Sunday, July 29, 2012

Simplicity in the Gunderam Defense to the BDG

Simplicity is the bane of the gambit player. The more Black can trade down pieces in the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, the closer he comes to an endgame up a pawn. So it stands to reason that White usually prefers to keep the game complicated. I've lost too many BDGs to count where Black wins by that approach. So that would lead one not to play my sixth move in this game. But in this case it worked out.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Winning a BDG can do that

When Sveinung sent me this game with an IM last month he wrote "My analysis and annotations might not be the best though (I was pretty euphoric!)."

That's understandable. It has happened to most of us, I'd guess. What chessplayer can disagree with Dr. Tarrasch's often-quoted observation that "chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy?" And so if a player finds the BDG a bit special, then maybe he also finds a special kind of happiness in winning one.

Here's the game, played at a time control of G/20.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Born on the 4th of July

Born on the 4th of July. No, I wasn't, but my mother was. Even without that special significance, this date has always been a special holiday to me. But that's a story for another time.

This morning, before the day turned too hectic with all its celebrations, I played a little game on the net, hoping as always, to get in a special holiday BDG. It all worked out.

Tonight, after coming in from watching fireworks along the beach, I hurriedly put together this post. I rushed because I wanted it to be born on the 4th also.