1 e4 d5 2 anything other than exd5

I think what Pfren is saying is correct.

I think 5...g6 is a killer.

The black position is not as hard as one may think it is.

The first 8 moves by black are actually normal moves when you really look at them.

For example:

I think the move which can be tough to find for black is 9...Bg4.

Black might get worried about Bh6.

However, in this position Bh6 doesn't work because of a tactic.

If white plays the move 10.Bh6

Black can play 10...Bxh6 11.Qxh6 after which take the knight on f3 with the Light square.

Yeah I always found the move 9...Bg4 as the hardest move for black to find.

I mean techinically speaking I think the idea is to take out the knight on f3 and win the d4 pawn.

Which is why I think Bg4 is being played.

However, I will admit I have sometimes tryed 9...Bf5.

Which might been seen as an inaccuracy.

However, I liked the idea of winning the c2 pawn lol.

I think black is got a slight edge in those positions.

I don't think white has enough compensation.

However, I will be the first to admit.

I have been crushed by the Qh4 - Bh6 - Ng5  idea.

Black can not get to relaxed.

It can be deadly.

If you don't want to play the mainline you can deviate at move 7 or 8.

You can try 7.Ne5

Which I think looks scary lol.

I think black can get a nice position out of it as well.

However, it sure does add more pressure than 7.0-0.

The other move which I think has been played happens at move 8.

8.Kh1

Yeah I never looked at them with great detail to be honest.

Simply because I never played the white side of the line.

However, maybe they are different alternative lines you can try if you feel like shaking things up or giving a surpise.

So much stuff to explore in the BDG :D

But sorry, mate, 10.Bh6 is just too dumb,even a blind man without much chess knowledge will see the combination youve showed.

So no one is playing 10.Bh6 which loses by force.

Main line is 10.Be3, where Pfren shows a really convincing variation (which is a novelty for me).

Alternative is 10.Ne2.

@Pfren: What about these 10th move? As far as i know you, i will get a quick refutation :D

7.Ne5 looks quite funny, never thought about that move, but in an OTB game this might be a good surprise against a well prepared opponent.

The BDG is tons of theory, cause both white and black have many paths to go and its really inbalanced, which makes it a fascinating and controversial opening.

No I didn't say white is forced to play Bh6.

I was simply demonstrating how the position has some tactics involving a Qd4+ which can pick up the loose bishop on c4.

I did this as a way of showing how Kh1 is sometimes played at move 8 to avoid such things.

Dark Falcon   I am not saying the line with 1. d4  d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4 dxe4

5. f3  Bf5 is the very best line against the Blackmar Deimer Gambit--am just saying Black gets a clear advantage.

Here is one example:

Ponzis line seems to be quite convincing, but 7.Qxf5 isnt any better cause of 7...e6! with the option 8.Qf3 Qh4+ or 8.Qg4 f5 and in both lines i dont see many persepectives for White...

And thanks for providing an example in the 10.Ne2 move order of the Bogo-Main line...

But iam really astonished, that youve stated "Does the "absolute truth" has any meaning in class encounters? Unlikely... the stronger player will win, even from a worse position."

This is what i always tell the unsound opening-bashers...maybe perfect theory is important on master level, but not on class level.

Karel also pointed out, that gambit players wouldnt play their "crap openings" if it would be so easy to exploit the weaknesses of these openings, but reality is, that most class players dont waste their time with studying the best lines of the Latvian or BDG or similar openings, which they met once or twice in their chess lifetime. So most them are totally unprepared, when they face such an opening OTB. I wonder even more,that i also rarely face an opponent in CC games, who plays critical lines or even refutations like the one Ponz and Pfren showed in this thread.

Anyway its fun to discuss these lines with experts, who not only state "its crap", but show critical move orders for both sides.

Ok, got you, but these forced loss is so obvious, that you didnt had to show it :-) 

8.Kh1 isnt an enlightenment for this line, but probably a good deviation from the main line.

It depends how unsound. The BDG might be slightly unsound, but compared to the Latvian and Halloween gambits it's not that crazy. Some pawn gambits are sound even if they aren't great, like the Smith Morra, Benko, Marshall(any of them), even the Geller and Albin gambits aren't too horrible.

Perhaps we can throw in the King's Gambit? 

The kings gambit too, even though I quit playing it due to not finding a good answer to 3..Nf6 in the 3.Nf3 variation. I lost a game in 10 moves with white here and never recovered!

Can we throw out the Smith Morra Gambit also? [said by someone who has played and done well with this line against all he has played in the 2200 to 2400 USCF range]

Have to say [after playing the Smith Morra for decades] that it may not be sound... 

Sorry, Ken, RIP

So, I disagree with pfren and Avrukh on this one point... 

What you simply dont get is, that not all players have talent or knowledge like you have...i dont feel comfortable in many of the standard openings, iam a woodpusher (as Pfren called me in the past), i like to throw my pieces at the enemy king and hope to get through with it, if i win its ok, if i lose, i dont care about.

I dont have targets to achieve in chess, its only a hobby and when i meet a well prepared opponent at the board while playing the Soller Gambit (1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 f6) then i have bad luck and thats it.

Personally i have more success and fun in chess since i play this stuff and as long as i dont lose every game, i will continue to play crappy openings.

In lower or middle levels nearly every kind of opening is playable, maybe except of the Bongcloud or the Fred, because as Pfren stated, in the end the better player will win most of the times, regardless which opening you choose.

I play the Taylor system, and it doesn't seem like black has a way to force an advantage. Maybe a tiny edge, but nothing big like in some more obscure gambits.

There is probably more than one line for Black to obtain some advantage vs the Smith Morra Gambit Accepted.  This is one possible line...

ok  There have been two lines given for Black which would make it very hard to play White at a level above 1900 or so.

I think 5...g6 vs the BDG is the critical line.

Which is the moves Pfren showed.

Against the Scandi

I think 2.exd5 is the critical line.

As for the Smith Morra

I prefer the below line

From a general point of view Gambit and Unsound lines are fun to play when your opponent has no idea what you are doing.

Which I think is why a lot of players like those type of lines because of the attraction.

Good luck playing nd5 vs the Taylor system. 1. E4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3/Bc4 d6 6. Nf3/Bc4 a6. If 6.Qe2 then 6..Bg4! If 6. H3 then e6. If 6.Bf4 then e6 or even 6..e5!? is interesting.

9.Bd3 leaving room for the Queen to retreat to f3.

The bishops come off, Black plays c5 at some point, White plays Nf3 at some point... White equalized material so we can afford trades.

Not an ambitious ending for the first player to move, perhaps the ass-end of a drawn endgame. Such is the risk with gambits. But next time against the same player you can try 5.g4 -- where there are several viable 6th moves for White, and go for the full point with something they're likely not prepared for.

Pfren's Bogoljubow line is much more serious, in my opinion. I agree with him that 6.Bc4 is in a theoretical cul-de-sac at the moment. The lines posted here illustrate that well enough. I think 6.Bf4 is the better choice (by far). As for the theoretical viability of 6.Bf4... In a correspondence position, I don't know. I'm sure Black has resources to defend, and I think White can't get the pawn back without conceding winning chances more or less. OTB it would be quite difficult though, as White always wins the race, when Black can't stir up enough trouble in the center to derail White's attack before it starts.

Another critical line that's been circulating the BDG boards is 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 c6 5.Bc4 b4!? in the O'Kelly, which I wouldn't be surprised if some GM recommended it in a d4 book and it became trendy in a few years.