More on the Euwe Defense and h7-h6

As we mentioned in the last post, one of the several drawbacks to the move h7-h6 is that it weakens (often decisively) the field g6. White can then often complete the weakening of g6 by removing the f-pawn with a direct Knight sacrifice upon the pawn itself. Or White may sometimes achieve the same effect by deflecting the f-pawn with a sacrifice on e6. Here are a few games illustrating the latter method.

Diemer,EJ – Anonymous
Simultaneous Exhibition, Hunnebostrand, Sweden, 1958
BDG, Euwe Defense

1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 6.Bd3 b6 7.0-0 Bb7 8.Bg5 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Nbd7 10.Rae1 h6?



11.Rxe6+ fxe6 12.Bg6+ Ke7 13.Nd5+ Kd6 14.Bf4+ e5 15.dxe5+ Nxe5 16.Bxe5+ Kd7 17.Nxb6+ 1-0

Diemer,EJ – Kotek
Kaernten, 1965
BDG, Euwe Defense

1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Bd3 c6 8.0-0 h6 9.Bf4 Nd5 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.Qd2 Be6 12.Rae1 Nd7?
 


13.Rxe6 fxe6 14.Bg6+ Kf8 15.Ng5 hxg5 16.Bc7+ Nf6 17.Bxd8 and White won. 1-0

Molnar,Bela - Szaz,Ferenc
HUN-chT2 Hungary, 1997
BDG, Euwe Defense

1.e4 d5 2.d4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Bd3 h6 8.Bf4 Nd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.Qd2 Be6 11.0-0-0 Nd7 12.Rde1 g5?
 


13.Rxe6 fxe6 14.Bg6+ Kf8 15.Qe2 Kg7 16.Qxe6 Rf8 17.Bxc7 Qxc7 18.Qxe7+ Kxg6 19.Ne5+ Kh5 20.g4+ Kh4 21.Qh7 Qd6 22.Qd3 Qxe5 23.dxe5 Kxg4 24.Rg1+ Kf4 25.Qd4+ 1-0

Flude,David - Dalton,Sam
Canterbury Summer Swiss 2008 (2), 27.12.2008
BDG, Euwe Defense

1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Qd2 h6 8.Bf4 Nd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.Bd3 Be6 11.0-0 Nd7 12.Rae1 Bf6



13.Rxe6+ fxe6 14.Bg6+ Kf8 15.Ne5 Bxe5 16.dxe5 Kg8 17.Bg3 Nc5 18.Qf2 Qe7 19.Bh4 Qd7 20.Qxc5 h5 21.Rf7 Qa4 22.Rxc7 Qc4 23.Qxc4 dxc4 24.Bf7+ Kh7 25.Bxe6 Kh6 26.Bxc4 g5 27.Be1 Rhd8 28.Bd3 Rd5 29.Bc3 g4 30.Bd2# 1-0

Diemer,EJ composition
Letter to TVP, 1978
Alapin-Diemer Gambit

1.d4 d5 2.e4 e6 3.Be3 dxe4 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.f3 Bb4 6.Bg5 exf3 7.Nxf3 Nbd7 8.Bd3 c5 9.a3 Ba5 10.0-0 cxd4 11.Ne4 Bc7 12.Nxd4 h6



13.Nxe6 fxe6 14.Qh5+ Nxh5?? [14...Ke7] 15.Nd6+ Bxd6 16.Bg6# 1-0

Play through these games and download PGN here.