The Final Theory of Chess Project

Last year I heard about a big book called The Final Theory of Chess. It worried me a little. At my age, any mention of "final" tends to do that. But more than that, the idea that anything as complicated as chess could have a final theory didn't seem to make much sense to me. For a long time my own working theory of chess has been covered by one of Tartakower’s many witticisms: "Chess is a fairy tale of 1001 blunders."

But I was intrigued and contacted the author of The Final Theory, Gary M. Danelishen, with an offer to enter an exchange sacrifice—his big book for one of my little books. And what a big book it turned out to be. Almost 400 pages, 8.5 by 11.5 inches, crammed with four years of analysis by up to six computers running Fritz software around the clock. What made the book of special interest to me was that over 100 of those pages were devoted to analysis of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit.

If I had my druthers, the book might have been better called Toward a Final Theory... or maybe In Search of a Final Theory... or, well, you get the idea. Danelishen doesn’t suggest that we’re there yet; his concept is to expand opening theory and analysis upward over time. All the while tablebases (but not in his analysis) will be expanded downward, and someday they will intersect in a glorious union, maybe like the joining of the transcontinental railroad, and lo, we will in fact have achieved the final theory!

I’m much too lazy these days, and even if I had the energy, I couldn’t do justice to this book. Nor should I even try, since Rick Kennedy, as is his practice, has done another excellent, thorough review at Chessville Reviews. I recommend you read it there.

Meanwhile, Danelishen is pressing on. He has established a Final Theory of Chess Project website, in a wiki format, open to all to extend opening theory. As Gary explains:

The Final Theory of Chess wiki, based upon the book with the same name, is an attempt to construct an aggressive opening repertoire based primarily upon the use of computer analysis. Computer analysis has been built upon previous computer analysis, in a process repeated seemingly ad infinitum.

The ultimate goal is to push opening theory through the middlegame and finally to a point where endgame tablebases can solve for mate. The Final Theory of Chess lays a solid foundation upon which further computer analysis may be built in order to solve the game of chess.

It’s an interesting concept, and a chance to share ideas on as broad or fine a scale as you wish. Take a look at it. I suggest you start at the front door. You can also jump right to the BDG variations.

Tim Sawyer Looks at Scheerer's BDG Book

Well, it was a long time coming, but it appears to have been worth the wait. Tim Sawyer thinks so, and I'm inclined to agree with him. Here's Tim's take on Christoph Scheerer's take on the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit.


A Review
By Tim Sawyer

One month ago “The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: A Modern Guide to a Fascinating Chess Opening” book by Christoph Scheerer was released. (He took the last name of his wife when he got married; he was Christoph Wisnewski.) I have examined this book in detail during the past four weeks. It is wonderful to see an author from a younger generation take up the BDG mantle. Scheerer turns age 31 this year and I turn age 60 in two years.

IM Scheerer of Germany is rated over 2400, yet I am shocked that the book is so good! I’ve been disappointed by famous authors. Christoph did a LOT of research. I have done the same for my unpublished BDG Keybook 4 (due out in 2012). Scheerer lists a 3 page bibliography of major articles, books, cds, dvds, databases, periodicals and websites. Only the excellent works from 2010 by Eric Jego and by Guido de Bouver are missing.

Most BDGers were disappointed that his book had been delayed so long by Everyman. As I recall it was initially projected to be 192 pages. Now it seems that Scheerer himself just wanted to make it a bigger and better book. A revised Everyman listing had the book coming out with 272 pages. The final book actually has 336 pages, not the typical Everyman volume. Over the years I have purchased maybe 100 Everyman books. They are well written, but the coverage of the book is understandably limited. Christoph’s book (as Wisnewski) “Play 1...Nc6!” is a favorite repertoire book of mine. Rather than cover the typical three or four options that Black has in each 1...Nc6 main line, Christoph picks one and just covers only that. He excels in assessing the most practical continuations.

Scheerer’s BDG work is not a repertoire book limited to only one variation for White. He covers all the variations by Black on moves three, four and five and gives at least two playable options for White vs. each. In the twelve years since I wrote my BDG Keybook II, I have done a lot of research finding the critical lines. I have graduated from chess engines Rybka 2 to Fritz 11 and now to Junior 12. Scheerer uses Rybka throughout the book, presumably a current version. Most of Scheerer’s conclusions mirror my own these days. He adds ideas that are new to me and reminds me of some ideas I forgot.

Christoph Scheerer's work presents the gambit as very playable, and yet he shows where the biggest theoretical traps lay. He has clear verbal explanations as to what is going on. About half of the analysis covers more recent games or recommendations from other recent sources. Most authors either seem to worship popular BDGers or belittle them. I found Scheerer to be fair and positive toward past BDGers. Those who have played more known games and those who are higher rated get the most mention. When there is a point for improvement, Scheerer notes how we can play better in our future games.

Scheerer covers both the Lemberger and the Hübsch. The only negative that I can see is that he does not cover Pirc, Benoni or French Defense lines nor the 1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 move order. Fair enough. Scheerer is a Veresov player, so Nc3 on moves 1, 2, or 3 is his natural approach. The BDG fits well into his repertoire. Enjoy the book! Play the Gambit!!

BDG Books: an Update

I received a note from Guido De Bouver today, informing me that Amazon.co.uk had shipped his copy of the long-awaited BDG book by Christoph Scheerer, The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: A Modern Guide to a Fascinating Chess Opening. So, it seems the footsteps that we hear down the hall are real.

The page at Amazon.co.uk shows the book is indeed available, and provides the capability to "click to look inside." As of now, the US Amazon page (which also provides the "look inside" capability) only has the message "Sign up to be notified when this item becomes available."

Guido asked me to announce:

I am working on the second volume of my book, including the euwe and bogoljubow defense. But time is a problem right now.  What I am looking for is some help, someone who could help me with this effort of detailed analysis of the various lines.

You can contact Guido here:  guido.de.bouver AT telenet.be.

Footsteps that you hear down the hall ...

 You know the feeling of something half remembered
Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well...


I hesitate to bring it up again, but...it's back.

The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: A modern guide to a fascinating chess opening

"The book went to the printers this very week." So posted the author, IM Christoph Scheerer (previously Wisnewski) on the ChessPub forum on 20 January 2011.

It looks to be real this time. Go to this page at Everyman Chess. There you can download  a PDF with an introduction, a table of contents, and an extract of part of a chapter on the Bogoljubow Defense. It looks good!

Promised in February. Again.

For real this time?

Or just a face in the misty light?


(With help from Johnny Mercer)

A ghost of a book, a ghost of a chance

A BDG friend asked a question about the status of the long-announced Scheerer BDG book on the everymanchess.com forum and received this response:

 "This book is unfortunately very, very delayed. I don't have a date of publication yet but I'm hoping it will publish before the end of the year."

Oh. That may be the problem. They're waiting on the book to self-publish.

You can read the forum entry here.

Another New BDG Book

"Gambit Blackmar-Diemer" by Eric Jégo
Published June 2010 by Modus Operandi 

Review by Tim Sawyer

Many people talk about writing books, but only a few actually do it. When Eric Jégo first contacted me a year or two ago about his new BDG project, I was very hopeful. Now I hold his book in my hand and it brings a smile to my face.

The author is from France, so naturally his 188 page paperback book is written in French with figurine algebraic notation. Jégo says there are 287 verbally annotated games. Jégo has focused on games NOT given much coverage in other books. In fact, 160 of the games have been played in the 12 years since my BDGKII was written (1999-2010). Yes, he does have one game from 2010. I counted over 50 times the players are noted as having FIDE titles (GM 16, IM 21, FM 15, WFM 1). We know that a few times BDG positions were reached via non-BDG move orders. But most of the games I know came right through the front door of the BDG 1.d4.

The games are divided into 28 chapters from all the well-known BDG named variations, which means about 10 games per chapter, although the more popular lines do have more games in those chapters. Jégo has also provided statistical analysis of each variation. For example, the Bogoljubow variation in 2616 games from his database White has scored +45% =17% -38%. To save space, the games begin where that variation begins (i.e. Bogo games begin after 5…g6).

There is one special aspect of Jégo's book that I find fascinating. He approaches the gambit from a strategical direction. His focus is much more on the plans that White has than on concrete specific moves. Rather than concentrating on which 6^th move is the best in a given situation, for example, he looks at the main ideas. He presents these concepts in what he calls Elementary Principles. Please forgive my very rough translation of his French. I did study French for four years 40 years ago. However after that I got a degree in Greek, read countless chess books in German, and I live where Spanish-speaking people are the majority. Fast forward to Jégo. Rather than paraphrase his French in smooth American English, I tried to keep the style of the manner in which Jégo presents them.

Here are Eric Jégo's 14 principles (Sawyer translation).

1. The move will adapt itself to compromise the opponent's position, or to preserve the initiative, the advance of development, the gain of space…
2. The Bf1 will set up against Black's 0-0 going to c4 vs g6 otherwise d3 vs e6.
3. The Bc1 ideally will be placed on g5, with the pin or elimination of the Nf6…
4. The Nf6 is the target to eliminate or deflect.
5. The exchange of the Queens in particular (and any other) will be preferred for the achievement of the durable advantage or the purification of the position.
6. The Ng1 will have its full potential when put on e5 in the BDG.
7. The island Pc2/c3/d4 constitutes an advantage if the White King heads to the kingside. Dominate the center. Complicate the Black organization.
8. The structure Qh4/Bh6/Ng5/2 R f-file & Ph3 (Studier Attack) is a fluid and habitual maneuver.
9. The sacrifices N/B x h7/h6/f7 when the position of the King is thematically precarious. Make Black's position fragile. Make White's actively dynamic.
10. Qh5 accelerates the White offensive readily bringing together the action of the Rf1 and Nc3 (Sneiders Attack).
11. The check through Qa4/Qb5/Bb5 when c6 is under White control becomes constraining.
12. The pushing of pawns to h3/g4 and f3/g4 assure a big advantage of space (for example: Hari-kiri variation). Ph4 reinforces the idea.
13. Nf4 is a motive of harassment when the f-file is closed and Ne4 constitutes the jump-start of his opening.
14. P/a3 and P/c6 are solid and cautious from the perspective of the unresolved adverse plan. P/c3 in certain cases corresponds to the same principle.

In some ways all this is similar to Tom Purser's "Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Concepts" which he allowed me to use in my BDGKII. Jégo has gone far further by using these principles in the annotations of all the games. In the French language, the words for Elementary Principles appear in reverse order. Jégo abbreviates them as "PE1" or "PE5", etc. Each game is filled with multiple such comments. Often Jégo expands on them on how a particular move fits into those Elementary Principles, or even why the move is premature or powerful.

What don't I like? Well, it is in French; but Jégo told me he does plan an English edition in about a year. Also, game headers just have names of players and date; he does not include the location/tournament/or type of play. This was common in old books from Europe (like the old Rolf Schwarz book in German 40 years ago).

The author does not cover most Anti-BDG lines. He does cover the Lemberger and Huebsch. He does not cover most of the French, Dutch, Pirc or Benoni lines. That information can be found in other places that do not cover the BDG.

Dany Sénéchaud writes a four page Preface on the gambit. He has written a book on E.J. Diemer (also in French).

At the end of Jégo's book he has a Literature & Information page where he lists BDG related books and websites. Excellent stuff! To sum up: Nice book. Buy it!


More info: http://gambit-blackmar-diemer.cabanova.fr/

New Books, Real and Imagined

I've about given up hope for the long promised new book on the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit from Everyman Chess. Since I first wrote about it here almost a year and a half ago  it's been delayed again and again. Some time ago I wrote the publishers, asking about the status, but received no reply.

So much for imagined.

Now for the real. Guido De Bouver, from Belgium, has produced Attack with the Blackmar Diemer, A Computer Analysis of the Teichmann, Gunderam, O'Kelly and Vienna lines in the Blackmar Diemer gambit. The book is in English, 160 pages, with figurine algebraic notation.  From the author's description:

This is the first book in a series of volumes on the Blackmar Diemer gambit. Their purpose is to provide in-depth analysis of the various lines. Since Diemer's gambit most often leads to wild open positions, the systematic use of a silicon monster (all analysis in this book was performed using Rybka 3 32-bit using the free Arena GUI) will provide essential insight in the evaluation of the resulting unbalanced positions.

The reader will note that the book does not provide a systematic overview of all white's options. Instead, I choose a number of lines that particularly fit in with Diemer's ideas and that provide complications that will help the gambiteer in the over the board play.

The book is available now from the author, in either a hard copy or a protected PDF version. Details are available at http://www.humbeekseschaakclub.be/overzicht.pdf, where you may view a table of contents, several extracts, and ordering information.

Computer analysis, don't you just love it? More to say on that coming up.

Maybe Next Year

As I write this the new year has arrived in London, and as far as I know, the promised new book, "The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: A Modern Guide to a Fascinating Chess Opening," from Everyman Chess, has not. The Everyman website still has the book due in the USA in December. However, a reader recently informed me that he had heard from Everyman that "This title is now looking like a March publication."

So, maybe next year. Or by the time you're reading this, maybe this year. Maybe 2010.

And maybe next year this year, 2010, I'll get back to more frequent postings on these pages.

Thank you for reading this. May the new year bring you and yours the best of everything.

No maybe about that.

Fascinating book, reluctant publisher?

I'm talking about The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: A modern guide to a fascinating chess opening, by Christoph Scheerer (previously Wisnewski). Back in September I noted that the publisher, Everyman Chess, had announced that the book would be out in October in the U.S., the following month in the E.U. Today the Everyman site has the months slipped to December and January. For a while Amazon U.S. said it was out of print (well, maybe so, if it had never been in print). Now Amazon lists it as available 31 Dec 2009.

Maybe 2010?

That New Blackmar-Diemer Book

The new book on the BDG from Everyman Chess is now due out in the United States in October, in Europe in November, according to this announcement on Everyman's website:

The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: A modern guide to a fascinating chess opening
Christoph Scheerer (previously Wisnewski)

Do you wish to set your opponents problems from the very start of the game? Are you happy to roll the dice and take some risks? Then enter the intriguing world of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit!

The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is a dangerous attacking opening which has amassed a cult following amongst club players, a loyal band of supporters like no other in chess. White sacrifices a pawn in return for a strong initiative which tests Black’s defensive capabilities to the limit. Some experts have questioned its objective soundness, but there’s no doubting its success and popularity over the board, where pressure and a ticking clock often means it’s impossible to find the right defence.

In this book, openings guru Christoph Scheerer takes a modern look at the gambit. He covers in detail the most promising lines for White and the most resilient defences for Black, discusses the key ideas for both sides and highlights the many tricks and traps awaiting the unsuspecting player.

* Covers everything White needs to know
* Packed with original ideas and analysis
* Ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players

Published November 2009 EU, October 2009 US | ISBN 9781857445985
Format Paperback, 192 pages"

I look forward to the promised original ideas, and I certainly can't fault the subtitle. Yes, the BDG is a fascinating chess opening. 

A New BDG Book

Here's an announcement of a new book on the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit from the Everyman Chess web site. I've corrected the spelling of Diemer in the headline, which originally appeared as Deimer on the web page. I hope it's changed by now. Publication is scheduled for late summer.

The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit:
A modern guide to a fascinating chess opening

Christoph Scheerer (previously Wisnewski)

Do you wish to set your opponents problems from the very start of the game? Are you happy to roll the dice and take some risks? Then enter the intriguing world of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit!

The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is a dangerous attacking opening which has amassed a cult following amongst club players, a loyal band of supporters like no other in chess. White sacrifices a pawn in return for a strong initiative which tests Black’s defensive capabilities to the limit. Some experts have questioned its objective soundness, but there’s no doubting its success and popularity over the board, where pressure and a ticking clock often means it’s impossible to find the right defence.

In this book, openings guru Christoph Scheerer takes a modern look at the gambit. He covers in detail the most promising lines for White and the most resilient defences for Black, discusses the key ideas for both sides and highlights the many tricks and traps awaiting the unsuspecting player.

• Covers everything White needs to know
• Packed with original ideas and analysis
• Ideal for improvers, club players and tournament players

Published August 2009 EU, September 2009 US | ISBN 9781857445985
Format Paperback, 192 pages

A New Book on the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit?

David Flude, an old friend from BDG WORLD, days has started a thread at the ChessPub Forum on antidotes to the the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. A post there by IM Christoph Wisnewski caught my interest.

"I am currently working on a new book about the BDG," he wrote. "It is nearly finished, the final first draft will probably be finished in a week."

And in a follow-on post:

"...I did "refute" a few lines so far thought to be playable. But that doesn't mean, the BDG is refuted itself! In fact, I do think that in every Black setup White has enough play to justify his pawn sacrifice. I will not deny that Black will come close to equality (or even achieve it) in most of these lines, but at least it is dynamic (and not dull) equality."

Well, this will be something to look foward to. You can read more here: ChessPub Forum - Antidotes to the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit

Not Much Literature on the BDG?

Now and then I google "Blackmar-Diemer" to see what might turn up. Today I came across a short article from July of this year by Ronan Bennett in The Guardian.

"There's not much literature on the BDG. [my emphasis] John Cox has a short and dismissive chapter in Dealing with d4 Deviations (Everyman Chess), and while Gary Lane's out-of-print Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (Batsford) makes more of an effort to sell the opening, it's hard to escape the conclusion that the BDG is a pretty risky undertaking."

Now since Bennett is an accomplished novelist, ordinary writing probably must meet high standards to make his list as literature. However, there has certainly been much written on the BDG. Here's my incomplete list:

Chess Digest. Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. 1977 edition. Dallas, Texas: Chess Digest Magazine, 1977. Diebert, Charles. The Blackmar-Diebert Gambit. Diemer, Emil Josef. Vom ersten Zug an auf Matt! funfundzwanzig Jahre Erfahrungen mit dem Blackmar-Diemer-Gambit. Amsterdam: Ten Have, 1957. This is the original edition of Diemer's book. Diemer, Emil Josef. Das moderne Blackmar-Diemer-Gambit. Heidelberg: Schachverlag Rudi Schmaus, 1976-1983. This is a reprint of Diemer's Vom Ersten Zug... above. Dommett, Alan. Emil Josef Diemer 1908-1990 A Life Devoted to Chess, The Book Guild, Ltd., 2003. Freidl, Alfred. Das moderne Blackmar-Diemer-Gambit, Band 2. Heidelberg: Schachverlag Rudi Schmaus, 1978. This is a general survey of the BDG, organized in chapters by variation. Freidl, Alfred. Das moderne Blackmar-Diemer-Gambit, Band 4. Heidelberg: Schachverlag Rudi Schmaus, 1983. Covers 5...g6, the Bogoljubov Defense, and 5...e6, the Euwe Defense. Gunderam, Gerhart. Neue Eröffnungswege. Berlin: Siegfried Engelhardt-Verlag, 1961. Gunderam, Gerhart. Neue Eröffnungswege II. Berlin: Siegfried Engelhardt-Verlag, 1972. Gunderam, Gerhart. Supertaktik modernen Gambitspiels. Düsseldorf: Schachverlag Manfred Mädler, 1980. Gunderam, Gerhart. Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Düsseldorf: Edition Mädler im Rau, 1986. Harding, T. D. Colle, London and Blackmar-Diemer Systems. London: B. T. Batsford, 1979. Hergert, Volker. Die O'Kelly-Verteidigung im Blackmar-Diemer-Gambit. Dusseldorf: Schachverlag Manfred Mädler, 1993. Hodgson, Julian GM. Trends in the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. [London]: Trends Publications, 1995. Jensen, Niels Jorgen. Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Copenhagen: Dansk Skakforlag/Skakhuset, 1985. Kunath, Emil. Der Sneiders-Angriff im Lemberger Gegenangriff. Ludwigshafen: Volker Drüke, 1986. Lane, Gary, IM. The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Batsford chess library. New York: H. Holt, 1995. Pape, Rasmus; Jensen, N. J.; Burk, Dietrich. Hübsch Gambit. Copenhagen: Eleprint, 1991. Purser, Tom. Blackmar Diemer Gambit Correspondence Tournament. Warner Robins, Georgia: Blackmar Press, 1991. Purser, Tom. The Langeheinecke Defense to the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Warner Robins, Georgia: Blackmar Press, 1991. Purser, Tom and Tejler, Anders. Blackmar, Diemer & Gedult. Headland, Alabama: Blackmar Press, 1991. Sawyer, Tim. The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Keybook. Davenport, Iowa: Thinkers' Press, 1992. Sawyer, Tim. The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: Keybook II. Wylie, Texas: Pickard & Son, 1999. Schiller, Eric. Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Coraopolis, Pennsylvania: Chess Enterprises, 1986. Schiller, Eric. Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: Bogoljubow Variation 5-- g6. Moon Township, Pennsylvania: Chess Enterprises, 1995. Schiller, Eric, and Crayton, John. The Ryder Gambit Accepted. Moon Township, Pennsylvania: Chess Enterprises, 1995. Sénéchaud, Dany. Emil Joseph Diemer: missionnaire des échecs acrobatiques. Poitiers, France, 1997. Smith, Ken. Winning with the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Dallas, Texas: Chess Digest, 1993. Stevens, Arthur M. A statistical analysis in chart form of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: (1. P-Q4, P-Q4, 2. P-K4, PxP, 3. N-QB3) based on 490 tournament games by the world's greatest players. San Diego, California: Chess Charts, 1964. Studier, Georg. Das moderne Blackmar-Diemer-Gambit, Band 3. Heidelberg: Schachverlag Rudi Schmaus, 1980. Probably the most objective of the Schmaus series, this volume covers 5...Bf5, the Tartakower/Gunderam Defense. Studier, Georg. Emil Joseph Diemer: Ein Leben für das Schach im Spiegel seiner Zeit. Dresden: Schachverlag Manfred Mädler, 1996. A brutally frank biography of Diemer by a good friend. Tejler, Anders. Discover the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Dallas, Tex.: Chess Digest, 1970-73 (4 pamphlets). Tejler, Anders. The Euwe Defense: Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.: Chess Enterprises, 1979. Tejler, Anders. Euwe Defense: Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Moon Township, Pennsylvania.: Chess Enterprises, 1995. Wall, Bill. 500 Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Miniatures. Moon Township, Pennsylvania.: Chess Enterprises, 1999.

In this list I don't even include many works, such as "Dealing with d4 Deviations" mentioned by Bennett and other such "system" or repertoire books which devote chapters or sections to the BDG. Nor do I mention numerous periodicals such as Diemer's original Blackmar Gemeinde, Kampars' Opening Adventures, Drüke's BDG Revue, or my own BDG World. I will agree with Bennett on one point. The BDG is a pretty risky undertaking.