This month, we highlight games in the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Euwe Variation (5.Nxf3 e6). This is a solid and reliable defense for Black in theory. However, this line tends to give White a winning advantage in practice. Finding the perfect defensive moves is difficult while the clock is running. {Note: I'm having trouble entering diagrams. I'll try again tomorrow.]
1.d4 d5 2.e4
dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 e6 and now:
6.Be3 Bb4 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 h6 9.Bd3 b6
10.0–0 Bb7 11.Qe1 Nbd7 12.Qh4 (12.Qg3 favors White.) 12...Qe7 (12...Ne4 13.Qf4
f5) 13.c4 0–0–0 and Black is okay, although 1–0 in 38. Zivkovic - Marjanovic,
Banja Luka BIH 2024
6.Bd3 and
now:
6…Bd6 7.0–0 c5 8.Kh1 Nc6 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Bg5
h6 11.Bh4 Bd7 12.Qe1 Rc8 13.Rd1 (Or 13.Nd5!) 13...Qe7 14.Ne4 g5 15.Nfxg5 Nxe4
16.Nxe4 Qf8 17.Nf6+ Kd8 18.Nh7+ Kc7 19.Nxf8 Rcxf8 20.Bg3+ Kc8 21.Be4 h5 22.Bxc6
Bxc6 23.Qe5 Bb6 24.Qb8# 1–0 Dilmukhametov - Derlich, chess.com 2024
6...Bb4 7.0–0 Nc6 8.a3 Ba5
9.Bg5 (9.Ne4 Nxe4 10.Bxe4=) 9...h6 10.Bh4 Nxd4 11.Bxf6 (11.Ne4=) 11...Qxf6 12.Kh1 Nxf3 13.Rxf3 Qe7 Black is up two pawns and 0–1 in 26. Gulamirian - Kurchenko, chess.com 2024
6...Be7 7.0–0 0–0 8.Be3 a6 9.Qe1 Nbd7 10.Qh4 g6 (10...c5=) 11.Bg5 Re8 12.Rae1 c6 13.Ne5 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Nd5 15.Rxf7 h5 16.Bxg6 Bxg5 17.Qxh5 Nf6 18.exf6 (18.Qxg5! forces mate.) 18...Qd4+ 19.Kh1 Qh4 20.Rg7+ Kf8 21.Qxh4 and 1–0 in 36. Haszon - Gosh, chess.com 2024
6.Bg5 and now:
6...h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 (If 7...gxf6 8.Qe2 Bb4
9.Qe3 Nc6 10.0–0–0=) 8.Bb5+ c6 9.0–0 Bd6 10.Ne5 Qh4 11.g3 Qh3 12.Qf3 0–0
13.Nxf7 Qh5 14.Qxh5 1–0 Arslanov - Paragua, chess.com 2024
6...Bb4 7.Bd3 0–0 8.0–0 Bxc3 9.bxc3 Nbd7 10.Qe1 (Or 10.Ne5!?) 10...Qe8 11.Qh4 h5 12.Ne5 Nxe5 13.dxe5 and 1–0 in 56. McCarthy - Korchagina, England ENG 2024]
6...Be7 7.Bd3
and now:
7...Bd7 8.0–0 Bc6 9.Kh1 Nbd7 10.Qe1 b6 11.Qh4
Nf8 12.Ne5 Bd7 13.Rae1 c5 14.d5 h6 15.d6 hxg5 16.Qxh8 Bxd6 17.Nxf7 (Or 17.Qxg7!
winning.) 17...Kxf7 18.Ne4 Qc7 19.Nxg5+ Ke8 20.Qxg7 Nd5 21.Rxf8+ Bxf8 22.Bg6+
Kd8 23.Qxf8+ 1–0 Arslanov - Balaji, chess.com 2024
7...Nbd7 8.0–0 b6 9.Qe1 Bb7 10.Rd1 h6 11.Bf4 Nd5 (11...0–0!?) 12.Nxd5 Bxd5 13.c4 (Or 13.Qg3) 13...Bb7 14.Qg3 favors White and 1–0 in 27. Arslanov - Portero Rubio, chess.com 2024
7…b6 8.0–0
Bb7 9.Kh1 Nbd7 10.Qe1 0–0 11.Qh4 and now:
11...h6 12.Bxh6 gxh6 13.Qxh6 Re8 (If 13...Ba6
14.Bxa6 White is up a piece.) 14.Ng5 Nf8 15.Rxf6 1–0 Arslanov - Aarav Sinha,
chess.com 2024
11…g6 12.Ne5 Nxe5 13.dxe5 Nd5 14.Ne4 h5 [14...Bxg5 15.Nxg5] 15.Rf3 [Or 15.Bxe7! Qxe7 16.Nf6+ Nxf6 17.Rxf6 wins for White.] 15...Bxg5 16.Nxg5 Ne7 17.Nxf7 Rxf7 18.Rxf7 Kxf7= and ½–½ in 52. Arslanov - Chogdov, chess.com 2024
