Master and Grandmaster, BDG and Caro-Kann

I haven't posted anything for a while. Linares has taken all my allotment of chess time. It finished up yesterday, with GM Vassily Ivanchuk, who first won the tourney 18 years ago, and GM Alexander Grischuk tied with eight points in 14 rounds. Grischuk had three wins to Ivanchuk's two and that was used to break the tie, rather than the more usual S/B system. I watched the games live online and gained a new appreciation for the veteran Ivanchuk.

But back to the the Blackmar-Diemer. Peter Webster was the first master I ever heard of who frequently played the BDG. He quit tournament play years ago for health reasons. But here's an interesting game from one of his simultaneous exhibitions.

Peter B. Webster - Anonymous
Elm Grove WI simul, 1988
BDG, Teichmann Defense

1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 Bg4 6. h3 Bh5 7. g4 Bg6 8. Bg2 e6 9. Ne5 c6 10. h4 h5?

This position is also reached in the Gunderam Defense after 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. g4 Bg6 8.Bg2 c6 9. h4 h5?

11. Nxg6 fxg6 12. Qd3 Kf7? 

13. g5 Ng4 14. Be4 Bd6 15. Bxg6+ Kg8 16. Ne4 Qc7 17. O-O Nd7 18. Bf7+ Kf8 19. Bxe6+ Ke7 20. Rf7+ Kxe6 21. Qb3# 1-0

The Webster game is entertaining on its own, but I wanted to show it here to compare it with some of the themes in this game by the big guys:

Karpov, Anatoly - Hort, Vlastimil
Bugojno, 1978
Caro-Kann

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. Ne5 Bf5 8. c3 e6 9. g4 Bg6 10. h4 h5?

11. g5 Nd5 12. Nxg6 fxg6 13. Qc2 Kf7?

14. Rh3 Ne7 15. Bc4 Nf5 16. Rf3 Qd7 17. Rxf5+ gxf5 18. Qxf5+ Ke7 19. Qe4 Re8 20. Bf4 Kd8 21. Qe5 Rg8 22. O-O-O g6 23. Re1 Bg7 24. Qb8+ Ke7 25. Rxe6+ 1-0

In both games Black made similar errors, h7-h5?, leading to the white square weakness, and then Kf7?, trying to hold the g6-pawn. Karpov had to run the Rook up to h3 to get it over to the f-file, but since the f-file was already open in the BDG, Webster could get it there in one move by castling. There are other similiarities and differences, but I'm too tired from watching Linares to mention them.