This month I ventured up to Atlanta to play in my annual OTB event, and got in two BDGs. I present them both. The first I'd considered withholding for a contemplated book, Schachmutter denken, but it is such a formidable example of grandmother thought that to delay presenting it would be criminal. It also provides an opportunity to discuss a rare position in the Vienna Defense.
Purser,Tom - Curry,Charles
Atlanta, GA Class CS, July, 1991
BDG, Vienna Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nc3 Bf5 5.fxe4 Nxe4 6.Qf3 Nd6 7.Bf4 Nc6
8.0-0-0 [Gee, I wish he'd taken on c2! All I could remember here was that Diemer had a game with this in his book. I looked at 8.Bxd6, but couldn't see through the complications. Here are some of them:
8.Bxd6 Nxd4 9.Qxb7 Nxc2+ 10.Kf2 Nxa1 11.Nd5
a) 11.Nb5?! Rb8? (11...Rc8! 12.Nxc7+ (12.Bxc7 Qd2+=/+) 12...Rxc7 13.Bb5+ (13.Bxc7 Qd4+=/+) 13...Rd7! 14.Bc7 Be4!~~) 12.Nxc7+ Kd7? Mate in 3 (12...Qxc7 13.Qxc7 Rxb2+ 14.Kg3 exd6 was Black's only try.) 13.Bb5+ 1-0, Haralson-O'Malley, corr 1967. (13.Bb5+ Kxd6 14.Qd5+ Kxc7 15.Qc6#) ;
b) 11.Bb5+ Bd7 12.Bxc7 Qc8 13.Bc6 Qxb7 14.Bxb7 Roughly equal, but White has some play while Black works to save his Knight, e.g. 14...Rd8 (14...Rc8 15.Bxc8 Bxc8 16.Nf3 Nc2 (16...Kd7 17.Ba5!) 17.Rd1!+/=) 15.Bxd8 Kxd8 16.Nf3 Nc2 17.Rd1 Kc7 (17...Nb4? 18.Ne5!; 17...e6? 18.Bc6!) 18.Be4 Nb4 19.a3 Na6 20.Ne5 Be8 (20...Be6 21.Bd5!) 21.Bd3 Nc5 22.Bb5!+/=; 11...exd6? (11...Qc8! 12.Nxc7+ (12.Bb5+ Bd7 13.Nxc7+ Kd8 14.Qxa8 Qxa8 15.Nxa8 exd6=/+) 12...Kd8 13.Qb5 (13.Qxa8 Qxa8 14.Nxa8 exd6=/+) 13...exd6 14.Nxa8 Qc5+=/+) 12.Bb5+ Bd7 13.Nxc7+ Ke7 14.Qe4+ Kf6 (14...Be6?? 15.Nd5#) 15.Nd5+ Kg5 Diemer-Zeller, Game 210 (Diemer); Frage V (wie geht es weiter?)]8...Qd7 9.h3 0-0-0 10.g4 Bg6 11.Qe3?!
11.Bg2, 11.Rh2, 11.h4--any were probably better. 11...h5! 12.d5
12...Nb8 [12...Nb4 13.Qxa7 c6 14.Qa8+ Kc7 15.Qa5++-]
13.g5? [This was a bit like taking an extra teacake. Not good for granny, I knew, but...just this once... (Yes, yes, just develop the Knight to f3). 13.Bxd6 exd6 14.Nb5 Re8 15.Nxa7+ Kd8 16.Qb3 c6 17.dxc6 Nxc6~~]
13...e6 14.Nf3 exd5 15.Ne5 Qe6
16.Nxd5? [16.Rxd5 Be4 is just as good for Black; White was obliged to remove the Bishop with 16.Nxg6.]
16...Be4! 17.Nxc7 Desperation grabs hold like a bad case of grandma's gout. [17.Bc4 Nxc4 18.Qxe4 Nxe5 19.Qxe5 Bd6-/+]
17...Kxc7 17...Qxa2 was even better. 18.Qc5+ Nc6 19.Bc4 Qf5
The teacake's revenge--curse that 13th move! 20.Rhf1 f6 21.gxf6 gxf6 22.Bh2
22...Qxh3 [22...Bh6+ 23.Kb1 Bxc2+ 24.Ka1 Bf4 is good for Black, but unnecessarily complex.] 23.Nxc6 Bxc6 24.Qa5+ b6? 25.Qxa7+ Bb7
26.Bg1?? Granny never could accept a gift graciously. 26...Nxc4 She had counted on 27.Rxd8, forgetting that the Bishop was the only thing holding the Rook at f1. 0-1
Well, there was some redemption in the other BDG in Atlanta.
Purser,Tom - Jackson,Ken
Atlanta, GA Class CS, July, 1991
BDG, Teichmann Defense
1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 c6 8.g4
8...Qxd4 [A recent correspondence game tested a line in this variation: 8...e6 9.g5 Nd5 10.Bd3 Be7 11.Rf1 0-0 12.Ne4 Nd7 13.a3 b5 14.Qh5 f5 15.gxf6 N5xf6 16.Nxf6+ Nxf6 17.Qh4 g6 18.Rg1 Nd5 19.Qh6 Bh4+ 20.Kd1 Qf6 21.c3 Qf3+ 22.Kc2 Qf2+ 23.Bd2 (all 'book' to this point, if your book is BDG WORLD 24) 23...Rf3 24.Bxg6 hxg6 25.Rxg6+ Kf7 26.Rg7+ Ke8 27.Qxe6+ Ne7 28.Re1 Kf8 29.Qh6 1-0 Purser,T-Harabor,M. corr APCT 1989/90]
9.Be3 Qe5 10.0-0-0 e6
11.Bc4 [In my original notes I wrote that "Gegner recommended 11.g5 and on 11...Nd5 12.Nxd5 but 12...exd5 leaves this grandma yearning for her warm milk and cookies." However, now this looks fine for White; one small victory over senility, maybe. 13.Bf4 Qe6 14.Qg3 threatening both Bxb8 and Re1. ]
11...Be7 12.Rhf1 Rf8 13.Bf4 Qa5 14.Nb5!?
14...Na6 My opponent played this with only a moment's thought, which I found offensive, considering how long I'd taken to analyze--well, muddle over--the possibilities: [14...cxb5 15.Qxb7 bxc4 16.Qxa8+-; 14...Nd5 15.Rxd5! cxd5 (15...exd5 16.Nc7+ Kd7 17.Nxd5 cxd5 18.Bxd5+-) 16.Nc7+ Kd8 17.Nxa8+-] Obviously one of us didn't grasp the gravity of the situation.
15.Nd6+ Bxd6 16.Bxd6 Rg8
17.Qb3?! The start of a series of ghastly grandmotherly moves by both sides. 17...Qb6
18.Qf3 [18.Bxe6! Qxb3 19.Bxb3 Nd5 20.Bxd5 cxd5 21.Rxd5+-]
18...0-0-0 19.g5 Nd5 20.Bxd5 cxd5 21.Be7 Rde8 22.Qxf7 Qe3+ 23.Kb1 Qxh3
24.Rd3?! [24.Bd6! Qg4 25.Rd3 d4 26.Ra3 Qe2 27.Rxa6+/-] 24...Qg4? [24...Qxf1+ 25.Qxf1 Rxe7=] 25.Bd6+-
25...Qxg5?? (White mates in 4) 26.Rc3+ Kd8 27.Bc7+ [27.Qxb7 mates one move sooner] 27...Kc8 28.Bf4+ 1-0.
Enough of this nonsense (for now). But still to come: The Grandmother of all BDGs!
Play through these games and download PGN here.
