Hammer of Von Hennig (one Secret Gambit about)
The opening I’m talking about is the Blackmar Gambit or, more precisely, the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (BDG), defined by the moves 1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6.
This opening has a dedicated fan base, particularly among players who are wants to attack at all costs.
Some time ago, I poured over a book about the BDG and even played a few games. However, my passion didn't last (you know, I'm an 1.e4 player).
Still, one chapter caught my eye. It covered a specific BDG system called the Von Hennig Gambit, which arises if Black plays c7-c6 for defense.
After reading it, I realized this gambit is could be interesting and offers White some attacking chances for the small price of a single sacrificed pawn.
Just look at this game, for example!?
How many inventions started with a simple question? I asked myself: "What if I rearrange the initial moves a bit?"
Soon I realized that this gambit could be unleashed against a reliable and incredibly popular opening across all levels: the Caro-Kann Defense!
We have a some reasons for this!
Firstly, this unconventional move order can catch your opponent completely off guard...
Secondly, your opponent probably won't know what to do. I’ve never seen this exact move order analyzed in a repertoire book before!
Thirdly, It's absolutely good for active, attacking players who love a wild ride.
So, is this a good idea?
Before diving into the variations, I did a little digging on Heinz von Hennig.
My First Experiences
Armed with this interesting idea, I decided to immediately try out the unusual gambit..
In my very first game, I got a successful attack after the typical sacrifice. And I must confess, the clumsy way I ended the attack was due to hard time trouble. It actually took me more time to navigate the position I myself created! Go figure!
Hu-rrah! Winning that game (and others) prompted me to continue researching the gambit. I'm glad my unexpected hunch handed me a rare and dangerous weapon against the Caro-Kann.
Let's take a closer look at the possibilities of Black to keep this rare gambit alive.
Line 1
The Doomed Bishop (...Bg4)
The first of the possible lines (which I won’t call "theoretical" because I haven't found a single chess book that analyzes it) is so bad for Black that we can only call it an opening catastrophe. Why? Just take a look at the Dangerous Trap after the immediate ..Bg4 move.
Warning! Dangerous Trap!
OK. What happened on the board? We see that Black completely missed a tactical shot...
The result: White simply regains the sacrificed pawn, and the material is equal.
But more importantly, Black's king loses the ability to castle, and the white squares around it are critically weak. This makes the situation truly catastrophic for Black!
If you reach this position with the White pieces, a win is practically guaranteed. Evidence is generously scattered throughout my games, just see examples here: #34, #40, #56.
This video might also be useful for you.
Even very strong players can get caught! Here is my rapid game against a young Ukrainian candidate (FIDE 2222). It was so fantastic, I would have struggled to believe it if I hadn't played it myself!
🎯Line 2 The Bishop Comes Under Fire!
The second possible line is not quite so fatal. In fact, this is the most theoretically known line of the gambit and one you'll encounter in the repertoire books of GM Boris Avrukh.
Here, Black is careful enough to avoid the catastrophe of 6...Bg4 from Line 1, but the same time try to play with the extra pawn. I’ve prepared a diagram to show the dangers that await them in the next few moves.
Black must remember two Dangerous Traps here.
Warning! Dangerous Trap!
Other variations of this trap (with Bishops on e7, d6 and different Knight maneuvers on d7) are available for viewing in My Good games ## 1, 2, 19, 25 , 26 and 27 and #54.
Warning! Dangerous Trap!
Beautiful wins, isn't it?
But wait, is there a mistake here? Is this line truly recommended by one of the most popular chess theoreticians?
Yes!
The main nuance is in Black's eighth move!
If you face a theoretically prepared player, be ready for them to play the maneuver Bc8-f5-g6!
The next game will show us that White still maintains some activity for the sacrificed pawn.
This next game was even nominated for the Best game of May.
Next lines - in part 2
Enjoy!
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