Bregenz Seniors Round One

FACED a German.

Spanton (1911) - Kurt Vogel (1643)

Blackmar-Diemer Gambit

1.e4 d5 2.d4!?

This is strongly disliked by Stockfish18 and Dragon1, but they do not like 1...d5 either.

2...dxe4 3.Nc3 Bf5!?

This is third in popularity in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 3...e5!? and especially 3...Nf6.

How should White respond?

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4.f3

This was Alexander Alekhine's choice in a 1923 simul, but the engines suggest 4.g4 Bg6 and, probably, 5.Nge2 (Emil Diemer played 5,Bg2 in a 1972 game), claiming White has equalised.

4...Nf6

Alekhine - Lynn* Blount, Simul (Providence, Rhode Island) 1923, went 4...exf3 5.Qxf3!? e6 6.Qxb7 Nd7 7.Bb5 Nf6 8.Bg5 Be7?! (the engines suggest 8...Rb8 or 8...Qc8!?) 9.Bxf6?! (White is better after 9.Bxd7+, eg 9...Nxd7 10.Bxe7 Kxe7 11.0-0-0) Bxf6 10.Bxd7+ Kxd7, with equal chances, according to the engines (but 1-0, 46 moves).

After 4...Nf6 the game has reached, via transpositions, a tabiya of the BDG that occurs 846 times in Mega26 

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5.g4

More common is 5.fxe4!? Nxe4 6.Qf3 Nd6 7.Bf4 e6 8.0-0-0, when White has interesting compensation for a pawn, although Dragon1 (but not Stockfish18) reckons Black is still slightly better.

5...Bg6 6.g5 Nd5 7.Nxe4

Kurt Richter - Simon Rotenstein, Berlin Championship 1932, continued 7.fxe4?! Nxc3 8.bxc3 Bxe4 9.Nf3, with the upper hand for Black, according to the engines (but 1-0, 42 moves).

7...e6 8.Nh3!?

The engines prefer 8.h4, 8.c4 or 8.c3.

8...c6

This may be a novelty. Spanton (2018) - Peter Vorstermans (1934), Guernsey 2005, went 8...Be7 9.Bg2 h6 10.gxh6 Bh4+ 11.Ng3 gxh6 12.Bd2?! (White should probably castle, or play 12.Nf4) Nc6, with the upper hand for Black, according to the engines (0-1, 30 moves).

9.Bg2 Nd7 10.Qe2 N7b6 11.Bd2 Qd7 12.a4 a5 13.0-0 Be7 14.b3 0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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White's kingside looks a mess, but White's pawns give White more space, and White is capable of attacking on the queenside, in the centre and/or on the kingside. The engines reckon White has the upper hand (Stockfish18) or is at least slightly better (Dragon1).

15.Rad1 Qc8?!

Not a great square for the queen, and meanwhile Black is falling behind in development.

16.c4 Nc7?!

This drops a pawn, but 16...Nb4 17.Ne4 is also very good for White, according to the engines.

17.Qe1!? Bxe4?!

This probably makes matter worse.

18.fxe4 Nd7 19.Bxa5  b6 20.Bc3 Ne8 21.Qg3 Rb8 22.e5 g6!?

This is the top choice of the engines, but if 22...g6!? is really the best move in the position, it only goes to show how badly Black stands.

23.Qf3 c5

The engines give 23...b5 24.axb5 axb5 25.c5!?, with what they regard as a positionally won game for White.

24.d5 exd5?!

Natural looking, but it loses a piece, so Black had to try something like 24...Ng7 25.d6 Bd8, but with a horrible position.

25.Qxd5! 1-0
*Given as T Blount in Mega26, but it was probably Lynn Blount, champion of Providence Chess Club.