The Blackmar Diemer forces the opponent to make mistakes.

I said it before, the Blackmar Diemer gambit forces your opponent to make mistakes. Playing our beloved gambit against a perfect opponent is difficult, but humans tend to react strangely when faced with the fierce attacking lines. And then they make mistakes. Why ? I dont know - I am not into chess psychology...

That's what happenened yesterday to me into my game in the Belgian league. I had to win as our team was avoiding to be transfered to a lower league. Luckily my young ( and promising ) opponent was not immune to chess psychology.

Guido De Bouver - Sander Devriendt
1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bf5
The Gunderam defense.

6.Ne5 Nbd7
Black challenges the knight on e5 immediately.

7.Qf3 e6 8.Qxb7 Bd6 ( diagram )
Ah, chess psychology at work. Black realizes he should develop quickly, but doesnt see the hole at c6. 8...Rb8 or 8...Nxe5 ( see my earlier blog ) are correct.

9.Nc6 Qc8 10.Qxc8
Ah, now I make a mistake also. 10.Ba6 would win, but luckily black is so impressed with my play that he makes a second, decisive mistake.

10...Rxc8 11.Ba6

Now 11...Nb8 would have equalised, but the continuation 11...Nb8 12.Bxc8 Nxc6 13.00 Nxd4 14.Bf4 is hard to see across the board.

11...Ra8 12.Bb7 00 13.Bxa8 Rxa8 14.00 Bxc2 15.Bf4

And I went on to win in 45 moves.

Question. In what opening is the game decided in the first 10 moves ?
Answer. The one and only Blackmar Diemer.

When one piece is not enough

I played a nice, short game yesterday evening as I crashed my opponent in a fierce Smith Morra. That's a just punishment for refusing to play my Blackmar Diemer gambit.

Guido De Bouver - Jan Staes.

1.d4 c5 2.e4
I used to play the Smith Morra for years, so I do know a bit on the main lines

2...cxd4 3.Nf3 g6 4.c3 dxc3 5.Nxc3 Bg7 6.Bc4 e6

A bad move, with important consequences.

7.Nb5 d5 8.exd5 Nf6 9.Bf4 Na6 10.Nd6+ Ke7
Black is already lost after a mere 10 moves. But how to win the full point in style ?

11.Ng5 Rf8 12.00 h6 13.Re1 !!

Black can now win a piece, but all other options also loose quickly.

13...hxg6 14.dxe6 Bxe6 15.Bxe6 fxe6 16.Rxe6+

The final blow !

16...Kxe6 17.Qe2+
With a mate in 16. But my opponent apparently wanted to go home faster...

17...Kd5
Black resigned without waiting for 18.Qc4#.

I'm actually quite proud of this one - I had to sacrifice two pieces. Often it is easy to see the first sacrifice, but then most players "chicken out" when the next sacrifice has to be made. It's just too bad this nice win didn't come from a Blackmar Diemer !

When two pieces beat a queen

I got the title from Tim Harding's column "The Kibitzer" on chesscafe.com.
Really interesting stuff after 1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Ng5 Nf6 5.Bc4 where terrible complications occur after 5...Bg4.

White now has 6.Qxg4 Nxg4 7.Bxf7+ Kd7 8.Be6+

The gambit is called "Bryntse gambit" and leads to a great white attack. The complete doc is at chesscafe.com.

Anyway, maybe an alternative if you were to consider dropping the Blackmar Diemer.

Why not another great line for white ?

Last sunday ( yes, on the first anniversary of my blog ), I participated in a blitz tournament and I was able to put in some Blackmar Diemer's successfully. Unfortunately, the winner, a strong IM, crushed me with a Pirc - I would loved to see his response against my Blackmar Diemer.

One opponent played an obscure line in the Teichmann against me that I had covered in my my book "Attack with the Blackmar Diemer". I suggested the move 11.Be3 as best in a line 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 Bxc2 (diagram).

Unfortunately, 11.Be3, as suggested in my book, allows black to exchange a piece for three pawns, eg 11...Nbd7 12.Rh2 Bg6 13.gxf6 Nxf6 (+=) (diagram) and the position is far from clear as black has no weaknesses.

During the game, I played the simple 11.gxf6 ( diagram ) and now, during the analysis, I find it to be far stronger than 11.Be3.

a/ 11...gxf6 12.Nc4
...a1/ 12...Bg6 13.h4 (+)
...a2/ 12...Nd7 13.h4 (+)
...a3/ 12...Rg8 13.Bf4 (+)
...a4/ 12...Bb4 13.Rh2 (+)
...a5/ 12...Bd6 13.Nxd6+ Qxd6 14.Qxf6 (++)
...a6/ 12...Be7 13.Bf4 (+)
...a7/ 12...Na6 13.Ne3 Nb4 14.Rh2 (diagram)

......a7a/ 14...Nd3+ 15.Bxd3 Bxd3 16.d5 (+=)
......a7b/ 14...Bg6 15.a3 Nd3+ 16.Bxd3 Bxd3 17.d5 (+)
......a7c/ 14...Bd3 15.a3 Bxf1 16.axb4 (+)
......a7d/ 14...Qxd4 15.Rxc2 Nxc2+ 16.Nxc2 (+)

b/ 11...Qxf6 12.Bf4 (+)

c/ 11...Qxd4 12.fxg7 Qxe5+ 13.Kd2 (+)

So it seems I stumbled by ignorance into an improvement ! And guess what, yes I won that game !

Happy anniversary

Today, March 11th is the anniversary of my blog. I started it on Match 11th 2011 and I have been posted here on a regular basis.
I am quite happy with the penetration so far - hoping to sprad the word that the Blackmar Diemer gambit is a regular opening. But then again, not too regular...

Thanks Vladimir

Vladimir D from Vladivostok in Russia kindly sent me a mail on my previous line in the Long Bogo. He notes that white has a playable game after 8...Bf5 9.h3 Ne4 10.Nxe4 Bxe4 11.Ng5 Bd5 12.h4

In my earlier post, I only considered 10.Qe1 ( 10.Qe3 pretty much is the same ), but it seems that the suggested continuation is better.

After 12.h4, black has 12...h6, but 13.Nh3 h5 ( 13...Kh7 is not so good as it allows 14.h5 g5 15.Bxg5 hxg5 16.Nxg5+ with a strong white attack ) 14.Ng5 (=).

Also possible is 12.h4 e6 13.Bd3 (=)

And finally 12.h4 Bxa2 13.h5 (=)

So it seems like my concern about this particular Long Bogo line is addressed - thanks Vladimir - great to see that chess players in Russia also read this blog !

Look who is talking now.

Black has a great counterattack in the Gunderam defense, starting after 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.g4 Ne4!

White has nothing other than accepting black's counterattack with 8.gxf5 Qh4+ 9.Ke2

Now we all know that 9...Qf2+ is insufficient after 10.Kd3 Nc5 11.Kc4 (++). Also, 9...f6 allows for 10.Nf3 Qf2+ 11.Kd3 Nc5+ 12.Kc4 (+)

That brings us to the only black ninth move that is not simply loosing : 9...Nc6. Black has a great double attack lateron.

9...Nc6 10.Nxc6 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Qe4+
The "pointe" of the black attack – a great triple attack.

12.Kf2 Qxh1 13.Na5
The starting point of our analysis. White has a bishop and knight for the rook and a pawn. In addition, white's pawns on f5 and h2 are loose. But white can emerge with a small advantage after careful play.

a/ 13...Qxh2+ 14.Bg2
...a1/ 14...Qh4+ 15.Kf1 (+=)
...a2/ 14...Bd6 15.Nxb7 (+=)
...a3/ 14...Be7 15.Qh1 (+=)
...a4/ 14...Rb8 15.Qh1 (+=)

b/ 13...000 14.fxe6 fxe6 15.Qf3 Qxf3 16.Kxf3 (+=)

c/ 13...Qd5 14.Nc4
...c1/ 14...Qxf5+ 15.Kg1 (+=)
...c2/ 14...Bd6 15.Nxd6+ (+=)
...c3/ 14...Be7 15.Qf3 (+=)
...c4/ 14...000 15.fxe6 (+)

Now it seems to me that the majority of these positions is quite unclear to me, even if Houdini gives white a small advantage. But white surely has to play decent chess as to deal with black's material advantage. White's advantage lies in the exposed position of the black queen, but still, the material imbalance ( rook against two pieces ) leads to a difficult game for both players.

Still, it is black who took the initiative and dictates the game from move 7 onwards - a feeling most gambiteers will not like that much.