Can black hold in the Teichmann Exchange ?

My stats indicate I get the Teichmann Exchange most often. I dont know why, because the white attack is simple and fast. But the defender thinks that, by exchanging the knight on f3, he is one piece closer to a winning end game. Things are not so simple however as white has nice attacking chances.

However, there is one line that always bothered me :

1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 c6 8.g4 Qxd4
Blacks grab another pawn : "a pawn is a pawn"

9.Be3 Qb4
moving away from the file where it comes under attack of the rook

10.0-0-0 (diagram)

10...e6 is now the best defending move, even if 10...Nbd7 has to be respected.

10...e6 11.g5 Nd5 12.Bd4 (diagram)

White has moved his blacksquared bishop to a great diagonal. Thinsg are getting complicated for black !

12...Nbd7
Only move

13.h4 (diagram)
Let's see what black is up to. 13.Kb1 is also possible, but that is not the kind of move a gambiteer likes to play.

Let's assess this position

a/ 13...Be7 14.Bxg7 Rg8 15.Nxd5 cxd5 16.Bc3 Qa4 17.Bd3 and white has an obvious advantage (+)

b/ 13...Rg8 14.Bh3 (+)

c/ 13...f6 14.Bh3 (+)

d/ 13...f5 14.gxf5 Nxf6 15.Bh3 (+)

e/ 13...0-0-0 14.Qxf7 Qe7 15.Qf3 (+=)

f/ 13...Bd6 14.a3
...f1/ 14...Bf4+ 15.Kb1 Qa5 16.Nxd5 Qxd5 17.Qxf4 Qxh1 18.Be2 (++)
...f2/ 14...Qa5+ 15.Bxg7 Rg8 16.Nxd5
......f2a/ 16...cxd5 17.Bc3 (+=)
......f2b/ 16...Rxg7 17.b4 Qd8 18.Nf4 (+=)

g/ 13...Qd6 14.Kb1
...g1/ 14...Qf4 15.Qe2 (+=)
...g2/ 14...0-0-0 15.Bg2 (=)
...g3/ 14...c5 15.Nxd5 (=)
...g4/ 14...e5 15.Ne4 (+=)

So the unimaginable has become reality - there are a few lines that give  black equality in the Teichmann Exchange !!

Did he finally go mad ?

This afternoon, I got to talk to one of my BDG buddies. We went through my sunday game which I started off as follows :

1.d4 Nf6 2.f3
Inviting ( no, begging !! )  my opponent to go into a Blackmar Diemer... But alas, my opponent wisely thanked for the invitation.
2...g6
I played the normal (??) move here.
3.e4

"Stop right here", my chess buddy said. "Why not consider 3.g4 ?? You will play it lateron anyway - why not play it right now ?"

At first, I could not believe my eyes. But my friend was right - what is keeping me from this adacious move ? It is a legal move after all !

Let's check out the natural line 3...Bg7 4.h4 (diagram)

Now believe me or not, my Stockfish chess assistant indicates that only one move offers black an advantage. Can you find it ? I bet you wont.

Let's check out a few alternatives

a/ 4...d6 ( the normal Pirc-ish move ) 5.h5

and now black only has 5...gxh5 6.g5 Nfd7 7.Rh5 leading to equality.

b/ 4...c5 5.d5

\
...b1/ 5...e6 6.e4 exd5 7.e5 (?!)
......b1a/ 7...Qe7 8.Qe2 Ng8 9.Nc3 (=)
......b1b/ 7...Ng8 8.Nc3 d4 9.Nd5 Ne7 10.Nf6+ (=+) with a complicated game
...b2/ 5...d6 6.e4 (=)
...b3/ 5...Qa5+ 6.Kf2 !!!! (=)
...b4/ 5...0-0 6.h5 (=)

c/ 4...d5 5.h5

...c1/ 5...Qd6 6.Nh3 (=)
...c2/ 5...c5 6.h6 Bf8 7.e3 (=)
...c3/ 5...gxh5 6.g5
......c3a/ 6...Nfd7 7.Nh3 (=)
......c3b/ 6...Ng8 7.Nh3 (=)

I am sure you will tell me this opening does not make sense. But hey, remember Diemer's "immortal" game against Trommsdorf in 1975 in Bagnieux, France. That game stood the test of time - and I am sure, most of our games wont be remembered in 50 years time...

Cleaning up old stuff

Today I was sort of forced by my wife to clean up my study room. Unlike the room of my daughters, my study room is filled with chess related stuff - you will find no posters of the latest boys band, merely a few CD's of Bob Dylan or Neil Young. And chess stuff. That's it, but it's enough to drive my wife crazy. In any case, whilst realigning my stuff a bit, thus satisfying the master of the family, I came upon a nice game I played last year.

Guido De Bouver - Tony Peleman
Mechelen, 2013.
1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 Nfd7 ?!

I had never seen this move before. Challenging my outpost knight with 8...Nbd7 is often seen, after which white gets a decent attack with the thematic 9.Qf3. But this move seems to violate the basic rules of the chess openings, as the knight is moved twice.

I decided to continue with 9.Qf3 c6 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Bc4 e6 12.0-0 and the came equalized somehow.

During analysis, it became obvious I had let the fish off the hook at move 11. And indeed, the odd looking 11.Rh2 !? seems the simplest way for white to complicate things and keeping the pressure on the defender. It might not be the sttrongest move, but certainly is the most difficult for black to defend against.

So let's chekc out 11.Rh2

It seems there are only a few decent black replies : 11...e5 and 11...e6.

a/ 11...e5 12.Rf2 (diagram)

...a1/ 12...f6 13.Bd3 (+)
...a2/ 12...Qe7 13.Bf4 !! (+)
...a3/ 12...Qf6 13.Qd3
......a3a/ 13...Qh4 14.Be3 (+=)
......a3b/ 13...Qe7 14.Bf4 (+=)

......a3c/ 13...Qe6 14.d5 (+=)
......a3d/ 13...Qd6 14.Be3 (+=)

......a3e/ 13...Qd8 14.Be3 (+=)

b/ 11...e6 12.Rf2 (diagram)

...b1/ 12...Qf6 13. Qe3
......b1a/ 13...Qe7 14. Bd2 (+=)
......b1b/ 13...Qd8 14.Bd2 (+=)
......b1c/ 13...Qh4 14.Qf4 Qe7 15.Be3 (+=)
...b2/ 12...Qe7 13.Bf4 (+)


Editor's note : it seems Guido forgot about his post "Handling the do nothing line" where the line 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 Nfd7 9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.Bg5.
Guess it is a matter of taste which line is better :-)

The sacrifice on e4 in the Paleface Pirc

Yesterday I was crushed to death in a Paleface Pirc. The game was played at fast speed, but still, I was sort of humiliated with my opening. read carefully so you dont end up like this !

Guido De Bouver - Roel Hamblok ( Antwerpen )
1.d4 c5 2.d5 g6 3.e4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d6 5.Be3 Nf6 6.Qd2 Qa5 7.f3 a6 8.g4 b5 (diagram)

White has declared his intentions on the kingside whilst blacks expands on the queenside - a typical idea in the Paleface Pirc.

My next move was too slow : 9.h4. This move is too slow as it allows for 9...h5, but my opponent had a different plan : 9...b4 (diagram)

Oh horror - black is attacking a piece first. Probably an indication that I am not doing so well. But now I missed a simple sacrifice.

10.Nce2 ??? (diagram)

As soon as I released my piece, I saw the combination. 10.Nd1 would have been ok for white.

10...Nxe4 Of course.
11.fxe4 Bxb2 12.Rad1 Bxg4 (diagram)

And with one piece for three pawns, I could safely resign here as my position is hopeless.

Dont fall for this idea - it can happen in other Paleface Pirc positions also.

The times they are a changing.

Yes, the times they are a-changing. And so does the evaluation of some wild Blackmar Diemer lines.

Take the obscure line in teh Ziegler ( aka O'kelly ) defense 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 c6 6.Bc4 Bf5 7.g4  !! This line was suggested by IM Stefan Bucker in a famous article published in 2010 on chesscafe.com.

I have played trhis lately twice in five minute games on chess.com and both of my opponents went astray quickly. And also, the gambit has some real potency. Look at the line

7...Nxg4 8.Nh4 g6 9.Nxf5 gxf5 10.h3 Nf6 11.Bg5 e6 and now 12.d5 (diagram)

I challenge you to defend this position here as black. Not simple, is it ?

I wont go as far as saying that 7.g4 is better than 7.Bg5. I wont play it, certainly not in rated over-the-board games, but it is perfect for blitz games.

And who knows, maybe one day, the times will be changing...

Bypassing that annoying Vienna defense

I have always hated the Vienna defense since black is always able to exchange some pieces and thus reduce white's winning chances. I always felt that white is fighting for a draw.

For that reason, I have worked in the past on several white options, originating aftre 5.g4 Bg6 6.g5 Nd5 7.Nxe4. Not without any modesty on my part, the line 7...Nc6 8.c4 was dubbed the "De Bouver attack" and yielded terrible complications.

However, black could bypass this dreaded attack and simply play 7...e6 and now 8.h4 does not seem to equalize.

That's why I look today at the next white option : the "More than Hara Kiri" line, originating after 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 Bf5 5.g4 Bg6 6.h4 (diagram)

White's most ambituous try is probably 6...Qd6, but white's reply 7.Bg2 is both unexpected and good.

Also interesting is 6...exf3 7.Qxf3 and white gets an equal game with all pieces still on the board.

The popular 6...h5 is rather simple to play for white after 7.g5 Nd5 8.Nxe4 (diagram) and white is certainly not worse than in the lines without the h4 moves.

Let's look now at the best black repsonse, 6...h6. Scheerer suggests 7.Bg2 here, but I think he overlooked the simple 7...Nc6, leaving white a pawn down without any compensation.

Summary : the More than Hara Kiri line seems to be refuted by the simple 6...h6 as Scheerer's suggestion 7. Bg2 does not provide any equality.

screwed up in a Slav ambush

I partipated in a tournament last weekend. My 5th round opponent knew I played the Blackmar Diemer and was prepared for it, since I had played a Blackmar Diemer against him a year ago or so.

So I had the bad idea of playimng something else...

1.d4 d5 2.c4
No mother what the grandmasters say : bad choice - 2.e4 is far better/

2...c6
The Slav

3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 b5 6.Qc2
My knowledge of theory had ended here. Better was 6.e5, entering the Geller gambit.

6...e6 7.a4
Cant be bad, can it ?

7...a6 (diagram)
This cant be right !!!

8.axb5 cxb5 9.Nxb5 (diagram)
I won my gambit pawn back and my position is far better !!!

But my opponent got me into a known Slav ambush.

9...axb5!!! 10.Rxa8 Bb7 11.Ra1
I started to feel unconfortable, especially since my opponent was smiling all the time

11...Nxe4 (diagram)
And here I knew I was in really deep shit

12.Be2
Desperately trying to get my king into safety

12...Bb4+ (diagram)
Black develops quickly

13.Bd2 Nxd2 14.Nxd2 Qg5 (diagram)
Here I decided to resign. My king has no place to go as castling queenside is not possible anymore.

What a nice trap !!

Lessons learned - stick to the Blackmar Diemer and dont mess with Slav gambits.