Shelter from the storm

I said it before and will continue to say it - expert knwoledge is required to play the Blackmar Diemer successfully. Yesterday I managed to play the line halfways, and, as a result, had to content with a draw.

Guido De Bouver - Stijn Van Vlaenderen

1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nc3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 Nbd7
I believe both e6 and c6 are better

9.Qf3 (diagram)

9...c6 is no good here, as white recaptures the pawn with an advantage : 9...c6 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.g5 (+=) So my opponent choose the best line.

9...e6 10.Qxb7 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nd7 12.Bb5 (diagram)

Until this move, i was playing on automatic pilot. But now I starting wondering on how to convert my obvious advantage into a win.

12...Rb8
only move.

13.Qxa7
I was a bit hesitant about this, because I vaguely remembered that black could equalize by removing the pin on knight with a sacrfice 13...Rxb5 14.Nxb5 and black overtakes the initiative ( even if Houdini still gives a white advanatge )

13...Bb4 (diagram)
I remembered a great sacrifice here if black was to play the natural 13...Be7 14.Bxd7 Kxd7 and now the killer move 15.Bg5 (++). but alas, my opponent went for a simple pin on my knight.

Ubntill now, I had been able to play bookmoves - they were lingering somewhere far away, but I was able to retrieve them correctly. But this move got me into thinking.

The correct move is 14.Bxd7 Kxd7 15.Be3 and the black king will have diffciculties to find shelter from the storm. Alas, I played 14.Qa4 and the game ended in a hardfought draw.

Coming back to best line 14.Bxd7 Kxd7 15.Be3 (diagram)

a/ 15...Qh4+ 16.Bf2 Qg5 17.Rd1+ Kc8 18.Qa6+ Rb7 19.0-0 Qxe5 20.Rfe1 Qa5 21.Qc6 (+)

b/ 15...Bxc3+ 16.bxc3 (++)

c/ 15...Bxc2 16.0-0 (++)

d/ 15...Ke8 16.Rd1 Qc8 17.Bg5 (+)

e/ 15...Kc8 16.0-0 (++)

So it is fair to conclude that the above line does not offer any hope for black - a reality check for those that have not yet embraced the joys of the Blackmar Diemer gambit.