Greg Nolan Bird's Opening Victory Lesson

Here is how the Bird's Opening drove me to the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. I beat the expert Greg Nolan. who was about to become a master, when the position became so messy that both sides made blunders in complications. It dawned on me that if I can outplay stronger players in such wild positions, why not play gambits in the opening?

After a decade of learning grandmaster theory in main lines like the Ruy Lopez, Sicilian Defence, Queen's Gambit and King's Indian, I got burned out reading Chess Informant. So I took up Bird's Opening. My friend Gregory Nolan and I were paired against each other about the fourth round where he had won all his games. If he beat me like he usually did, Greg Nolan's rating would go above the master mark of 2200. He did become a master, but just not this time.

I experimented with the pawn structure f4, e3, c4 which I learned from the games of Marmaduke Wyvill (born 200 hundred years ago in 1815). Twice in 1851 Wyvill played 1.c4, 2.Nc3, 3.e3, 4.f4 against Elijah Williams. In my game below after about 20 moves, I decide on a desperate risky kingside attack that was dangerous for both sides. After this, I began reading Tom Purser's "BDG WORLD" magazine. There I learned to charge up the middle with my pawns instead of sliding in from the flanks.

Sawyer (1981) - Nolan (2191), Hatboro, PA 1985 begins 1.f4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.e3 Nf6 4.Be2 0-0 5.0-0 d6 6.c4 Nbd7 [6...c5=] 7.Nc3 [7.d4=] 7...e5 8.d3 c6 9.Qc2? [9.fxe5=] 9...Re8 [9...exf4=/+] 10.e4 Ng4 11.h3 Qb6+ [11...Ngf6=] 12.Kh1 Ne3 13.Bxe3 Qxe3 14.fxe5 Nxe5 15.Qc1 Qb6 16.Qd2 f5 17.Nxe5 Bxe5 18.Bf3 Rf8 19.Rac1 Be6 20.b3 f4 21.Ne2 c5 22.Nc3 g5 23.g4 [23.Qe2=] 23...fxg3 24.Qxg5+ Kh8 25.Ne2 Bxh3 26.Bg2 Rg8 27.Qh4 Be6 28.Nf4 Rg4 [28...Bd7!-+] 29.Qh6? [29.Qe7 Bg8-/+] 29...Bf7 30.Bh3? [30.Qh3 Rag8-+] 30...Bg7 31.Nd5 Qd8 [31...g2+!-+] 32.Qd2? Qh4 [32...g2+!-+] 33.Kg2 Bxd5 [33...Be6! 34.Nc7 Rxe4!-+] 34.exd5 Bh6 35.Qb2+ Bg7 36.Qd2 Rg6 37.Rf4 Qg5 38.Rcf1 [38.Rd1 Be5-/+] 38...Bh6? [38...Re8! 39.Rd1 Qe7 40.Re4 Be5-+] 39.Qb2+ Kg8? [39...Qe5 40.Qxe5+ dxe5 41.Rf7+/=] 40.Be6+ Rxe6 41.dxe6 Bg7 42.Qc1 [42.Qe2!+-] 42...Qh5 43.Qe1 Qh2+ 44.Kf3 g2? [44...Qh5+ 45.Kxg3 Be5 46.Kg2 Bxf4 47.Rxf4=] 45.Rg1 Qh3+ 46.Qg3 Qxe6 47.Rxg2 Qe5 48.Qg5 Qa1 49.d4 Qf1+ 50.Kg3 Qd3+ 51.Kh2 Qg6 52.Qd5+ 1-0

Copyright 2015 Tim Sawyer. Click here for my HOME PAGE. sawyerte@yahoo.com

Sawyer Beats Baffo Reti English Dutch Defence

Jeffrey Baffo provided us with a dozen examples of solid play in a variety of openings. Something is very strange in this game. I won! We started with a Reti Opening which transposed to the English Opening on move six. Black selected the Dutch Defence set-up with 1...f5. On move 17 White's bishop goes into the corner. The game ends with a tactical flourish and a very nice attack on my part. For some reason I seem to score better when the position turns to wide open tactics.  I believe our 12 games were played simultaneously. Here is a summary of our other games in posting order:

Jeffrey Baffo in Queens Gambit Marshall Defence

Baffo Dutch Leningrad - Tim Sawyer Goes Postal

Baffo in Queens Knight Attack to Alekhine Defence

Baffo vs Sawyer in Caro-Kann Defence 4...Nd7

Karpov French Defence Tarrasch vs Jeff Baffo

Jeffrey Baffo in Bold Benko Gambit Beats Sawyer

Baffo in Alekhine Defence Two Pawns Attack

Jeff Baffo Quick Queens in Caro-Kann Defence

Jeffrey Baffo Wins French Defence Advance

Jeffrey Baffo Caro-Kann Defence 4.Nxe4 Bf5

Jeffrey Baffo Birthday Sicilian Defence Win

Baffo (2254) - Sawyer (1999), corr USCF 95P139, 27.03.1996 begins 1.Nf3 f5 2.d3 d6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 g6 5.0-0 Bg7 6.c4 0-0 7.Nc3 e5 8.Rb1 a5 9.Bg5 [Far more popular is 9.a3 Nc6 10.b4 axb4 11.axb4=] 9...h6 10.Bd2 g5 11.e4 f4 12.Qb3 Kh7 [Nowadays I would be very tempted to play 12...g4 13.Nh4 f3=/+ hoping to drive the bishop into the corner, something that I do accomplish later.] 13.gxf4 exf4 14.Nd5? [White actually makes a rare correspondence chess mistake. 14.Nd4!=] 14...Nxd5 15.cxd5 g4 16.Ne1 f3 17.Bh1 Be5 18.Bc3 Bxh2+ 19.Kxh2 Qh4+ 20.Kg1 g3 21.fxg3 Qxg3+ 22.Bg2 f2+ 23.Rxf2 Qxf2+ 24.Kh1 Rf4 25.Nf3 Bh3 0-1

Copyright 2015 Tim Sawyer. Click here for my HOME PAGE. sawyerte@yahoo.com