Friday, November 19, 2021

Blackmar-Diemer Charles Szasz

Charles Szasz let me know that he is still alive and well, and that he still enjoys playing the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. That’s great news on both accounts! I had not seen any of his games since 1987. He sent me this one he played on the chess app tChess.

The earliest Szasz game in my database is from 1963 (the year I learned chess). I did not start playing until 1971, with my first tournament in 1972. Charles noted this game is not the best, but he is still playing. Charles sacrificed a rook and had a pretty mate.

I finished four How To Beat Intermediate Chess Players series.
Chess Strategy Ruy Lopez
Chess Strategy King's Gambit
Chess Strategy Italian Game
Chess Strategy Caro-Kann

Szasz – tChess, Chess app, 27.09.2021 begins 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.d5 Nb4 [This is a common move among non-masters. Others prefer 4...Ne5 5.Qd4 Ng6 as Black. I tried that for a while, but now I prefer; 4...Nb8 5.Nxe4 c6 with equal chances.] 5.a3 Na6 6.f3 exf3 7.Nxf3 e6 8.Bc4 [8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Qe2 is a good idea.] 8...exd5 9.Nxd5 Bc5 [Black gets too frisky. 9...Be6 equalizes.] 10.Qe2+ Kf8 11.b4 [Or 11.Ng5 Nh6 12.Rf1 could works well.] 11...Ne7 12.Nxe7 Bxe7 13.0–0 Bf5 14.Ne5 [White sacrifices a rook.] 14...Qd4+ 15.Kh1 Qxa1 16.Bg5 [16.Qh5 also looks strong.] 16...Qxa3 17.Bxe7+ [Fastest is 17.Nd7+ Kg8 18.Qxe7 Be6 and now the queen sacrifice wins 19.Qxf7+ Bxf7 20.Bxf7 mate] 17...Kxe7 18.Nc6+ Kf6 19.Qe7+ Kg6
20.Ne5+ [Or 20.Bxf7+ Kh6 21.Qh4#] 20...Kh5 21.Rxf5+ Kh6 22.Qh4# 1–0



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Friday, September 17, 2021

Blackmar-Diemer Gambit 4...e3

Thom Christensen of Denmark faces a tough blitz challenge when FM Gerson Principe of Peru declines the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. This Langeheinecke Variation began 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.f3 e3. Black returns the pawn with the plan of outplaying his opponent. Eventually, Black won the Exchange, but White gained compensation with passed pawns. White could not make progress until he threatened to mate his opponent.

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Christensen (2154) – Principe (2230), Titled Tuesday chess.com INT, 22.06.2021 begins 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.f3 e3 5.Bxe3 e6 6.Bd3 Be7 7.Nge2 0–0 8.0–0 Nbd7 9.Ng3 c5 10.Nce4 cxd4 11.Bxd4 b6 12.Bc3 Bb7 13.Qe2 Nc5 14.Nxc5 Bxc5+ 15.Kh1 Be7 [15...Nd5!?=] 16.Rad1 Qb8 17.Be5 Qc8 18.Ne4 Nd5 19.Nd6 Bxd6 20.Bxd6 Rd8 21.Bg3 Nb4 22.c3? [White could play 22.Bh4 with a good position.] 22...Nxd3 23.Rxd3 Rxd3 24.Qxd3 Ba6 [This bishop skewer wins the Exchange for Black.] 25.Qd1 Bxf1 26.Qxf1 Qd7 27.h3 Rd8 28.Qa6 f6 29.Kh2 e5 30.a4 Qe7 31.a5 bxa5 32.Qxa5 Re8 [32...Rd2 33.Qb5 Qd7-+] 33.Bf2 f5 34.Bc5 Qf7 35.Qxa7 Qd5 [Black probably converts the advantage after 35...Qxa7 36.Bxa7 Ra8-+] 36.b4 e4 37.fxe4 fxe4
[White makes a threat that gets missed in blitz.] 38.Bd4 e3 [Better is 38...Qf7 39.Qc5 Qf4+ 40.Kg1 e3 41.Qc4+ Qf7 42.Qe2=] 39.Qxg7# [Black is checkmated] 1–0



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Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Herrstrom Gambit Zilbermints

Lev Zilbermints enjoys surprising opponents with offbeat or unorthodox gambits. In the Zukertort Opening Herrstrom Gambit, White took the surprise gambit pawn on move two. Then Lev moves a second pawn (all eyes on the pawn) while at the same time attacking a knight with the queen (no eyes on the queen). Knowing one should play an early e4 or d4, White chose the wrong one this time. Winning material in blitz doesn’t immediately win. One still must play well. Black does in this game. Based on his experience Lev Zilbermints said, “People do not expect the Herrstrom to be better than its reputation.”

My Checkmate Tactics book has the best 500 chess opening mates.
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Peter333 (2307) – Zilbermints (2370), Rated Blitz game lichess.org, 06.09.2021 begins 1.Nf3 g5 2.Nxg5 e5
3.e4 [White blunders a piece. Much stronger is 3.d4 usually retreating the knight to f3 next move and followed by a general consolidation to win with the extra pawn. That's easier said than done vs a strong blitz opponent familiar with the opening.] 3...Qxg5 [Black has won a knight.] 4.d4 Qg7 5.dxe5 Qxe5 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.f4 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qxe4+ 9.Kf2 Ne7 10.Bd3 Qa4 11.Re1 Nbc6 12.Qh5 d6 13.Re4 Qa5 14.Qh6 [If 14.Qxa5 Nxa5 White has nothing for the lost piece.] 14...Bf5 15.Qf6 0–0–0 16.Rxe7 Nxe7 17.Qxe7 Bxd3 18.cxd3 [Or 18.Qe1 Rhe8 19.Be3 Bxc2 20.Qd2 Be4 and Black is up a rook.] 18...Qxc3 [White resigns.] 0–1

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Thursday, August 5, 2021

London System 2.Bf4 Djordjevic

Vuk Djordjevic wins with the London System using a kingside attack. In the olden days, this opening helped White get an easy game with minimal danger. Most of the focus tends to be on the center and queenside, but aggressive-minded players like to work up a kingside assault. A typical such attack came in this blitz game between International Master Vuk Djordjevic of Serbia and Grandmaster Steven Zierk from the USA.

My Checkmate Tactics book has the best 500 opening mates.
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Djordjevic – Zierk, Titled Tuesday chess.com INT, 25.05.2021 begins 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.c3 e6 5.Nd2 Bd6 6.Bb5+ Nc6 7.Bg3 0–0 8.Ngf3 Qe7 9.0–0 [Another popular continuation is 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.Qa4 Bxg3 11.hxg3 cxd4 12.cxd4 with equal chances.] 9...Bd7 10.Qe2 a6 11.Bd3 Nh5 [11...Bxg3 12.hxg3 e5=+] 12.Bxd6 Qxd6 13.Ne5 Nf6 [13...Nxe5 14.dxe5 Qxe5 15.f4 wins the Black knight.] 14.f4 b5 15.g4 Be8 16.g5 Nd7 17.Rf3 f6 [Black has a chance to hold the position with 17...g6=] 18.Bxh7+ Kxh7
19.Rh3+ Kg8 20.g6 fxe5 [20...Bxg6 21.Nxg6+-] 21.Rh8+ Kxh8 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.Qh7# 1–0
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Monday, August 2, 2021

Elephant Gambit by Skatchkov

The Elephant Gambit is a favorite among enterprising players who want to threaten White early in the game. This old chess opening was formerly called the Queen Pawn Countergambit. I played this gambit as Black in postal chess games in 1988 or 1989 with mixed success. Players I think of with the Elephant Gambit include Emil J. Diemer, Tom Purser, Jonathan Rogers, and Philip Corbin. With this chess opening the gambit player accepts some risk to activate all or most of the Black pieces for an attack. The game ends suddenly in this Elephant Gambit blitz game between Alvaro Donatti of Uruguay and Pavel Skatchkov of Russia.

Donatti – Skatchkov, Titled Tuesday chess.com INT, 29.06.2021 begins 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nxe5 Bd6 4.d4 dxe4 5.Bc4 Bxe5 6.dxe5 [Another common continuation is 6.Qh5 Qe7 7.Qxe5 Qxe5 8.dxe5 Nc6] 6...Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 Nc6 8.Bf4 Nge7 9.Bg3 Bf5 10.Nc3 Ng6 11.Re1 [11.e6 0–0–0+ 12.Kc1 fxe6 when White is down a pawn but has compensation due to doubled e-pawns.] 11...Ngxe5 12.Bb5 0–0–0+ 13.Kc1 a6 14.Ba4 [14.Bf1 Rhe8+=] 14...Rd4 15.Bb3 f6 [15...Rhd8-/+] 16.Nd5 [16.Bd5 Re8=+] 16...Re8 17.Ne3 Be6 [17...Bg6-/+] 18.Bxe6+ Rxe6 19.Nf5 Rc4 [19...Rd7=+] 20.Nxg7 Rd6 21.Rd1 Nd4 22.Bxe5? [22.c3=]
22...Ne2+ [Mate next move] 0–1

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Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Polish Opening 1.b4 Cavicchi

Francesco Cavicchi combines Polish Opening 1.b4 with Bird’s Opening 1.f4 to build up a promising attack on the kingside. White quickly brought three pieces and a queen into the action while Black moves only pawns and a king. Once things got going, it was just a matter of time before White would win big material or apply a checkmate.

My Checkmate Tactics book has the best 500 chess opening mates.
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Cavicchi (1998) - Russia-Volgograd1975 (2057), Rated Blitz game lichess.org, 14.07.2021 begins 1.b4 d5 2.a3 e5 3.Bb2 f6 [This is natural but a passive move. More active are 3...Qd6, 3...Bd6, or 3...Nd7.] 4.f4 d4 [4...exf4 might pressure White as least a little bit.] 5.e3 dxe3 6.Bd3 exf4 7.Qh5+ Ke7 8.Nf3 
8...Be6 9.Nd4 Bf7 10.Nf5+ Kd7 11.Qxf7+ Ne7 12.Nxg7 Bxg7 13.Qxg7 [White has a mate in four with 13.Bf5+ Kc6 14.Qc4+ Kb6 15.Qc5+ Ka6 16.Qa5 mate] 13...Kc8 14.Bxf6 Black resigns. 1–0

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Monday, March 29, 2021

Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Theory

Recently a player improved on Blackmar-Diemer Gambit theory as I understand it. I recall a master of old saying you should be suspicious of the final move in a long line of analysis. Moves at the end are rarely analyzed as accurately as moves at the beginning.

White found an improvement at move 15 in a rare sideline given in my Blackmar-Diemer Theory 3 book. The opening is a BDG Teichmann Seidal-Hall variation where White gambits a second pawn. I gave 15.Re1 at the end of my analysis. Better is 15.Bxb8! which wins material in the game Baptiste Alloui-Cros vs Timothy Jin Sheng Ling.

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Alloui-Cros (2130) – Ling (1640), FIDE World Uni RapidD Tornelo, 21.03.2021 begins 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 c6 8.g4 Qxd4 9.Be3 Qe5 [9...Qb4 10.0–0–0= White has excellent play for the two gambit pawns.] 10.0–0–0 e6 11.g5 Nd5 [11...Nfd7 12.Be2=] 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.Bf4 Qe4 14.Qxe4 dxe4
15.Bxb8! [Years ago I suggested 15.Re1 but it seems Black is fine after 15...h6 16.Rxe4 hxg5 17.Bxg5 Nc6 18.Bg2 though White has some compensation for the gambit pawn.] 15...Rxb8 16.Bb5+ Ke7 17.Rd7+ Ke8 18.Rxb7+ [White wins a rook with this move. Another good idea is 18.Rhd1 winning. For example, 18...a6 19.Rd8+ Ke7 20.R1d7#] 18...Kd8 19.Rxb8+ Kc7 20.Ra8 Kb7 21.Re8 h6 22.g6 fxg6 23.Rf1 a6 24.Ba4 1–0



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