Tropical Storm Claudette

Tropical Storm Claudette is coming in this evening. The track is to the east of us, so only a few gusts and light rain are here so far. I walked over to the beach around 5:30 this afternoon and took a few pictures. Almost as lovely as a Blackmar-Diemer.

Sometimes a grandmaster...sometimes a BDG

Sometimes a grandmaster who normally wouldn't consider playing the white side of a Blackmar-Diemer plays one anyway--by transposition. We all have seen that.

Take for example the so-called Pöhlmann Defense to the BDG. After 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Black foregoes the usual 3...Nf6 for 3...f5, resulting in a position that is also reached in the Dutch Defense via 1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4 dxe4

GM Eric Lobron is inactive (on the chessboard) these days. At his peak in mid-1992 he had an ELO of 2625 and was 20th in the world. He twice won the German championships, in 1982 and 1984. Here's his BDG by other means.

Eric Lobron (2585) - Christian Bauer (2465)
Bundesliga, Germany 1996
BDG, Pöhlmann Defense from Dutch Defense

1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4 dxe4 4. Bf4 Nf6 5. f3 a6 6. Qd2 Nc6 7. O-O-O e6 8. fxe4 fxe4 9. Nge2 Be7 10. g3 e5 11. dxe5 Qxd2+ 12. Rxd2 e3 13. Bxe3 Nxe5 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Bg2 O-O 16. Nd5 Rb8 17. Nec3 Nh5 18. Ne7+ Bxe7 19. Bxe5 Bg5 20. Bd5+ Kh8 21. Bxc7 Ra8 22. Ne4 Bxd2+ 23. Kxd2 Bg4 24. Ng5 Rf2+ 25. Ke3 Raf8 26. h3 Bc8 27. g4 Rxc2 28. Bd6 Re8+ 29. Kd3 Nf6 30. Nf7+ Kg8 31. Nh6+ 1/2-1/2

Actually, that game was just an excuse to sneak in my own BDG with Lobron. The encounter is memorable to me, not just because my opponent went on to such great achievements within a few short years, but also because the game was my first tournament Blackmar-Diemer.

Tom Purser - Eric Lobron
Heidelberg, 1977
BDG, Teichmann Defense

1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 Bg4 6. h3 Bh5 7. g4 Bg6 8. Bc4 e6 9. Ne5 Bb4 10. Bg5 Be4 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3 h6 13. Bh4 Bd5 

14. Bd3

14. Bxd5 Qxd5 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Rxf6 Nd7 17. Nxd7 Qxd7 18. Qf3 would have been better, but I was probably afraid of the half-open g-file.

14... Nbd7 15. c4 Bc6 16. Qe1 Nxe5 17. Qxe5 Nxg4 18. Qxg7 Qxh4 19. Qxh8+ Ke7 20. Rxf7+ Kxf7 21. Rf1+ Nf6 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Qh8+ Kf7 24. Qh7+ Ke8

25. Bg6+?

25. Qg6+ Ke7 26. Qg7+ Kd6 27. Rxf6 Qxd4+ (27... Qxh3?? 28. c5+ Kd5 29. Rf5+ exf5 30. Qe5#) 28. Kf1 and Black would have had to work.

25... Kd8 26. Qh8+ Ne8 27. d5 Qg3+ 28. Kh1 Qxh3+ 29. Kg1 Qg3+ 30. Kh1 Qxg6 and 0-1 in a few more moves.

Kasparov Plays a Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (sorta)

My previous post mentioned a line in the Trompowsky Attack that can transpose into a (near) Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. That got me to thinking about this line, so I took a look at such games that might have been played since I last examined it years ago. This little goody turned up. I never thought I'd find a game where Kasparov played a BDG, even if it was in a simul, even if it was only an "enhanced" BDG—that is, a transposition that gives White a move up over the normal BDG. But here it is:

Kasparov,Garry (2817) - Carneiro,Marco Paulo
Sao Paulo 450th anniversary  simultaneous
Sao Paulo, 21.08.2004
Trompowsky to BDG Teichmann Defense [A45]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 d5 4.f3 Nf6 5.e4 dxe4 6.Nc3 exf3 7.Nxf3 Bg4

The Teichmann Defense to the BDG, but with the Bishop developed to f4 representing the extra tempo gained in the transposition from the Trompowsky.

8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 c6 10.0-0-0 e6 11.Bc4

11...Nbd7?

11...Be7 would blunt the forthcoming 12.d5

12.d5 cxd5 13.Nxd5

13...Nxd5

13...exd5 is better: 14.Rhe1+ Be7 15.Bxd5 0-0 16.Bxb7 Bc5=

14.Bxd5

14...a5??

14...exd5 is still better: 15.Rhe1+ Be7 16.Bd6+- and play might go 16...Ne5 17.Bxe5 0-0 18.Rxd5 Bg5+ 19.Kb1 Qb6 20.Bxg7 Rae8 (20...Rfe8 21.Rf1; 20...Kxg7 21.Rxg5+) 21.Red1]

15.Bxb7 Ra7 16.Rxd7 Qf6 17.Rhd1 Be7 18.Rxe7+ Qxe7 19.Qc6+ Kf8 20.Bd6 g6 21.Bxe7+ Kxe7 22.Qc5+ Kf6 23.Qxa7 Rf8 24.Qd4+ e5 25.Qd6+ Kg7 26.Qxe5+ Kg8 27.Qf6 h5 28.Bd5 Kh7 29.Bxf7 1-0.

Transpositions: From the Caro-Kann to the BDG (Update)

In my last post I gave the opening moves of the game von Hennig - van Nüss, a transposition from the Caro-Kann to the Blackmar-Diemer. Here's the complete score.

von Hennig,Heinrich - van Nüss,Alfred
1929
Caro-Kann to BDG, Euwe Defense

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.f3 exf3 6.Nxf3 e6 7.0-0 Be7

8.Qe2 Nbd7 9.Bf4 0-0 10.Rad1 Nb6 11.Bb3 Nbd5 12.Be5 Bd7 13.Ng5 Be8 14.Rd3 Nxc3 15.bxc3 h6 16.Nh3 g6 17.Rg3 Nd7 18.Bf4 Kg7 19.Qd2 Rh8 20.Be3 Qa5 21.Nf4 Nf8 22.d5 h5 23.Bd4+ f6 24.d6!

24...Bd8

24...Bxd6?? The passed d-pawn will prove decisive, but taking it would be disastrous. 25.Bxf6+ Kg8 (25...Kxf6?? 26.Nxg6+) 26.Qxd6+-

25.Nxe6+ Nxe6 26.Bxe6 c5 27.Be3 h4 28.Rgf3 Bc6 29.Bd5 Rh5 30.Bxc6 bxc6 31.Qf2 Qxa2? 32.Rxf6 Bxf6 33.Qxf6+ Kh7 34.Qe7+ Kh8 35.d7 Qg8

35...Rf5 36.d8Q+ Rxd8 37.Qxd8+ Kg7 38.Rxf5 gxf5 39.Qg5++-

36.Bg5 Rxg5 37.Qxg5 Qd5

38.Qh6+ 1-0

Simpler was 38.Qxd5 cxd5 39.Re1

While searching for the complete score today I came across one of my old games with this variation. Indulge me.


Purser,Tom (1780) - Lewie,David (2030)
American Legion Open
Fairborn, Ohio, 1981
Caro-Kann to BDG, Euwe Defense

1.d4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Bc4 e6 5.f3 exf3 6.Nxf3 Nf6 7.0-0 Be7

So far as in the previous game.

8.Qe1 Nbd7 9.Bd3 c5 10.Qg3 cxd4 11.Nb5 Kf8 12.Nc7 Nh5 13.Nxe6+ fxe6 14.Nxd4+ Ndf6 15.Qh4 g6 [15...e5] 16.Bh6+ Ng7 17.Nf3?! Kg8 18.Ne5 Nf5?

19.Rxf5! exf5??

Allows a forced mate. Best was 19...Nd5 20.Rg5+/-

20.Bc4+ Nd5 21.Bxd5+ Qxd5 22.Qxe7 1-0

Transpositions: From the Caro-Kann to the BDG

One well-known transposition to the Blackmar-Diemer comes via the Caro-Kann. In Georg Studier's 1966 biography of E. J. Diemer he discusses the scarcity of Blackmar-Diemer Gambit games during the first three decades of this century, and fills the gap with a few such transpositions. As his earliest example he gives this game: V. Hennig - van Nüss (where?) 1929 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.f3 exf3 6.Nxf3 e6

The position reached occurs in the Euwe Defense to the BDG after 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 6.Bc4 c6. (This actually also reaches a line in the Ziegler Defense (5...c6) to the BDG a half-move earlier--the Ziegler is such a chameleon, transposing into many of the more common BDG variations.) "The game ended on the 38th move with a White victory," writes Studier, giving no more moves. His source was Rolf Schwarz in Band 22 of his Handbuch der Schacheroeffnungen, 1966 edition (Schach-Archiv, Hamburg). In my database I find an earlier example of this transposition: von Hennig - Carls Goteborg II (7), 1920 Caro-Kann to BDG Euwe Defense [B15] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.f3 exf3 6.Nxf3 e6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Ne5 Nbd7 9.Qe2 0-0 10.Be3 Qc7 11.Bf4 Bd6 12.Rad1 Nd5 13.Bg3 N7f6 14.Bh4 Be7 15.Rd3 Ne8 16.Bg3 Qd8 17.Rdf3 f5 18.Nxd5 cxd5 19.Bd3 Nf6 20.Bh4 Nd7 21.Nxd7 Bxd7 22.Bxe7 Qxe7 23.Bxf5 Qd6 24.Bd3 g6 25.Qe5 Qxe5 26.Rxf8+ Rxf8 27.Rxf8+ Kxf8 28.dxe5 Kg7 29.h4 h6 30.Kf2 g5 31.Kg3 Be8 32.Kg4 gxh4 33.Kxh4 Bf7 34.g4 ½-½ I presume the players in this game were Heinrich von Hennig (1883-1947) and Carl Johan Margot Carls (1880-1958). (The dates are from Jeremy Gaige's invaluable Chess Personalia.) I think the same v. Hennig plays White in both games.

From the Dutch to the BDG

One chess blog that is high on my reading list is IM Mark Ginsburg's Personal Chess History. Yesterday, in a post about the Manhattan CC 1990 International he reviewed a game he won in round one of that tournament (Mark Ginsburg - Alexander Fishbein). It was a Dutch Defense which he called the "4. Bf4 gambit line," and began with 1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4!? dxe4 (diagram) 4. Bf4. "Just another weird anti-Dutch gambit, not allowing 4. f3? e5!," noted Ginsburg.

After 3...dxe4

Blackmar-Diemer Gambit players will recognize this as a position that can also result from the normal BDG sequence 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 when Black plays to hold the e4 pawn with 3...f5. Diemer called this line in the BDG the Pöhlmann Defense, after one of his correspondence opponents. When I first began to play the BDG I thought this was a pretty lame defense--until I saw how strong players handled the same line in the Dutch. But if Black is a little careless, White can still get some quick wins. (When is that not true?) Here are a couple of examples. White is a Hungarian player who also plays the BDG now and then. Meszaros,Guyla - Weteschnik Kecskemet, 1994 Dutch Defense [A80} BDG, Pöhlmann Defense by transposition 1.d4 f5 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Bf4 e6 5.f3 Nf6 6.fxe4 fxe4 7.Bc4 Bb4?!

7...Bd6 Correct--Meszaros.

8.Nge2 0-0 9.0-0 Bxc3? 10.Nxc3 Nd5 11.Nxd5 exd5

12.Bxc7! Qg5

12...Rxf1+ was better.; 12...Qxc7?? 13.Bxd5+ Rf7 14.Qh5 (Or 14.Rxf7 )

13.Rxf8+ Kxf8 14.Qe2 Be6

14...dxc4? 15.Rf1+ Ke7 16.Qxe4+ Be6 17.Qxb7+-

15.Rf1+

15...Kg8?

15...Ke7 16.h4 Qh6 17.Bf4 Qg6 18.Bg5+

16.Qxe4! 1-0 Just for fun, another miniature: Meszaros,Guyla - Kriszany IM Bern, blitz, 1994 Dutch Defense [A80} BDG, Pöhlmann Defense by transposition 1.d4 f5 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Bf4 g6 5.Be5 Nf6 6.f3 Nbd7 7.Nb5! Nxe5 8.dxe5 Nd7 9.e6 Ne5 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8 11.0-0-0+ 1-0

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Center Counter to BDG -- Part 3

Here's our final example of the transposition from a Center Counter to the Blackmar-Diemer, again played by now international master Bela Molnar. It's another Euwe Defense, with the thematic challenge of White's d-pawn with c7-c5.


Molnar,Bela - Kadas,Gabor
Salgotarjan Balazs mem op Salgotarjan (7), 1997
BDG, Euwe Defense

1.e4 d5 2.d4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 6.Bd3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Bg5

The identical position occurred in a well-known Diemer game, but with Black a tempo behind because he had twice moved his Bishop--from f8 to e7 and then capturing the pawn on c5. That game went  9.Qe2 Be7 10.0-0-0 Nd5 11.Bb5+ Bd7 12.Rxd5 exd5 13.Nxd5 f6 14.Nxf6+ gxf6 15.Bxf6 Bxb5 16.Qxb5+ Kf7 17.Qh5+ Kxf6 18.Qh6+ Kf7 19.Ne5+ Kg8 20.Qe6+ Kg7 21.Qf7+ Kh6 22.Ng4+ Kg5 23.h4+ 1-0 Diemer - Terzi, Rastatt 1953.

8...Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Qe1 Nc6 11.Qh4 g6  12.Rad1 Qb6+?? 13.Kh1+- Kg7 14.Ne5!

14...Nxe5??

14...Ng8 15.Nxf7! Qd4+- (15...Rxf7? 16.Rxf7+ Kxf7 17.Qxh7+ Kf8 (17...Ke8 18.Bxg6+ Kf8 19.Qf7#) 18.Bxg6 Ne5 19.Bh6+ Nxh6 20.Qxh6+ Kg8 21.Qh7+ Kf8 22.Qh8#)

15.Bxf6+ Bxf6 16.Qxf6+ Kg8 17.Qxe5 Qxb2 18.Rb1 Qa3 19.Nb5 Qe7 20.Nc7 f6

21.Nd5! 1-0.

21...fxe5 22.Nxe7+ Kg7 23.Rxf8 Kxf8 24.Nxc8 Rxc8 25.Rxb7+-

Center Counter to BDG -- Part 2

More Molnar, more Center Counter transposing to the Blackmar-Diemer, this time to the Euwe Defense (5...e6). Molnar,Bela - Szaz,Ferenc HUN-chT2 Hungary, 1997 BDG, Euwe Defense 1.e4 d5 2.d4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Bd3 h6 8.Bf4 Nd5N 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.Qd2 Be6 11.0-0-0 Nd7 12.Rde1 g5?

13.Rxe6 fxe6 14.Bg6+ Kf8 15.Qe2 Kg7 16.Qxe6± Rf8 17.Bxc7

17...Qxc7?? 17...Rf6 18.Qxf6+! Nxf6 19.Bxd8 Rxd8± 18.Qxe7++- Kxg6 19.Ne5+ Kh5 19...Nxe5 20.Qxc7 Nd3+ 21.Kb1+- 20.g4+ Kh4 21.Qh7 21.Qa3! 21...Qd6 22.Qd3 Qxe5 23.dxe5 Kxg4 24.Rg1+ Kf4 25.Qd4+ 1-0.

25...Kf5 26.Qg4+ Kg6 27.Qxd7+-

Center Counter to BDG

One of the simplest transpositions to the Blackmar-Diemer comes when Black answers 1.e4 with 1...d5, the Center Counter or Scandinavian Defense. White plays 2.d4, opening the possibility of a BDG continuation, as in this game, which ends abruptly with a Queen sac. (Notice how Queen sacs have a tendency to do that.)

White is a Hungarian IM with a 2361 rating in the current FIDE list.

Molnar,Bela - Tcebekov,Khongor
Budapest FS05 IM Budapest (5), 05.1996
BDG, Bogoljubov Defense

1.e4 d5 2.d4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 g6 6.Bc4 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Qe1 Bf5 

9.Bb3

9.Qh4 Bxc2 10.Bh6 e6 11.Ng5 Bxh6 12.Qxh6 Qxd4+ 13.Kh1 Bf5 14.Rxf5 gxf5 15.Bxe6 Nbd7 (15...Qe5 16.Nd5 Nbd7 17.Ne7+ Kh8 18.Nxf7+ Rxf7 19.Ng6+ Kg8 20.Nxe5 Nxe5 21.Qxf6 1-0 Gedult,D-Thelliers, 1973/Game 1598 in BDG WORLD 59) 16.Bxd7 Rad8 17.Bxf5 Rd6 18.Bxh7+ 1-0 Gedult,D-Blanchere, Paris 1973/Game 1599 in BDG WORLD 59

9...Nc6 10.Qh4 Bg4 11.Be3 Bxf3 12.Rxf3 Nh5 13.Rd1 Na5 14.g4 Nf6 15.Rd2 Nxb3 16.axb3 Qd7 17.Rg2 Rae8 18.Rh3 h5 19.gxh5 Nxh5 20.Rg5 e5 21.d5 Qd6 22.Ne4 Qxd5??

The Queen had to watch f6. 22...Qa6 was probably the best move available, but White maintains the advantage. The Knight trip from c3 to e4 to f6 proves decisive in many BDG games.

23.Qxh5! 1-0

23.Qxh5 gxh5 (23...f5 24.Rxg6 ) 24.Nf6+ Kh8 25.Rhxh5+ Bh6 26.Rxh6#

Down in Flames!

In an earlier post I gave a game where GM Susan Polgar defended successfully against a BDG. Here she plays white, gets up a tempo after three moves, and ... loses. This is from BDG World 45, May 1991. The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Goes Down in Flames By Walter H. Wood My preference as Black against the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 e5!, the Lemberger Countergambit. If white avoids this with 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 then Black can play the Hübsch Gambit (2. .... Nf6 3. e4 Nxe4!) or even 3... e6 with a classical French Defense. But what if you forget this and accidentally get snookered into a Blackmar-Diemer Gambit accepted? Try the ideas in the following game which I found unannotated in Inside Chess, vol. 4, issue 3, p. 3. In this game, which transposes into the Bogoljubov Defense (normally 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4 dxe4 4. 13 exf3 5. Nxf3 g6), Black actually loses a tempo in the opening by moving his Queen pawn twice, and still wins! Polgar,Zsuzsa (2510) - Anand,Viswanathan (2600) New Delhi, 1990 (Game 0941 in BDG World) 1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nf6 3.f3 d5 4.Nc3 dxe4

White is a tempo ahead of the normal BDG and could equalize material and have a mobile pawn center by playing 5.fxe4. Perhaps fearing the reply 5...e5! (suggested by Doug Decker) she continues in gambit style. 5.Bg5 exf3 6.Nxf3 g6 7.Bc4 Bg7 8.Ne5 With this move White commits herself to an attack on f7 and "moves the same piece twice" without sufficient provocation. I think 8.0-0 "reserves the greater option" for the N and should be stronger. 8...0-0 9.0-0 Nbd7

10.Kh1 If 10. Qe1 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Qd4 + is very annoying. Hence White takes time to remove her King from the g1-a7 diagonal. The need to relinquish this tempo is evidence that White has strayed. 10...c6 Black proceeds to control d5 which is vital to the defense. White frequently wins when Black fails to stop the advance d4-d5. Notice that 10. e6? would weaken f6 and obstruct the QB. Black's KP belongs right where it is — on e7 11.Qf3 I would have tried 11.Qe1 with the idea Qh4 as in the Studier Attack. 11...Nb6 12.Bb3 If the white Q were now on h4, white would be able to play 12. Bd3 (I once asked Richard Shorman where the B should go in this type of position and he said "d3"). 12...Bf5 [Anand avoids 12...Qxd4 13.Nxf7 Rxf7 14.Rad1 Qe5 15.Rd8+ Bf8 16.Bxf6 exf6 17.Qxf6 Qxf6 18.Rxf6] 13.Rad1 Nfd5 Preventing d4-d5 and threatening ...f6. Dual purpose moves! 14.Qg3 Be6 Responds to White's threat of Rf5, protects 17, reinforces d5, and renews the threat of ...f6. How often strong moves have multiple simultaneous functions! White's attack has fizzled and Black now begins to take the initiative. The remaining moves were: 15.Bd2 Nc7 16.Ne2 Bxb3 17.axb3 Ne6 18.Nf3 Nd5 19.c4 Nf6 20.Qh4 Qb6 21.b4 Rad8 22.Ra1 Ra8 23.Bc3 a6 24.Ne5 Qc7 25.Rf3 Rad8 26.Raf1 h6 27.Re3 Ng5 28.Ng3 Qc8 29.Rfe1 Rd6 30.Qf4 Ne6 31.Qh4 Nxd4 32.Bxd4 g5 33.Qh3 Qxh3 34.gxh3 Rxd4 35.Nf5 Rf4 36.Nxe7+ Kh7 37.b3 Rd8 38.Nd3 Re4 39.Nc5 Rxe3 40.Rxe3 Bf8 41.Nf5 a5 42.Nxb7 Rd1+ 43.Kg2 Bxb4 44.c5 Nd5 45.Re8 Rd2+ 46.Kf3 Rd3+ 47.Ke4 Rxb3 48.Rc8 Bc3 49.Nd8 Ba1 50.Rxc6 Nf6+ 51.Rxf6 Bxf6 52.Nxf7 a4 53.c6 Rc3 0-1 An instructive performance by the rising Indian star.