026. Below you'll find R.A. Tony Dowden's most-played openings with White and Black, career performance record, notable wins and top events — everything you need to scout R.A. Tony Dowden before a game. You can open the same data in the free interactive preparation workstation, which builds a move-by-move opening tree from every game.
Ratings
| Time control | Current | Peak | Peak date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 1,941 | 2,215 | Oct 2004 |
| Rapid | 2,113 | 2,139 | Jan 2016 |
| Blitz | 2,103 | 2,103 | Nov 2026 |
Performance record
| Split | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 309 | 95 | 114 | 100 | 30.7% |
| As White | 159 | 51 | 59 | 49 | 32.1% |
| As Black | 150 | 44 | 55 | 51 | 29.3% |
FIDE rated record
From FIDE's official rated-game ledger (2007-2026): 367 rated games against 289 different opponents, across 49 events in 5 countries. These counts cover FIDE-rated play only, so they differ from the database totals above.
By time control
| Format | Games | W | D | L | Win rate | Avg opp | Perf | Unbeaten |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classical | 334 | 136 | 107 | 91 | 40.7% | 1,947 | 1,987 | 14 |
| Rapid | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 50.0% | 2,009 | 2,116 | 5 |
| Blitz | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 55.6% | 1,923 | 2,101 | 4 |
Against the field
| Opposition | Games | W | D | L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Against higher-rated | 110 | 13 | 40 | 57 | 11.8% |
| Against lower-rated | 232 | 121 | 75 | 36 | 52.2% |
Wins over titled players: 4 vs IM · 7 vs FM · 26 vs CM · 1 vs WGM · 3 vs WIM · 5 vs WFM · 3 vs WCM.
Tournament wins
2 tournament wins from 47 events.
Year by year
| Year | Games | W | D | L | Avg opp | Perf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 1,929 | 1,943 |
| 2025 | 23 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 1,830 | 1,987 |
| 2024 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1,832 | 1,971 |
| 2023 | 43 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 1,746 | 1,735 |
| 2022 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1,872 | 1,815 |
| 2021 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1,895 | 1,895 |
| 2020 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1,903 | 1,903 |
| 2019 | 35 | 14 | 15 | 6 | 1,940 | 2,022 |
| 2018 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2,141 | 2,208 |
| 2017 | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 1,908 | 1,943 |
| 2016 | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 1,990 | 2,057 |
| 2015 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 2,099 | 2,134 |
| 2014 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2,016 | 2,061 |
| 2012 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2,099 | 2,149 |
| 2011 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2,033 | 2,033 |
| 2010 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1,975 | 2,108 |
| 2009 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1,964 | 1,964 |
| 2008 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2,178 | 2,138 |
| 2007 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2,040 | 2,097 |
Where R.A. Tony Dowden has played
Australia (28) · New Zealand (17) · Guam (2) · Albania (1) · Malaysia (1)
Move-by-move preparation stats
Straight from the preparation tree built over all of R.A. Tony Dowden's games — the same tree the interactive prep board lets you walk to any depth. Scores are from R.A. Tony Dowden's side.
First moves as White (159 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| e4 | 91 | 57.2% | 48.9% |
| c4 | 45 | 28.3% | 53.3% |
| Nf3 | 11 | 6.9% | 68.2% |
| d4 | 6 | 3.8% | 16.7% |
| f4 | 4 | 2.5% | 50.0% |
| g3 | 2 | 1.3% | 75.0% |
Main lines as White
- 1.e4 — 57% of White games, 48.9% score
- …c5 (40% of these games) — Dowden usually continues Nf3 (39.3% score)
- …e5 (19% of these games) — Dowden usually continues Nf3 (66.7% score)
- …Nf6 (10% of these games) — Dowden usually continues e5 (35.7% score)
- 1.c4 — 28% of White games, 53.3% score
- …Nf6 (31% of these games) — Dowden usually continues g3 (54.5% score)
- …e5 (24% of these games) — Dowden usually continues g3 (56.3% score)
- …e6 (16% of these games) — Dowden usually continues g3 (41.7% score)
As Black against 1.e4 (73 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| e6 | 66 | 90.4% | 47.0% |
| c5 | 5 | 6.8% | 80.0% |
| e5 | 2 | 2.7% | 25.0% |
As Black against 1.d4 (47 games)
| Move | Games | Share | Player score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nf6 | 26 | 55.3% | 46.2% |
| e6 | 16 | 34.0% | 59.4% |
| c5 | 3 | 6.4% | 33.3% |
| f5 | 2 | 4.3% | 25.0% |
R.A. Tony Dowden's chess games
All 309 games by R.A. Tony Dowden in the Chess.ceo database (Apr 2003 - Nov 2026) are free to browse, search and replay: filter by opening, opponent, event or date on the player page, or step through any game on the analysis board. Record: 95 wins, 114 draws, 100 losses.
Openings as White
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A13 | English Opening | 19 | 8/8/3 | 42.1% |
| A25 | English Opening: Reverse Sicilian | 13 | 5/2/6 | 38.5% |
| B23 | Sicilian: Closed | 11 | 5/2/4 | 45.5% |
| B07 | Pirc Defense | 9 | 3/2/4 | 33.3% |
| B03 | Alekhine Defense | 8 | 1/3/4 | 12.5% |
| B22 | Sicilian: Alapin | 7 | 2/2/3 | 28.6% |
| B53 | Sicilian | 6 | 2/3/1 | 33.3% |
| A04 | Réti Opening | 6 | 3/3/0 | 50.0% |
| A37 | English Opening: Symmetrical | 5 | 2/2/1 | 40.0% |
| C24 | Bishop's Opening | 4 | 2/1/1 | 50.0% |
Openings as Black
| ECO | Opening | Games | W/D/L | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C18 | French: Winawer Variation | 28 | 8/14/6 | 28.6% |
| A56 | Benoni Defense | 28 | 12/9/7 | 42.9% |
| C06 | French: Tarrasch Variation | 15 | 4/5/6 | 26.7% |
| A10 | English Opening | 9 | 1/3/5 | 11.1% |
| C00 | French Defense | 8 | 2/1/5 | 25.0% |
| C01 | French: Exchange Variation | 7 | 2/4/1 | 28.6% |
| A25 | English Opening: Reverse Sicilian | 7 | 1/4/2 | 14.3% |
| A46 | Indian Defense | 6 | 2/2/2 | 33.3% |
| C02 | French: Advance Variation | 5 | 1/2/2 | 20.0% |
| C00 | King's Indian Attack | 4 | 1/2/1 | 25.0% |
Notable wins
| Date | Opponent | Elo | Event | ECO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2015 | Xue Zhao | 2,489 | ch-NZL rapid Open | A61 |
| Jan 2003 | Aleksandar H Wohl | 2,414 | ch-NZL | C17 |
| Dec 2018 | Ari Dale | 2,371 | Australian Open | A70 |
| Jan 1998 | Anthony F Ker | 2,320 | Hamilton Rapid Open | B23 |
| Jan 1982 | Paul Anthony Garbett | 2,320 | ch-NZL | B22 |
Top events
| Event | Year | Games | Score | TPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ch-NZL | 2003 | 66 | 30 | 2,230 |
| ch-South Island | 2012 | 15 | 9 | 2,047 |
| World U20-ch17 | 1978 | 12 | 2.5 | 2,134 |
| ch-North Island | 2019 | 12 | 7.5 | 2,140 |
| ch-NZL 109th | 2002 | 11 | 6.5 | 2,318 |
| Bob Wade 2026 | Hilton Bennett Masters | 2026 | 11 | 7.5 | 1,989 |
| ch-NZL 115th | 2008 | 11 | 5 | 2,210 |
| ch-NZL 106 | 1999 | 11 | 5 | 2,051 |
Frequent opponents
Head-to-head records: Anthony F Ker (10 games) · Robert W Smith (10 games)
Interactive opening tree from all 309 games, weak-spot detection and engine analysis.
Start preparationFrequently asked questions
Where can I find R.A. Tony Dowden's chess games?
309 games by R.A. Tony Dowden, from Apr 2003 to Nov 2026, are free to browse and replay move by move — no signup needed. The preparation view groups them into an opening tree showing every line R.A. Tony Dowden has played.
What does R.A. Tony Dowden play on the first move as White?
Across 159 games with White in our database, R.A. Tony Dowden opens with 1.e4 (57% of games), 1.c4 (28% of games), 1.Nf3 (7% of games). Against 1.e4 as Black, R.A. Tony Dowden answers 1...e6 (90% of games), 1...c5 (7% of games), 1...e5 (3% of games). Against 1.d4: 1...Nf6 (55% of games), 1...e6 (34% of games), 1...c5 (6% of games).
What openings does R.A. Tony Dowden play as White?
As White, R.A. Tony Dowden's most-played openings in our database are: English Opening (19 games, 42.1% win rate); English Opening: Reverse Sicilian (13 games, 38.5% win rate); Sicilian: Closed (11 games, 45.5% win rate). The full breakdown of 159 games with White is in the table above.
What openings does R.A. Tony Dowden play as Black?
As Black, R.A. Tony Dowden most often plays: French: Winawer Variation (28 games, 28.6% win rate); Benoni Defense (28 games, 42.9% win rate); French: Tarrasch Variation (15 games, 26.7% win rate). See the table above for the top ten Black openings across 150 games.
What is R.A. Tony Dowden's FIDE rating?
R.A. Tony Dowden is currently rated 1,941 in classical chess, 2,113 in rapid and 2,103 in blitz. Peak classical rating: 2,215 (Oct 2004).
How many games has R.A. Tony Dowden played?
Our database contains 309 games by R.A. Tony Dowden, covering Apr 2003 to Nov 2026. Overall record: 95 wins, 114 draws, 100 losses (30.7% win rate).
How do I prepare against R.A. Tony Dowden?
309 games by R.A. Tony Dowden reveal their opening repertoire, most-played lines, and the variations where they score worst — the raw material for targeted preparation. The interactive opening tree lets you walk every line to any depth.