Christian Bauer and the Trompowsky Opening

I like popular chess openings, but sometimes I want to play lines that most people have not seen or do not know. After 1.d4 Nf6, the most popular moves are 2.c4 and 2.Nf3. My database has 26 different second moves played by White. Most are rather weak, but six lesser known alternatives are part of reasonable opening systems. Here they are in order of popularity: 2.Bg5, 2.Nc3, 2.f3, 2.e3, 2.g3 and 2.Bf4.

I like popular movies, but sometimes I enjoy one that most people have not seen. Last weekend you could have asked me, "Tim Sawyer, you want to watch the new movie "Persecuted". What are you going to do next?" I reply, "I'm going to Disney World." Indeed I did. Downtown Disney is a shopping and restaurant area on Disney property in between various amusement parks. Parking was free, but the movie ticket, popcorn and Diet Coke were not free. Their AMC theatre was one of few locations where that movie could be found in the Central Florida area. By the way, Downtown Disney is 30 years old and being renovated. By 2016 it will be called Disney Springs.

Christian Bauer is a grandmaster who specializes in lesser played openings. Below is a Trompowsky Attack against Lev Gutman. With 2.Bg5 White threatens to take Black's knight and saddle his opponent with doubled pawns. Black in turn plays 2...Ne4 attacking White's bold bishop. One possible line after 3.Bf4 d5 mentioned in the note below leads to a Blackmar-Diemer Gambit with the extra move Bf4. Gutman avoids that with 3...c5. Grandmaster Bauer outplays his opponent with a BDG type expansion 4.f3 and later e4.

Bauer (2625) - Gutman (2455), 10th Open Bad Zwesten GER (4), 04.01.2006 begins 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.Bf4 c5 [3...d5 4.f3 Nf6 5.e4 dxe4 6.Nc3 exf3 7.Nxf3 is a BDG with an extra Bf4 move for White.] 4.f3 Nf6 5.dxc5 Qa5+ 6.Qd2 Qxc5 7.e4 e5 8.Be3 Qc7 9.Nc3 Bb4 10.Nge2 0-0 11.a3 Ba5 12.0-0-0 b5 13.b4 Bb6 14.Nxb5 Qc6 15.Nd6 Ba6 16.Nc3 Bxf1 17.Rhxf1 Bxe3 [17...Ne8 18.Nf5+-] 18.Qxe3 Qb6 19.Qxb6 axb6 20.Kb2 Nc6 21.Ncb5 Rfd8 22.Rd3 Rab8 23.c3 Nh5 24.g3 g6 25.a4 Kf8 26.Na3 Ke7 27.Nac4 f6 [If 27...Ng7 28.Rfd1+-] 28.f4 exf4 29.gxf4 Ng7 30.f5 Rf8 31.Rg1 g5 32.b5 Na5 33.Nxa5 bxa5 34.Rgd1 Rfd8 35.Nc4 Ra8 36.Nb6 Ra7 37.c4 1-0


Copyright 2014 Tim Sawyer. Click here for my HOME PAGE. sawyerte@yahoo.com

Cavicchi vs Simioli in BDG Italian Lemberger

Francesco Cavicchi sends me games that I often use on Thursdays. Here is another example of Black trying to avoid the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit with 3...e5. Cavicchi works up a fast attack using his favorite Lemberger Italian Variation 4.Qe2.

"Hi Tim, another miniature full of tactics for you in the controversial BDG Lemberger "Italian variation" (let's say so hehehe) 4Qe2. Hope you enjoy."

At a Melo tournament in Ferrara, Italy, Francesco Cavicchi takes on Stefano Simioli in a BDG Lemberger variation. After 4.Qe2 exd4 5.Nxe4, White threatens to move the knight for a discovered check. Previously we looked at a game where Black covers the e-file with 5...Be7! This time Black defends his the other bishop by 5...Be6, but that leaves b7 unprotected. Francesco tactically wraps the blitz game up quickly.

Cavicchi - Simioli, Melo tournament, Ferrara 5 min game, 2014 begins 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 e5 4.Qe2 exd4 5.Nxe4 Be6 6.Qb5+ [Here you can easily recognize a typical theme from the Englund Gambit with Qe7] 6...Nd7 7.Qxb7 f5 8.Ng5 [The siege begins.] 8...Nc5 9.Nxe6? [but wrong move! Instead I should have played 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Bxd7+ Nxd7 11.Ne6 Qb8 12.Qxa8! Qxa8 13.Nxc7+ Kd8 14.Nxa8 Kc8 15.Bf4 then 16.Nc7, winning for White] 9...Nxe6 10.Bb5+ Kf7 11.Qf3 g6 12.Nh3 Be7 13.0-0 Nf6 14.Re1 [Better 14.Bc4 immediately] 14...Qd6 [14...Qd5 15.Rxe6! Qxe6 16.Ng5+ 1-0] 15.Bc4 [Finally] 15...Ne4? 16.Rxe4 Black resigns 1-0 [Notes by Cavicchi]

Copyright 2014 Tim Sawyer. Click here for my HOME PAGE. sawyerte@yahoo.com