I enjoy playing the Teichmann Variation from both sides. White aims to exploit the lead in development and control the center. Black seeks to neutralize White's initiative and capitalize on the extra pawn. These games highlight the importance of precise play, as a single misstep can drastically alter the course of the game.
1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 Bg4
The move I play is 6.h3 but first we look at 6.Bc4 e6 and now:
7.Be3 Nc6 8.Qe2 Bb4 9.0–0 0–0 (9...Nxd4 looks good for Black.) 10.Rad1 Nd5 11.Nxd5 exd5 12.Bd3 Re8 13.Qf2 Bh5 14.Ng5 Bg6
15.Nxf7 (Better is 15.Bxg6! fxg6 16.Qf7+ Kh8 17.Rf3 with a strong attack.) 15...Qe7 16.Bxg6 Qxe3 17.Qxe3 Rxe3 18.Bd3 Nxd4= but 0–1 in 60. Gallego Bergada -Pourkashiyan, chess.com 2024
7.0–0 and now:
7...Bxf3 8.Rxf3 Bb4 9.Bg5 Nbd7 10.Ne4 Be7
11.Nxf6+ (Or 11.Qd3=) 11...Nxf6 12.c3 0–0 13.Bd3 h6 14.Bxh6 gxh6 15.Qd2 Ng4 16.Rg3 f5 17.Qxh6 Rf6 18.Qg5+ Kf8 19.h3 Rf7 20.hxg4 Bxg5 0–1. Gallego Bergada -Ai, chess.com 2024;
7...c5 8.Bb5+ (The immediate 8.d5 favors White.) 8...Nc6 9.d5 exd5 10.Qe1+ Be7 11.Ne5 0–0 (11...Bd7 favors Black.) 12.Bxc6 bxc6 Now White wins a piece.
13.Nxc6 Qd7 14.Nxe7+ Kh8 15.Bg5 Rae8 16.Rxf6 Rxe7 17.Qh4 Re6 18.Rf4 and 1–0 in 30. McCarthy -Pradhan, Peterborough ENG 2024
7...Nc6 8.Be3 Bd6 9.Qe1 Nb4 10.Bb3 Bf5 11.Bg5 h6 (11...Bxc2 is better for Black.) 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Ne5 0–0–0
14.Nb5 (More accurate is 14.Ne4 Qe7 15.Nxd6+) 14...Nd5 (14...Bxe5 favors Black.) 15.Nxa7+ Kb8 16.Nb5 Bxe5 17.dxe5 Qg5 18.Bxd5 Rxd5 19.c4 Bh3 20.Qg3 and 1–0 in 34. Gallego Bergada -Sroczynski, chess.com 2024
My favorite line of the Teichmann is 6.h3.
This forces Black to retreat the bishop or exchange pieces on f3. First, we look at the retreat and then the capture.
6...Bh5 7.g4 Bg6 8.Ne5 and now:
8...e6 9.Qf3 Qxd4 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Qxb7 Bd6
12.Qxa8 (Better is 12.Bd2 which gives the White king as escape square on d1.) 12...Bg3+ 13.Ke2 Qf2+ 14.Kd3 0–0 15.Kc4 Rd8 (15...Nbd7! wins for Black.) 16.Bd3 (16.Kb3 Qb6+ 17.Bb5=) 16...Qd4+ 17.Kb3 Na6 18.Qxd8+ Qxd8 19.Bxa6 c5= but 0–1 in 51. Stead - Lopez Gracia, chess.com 2023;
8...c6 9.Bg2 e6 10.0–0 Bd6 11.Bg5 Be7 12.h4 h6 13.Nxg6 fxg6 14.Bf4 0–0
15.Qd3 (15.Bg3=) 15...Nxg4 16.Qxg6 Qxd4+ 17.Kh1 Rxf4 (Or 17...Nf2+ threatening the king and the f4 bishop for a Black win.) 18.Qxe6+ Kh8 19.Qc8+ Kh7 and 0–1 in 32. Palczert - Breuil, chess.com 2024
8...Nbd7 9.Qf3 and now:
9...c6 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.g5 Nh5 12.Bc4 e6 13.Rf1 Qe7
14.h4 (Or 14.Bd2 intending 0–0–0 for White.) 14...Nb6 15.Bd3 Qc7 16.Be3 Qg3+ 17.Qxg3 (17.Kd2=) 17...Nxg3 18.Rf3 Nf5 and 0–1 in 49. Graham - Liu, Peterborough ENG 2024)
9...Nxe5 10.dxe5 Nd7
11.Qxb7 (11.e6!? looks promising for White.) 11...Nxe5 (Better is 11...Rb8 12.Qxa7 e6 13.Bb5=) 12.Bb5+ Nd7 13.Bxd7+ Kxd7 14.Qd5+ Ke8 15.Qc6+ Qd7 16.Qxa8+ Qd8 17.Qxd8+ Kxd8 18.Bf4 Bxc2 19.Rh2 Bg6 20.0–0–0+ Kc8 21.Rhd2 e6 22.Rd8+ Kb7 23.R1d7 Kc6 24.Rxc7+ Kb6 25.Rb8+ Ka6 26.Rc6+ Ka5 27.Rb5# 1–0. Graham -Yu, Peterborough ENG 2024]
Finally, here is the Teichmann Exchange Variation.
6...Bxf3 7.Qxf3 c6 and now:
8.Be3 e6
9.0–0–0 (The main line goes 9.Bd3 Nbd7 10.0–0=) 9...Bb4 10.Ne4 Nxe4 11.Qxe4 Qd5 12.Qg4 Qxa2 13.c3 Bf8 14.Bd3 Nd7 15.Rhf1 Nf6 16.Qf3 0–0–0 and 0–1 in 44. Palczert - Molina, chess.com 2024
8.g4 e6 9.g5 Nd5 10.Bd3 Bb4 11.0–0 Qe7 [Or 11...0–0 12.Ne4=] 12.Ne4 Nd7 13.c3 Ba5
14.c4 [White can regain the pawn with an advantage by 14.Qxf7+ Qxf7 15.Nd6+ Ke7 16.Nxf7 which White plays four moves later.] 14...Nb4 15.Bb1 Bc7 16.a3 Na6 17.b4 Bb6 18.Qxf7+ Qxf7 19.Nd6+ Ke7 20.Rxf7+ Kxd6 21.Bf4+ e5 22.c5+ Naxc5 23.bxc5+ Nxc5 24.Bxe5+ Kd5 25.Ba2+ Ke4 26.Re1+ Kd3 27.dxc5 Bxc5+ 28.Kg2 Rhf8 29.Bxg7 Rxf7 30.Bxf7 Bxa3 31.Rf1 Bc5 32.h4 a5 33.h5 a4 34.g6 hxg6 35.h6 a3 36.h7 a2 37.h8Q [Better is 37.Bg8] 37...Rxh8 38.Bxh8 b5 39.Bxa2 b4 40.Bb1+ Kc4 41.Bxg6 b3 42.Rc1+ Kb4 43.Bc3+ Kb5 44.Bd3+ Kb6 45.Rb1 Bd6 46.Rxb3+ Kc7 47.Kf3 c5 48.Ke4 Kc6 49.Bc4 Bc7 50.Bd5+ Kd7 51.Rb7 Kc8 52.Be5 Bd8 53.Kf5 c4 54.Ke6 Bc7 55.Rxc7+ Kd8 56.Rh7 Kc8 57.Rh8# [1–0. Arslanov - Ismayil, chess.com 2024] 1–0
For an expanded look at the 50 games (105 diagrams) I did last year, see my new book Chess Chronicles: Blackmar-Diemer Gambit and Other Chess Games