Two Teichmanns in the Blackmar-Diemer

Or should I say, two Teichmen. Or two TeichMänner. Or...anyway, here are two games in the Teichmann Defense to the Blackmar Diemer Gambit, harvested from today's TWIC. White wins one, loses one. Chess imitates life, one more time.

Lemberger: love it, hate it

I hate the Lemberger Countergambit (I say Countergambit, you say Counter Gambit). I hate it, except I love to play it--if I have the black pieces. But I hate to play against it, and I especially hate the variation in this game. I'll even go so far as losing the game before I'd play 4.dxe5. But I'm just your run of the mill woodpusher, so what do I know. In this game White comes through.

I wouldn't dare try to add any notes.

The Diamond Jubilee and the BDG

I don't watch that much television, but I did catch a bit of the celebrations of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee over the weekend. My, my, no one does this sort of thing better than our British friends, and I love them for it. I don't think I've enjoyed an occasion on television as much since watching the night the Berliners tore down that wall. It would have been a joy to have attended either event.

As it happened, I once had the pleasure of seeing Queen Elizabeth in Berlin. It was at the end of her visit there in May of 1965. I watched the short departure ceremony from my second floor office window at Tempelhof Central Airport, overlooking the Queen's airplane parked just outside.

So, watching the London celebrations and remembering that day in Berlin warmed the old man's heart, and then I turned to Monday's TWIC and found, what else, a Blackmar-Diemer played at the Diamond Jubilee Premier. It would have been grand if the BDG had carried the day, but we take what we can.

May God save the Queen, and the BDG.