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Ryder Gambit, 6...Qe5 variation
Aug. 30th, 2010 07:19 pmOne of the sharper lines in the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is the so-called "classical double-pawn sacrifice" that builds on the basic premise of the gambit (to give up a pawn to gain time, space, and initiative) by offering yet a second pawn.
The basic position occurs after:
One square that looks inviting because it'll take a while for White to again attack the Black Queen is e5, not to mention it pins the Bishop on e3. So one often-played alternative is 6...Qe5.
In this position, the White King looks like he's stuck in the center, because castling with 7.O-O-O appears to be a blunder, allowing 7...Bg4, "skewering" the Queen and Rook and ultimately losing "the Exchange."
But that's really an illusion, because after 7...Bg4, White plays 8.Qxb7, whereupon a bloodbath ensues.
In the back of a chapter titled "Eagerness to Gain Material," I saw my first game featuring the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit where Black played 12...Bf5. White responded with 13. Nc6!, where "!" is the conventional annotation that says "a good move!"
In that game, Black responded with 13...Bd7, whereupon White won with 14.Qc8+! Bxc8 15.Rd8 mate, but the superior response is 13...Nd4, which eases the pressure by giving back a piece. Indeed, Black is so far ahead in material that giving back a piece - or even all three, since the Rook on a8 is hanging, as is the Knight on b8 - gives Black enough time to create an escape with ...f6, after which Black's two Bishops ought to dominate White's two Knights.
What's funny is that, over the years, I've played the exact same moves as in the game from that book (and I am not the only BDG player to have done so). And I think it's mostly because of how devilishly hard it is to find the right moves when you're so far ahead in material, especially when said right moves involve giving it all back!
That fiery little game in the Euwe book inspired me, later that year, to enter the "First International Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Correspondence Chess Tournament," which was organized by some long-time BDG enthusiasts in Germany (the so-called Blackmar Gemeinde), where I eventually finished third in my section, which was respectable, but not enough to advance to the second round of the tournament.
What set me off in this direction? Well, a chess-playing application I downloaded for my Android phone seems to like to play 6...Qe5 and is a pretty good defender, even at the default skill level. For one thing, after 7.0-0-0, it rejects 7...Bg4 in favor of the quieter 7...Nc6.
Working through this defense ought to sharpen my mind, that's for sure.
Cheers...
The basic position occurs after:
1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Qxf3The idea here is to entice the Black Queen to come out and play, too, with 5...Qxd4, at which point Black is two pawns up, true, but there are also a number of ways for Black to go wrong at this point. White's natural response, 6.Be3 forces the Black Queen off d4, but where should she go?
One square that looks inviting because it'll take a while for White to again attack the Black Queen is e5, not to mention it pins the Bishop on e3. So one often-played alternative is 6...Qe5.
In this position, the White King looks like he's stuck in the center, because castling with 7.O-O-O appears to be a blunder, allowing 7...Bg4, "skewering" the Queen and Rook and ultimately losing "the Exchange."
But that's really an illusion, because after 7...Bg4, White plays 8.Qxb7, whereupon a bloodbath ensues.
Back when I was learning to play chess, my dad bought several classic books on the game to help both of us improve our skills. One of the books was the second volume of The Middle Game, coauthored by Max Euwe (a former World Champion).
8...Qxe3+ 9.Rd2 Qe1 10.Nd1 Qxf1 11.Nf3!
This looks crazy, because it allows 11...Qxh1, giving away the Rook, but now 12. Ne5! and unless Black can think through the adrenaline rush of having captured piece after piece with his run-amok Queen and play 12...Qf1!!, the game is lost, e.g., 12...Bf5? and White mates in 6 starting with 13.Qxa8!
In the back of a chapter titled "Eagerness to Gain Material," I saw my first game featuring the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit where Black played 12...Bf5. White responded with 13. Nc6!, where "!" is the conventional annotation that says "a good move!"
In that game, Black responded with 13...Bd7, whereupon White won with 14.Qc8+! Bxc8 15.Rd8 mate, but the superior response is 13...Nd4, which eases the pressure by giving back a piece. Indeed, Black is so far ahead in material that giving back a piece - or even all three, since the Rook on a8 is hanging, as is the Knight on b8 - gives Black enough time to create an escape with ...f6, after which Black's two Bishops ought to dominate White's two Knights.
What's funny is that, over the years, I've played the exact same moves as in the game from that book (and I am not the only BDG player to have done so). And I think it's mostly because of how devilishly hard it is to find the right moves when you're so far ahead in material, especially when said right moves involve giving it all back!
That fiery little game in the Euwe book inspired me, later that year, to enter the "First International Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Correspondence Chess Tournament," which was organized by some long-time BDG enthusiasts in Germany (the so-called Blackmar Gemeinde), where I eventually finished third in my section, which was respectable, but not enough to advance to the second round of the tournament.
What set me off in this direction? Well, a chess-playing application I downloaded for my Android phone seems to like to play 6...Qe5 and is a pretty good defender, even at the default skill level. For one thing, after 7.0-0-0, it rejects 7...Bg4 in favor of the quieter 7...Nc6.
Working through this defense ought to sharpen my mind, that's for sure.
Cheers...
