Exeter Chess Club: My adventures with the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit

Introduction

If you haven't met this spendid opening before, do check out Tom Purser's BDG World magazine for games, variations, stories and a chance to meet the characters of the BDG community.

  The opening is named for Blackmar, who described the gambit 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. f3 , and for Diemer, who improved the line by avoiding the defence 3...e5, suggesting and practicing instead 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 [4...e5 e.g. 5. d5].

  I have a book and a database on the BDG, and in each White scores about 80%! This must be too good to be true, I thought (and it is), but certainly worth a look. So, I entered Tom Purser's BDG e-mail theme tournament to find out more about this opening, which survives despite the scepticism. Here are my games in a preliminary section (BDG-P01, 1997) [where, for the record I used Andres Valverde's cracking little ECTOOL programme to keep track of the games.].

 

  1. Dave Regis 0-1 Unes Hassim : BDG Vienna Defence
  2. Dave Regis 1-0 Volker Drueke : BDG Bogolyubov Defence
  3. Dave Regis 1-0 Kevin Kent : BDG Vienna Defence
  4. Volker Drueke 0-1 Dave Regis : BDG Euwe Defence
  5. Unes Hassim 1/2-1/2 Dave Regis : BDG Langeheinecke Defence
  6. Kevin Kent 0-1 Dave Regis : BDG Bogolyubov Defence
  7. Summary:
One key line I didn't get to try was the Teichmann Defence, 5...Bg4. During the tournament I played the BDG in blitz against an IM, and guess what he came straight back with? Anyhow, here's how the games went. I won't get into the opening theory too much, apart from noting known or speculative alternatives, and will concentrate on what I thought were the critical moments of the games. When he knew I was planning this session, Pete Lane e-mailed me the following quote:
'It should also be noted that there are openings where I feel the chances for theoretical rebirth are extremely poor. An obvious example is the Blackmar-Diemar Gambit: 1.d4 d5 2.e4. Sacrificing a prime central pawn for a tempo in the face of a healthy, solid Black position cannot be sound.' -- MEDNIS
There is of course, LOMBARDY'S Defence to Mednis' System:
"At amateur level, all openings are sound."
I remain like Mednis a sceptic about the theoretical status of the line, but no player from a country where also lives Mike Basman can possibly dismiss the practical chances afforded by unorthodox lines.

  Anyhow, I enjoyed the games, and I learned not just about the BDG but some general lessons as well. Check out the games from the links above.

Summary of lessons:

  1. play with a plan: plausible or visually appealing moves are not good enough, OTB or CC
  2. Playing by analogy is OK but notice the differences.
  3. you can accept a gambit Pawn and win
  4. "Don't believe all you read" and
  5. "Look before you leap!"
  6. Play good moves, not good-looking ones.
  7. Don't drift, waiting for your opponent to build up: hit back when you can!
  8. Don't panic! You must search for an answer to your opponent's threats. Juniors are sometimes very worried by opponent's king's-side attacks, and go into a hedgehog posture, and it's the posture that kills them. I sometimes say, oh, don't worry about that, they're only threatening mate.
  9. Fight back! You must not drift when you are worse, you must fight a way to create problems, and think seriously about our opponent's counters.
  10. "Don't believe what you read!" (again)
  11. Passive play is difficult; Mednis calls it "awaiting the undertaker"
  12. Maybe it's really true, the only way to refute a gambit is to accept it!
  13. Long aside...
  14. Don't hope, don't fear: analyse and find out!
Back to Chess Coaching Page

This document (.html) was last modified on by [cool blue cat]

Dr. Dave