“It is possible that the Latvian Counter-Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 f5), Albin Counter Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5), Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (1 d4 d5 2 e4) and even the King's Knight's Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef 3 Nf3) may have been refuted, but that does not mean they are easy to refute. I would expect to win against them in a postal game but would be less confident or doing so 100 per cent or the time in an over-the-board game against the clock.” --Tim Harding, Why You Lose at Chess.When I began playing the Blackmar-Diemer back in the mid-1970s it wasn’t seen that much because not too many players knew too much about it. I find it a wee bit ironic that these days it isn’t seen that much because too many players know too much about it. Or so it seems.
Since at least last fall USCF has made Chess Life available in PDF. This morning I did a search through those back issues for Blackmar-Diemer games. As far as I can tell, the last BDG published there was in the May 2008 issue in Alex Dunne’s correspondence chess column, “1997 and 1999 Golden Knights Champions Crowned.”
Cook,Randy (2391) - Tate,Roy (2282)
1999 Golden Knights Finals
Hübsch Gambit
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 Nxe4 4.Nxe4 dxe4 5.Be3 Bf5 6.g4 Bg6 7.Ne2
7...Qd6 A novel move. More usual are
7...Nc6 8.h4 h6 9.Bg2 e6 10.Nf4 Bh7 11.c3 Be7 12.Nh5 0-0 13.g5 hxg5 14.hxg5 Bf5 15.Nf6+ Bxf6 16.Qh5 1-0 Flude,D-Ghumman,S/Australia 1997;
7...h6 8.h4 (8.Nf4 Bh7 9.h4 e5 10.dxe5 Qxd1+ 11.Rxd1 Nd7 12.e6 Ne5 13.exf7+ Kxf7 14.Be2 Bd6 15.g5 Bf5 16.gxh6 gxh6 17.Bh5+ Ke7 18.Nd5+ Ke6 19.Nf4+ Ke7 20.Nd5+ Ke6 21.Nf4+ 1/2-1/2 Flude,D-Cook,J/Victorian Interclub 1997) 8...e6 9.Nf4 Bh7 10.Qd2 c6 11.0-0-0 Nd7 12.Bc4 Nb6 13.Bb3 Nd5 14.c4 Bb4 15.Qe2 Nxe3 16.fxe3 Bd6 17.Nh5 Rg8 18.d5 cxd5 19.cxd5 e5 20.Rhf1 a6 21.Qf2 Bg6 22.Kb1 Ferreira,K (2103)-Chauca,J (2185)/Rio de Janeiro BRA 2008/1/2-1/2;
7...Nd7 8.h4 h6 9.Nf4 Bh7 10.g5 e5 11.Nd5 c6 12.Nc3 hxg5 13.hxg5 Bb4 14.Qg4 Qa5 15.g6 Bxc3+ 16.Kd1 Nf6 17.gxf7+ Kxf7 18.Bc4+ Nd5 19.Qd7+ Kf8 20.Qxb7 Rd8 21.Qxc6 Bxd4 22.Bg5 Nc3+ 23.bxc3 Qxc3 24.Be7+ Kxe7 25.Qe6+ Kf8 26.Qf7# 1-0 Diebert,C-Boe,D/Columbus City CS 1987;
7...e5 8.h4 h6 9.dxe5?! Qxd1+ 10.Rxd1 Nd7 11.e6 fxe6 12.Nf4 Bf7 13.Bc4 0-0-0 14.Bxe6 Bxe6 15.Nxe6 Re8 16.Nxf8 Rhxf8 17.g5 h5 18.Ke2 a6 19.Rd4 Rf7 20.Rhd1 Nf8 21.Ra4 Ng6 and the Black knight was more useful in this position than the White bishop. 0-1 Stevens,T-Shipman,W/Berkeley 1999 (42)
8.c3 Nd7 9.Bg2 h6 10.Qa4 c6 11.Ng3 Nf6 12.h3 e6 13.Qc2
Is White playing to win back a pawn he gave away on move 4?? 13...0-0-0 14.0-0 Qd7
15.Qa4 [15.Bxe4?! Nxe4 16.Nxe4 h5-/+] 15...a6 16.c4 Bd6 17.b4 Bc7 18.Rab1 Bd6 19.Ne2 Kb8 20.Nc3 Rc8 21.Rb3 Rc7 22.Qa5 Rcc8 23.Rfb1 Qc7 24.Qa4
24...Rhd8? [24...h5!? Black has allowed white to leisurely marshal his forces for the queenside breakthrough. It's too late now for any counterplay on the kingside. 25.b5 cxb5 26.Rxb5 axb5 (26...hxg4?? 27.Qxa6+-) 27.Nxb5+-] 25.b5!+- cxb5 26.Nxb5 Qxc4 [26...axb5 27.Rxb5 Rd7 28.d5+-] 27.Qxc4
[Black resigned. Dunne gives the most logical finish as 27...Rxc4 28.Nxd6 Rxd6 29.Rxb7+ Kc8 30.Bf1! Rcc6 31.Bf4 Rxd4 32.Rb8+ Kd7 33.R1b7+] 1-0
Play through the game and download PGN here.
