Blackmar-Diemer Pawn Returned

Sometimes the best way to win is to let your opponent sacrifice pieces while you calmly defend all the threats. In this game between William Graif and Fernandez Siles, White offered to transpose into the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Black declined the pawn, probably with the hope of a counterattack. Black sacrificed material for a strong attack, but William Graif found good moves and kept the extra material.

Graif (2305) – Fernandez Siles (2220), Titled Tuesday, 31.01.2023, begins 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.f3 e3 [5...exf3 6.Nxf3 would transpose to a BDG.] 6.Bxe3 g6 7.Qd2 c6 8.0–0–0 Qa5 9.Kb1 Bg7 10.h4 h5 11.Bd3 b5 12.Nge2 b4 13.Ne4 Nd5 14.Bg5 Rb8 15.Ka1 [To avoid the nastiness of 15...Nc3+.] 15...Ba6 16.g4 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Rb6 18.gxh5 Rxh5 19.N4g3 Rxg5 [19...Rh8 leads to equal chances.] 20.hxg5

20...Nc3 [Desperation leaves Black down a rook. Better is 20...b3 21.cxb3 Nb4 22.Qb1 Ra6 23.Nc3] 21.bxc3 Ra6 22.Qc4 [I'm not sure that Black accounted for this defense of a2 when sacrificing the Exchange on g5.] 22...Nb6 23.Qb3 c5 24.Rh7 c4 25.Qb1 Kf8 26.cxb4 Qb5 27.c3 Nd5 28.Qb2 e5 29.Rxg7 Kxg7 30.dxe5 Ne3 31.Rh1 Qa4 32.Kb1 Nd1 33.Qc2 Qa3 34.Rxd1 [White is up two knights. Black resigns] 1–0

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Herrstrom Gambit Lev Zilbermintz

One of the best ways to defeat a grandmaster is to make threats. When you have Black, sometimes it's worth trying a gambit, especially if you know it.
Lev Zilbermintz sent me the following note:
“Happy New Year, Tim! Here is a game with the Herrstrom Gambit. I defeated a Grandmaster with it today on Internet Chess Club." Lev Zilbermintz

[Note: I'm not on Facebook at the moment. My email is below.]

See my Quick Chess Lesson collection of six Chess Gambits for Black.

Zuckertort (2143) – Zilbermintz (2130), Internet Chess Club, 01.01.2023 begins 1.Nf3 g5 2.Nxg5 e5 3.d4 h6 4.Nf3 e4 5.Nfd2 Nf6 6.e3 Rg8 7.c4 c6 8.Nc3 d5

9.f3 [White employs the Blackmar idea of f3. An alternative is 9.Qa4 which also favors White due to the extra pawn, but Black's open lines could prove dangerous.] 9...exf3 10.Qxf3 Bg4 11.Qf2 Nbd7 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.Bb5 a6 14.Bxd7+ Bxd7 15.0–0 Rg6 [Safer is 15...Be7 16.Nxd5 Bc6 17.Nxf6+ Bxf6 18.Nf3] 16.Nxd5 Bg7 17.Ne4 Bh3 18.Ndxf6+ [If 18.Nexf6+ Kf8 19.b3 White is winning.] 18...Kf8 19.Nh7+ Kg8 20.Ng3 Be6 21.e4 Kxh7 [21...Qxd4!?] 22.d5 Bd7 23.Qxf7 Bb5 24.Rf2 Qb6 25.Nf5 Rf8 26.Qe7 Re8 27.Qh4 [If 27.Qa3 White keeps the advantage.] 27...Bd4 28.Nxd4 Qxd4 29.Bf4 Rxe4 30.g3 [30.Kh1=] 30...Re2 [Black is winning due to the pin on f2.] 31.Raf1 Re4 32.Rc1 Bd7 33.h3 Qxd5 34.Rd2 Rd4 [If 34...Qxd2 35.Bxd2 Rxh4 Black wins.] 35.Rxd4 Qxd4+ 36.Kh2 Qf2+ 37.Kh1 Qf3+ 38.Kg1 Bc6 39.Rxc6 Qxc6 40.Qe7+ Kg8 41.Qd8+ Kh7 42.Qe7+ Rg7 43.Qe2 Qc5+ 44.Kh2 Qe7 45.Qd3+ Rg6 46.Qd2 [46.h4=] 46...Re6 47.h4 Re2+ [Black wins the queen. White resigns] 0–1

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