Not so dumb Diemer-Duhm Gambit

This morning Clyde Nakamura sent me a dozen "recent blitz games on the Internet," as he put it. Among them are the two quick little Diemer-Duhm Gambits which I include below with my very light notes. Okay, I admit, my notes are almost always light.

While writing this post I stopped to check what Wikipedia had to say about the Diemer-Duhm. Not so much. "The Diemer-Duhm Gambit is also a variation of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit declined with the move order 1.d4 d5 2.e4 e6 3.c4." That's what it says, but, well, it's not quite right. I'd call the D-D a close relative,  maybe a first-cousin, but a litter-mate, not really. We could help the Wikipedia page out, but it's too much trouble.

Anyway, there are better references to be googled. Although it appears he hasn't updated them in quite a while, Jyrki Heikkinen's Diemer-Duhm Gambit pages  (which Wikipedia does link to) are still probably the best source, including a large PGN database of games. Jyrki wrote several articles for my old BDG World, and has specialized in the line.

Give the Diemer-Duhm a try. It's almost like driving a BDG.

Gambits and Pieces

In the Vienna Defense to the BDG, after 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 Bf5 5.fxe4 Nxe4 6.Qf3 Nxc3 7.bxc3, Black has a number of possibilities, with 7…Qc8, holding both b7 and the Bishop at f5, being most often played. However,  Bc8?! is played now and then: 

Jyrki Heikkinen in his blog, Gambits and Pieces, writes about one such game which he played.

“White's obvious target is the f7 square. Without knowing the theory recommendation 8.Bc4 e6 9.Nh3, I … played a prophylactic move.”

What was this move? See the game at Gambits and Pieces: My shortest checkmate in BDG. And while you’re there, have a look around Jyrki’s blog. There’s more there than the BDG. It’s “the world of crazy gambits: Diemer–Duhm, Blackmar–Diemer, Staunton, Fajarowicz and more.”