BDG Lemberger Counter Attack

The Lemberger Counter Attack is a promising choice if Black does not want to accept the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. After 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3, instead of the normal BDG 3…Nf6 4.f3, Black offers an e-pawn with 3…e5. My favorite continuation is 4.Nge2. I've written about this variation in several of my books. Here are some other recent choices.

1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 e5

The main line in this post is 4.Qh5. First, let's consider alternatives.

4.dxe5 Qxd1+ 5.Kxd1 Bf5 6.Bf4 Nd7 7.Nge2 0–0–0

8.Ke1 Bb4 9.a3 Bxc3+ 10.Nxc3 Ne7 11.Bc4 Ng6 12.Bg5= and 1–0 in 24. Palczert - Reprintsev, chess.com 2024

4.Bc4 Nf6 (4...Qxd4!) 5.Nge2 (5.dxe5=) 5...exd4

6.Nxd4 (6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4=) 6...Bc5 7.Be3 0–0 8.0–0 Ng4 (Better is 8...Bg4) 9.h3 Nxe3 10.fxe3 Nc6 11.Nxe4= and ½–½ in 31. Capp -Jorquera, chess.com 2022

4.Nxe4 (Diemer's favorite choice.) and now:

4...Nf6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Bxf6 gxf6 7.Nf3

7...Nc6 (7...f5=) 8.Bb5 Bd7 9.d5!? Nb4 10.Bxd7+ Qxd7 11.c4= but 0–1 in 58. Terrieux - Sztokbant, chess.com 2022

4...Qxd4 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Qb6 7.0–0

7...Bg4 (7...f5!?=) 8.Be3 Qa5 9.a3 0–0–0= and 0–1 in 57. Christensen - Erden, chess.com 2021

4.d5 and now:

4...f5 5.g4 Nf6 6.gxf5 Bxf5 7.Bg5 Be7

8.Qd2 (8.Bh3!?) 8...Nbd7 9.0–0–0 0–0 and 0–1 in 29. Skiadopoulos - Mayaud, chess.com 2023

4...Nf6 and now:

5.a3 Bc5 6.Bg5

6...Bb6 (6...Bf5 seems to favor Black.) 7.Qd2 h6 8.Bxf6 Qxf6 9.Nxe4 Qg6 10.Ng3 0–0 11.0–0–0 f5= and 0–1 in 28. Golubka - Alekseenko, lichess.org 2021

5.Bg5 Bb4 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Qe2 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 0–0

9.Bxd7 Nbxd7 10.c4 h6 11.Bh4 c6 favors Black, and 0–1 in 27. Donatti - Novak, chess.com 2023

5.Bc4 c6 6.Nge2 (6.Bg5!?) 6...cxd5 7.Nxd5 Nc6 8.0–0 Be6 9.Nec3

9...h6 10.Nxf6+ Qxf6 11.Nxe4 Qg6 12.Bxe6 Qxe6 13.c3= and 1–0 in 62. Janaszak - Alahakoon, chess.com 2021

4.Qh5 and now:

4...exd4 5.Bc4 and now:

5...Qf6? 6.Nd5 Qd6 7.Bf4! g6 8.Bxd6 gxh5 9.Nxc7+ Kd8

10.Bxf8! Kxc7 11.Bg7 1–0 Arslanov - Perez Rodriguez, chess.com 2023

5...Qe7 6.Bg5 Nf6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nxe4 Qe7 9.0–0–0 g6 10.Qe2 Be6

11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.Nf3 Nc6 13.Nxd4 Bg7 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.Rhe1 0–0 16.Nd2 Rab8 17.Nb3 Qf6 18.Qxe6+ Qxe6 19.Rxe6 Rxf2 20.Rd2 Bh6 21.c3 Rd8 0–1 Graif - Mayaud, chess.com 2023

4...Nf6 5.Qxe5+ and now:

5...Qe7 6.Bg5 Nc6 7.Bb5

7...Nd7 (This knight move loses a piece. If 7...Qxe5 8.dxe5 Nd7 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.0–0–0 White stands better.) 8.Bxc6 Qxe5 9.Bxd7+ 1–0 Graif - Beulen, chess.com 2023

5...Be7 6.Bb5+ [6.Bf4=] 6...Bd7 7.Be3 0–0 8.0–0–0 Bd6 9.Qg5 Nc6 10.Nh3 Re8 [10...h6!?] 11.Qh4 Nb4 12.Bg5 [12.Bc4=] 12...Nxa2+ 13.Nxa2 Bxb5 14.Nc3 Bc4 15.Rhe1 Be7 16.d5 Qd6

17.Rd4 [17.Nxe4=] 17...b5 [If 17...Qa6! Black is winning.] 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Rdxe4 Bxg5+? [19...f6 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.Rxe8+ Kf7 23.Qe4=] 20.Nxg5 Rxe4 21.Qxh7+ Kf8 22.Qh8+ [1–0 Arslanov - Daeschler, chess.com 2024

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

Below are my Blackmar-Diemer Gambit ebook collections.

Blackmar-Diemer Tactics

Blackmar-Diemer Series

Blackmar-Diemer Series II

Blackmar-Diemer Series III

Tim Sawyer Amazon Books

Tim Sawyer Books2Read

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