So sad.

The Gunderam defense is often a hard nut to crack for the attacker. I found this last weekend during an online blitz game, where I failed to find the correct continuation.

I was confident when my opponent deviated from the normal Gunderam defense 6...e6 7.g4 and 6...c6 7.g4 by playing the "inferior" 6...Nbd7, attacking my knight on e5 right away. My book "Attack with the Blackmar Diemer" had listed the line as (+=), however, but now it seems this might have been more than a bit too optimistic.

1.d4 d5 e 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7
This is where things start. "Normal" black moves are 6...e6 and 6...c6

7.Qf3 e6
Other black moves are clearly inferior. 7...g6 is punished by 8.Qxb7 (+=) whilst 7...Bg6 8.Qxb7 is even worse.

8.Qxb7 Nxe5

a/ 8...Rb8 9.Qxa7 ( diagram ) is an alternative

...a1/ 9...Bc5 10.dxc5 Nxe5 11.Bb5+ (+=)
...a2/ 9...c5 10.Nb5 (+=)
...a3/ 9...Bb4 10.Nc6 (+)
...a4/ 9...Be4 10.Nxd7 (+=)
...a5/ 9...Ne4 10.Nxd7 (+)
...a6/ 9...Be7 10.Nc6 (++)
...a7/ 9...Bd6 10.Nc6 (+)
...a8/ 9...Ra8 10.Qb7
......a8a/ 10...Rb8 11.Qf3 (=)
......a8b/ 10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 (=)
...a9/ 9...Nxe5 transposes below

9.dxe5
The starting point of our analysis. White optically looks better, but that is not the case.

b/ 9...Rb8 10.Bb5+ Nd7 11.Qxa7 ( diagram )
Also possible is 11. Bxd7+ Kxe7 12.Qxa7 but 12...Qh4+ 13.g3 Qc4 gives black an equal game as the rook on b8 cant be taken

...b1/ 11...Ra8 12.Qd4 (+=)
...b2/ 11...Bb4 12.Bxd7 Kxd7 13.00 (+-)
...b3/ 11...Rxb5 12.Nxb5
......b3a/ 12...Bc5 A killer move 13.Nxc7+ ( 13.Qxc7 is not possible because of 13...Qh4+ )
.........b3a1/ 13...Kf8 14.Qa8 Qxa8 15.Nxa8 Be4 16.Nc7 Bxg2 17.Rf1 Bxf1 18.Kxf1 (=)
.........b3a2/ 13...Ke7 14.Qa5 (+=)
......b3b/ 12...Qh4+ 13.Qf2 Qb4+ 14.Nc3 Bc5 15.Qf4 (=)
......b3c/ 12...Bb4+ 13.c3 Bc5 14.Nxc7+ Kf8 15.Qa8 (=)

c/ 9...Nd5 10.Qc6+ (++)

d/ 9...Nd7 10.Bb5+ Rb8 transposing to the line (b) above

The alternative continuation in line (b) 10.Qc6 Rb8 11.Bb5 Rb6 12.Qf3 does also not offer anything for the attacker, since 12...Rxb5 13.Nxb5 Nxe5 is equal.

So it seems the "inferior" 6...Nbd7 in the Gunderam defense gives black an equal game, provided the defender finds the killer moves 11...Rxb5 12.Nxb5 Bc5.

It is so sad to realise Blackmar Diemer gambit does not always lead to a forced win...

Demolition moves !

I always found black's reply 8...h6 ( diagram ) in the Hara Kiri attack in the Teichmann Exchange an interesting defense. The move prevents 9.g5, dislodging the black horseman from its preferred location. But then again, apart from preventing white to do something, it does nothing but yielding the initiative to white.

In my book, I suggested white to continue 9.Bf4, but now I realise this is not sufficient for the attack, as the continuation 9...Qxd4 10.Nb5 cxb5 11.Qxb7 Qe4+ 12.Qxe4 Nxe4 13.Bg2 Nd7 14.Bxe4 Rc8 15.000 brings no advantage for the attacker. White has the bishop pair, but black has a solid pawn. Too many pieces have been exchanged however to give white winning chances, so a draw seems a logical result.

Christoph Scheerer lists 9.Be3, but I also doubt this is sufficient, since 9...e6 10.Bd3 Bb4 is also not great for the attacker. Christoph now provides 11.00, also backed up by a Peter Leisebein correspondence game. But the line 11...Qe7 12.a3 Bd6 13.b4 a6 seems to be inferior to 13...Nbd7, with black having far the better game.

So I believe 9.Bd2 is best as it i) takes the bite out of Bb4 and ii) allows castling queenside, even if black grabs another pawn.

a/ 9...Qxd4 10.000

...a1/ 10...Qb6 11.h4 Nbd7 12.Bh3 (=)
...a2/ 10...e6 11.Bxh6 Qb6 12.Be3 Bc5 13.Bd2 (=)
...a3/ 10...Qc5 11.Nb5 Na6 12.Be3 (+=)
...a4/ 10...Qe5 11.Nb5 Na6 12.Bf4 (+=)
...a5/ 10...Nbd7 11.Bxh6 (+=)

b/ 9...e6 10.000
...b1/ 10...Qxd4 (=) ( cfr a2 above )
...b2/ 10...Bb4 11.Kb1 (=)
...b3/ 10...Be7 11.Kb1 (+=)
...b4/ 10...Bd6 11.h4 (+=)
...b5/ 10...Nbd7 11.h4 (=)
...b6/ 10...Qb6 11.Be1 (=)

c/ 9...Qb6 10.000
...c1/ 10...e6 (=) ( cfr b6 above )
...c2/ 10...Nbd7 11.Be2 (+=)

d/ 9.Nbd7 10.000 (=)
...d1/ 10...e6 (=) ( cfr b5 above )
...d2/ 10...Nb6 11.a3 (=)
...d3/ 10...Qb6 (+=) ( cfr c2 above )

More work is needed on this line, but I believe 9.Bd2 it is a better alternative than 9.Bf4 or 9.Be3.

It's more complicated than that.

Earlier posts ( The Long Bogo and The Long Bogo (2) ) covered 8...Bg4 in the Long Bogo.

This week's post covers 8...Bf5. It seems white can easily gain space on the king side with 9.h3 ( diagram ), followed by 10.g4.

Let's look at a possible great black defense : 9...Ne4
It is not covered at all by Scheerer, but a great move, as it forces the immediate exchange of a piece.
10.Qe1 Nxc3 11.Qxc3

Now it seems to me that 11..c5 is simply winning for black

eg 12.Qxc5
...a1/ 12...Na6 13.Qa3 (=)
...a2/ 12...Nc6 13.d5 (=)
...a3/ 12...Nd7 13.Qa3 (=)
...a4/ 12...a5 13.Bd3 (=+)

Other white 9th moves are no better either, eg 9.Bd3 Be6 ( resembling the same retreat in the Gunderam defense ) 10.Bh6 Nc6 and black is better.

So don't throw away your Studier Attack textbooks yet, since the Long Bogo also seems to have its problems !

Help !

In previous mails, I discussed the "De Bouver gambit" in the Vienna defense, occuring after the aggressive 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 Bf5 5.g4 Bg6 6.g5 Nd5 7.Nxe4 Nc6 8.c4 Nb4 9.a3. However, black also has the less ambituous, but equally effective 7...e6, after which the standard reply is 8.h4.

Black's options now inlcude both 8...Nc6, 8...Nd7, 8...Bxe4 and 8...Be7

a/ 8...Nd7 9.h5
...a1/ 9...Bxe4 10.fxe4 Bb4+ 11.Kf2 (+=)
...a2/ 9...Bf5 10.Ne2 (=)

b/ 8...Nc6 9.h5
...b1/ 9...Bxe4 10.fxe4 (=)
...b2/ 9...Bb4+ 10.Kf2 (=)
...b3/ 9...Bf5 10.Bb5 (=+)

c/ 8...Bxe4 9.fxe4
...c1/ 9...Bb4+ 10.c3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Bxc3+ 12.Bd2 Bxa1 13.Qxa1 (=)
...c2/ 9...Nb6 10.Be3 (+=)
...c3/ 9...Ne7 10.Be3 (+=)
...c4/ 9...Ne7 10.c3 (+=)

d/ 8...Be7 9.???

Now it seems to me that 9.h5 is insufficient after 9...Bf5. Probably 10.Bb5 is best, but black is still on top.

So, please help, what do you suggest after 7...e6, as it seems 8.h4 does not equalize.

It is really down to the details

In my post Great improvement in the Teichmann defense I discussed black's defense after 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 e6 9.Qf3 c6 10.g5. I indicated that 10...Nh5 was black's best move, after which white should respond 11.Bd3.

In the earlier post, I discussed black's strongest move 11...Qxd4 with very complicated play for both players.

Now there is also 11...Nd7 12.Nxg6 hxg6 13.Rf1 Qe7 ( diagram ) that I covered in my book.

In my book I suggested 14.Be3, but now I realise that this brings nothing after 14...000 as both 15.Qxf7 Ng3 16.Qxe7 Bxe7 17.Rf7 Bd6 and 15.000 Qe8 give only equality.

The alternative 14.Bd2 is a far better try and gives white the advantage.

a/ 14...000 15.Qxf7
...a1/ 15...e5 16.Bxg6 (+=)
...a2/ 15...Ng3 16.Qxe7 Bxe7 17.Rf7 (+=)
...a3/ 15...c5 16.Qxe7 Bxe7 17.Rf7 (+=)
...a4/ 15...Qxf7 16.Rxf7 (+=)

b/ 14...Nb6 15.000 (+=)

c/ 14...e5 15.000 (+=)

Believe it or not, it really depends on details whether or not your Blackmar Diemer tries are successful.