Blackmar-Diemer Gambit

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rl| |bl|ql|kl|bl|nl|rl|=|The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is a chess opening characterized by the moves:1. :2. dxe4:3. Nc3, intending f3 on the next move. This gambit is considered an aggressive opening, though its soundness continues to be the subject of much debate both on and off the chessboard. Its was named after Armand Edward Blackmar, a relatively little-known New Orleans player of the late 19th century who popularized its characteristic moves (1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. f3) and was the first player to publish analysis on the opening in the chess literature. ["Brentano's Chess Monthly," June 1882, see: [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=89981] ]

The popularity of the Blackmar Gambit, however, was short-lived, as it is basically unsound, allowing Black to equalize the position after White's immediate 3. f3 with 3... e5!; the best White reply being Be3. The evolved, modern form of gambit owes much to the German master Emil Joseph Diemer (1908-1990), who popularized the interpolating move 3. Nc3, delaying the thematic f-pawn offer until the next move. The position resulting after 3. ... Nf6 4.f3 reflects the main line of the gambit accepted, although other Black responses on move three are possible. After many years of analysis, Diemer wrote a book on the opening in the late 1950s, titled "Vom Ersten Zug An Auf Matt!" ("Toward Mate From The First Move!"), with most of the published analysis devoted to the Ryder Gambit, a double pawn sacrifice characterized by the moves 4...exf3 5. Qxf3.

It is easy for Black to decline the gambit on the second move with 2...e6 (leading to a French Defence) or 2...c6 (leading to a Caro-Kann Defence), although doing so does not eliminate White's ability to offer alternative gambits such as the Alapin-Diemer Gambit or the Diemer-Duhm Gambit.

As with most gambits, White aims to achieve rapid development and active posting of his pieces in order to rapidly build up an attack at the cost of the gambit pawn. It is one of the very few gambits available to White after 1.d4. ["Blackmar-Diemer Gambit," Chess Digest (1977), p.5.] Sidelines of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit include the Ryder Gambit (5. Qxf3) and the Zilbermints Gambit, the latter being particularly unsound.

Dismissed by many masters, on the one hand, and embraced enthusiastically by many amateurs, on the other, it is most likely the case that, with accurate play, Black can defend his position and consolidate his extra pawn to good chances in the endgame. As a result, this opening is rarely seen in top-level play, but enjoys a certain popularity among club players.

Below is a sample game that features the unusual feat of Grandmaster Efim Bogoljubov beating Diemer with his own favorite opening:

Bogoljubov - Diemer, Baden-Baden 1952:

1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 g6 6. Bg5 Bg7 7. Qd2 O-O 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. O-O-O a6 10. d5 Na5 11. Be2 b5 12. a3 Bg4 13. Ne5 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 Qd6 15. Rhe1 b4 16. axb4 Qxb4 17. Nd3 Qb6 18. Qxe7 Rab8 19. Na4 Qb5 20. Nc3 Qb6 21. Na4 Qd4 22. Ndc5 Nxd5 23. Rxd4 Nxe7 24. Rd7 Nf5 25. Nxa6 Rbe8 26. Rxe8 Rxe8 27. Nxc7 Re1+ 28. Rd1 Rxd1+ 29. Kxd1 Nc4 30. Nd5 Nxb2+ 31. Nxb2 Bxb2 32. Ke2 Be5 33. h3 h6 34. Ne7+ Kf8 35. Nxf5 hxg5 36. Ne3 Ke7 37. Kd3 f5 1-0

Related Gambit ideas

Since Black can skip the BDG in several ways, the members of the BDG-community have developed related gambits.

-1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 d5 (c5 may lead to a kind of Benoni) 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nc3 simply transposes.

-1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 Nxe4 is called the Hübsch Gambit.

-1.d4 d5 2.e4 c6 (Caro-Kann) 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.f3 is invented by Philip Stuart Milner-Barry in 1932 and 4.Bc4 Nf6 (or Bf5) 5.f3 by Heinrich Von Hennig in 1920. So these sequences are older than Diemer's idea.

-1.d4 d6 2.e4 e6 (French) 3.Be3 is the Alapin Gambit; sometimes White plays the typical f2-f3 a bit later.

-1.d4 d5 2.e4 e6 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.f3 and 3...Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.f3 are very rare.

-1.d4 d5 2.e4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 dxe4 6.f3 is the Winckelmann-Reimer Gambit.

-1.d4 d5 2.e4 Nc6 (Nimzovitsch Defence) 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.d5 may be followed by 5.f3 or 5.f4.

-1.f3 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 is the Gedult Gambit.

-1.e4 d5 2.d4 is also a surprising transposition against Scandinavian Defense.

The list is not complete and there are transpositions in abundance.

References

* Dany Sénéchaud, « Emil Diemer (1908-1990), missionnaire des échecs acrobatiques ». France, 3rd ed., 2003. 226 p. Sur le site [http://www.mjae.com Mieux jouer aux échecs]
* Tim Sawyer, "Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Keybook," Thinkers' Press (1992).

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/4902/ Tom Purser's BDG Pages]
* [http://www.mjae.com/diemer1.html Emil Diemer (1908-1990) et les gambits] sur le site [http://www.mjae.com Mieux jouer aux échecs]