One More BDG from Theo Hommeles

In a recent post I mentioned that after 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 e6 9.Qf3 c6 10.g5 Nd5 11.Bd3, Black’s best move is 11...Nd7, and promised a game in this line played by the subject of recent posts, FM Theo Hommeles. Here it is.

Hommeles,Theo - Van Bohemen,Cees
NED-ch op Netherlands (1), 1992
BDG, Teichmann Defense

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 e6 9.Qf3 c6 10.g5 Nd5 11.Bd3 Nd7 12.Nxg6
 


12...fxg6? This was not a time to violate the general principle of recapturing towards the center. Now play will turn on the weak, backward e-pawn.

 [After 12...hxg6 play has gone 13.0-0 Qe7 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.c4 (15.Bd2 Rc8 16.Rf2 Rh5 17.Qg4 Kd8 18.Raf1 f5 19.gxf6 gxf6 20.Re1 Rc6 21.Bxg6 Rh8 22.c4 Rxc4 23.Rxe6 Rh4 24.Qf5 Qg7 25.Re8+ Kc7 26.Bf4+ Rxf4 27.Rxf4 Bd6 28.Rh4 Nf8 29.Rg4 Tinture,L-Calvor/cr ch FRA distr 1996/1-0 (35)) 15...dxc4 16.Bxc4 Rc8 (16...Nb6? 17.Bb5+ Kd8 18.Qxf7+/- (But 18.Bf4?! 0-1 Rossi,G (2012)-Gorshkova,I (2158)/Conegliano ITA 2008 (30)) ) 17.Bb5 b6 (17...Rxc1 18.Bxd7+ Kxd7 19.Raxc1 Qxg5+ 20.Kh1 Qd8 1-0 Birchbeer (2588)-gsanchez (2323)/Internet Chess Club 1994) 18.Bf4 Qb4 19.Bxd7+ Kxd7 20.Be5 Rc6 21.Rac1 Qb5 22.Qxc6+ Qxc6 23.Rxf7+ Ke8 24.Rxf8+ 1-0 Birchbeer-fosti/Internet Chess Club 1995]

13.0-0 Qe7 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.c4 Nb6 16.c5 Nd7 17.Bf4+-



17...e5 18.Rae1 0-0-0 19.Qg4 Kb8 20.Bxe5+ Nxe5 21.Rxe5 Qc7 22.Rfe1 a6 23.b4 h6 24.Bxg6 hxg5 25.Re8 Ka7 26.Kg2 Rxe8 27.Rxe8



27...Rh4 [27...Qf4 28.Qxf4 gxf4+-] 28.Qg3 Qf4 29.Qxf4 Rxf4 30.a3 Rf6 31.Bd3 g6



32.Bxg6! Bg7 33.Bh5 Rf4 34.c6! 1-0



[34.c6 bxc6 35.Re7+ Kb6 36.Rxg7 Rxd4 37.Rxg5+-]

Play through the game and download PGN here.

Theo Hommeles and the Blackmar-Diemer

As promised, more on Theo Hommeles and the Blackmar-Diemer. Here is a game with his notes from BDG WORLD 76 (Jan-Feb 1997). Notice that once again h7-h6 gets Black in trouble in the Euwe Defense.

Theo Hommeles - IM Vladimir Chuchelov (2490)
Dieren, 1992
BDG, Euwe Defense

Nowadays Chuchelov is a grandmaster. For me it was the first time to test the BDG on a player with a title. For him it will be also a life-long remembrance I expect.

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.0-0 c5 9.Bxf6 Nxf6 10.dxc5 Bxc5+ 11.Kh1 0-0



All very well played by Black. In order to keep the attacking bishop White had to change the one of the black squares.  

12.Ng5 h6?




But this is certainly not the best reaction. 12 ... g6 seems reasonable though white may have the typical BDG compensation. As IM Erik Hoeksema showed me later, 12 ... Be3! is probably the refutation of White's setup. After 13. Rxf6 Bxg5 the capture 14. Rxf7 is impossible because of 14 ... Rxf7 and the black queen is protected by the bishop. Therefore we must conclude that 12. Ng5?! is mere speculation.

13.Nxf7!




13...Qd4!

A real blow for my opponent. He invested a whole hour trying to find the best way to even continue. [It is clear that 13...Rxf7? 14.Bh7+ Kxh7 15.Qxd8 is no option at all,; while 13...Kxf7 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Qxc5 leaves Black behind in development, with an awkward e-pawn to defend and still an unsafe king.]

14.Nb5



14...Qg4!

[Chuchelov had also been thinking of the cunning 14...Qe3 after which 15.Rf3 Ng4 16.Rxe3?? Nf2+ loses outright. In time he saw 16.Nxh6+! winning a sound pawn. After 14.Ne2 (instead of 14.Nb5) it would be a very good try.]  

15.Ne5 Qxd1 16.Raxd1 Nd5 17.Rxf8+ Bxf8 18.Bc4 a6




19.Nc3

[Perhaps it was better to go for 19.Bxd5 axb5 20.Bb3 though after 20...Ra6! which Chuchelov had planned, the advantage has vanished.]

19...Nxc3 20.Rd8?

[To a dead draw leads 20.bxc3 Be7 21.Nd7]

20...Nd5 21.Ng6 Kf7 22.Rxf8+




[It now became clear to me that things were not as simple as they appeared before. I had planned 22.Nxf8 Ke7 23.Nxe6 Bxe6 24.Rxa8 Nb6 25.Bxe6 Nxa8 26.Bc8 but Black can interfere with 23...Nb6, winning a piece. Perhaps Caissa felt I deserved the draw since Chuchelov refuses to take full advantage of my overextended play.]

22...Kxg6 23.Bd3+ Kg5 24.g3




24...Ne3?!

[Winning is only 24... 24...e5! 25.h4+ Kg4 26.Kg2 Nf6 27.Rf7 e4 etc, but not 24...Nf6? 25.Rf7 and it's Black who has to fight for the draw.]

25.h4+ Kh5 26.Be2+





26...Kg6

[Or 26...Ng4 27.Kg2 e5 28.Kh3 Kg6 29.Bd3+ Kh5 30.Be2=]

27.Bd3+ Kh5 28.Be2+ Kg6 29.Bd3+ 1/2-1/2

Chuchelov just couldn't believe what had happened.

Play through the game and download PGN here.

Theo Hommeles at the Canadian Open

Back in the 1990s in BDG World I published a number of Blackmar-Diemers played by the Dutch FM Theo Hommeles. Last year I posted a couple of those old games here. I think it’s time to reprint a few more.

Hommeles is in the chess news these days due to a great performance in the just-concluded Canadian Open in Edmonton. The Open was a nine-round Swiss with very strong IM and GM participation (Alexei Shirov and Michael Adams among others).

As Peter Doggers wrote in Chess Vibes, “Hommeles can be satisfied with a a fine tournament in which he defeated IM Samsonkin (2612) and GM Ni Hua (2702), to find himself playing for first place against Mark Bluvshtein in the last round.” Unfortunately, a bit like Tom Watson on the links of the British Open on the same Sunday, he came up short at the end. GM Bluvshtein won the game and the tournament on tiebreaks.

Chess Vibes has a final report on the tournament, which includes a picture of Hommeles at the board in his game with Ni Hua.

The Ni Hua game itself, with commentary by GM Alexander Shabalov is here.

And here are Hommeles’ two BDGs I posted last year. I will pull several more together and post them later this week.

Two BDGs from the Netherlands

The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit appears to have a certain affinity for The Netherlands. Diemer completed Vom Ersten Zug an auf Matt there, and the book was also first printed by an Amsterdam publisher. The country seems to have more than its share of BDG players as well. 

Years ago I printed several BDGs by the Dutchman Theo Hommeles. Shortly thereafter I established contact with Theo and elicited a promise for more of his games. Here are two of those games, played against stiff competition. These and several more of Theo's games appeared in BDG WORLD 76.

Notes by Theo Hommeles

2308 / BDG, Langeheinecke Defense
Theo Hommeles
IM Gert Ligterink (2435)
Netherlands KNSB 1992

Gert Ligterink was champion of Holland about a decade ago and a member of the strongest team in Holland, the team of Volmac/Rotterdam. For eleven years they were almost invincible.

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4 dxe4 4. f3 e3 5. Bxe3 e6 6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. Nge2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe1 c5 10. Rd1 cxd4 11. Bxd4

The same stratagem as in the game against Chuchelov is displayed. White doesn't want to lose his white-square bishop.

11. ... Qc7 12. Qh4 Bc5 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qh4 e5 16. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 17. Kh1 Be6 18. Nc3 h6 19. a3 Rad8 20. f4 Rd4 21. Ne2

With 21 ... Ra4 22. Nc3 in mind I offered a draw.

21. ... Rd7 22. b4 Qc7 23. fxe5 Qxe5 24. Nf4 Bg4 25. Rde1 Qg5

Not 25 ... g5? 26. Qxh6.

26. Qf2 b6

Either this or 26 ... a6 Gert thought.

27. h4 1-0.

I still remember Korchnoi's roaring laughter when he heard Ligterink's explanation. 

2309 / BDG, Vienna Defense
Theo Hommeles
E. Skoblikov
Netherlands KNSB 1992

Another game played in the highest class of the Dutch team championships. Skoblikov was also playing for Rotterdam since that year they had two teams competing on the highest level (in a total of ten). The combination in this game is the finest I have ever played.

1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 Bf5 5. fxe4 Nxe4 6. Qf3 Nd6!

I'm convinced that 6 ... Nxc3 7. bxc3 Qc8? 8. Bd3 is very good for white.

7. Bf4 e6!

Stronger than the unnecessary 7 ... c6

8. O-O-O Nd7 9. g4 Bg6 10. Qe3 Be7 11. Nf3

Or 11. d5 e5 12. Bxe5 Nxe5 13. Qxe5 and black is better.

11. ... h6 12. Ne5

Here 12. d5 was an alternative

12. ... Bh7 13. h4 c6 14. d5

Something has to be done.

14. ... exd5 15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Bxd6 Nf6 17. Bc5 Ne4!

It seems that white will remain a pawn down. But that day I was in a very creative mood.

18. Nxe4 Bxe4 19. Bd3! Bxh1 20. Re1!! Be4

An equal endgame arises after 20 ... 0-0 21. Bxe7 Re8 22. Bxd8 Rxe3 23. Rxe3 Rxd8 24. Re7 a5 25. Rc7

21. Bxe4

And now again black can enter equality with 21 ... dxe4 22. Qxe4 0-0. There seems to be a way though in which black maintains a pawn up. When I started anticipating black's next move my heartbeat accelerated and even became audible. I quickly moved away from the board for I didn't want my opponent to notice my excitement. And yes he did it! He made the best move which would turn out not to be good at all, but instead lose instantly!

21. ... Kf8!??

22. Bh7!!

A silent move. So hard to find for humans. I have been testing the position on anyone with ears. Utter simplicity for a computer though. Mine needs about zero seconds!

22. ... Qd7(?)

Relatively best was 22 ... Bd6 23. Qe8+! Qxe8 24. Bxd6+ Qe7 25. Bxe7+ Ke8 26. Bf5 (threatens mate starting with Bb4+) f6 27. Bb4+ Kf7 28. Re7+ Kg8 29. Bg6 etc.

23. Bxe7+ Ke8 24. Bf5 Qb7 25. Bb4+ Kd8 26. Ba5+ 1-0.

These games appeared in BDG World 76.