Mission: Checkmate! the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit
For the last few months I've been working on a new book on the Blackmar Diemer Gambit. This gambit is sort of a Rodney Dangerfield of chess openings, it just doesn't get any respect. Statistically, it performs quite well especially if you consult the mega database compiled by Rev. Tim Sawyer with more than 20,000 games. The opening promises an exciting game with great attacking possibilities for white, even in the most reliable of defenses. In the past I have held a slightly negative view of the opening because I thought it could be handled rather easily by the Lemberger variation but Rev. Sawyer's work has convinced me that even there white has good attacking possibilities and this view was confirmed recently in a new book by Scheerer.
I have not tried to cover all of the theory in great detail in my new book. Instead, I have written it in the spirit of the early books on the gambit which stress White's ability to play for checkmate from the very first move. So what I have tried to do is show the possibilities of building a checkmate attack in each of the variations. For detailed repertoire analysis and computer. I refer you to any of the other excellent publications on the opening.
As a preview of the book here on chess.com. I am using unedited PGN files, so please forgive any typos and the odd formatting of game references.. The book will be published in August by Ishi Press in paper and Kindle editions, so if you have any comments I can still make changes.
After White captures with the knight (5.Nxf3), Black has a lot of possible defenses. In other words, he has plenty of ways to go already! It is not easy to defend against the Blackmar Diemer gambit, since White will maintain the initiative for a long time. Still, with careful play Black is likely to survive, and if he plays flawlessly he might even wind up with an extra pawn for his efforts.
Of the many defenses discussed in this part of the book, only the first four need be seriously studied but it is important to play through complete games to get an idea of how to attack the various defensive formations. Efficiency is the key to the Blackmar Diemer gambit Accepted. If you stumble as White, Black, will laugh all the way to the bank. If, however Black makes the first mistake he may not live to see his deposit clear.
The best defenses are the Bogoljubow defense (5…g6), the Euwe defense (5…e6), the Tartakower defense (5…Bf5), and the Teichmann defense (5…Bg4). These are the ones that you need to study in some detail. Against all the others. You just need to keep developing your attacking forces though if you learn the lines presented in those chapters you will have an easier task at the chessboard
