This month, I focus on ten recent games where Black either declined or avoided the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. These lines give White good practical chances, although the Huebsch Gambit 3...Nxe4 allows Black to remain a pawn ahead. First, I cover 1.d4 Nf6 lines, and then I cover 1.d4 d5 lines.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 Nxe4 4.Nxe4 dxe4
5.Be3 Bf5 6.g4 Bg6 7.Ne2 Nc6 8.h4 h6 9.Nf4 Bh7
5.Bc4 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.d5
5.f3 and now:
5...exf3 6.Nxf3 g6 7.Bc4 Bg7 8.0–0 0–0 9.Ne5
9...e6 (If 9...Bxe5 10.dxe5 Qxd1 11.Rxd1 Nc6) 10.c3 c5 and 0–1 in 51. Khodzhamkuliev - Lantini, chess.com 2024
5...e5 6.d5 Bc5 7.Bb5+ (Or 7.Qe2 Qxd5 and Black is better.) 7...c6 8.dxc6 Qa5+ 9.c3 Qxb5 10.c7 Nc6 11.fxe4 Be6 12.Nf3 Qb6 13.Qe2 Qxc7 14.Bd2 0–0–0 15.Ng5 Qd7 16.Nxe6 Qxe6 17.0–0–0 Qxa2 0–1 Gallego Bergada - Bettalli, chess.com 2024
1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 and now:
3.f3 e5
3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 and now:
4...e5 5.dxe5 Qxd1+ 6.Kxd1 Nfd7 7.Nd5
4...c5 5.d5 e6 6.fxe4 exd5 7.exd5 Be7
8.Nf3 (8.Bb5+! favors White.) 8...0–0 9.Be2 and 1–0 in Mkrtchyan - Diao, chess.com 2024
4...Bf5 5.fxe4 Nxe4 6.Qf3 Nxc3 7.bxc3 Bc8
8.Bc4 (I prefer 8.Nh3) 8...e6 9.Nh3 Nd7 10.0–0 Nf6 11.Bg5 Be7 12.Nf4 c6 13.Nh5 b5 14.Nxg7+ Kd7 15.Bxe6+ fxe6 16.Nxe6 Kxe6 17.Qxc6+ Kf7 18.Qxa8 Be6 19.Qxa7 Qa8 20.Rxf6+ Kg7 21.Qxe7+ 1–0 Arslanov - Arutla, chess.com 2024
4...e3 5.Bxe3 and now:
5...c6 6.Bd3 g6 7.Qd2 Bg7 8.0–0–0 Be6 9.Nge2 Nd5 10.Bh6 Bf6 11.Ne4 Nd7 12.c4 N5b6 13.Qc2 a5 14.Nf4 Bf5 15.Nxf6+ Nxf6 16.Bxf5 gxf5 17.Bg7 Rg8 18.Bxf6 exf6
5...Bf5 6.g4 Bg6 7.h4 h5 8.Nh3 hxg4 9.fxg4 Rxh4 10.Bg5 Rh8 11.Qf3 c6 12.0–0–0 Qa5 13.d5 Nxd5 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.Rxd5 Qc7 16.Bb5+ Nc6 17.Rhd1 f6 18.Rd7 Qb6
19.Rxb7 [The best move!] 19...Rxh3 20.Bxc6+ Kf7 21.Qd5# [1–0 Arslanov - Klukin, chess.com 2024] 1–0
