Sometimes the attacker has to defend first

I already covered an interesting line in the Paleface in earlier articles : 1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 0-0 6.Nc3 c6 7.0-0-0 b5 8.g4 b4. In these articles, I showed that 9.Nce2 is not to be feared as 9...Qa5 can be countered by the simple, yet effective 10.Kb1

Yesterday my blitz opponent played differently and comtinued 1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 0-0 6.Nc3 c6 7.0-0-0 b5 8.g4 Qa4 (diagram).

In good Blackmar-Diemer style, I attacked on the opposite end with 9.h4, but came in a difficult position after 9...b4 10.Nce2 Qxa2 11.Qxb4. Black now tried to open up things further with 11...c5 and I found myself quickly in a mating net.

So it is obvious that 9.h4 is far to slow - black's threats have to be dealt with first - I realize this is hard to accept for a Blackmar Diemer gambiteer :-(

After analysis it seems there are multiple white candidates : 9.a3, 9.Kb1, 9.g5, maybe even 9.b3 ( which I dont like as it opens the whole diagonal for the black bishop ).

9.g5 (diagram) seems insufficient as the black knigt can safely jump to h5, halting white's attack. White now has to play a3 or Kb1 anyway, so this seems like a loss of time.

White can transpose into the lines described earlier by 9.Kb1 b4 10.Nce2 with an equal game.

9.a3 b4 10.Na2 (diagram) seems the best option for white

10...c5 seems the most dangerous continuation here, but white has nothing to fear after 11.Kb1.
10...Na6 is met by the simple 11.Bxa6 and white is on top.

So there is nothing to fear in the Paleface - provided the gambiteer defends from time to time...

Yes, Boris, there is a Blackmar-Diemer gambit.

Yes, chess players from all over the world, yes indeed, there is a Blackmar-Diemer gambit.

Please read this magnificent article by Tom Purser, written in 1989 based on an editorial in the "New York Sun" from 1897.

Thank you Tom, for all the joy you brought to us with your BDG World magazine.

Kf2 always wins

I recall an excellent article by Tom Purser when Kf2 was claimed to be the winning opening's move - or maybe not completely ?! In any case. I also tried it in a fast game and guess what - Kf2 did win.

De Bouver - Dardha ( 2014, Antwerpen )

1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nc3 Bf5 5.g4 Bg6 6.g5 Nd5 7.Ne4 e6 8.Ne2
Varying from both Diemer's 8.c4 as played in Diemer - Kopp ( 1947 ) and the proper continuation 8.h4.

8...Nc6 9.c4 (diagram)

Picking up Diemer's suggestion, one move later. Will my opponnet take the bait ?

9...Bb4+
Yes he does ! And now comes the move...

10.Kf2 (diagram)

Black now should have played 10...Nb6, with a small black advantage. But baffled by my unexpetced move, black makes a mistake,

10...Nde7
Blocking the retreat of the bishop

11.a3
And white has a small advantage which lead to a white win.

Check out Tom Purser's post on this, including the link to the Tim Krabbé article - it is really great reading.

Moving a piece twice in the opening

I have been looking at a curious line in the Bigoljubow lately :  1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 g6 6.Bc4 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Qe1 Nc6 9.Qh4 and now the move 9...Nb4 (diagram)

My engine does not find an immediate refutation as every white move seems to has some drawback. White seems to get away with taking the second pawn on c2 !!

Aftre long analysis, it seems to me 10.Bh6 is the right move here, with horrrible complications :

a/ 10...Bxh6 11.Qxh6 (diagram)

...a1/ 11....Nxc2 12.Ng5 (++)
...a2/ 11....Ng4 12.Qd2 (=)

...a3/ 11....Bf5 12.h3 (=)

b/ 10...Bg5 11.Rad1 (=)

c/ 10...Bf5 11.h3 (diagram)

...c1/ 11...Nxc2 12.Rad1 (=)
...c2/ 11...Bxc2 12.Ng5 (+=)

...c3/ 11...e6 12.Bg5 (=)

...c4/ 11...c5 12.dxc5 (=)

...c5/ 11...Rc8 12.Rf2 (=)

d/ 10...Nxc2 11.Rad1 (diagram)

...d1/ 11...Nh5 12.Bg5 (=)
...d2/ 11...Bxh6 12.Qxh6 Ng4 Qh4 (analysed further)

...d3/ 11...Bf5 12.h3 (=)

...d4/ 11...Bg4 12.Rd2 (=)

It seems that white has nothing to fear. The critical line is line d2 which will be analysed in next blog. Stay tuned !

Looking for aggressive lines in the Teichmann Exchange

Last weekend, I faced a Teichmann Exchange but failed to find the correct line.

1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 c6 8.g4 e6 9.g5 Nd5 10.Bd3 Be7 11.h4 Qb6 (diagram)

I had played this opponent before, so I guess he was well prepared to play this line. I played 12.Bd2 Nd7 13.0-0-0 and I found myself in a lost position after 13...Qxd4. With two pawns down, I realised I had nothing - and indeed I went down the drain quickly.

 So what should I play here ?

12.a3 is countered by 12...Nd7, and after 13.Bd2, white has lost one move compared to the immediate 12.Bd2.

12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.c3 is good for black, I think black can castle safely as the white queen cannot attack anymore via square e4, eg 13...0-0 14.h5 Nd7 (=+)

12.Rf1 is also no good as the simple 12...Qxd4 13.Qxf7+ Kd7 14.Qf2 Qxf2 leaves beaves white one pawn down without compensation.

So the only option for white to mplay for an advantage is 12.Bd2 (diagram), as I played in my game.

Black's options include

a/ 12...Qxd4 13.Nxd5
...a1/ 13...Qxd5 14.Be4 Qc4 15.0-0-0 Qxa2 16.Bc3 (=) (diagram below)
...a2/ 13...cxd5 14.Bc3 (+=)

...a3/ 13...exd5 14.0-0-0 (+=)

b/ 12...Nd7 13.Nxd5
...b1/ 13...cxd5 14.0-0-0 (=)
...b2/ 13...exd5 14.0-0-0 (+=)

c/ 12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 (+=)

d/ 12...Nb4 13.Be4 (+=)

e/ 12...0-0 13.Qe4 g6 14.h5 (+)

f/ 12...f5 13.gxf6 (+=)

h/ 12...Na6 13.Rf1 (=)

The position in line a1 is interesting. White has sacrificed half of his army, whilst black only has developed his queen.

White can unleash dangerous attacks in this line. Black's best try is 16...Nd7 17.Bxg7 Rg8 18.Rxd7!!! (diagram) with a complicated game.

So dont dispair if your opponent makes great moves - the Blackmar Diemer gambit contains winning sacrifices in every line !

Handling the "Do Nothing" line

Out of pure frustration of my opponent's plan ( and my own loss ) in last week's game, I call the line 1.d4 Bf6 2.f3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nc3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 Nfd7 the "Do Nothing" variation.

Last post demonstrated my loss after the normal 9.Qf3 c6 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Bc4 e6 12.0-0, but since then, I learned that 9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.Bg5 (diagram) is better.

a/ 10...Nf6 ( the Do Nothing variation at its best ) 11.Qe2 (diagram)

...a1/ 11...Qxd4 12.Rd1 (+)
...a2/ 11...Nc6 12.0-0-0 (+=)

...a3/ 11...Nbd7 12.d5 (+=)

...a4/ 11...Nh7 12.Bd2 (+=)

...a5/ 11...Nd5 12.Qb5 (+)
...a6/ 11...e6 12.d5 (+=)

...a7/ 11...c6 12.0-0-0 (+=)

b/ 10...Nb6 11.Qd3

...b1/ 11...Qd7 12.Bg2 (+=)
...b2/ 11...Qd6 12.0-0-0 (+=)

...b3/ 11...c6 12.0-0-0 (+=)

...b4/ 11...Nbd7 12.d5 (+=)

c/ 10...Nc6 11.Bg2

...c1/ 11...Nb6 12.d5 (+=)
...c2/ 11...f6 12.Qd3 (+=)

...c3/ 11...a6 12.Qd3 (+=)

.

d/ 10...c6 11.Qe2

...d1/ 11...Nf6 12.0-0-0 (+=)
...d2/ 11...Qa5 12.Bd2 (+=)

...d3/ 11...Qb6 12.0-0-0 (+=)

...d4/ 11...Qc7 12.0-0-0 (+=)

e/ 10...c5 11.d5

...e1/ 11...Qc7 12.Qf3 (+=)
...e2/ 11...Qb6 12.Qf3 (+=)

...e3/ 11...Qa5 12.Qe2 (+)

...e4/ 11...Ne5 12.Bb5+ (+)
...e5/ 11...f6 12.Bd3 (+)

f/ 10...f6 11.Qd3 (+)

g/ 10...Na6 11.Qf3 (+)

So we see that the simple 10.Bg5 gibes white a simple game, with a small advantage in all lines. A just punishment for black's play !

The art of doing nothing

My opponent last weekend excelled in the noble art of doing nothing. He defended. That's all. Waiting in his hideout for me to make a mistake. Not committing anything, but with a sharp eye on the mistake that I would inevitably make. "Show me what you have" seems to be their concept.

It's hard to play that kind of playters, especially in a gambit line, since you did sacrifice the pawn. You gave this kind of opponent the opportunity to act like this, you did give them the pawn. They can just wait for the storm to calm and fight back at that point.

What to do against those opponents ? Play the correct moves, and hope that you can unleash a violent storm - something I failed to do.

1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nc3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 Nfd7 (diagram)
Challenging my outpost in a very unconventional way.

I continued in the normal Teichmann way, not realizing my opponent had embarked on a "Do Nothing" approach.

9.Qf3 c6 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Bc4 e6 12.0-0 Qf6 13.Be3 (diagram)
Black has just played the only active move he will ever play, and I failed to take advantage.

13...Qxf3 14.Rxf3 Be7 15.Raf1 Rf8 16.Ne4 Nb6 17.Bb3 Nd5 (diagram)

Black reached a relatively safe outpost for his knight, ( but has not forgotten his concept of play ).
18.Bg5 f6 19.Bd2 a5 20.c4 Nc7 21.Bf4 N8a6 22.Nd6+ Bxd6 23.Bxd6  Rh8 (diagram)

Returning to his home spot ! But actually it is a great move as the rook will go lateron to h5, commanding the 5th line.

And here I suddenly realised I had less than nothing. I have the bishop pair, but black still has a solid position and has the extra pawn. And most of all, I spent 1,5 hours out of my allotted 2 hours for 40 moves to reach an equal position, whilst my opponent had spent only 30 minutes doing nothing. Black clearly has a won game here - talking from a psycological point of view.

In any case, I lost the game. But how to play against the odd 8...Nfd7 ?? My silicon assistant suggests 9.Nxg6 ( a move that needs to be played anyway ) hxg6 and now 10.Bg5 or 10.Bg2, but let's analyse that in the next column.