So, maybe next year. Or by the time you're reading this, maybe this year. Maybe 2010.
And maybe
Thank you for reading this. May the new year bring you and yours the best of everything.
No maybe about that.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Maybe Next Year
As I write this the new year has arrived in London, and as far as I know, the promised new book, "The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: A Modern Guide to a Fascinating Chess Opening," from Everyman Chess, has not. The Everyman website still has the book due in the USA in December. However, a reader recently informed me that he had heard from Everyman that "This title is now looking like a March publication."
So, maybe next year. Or by the time you're reading this, maybe this year. Maybe 2010.
And maybenext year this year, 2010, I'll get back to more frequent postings on these pages.
Thank you for reading this. May the new year bring you and yours the best of everything.
No maybe about that.
So, maybe next year. Or by the time you're reading this, maybe this year. Maybe 2010.
And maybe
Thank you for reading this. May the new year bring you and yours the best of everything.
No maybe about that.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Two Draws in the Alapin-Diemer
An Alapin-Diemer Gambit turned up in today's TWIC. White's offer of the f-pawn is met by its old nemesis, e7-e5. Two draws in this line for you:
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | ||
| 8 | 8 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
 | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
| Knoop, W (2059 - Van de Griendt, JW (2352) |
| 1/2-1/2 (TCh-NED 2009-10) 9/26/2009 |
[11.Bd4 Nc6 12.Bb5 a6 13.Bxc6+ bxc6 14.a3 O-O-O 15.b4 Bb3 16.Rd2 Re8 17.Re2 Bc4 18.Re3 Bd6 19.g3 f5 20.Ne2 Be5 21.Kd2 Bxe2 22.Rxe2 Bxd4 23.cxd4 fxe4 24.Rhe1 Rhf8 1/2-1/2 Hashemi,A-Liepold,S/Bayern 2003/EXT 2004]
11...a5 12.Nf3 Nxf3+ 13.gxf3 Be7 14.Rg1 Bh4+ 15.Bf2 Bxf2+ 16.Kxf2 O-O 17.c4 Rfd8 18.Be2 Kf8 19.Ke3 Rxd1 20.Rxd1 Ke7 21.f4 [1/2-1/2] Thursday, November 19, 2009
Good Enough for Alekhine
Here's a BDG that showed up in this week's TWIC. It's a line that you don't see that often--although Alekhine once played it in a simultaneous exhibition (see the second game).
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | ||
| 8 | 8 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
| Morcom, H. - Brooker, Chris H |
| 1-0 (Guernsey Open) 10/21/2009 |
[I found an old game of mine in this line that went 7...g6 8.Bg5 Bg7 9.O-O-O O-O 10.h4 h5 11.Rdf1 Nbd7 12.Nf4 c6 13.Nxg6 Re8 14.Nf4 e6 15.Nxh5 Kf8 16.Nxg7 Kxg7 17.Ne4 1-0 Purser,T-Rene/skittles, Robins CC, GA Sept 1991]
8.h3 e6 9.O-O Be7 10.Be3 O-O 11.Kh1 Nbd7 12.Rad1 Nb6 13.Bd3 Nbd5 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bc1 Nb4 16.Bc4 Nbd5 17.a3 b6 18.Bd3 Bb7 19.Ne4 Nxe4 20.Qxe4 g6 21.Bxh6 Nf6 22.Qe5 Re8 23.Rf2 Qb8 24.Rdf1 Kh7 25.Bg5 Qxe5 26.dxe5 Nd5 27.Rxf7+ Kh8 28.Bh6 Kg8 29.Bxg6 Rf8 30.Bxf8 Rxf8 31.c4 Ne3 32.Bh7+ Kh8 33.Rxf8+ Bxf8 34.Rxf8+ Kxh7 35.Rf7+ Kh6 36.Rxb7 Nxc4 37.Rxa7 Nxb2 38.Ra6 Nc4 39.Nd4 Kg5 40.Nxe6+ Kf5 41.Nd4+ Kxe5 42.Nxc6+ Kd6 43.Nb4 Kc5 44.Ra8 Kb5 45.h4 Ne3 46.h5 Ng4 47.Rg8 Nf6 48.Rg6 Nh7 49.h6 Ka5 50.Rg7 Nf6 51.h7 [1-0] | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | ||
| 8 | 8 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
| Alekhine, Alexander - Blount, L. |
| 1-0 (28 Board Simultaneous, Providence, Rhode Island) 12/23/1923 |
Friday, November 13, 2009
Continuity
While looking over Euwe Defense games I once again came across this well-known one of Diemer's:
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | ||
| 8 | 8 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
| Diemer EJ - Fuller RA |
| 1-0 (0292 Hastings Pr Resv Major) 1957 |
[15...hxg6? 16.Ne4 (or16.Rxf6 )]
16.Ne4 Rf8 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Rxf6 [18.Nxf6+ was stronger.]
18...Rxf6 19.Nxf6+ Kh8 20.Qe4 Rb8 21.Rf1 Bb7 22.Qe5 Qd6? (Only Qg7 survives--Diemer) 23.Ne8+ [1-0]
One of the many satisfying aspects of chess is its continuity, the recurrence of themes and ideas over the years. For example, consider this game by one of strongest BDG players of recent years.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | ||
| 8 | 8 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
| Diebert Charles - Bath J |
| 1-0 (0097) 1983 |
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Fascinating book, reluctant publisher?
I'm talking about The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: A modern guide to a fascinating chess opening, by Christoph Scheerer (previously Wisnewski). Back in September I noted that the publisher, Everyman Chess, had announced that the book would be out in October in the U.S., the following month in the E.U. Today the Everyman site has the months slipped to December and January. For a while Amazon U.S. said it was out of print (well, maybe so, if it had never been in print). Now Amazon lists it as available 31 Dec 2009.
Maybe 2010?
Maybe 2010?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
"Correctness"
In his book, Vom Ersten Zug an auf Matt, Diemer included a short essay on correctness (a propos -- KORREKTHEIT!, p. 129), in which he insisted that if the BDG were a "correct gambit" then it would be no gambit at all. Tonight I read an interesting piece by Dutch grandmaster Jan Hein Donner, (who once wrote a separate devastating article on Diemer called The Prophet von Muggensturm).
He didn’t care about correctness, complications were more important to him. To drag his opponent with him into the labyrinth, he gave everything for it. I’ve seen it in Zürich, the growing feeling of unease when he sacrificed a piece or more in every game, and won, but when afterwards it turned out the whole enterprise had been rather risky if only the opponent would have found the right moves behind the board. In analysing, too, it turned out that, although he had calculated much and much more than the average player, he did very much tend to calculate in his own favour. Even then it became clear that only Keres could stand up to him in such analysis sessions where hands grab and reach over the board. ‘Aber mein Lieber, was machen Sie denn darauf!’ [But my darling, what do you play now?] and Tal just laughed. ‘Wer hat gewonnen?’ [Who has won?] (…)Tal? Tal? Forgive me if I mislead you. Here Donner was writing about Tal. Not about Diemer. You can read the entire piece in this post in Chess Vibes. (scroll down to the bottom of the page).
Friday, November 6, 2009
Return of the Euwe Defense
It's been a while, but I've been struggling with a few health problems.
Anyway, here's a recent Blackmar-Diemer in the venerable Euwe Defense. I've always enjoyed playing against the Euwe. Maybe it's time to show a few more games with this variation.
Anyway, here's a recent Blackmar-Diemer in the venerable Euwe Defense. I've always enjoyed playing against the Euwe. Maybe it's time to show a few more games with this variation.