OPENING EVALUATION for UNDER 2200 PLAYERS
(To Be Know As OEU2200 From Here On)

 After following the rec.games.chess.analysis thread for nearly a year now, 
I came upwith an idea. Why not go ahead and direct a thread that explains exactly 
what we all want to know about. Opening preparation is a vital part of your 
training for tournaments. So let's get to work. I will be using past posts, along 
with new ideas and evaluations to begin with. Let's begin with an opening that 
has appeared in the news group recently. The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is a brash 
opening that tends to open up the game quickly, leading to wild tactical games. 
The gambit is not seen much at the master level, but is quite dangerous to the 
unprepared opponent.


BLACKMAR-DIEMER GAMBIT
 
1.d4 d5 2.e4!? (I give the move e4 !? because this opening is under a persistent 
cloud.) 2...dxe4 3.Nc3 (3.f3 is refuted by 3...e5! 4.dxe5 Qxd1+ 5.Kxd1 Nc6 
6.Bf4 Nge7 with an advantage for black.) 3...Nf6 (Popiel's Lember Counter Gambit 
3...e5 is met by Be3 exd4 5.Bxd4! Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Nge2 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 c6 9.Bc4 Nf6 
10.0-0-0 Be7 11.Rhe1 0-0 12.Ng3 with an advantage for white.) 4.f3 exf3 (4...Bf5
5.fxe4! (5.g4 Bg6 6.h4 h6 with an unclear posistion) 5...Nxe4 6.Qf3 Nd6 7.Bf4 e6 
8.0-0-0 c6 
 <A> 9.d5? cxd5 10.Nxd5 Be4 (10...exd5 11.Bxd6 with a better posistion for 
     white) 11.Qe3 exd5 12.Rxd5 f5 13.Bb5+ Nc6 14.Nf3 Be7 15.Rxd6 Bxd6 16.Rd1 0-0 
     with an unclear posistion. 
 <B> 9.g4 Bg6 10.Qe3 Be7 11.Nf3 Nd7 12.d5 cxd5 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.Bxd6 Rc8 
     15.Rxd5 Bxc2 16.Kd1 with slightly better chances for white.) 
	 
Here is where many forks in the road. You can either continue Nxf3, or Qxf3.
With both continuations leading to interesting posistions which allow for further 
research and improvements.  
 A. 5.Nxf3 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.g4 Bg6 (7...Be4 8.Nxe4 (8.Rg1 Bb4 9.d3 Nc6 10.Be3 Nxe5 
   11.dxe5 Bxd3=) 8...Nxe4 9.Qf3 Qxd4! 10.Qxf7+ Kd8 11.Qf4 Bb4+ (11...g5? 12.c3 Qd5 
   13.Nf7+ Ke8 14.Qf3 Rg8 15.Bg2 with an advantage for white) 12.c3 Bxc3 (12...g5 
   13.Qe3) 13.bxc3 Qxc3+ 14.Kd1 with an advantage for white) 8.Qf3 c6 (9.g5 Ng8 
   10.Bd3 Qxd4 11.Nxg6 hxg6 12.Bf4 c5 13.Rf1 e5 14.Qe2 Ne7 15.Bxe5 Qe3 16.Qxe3?! 
   (16.Ne4) 16...Bxe3 with an unclear posistion) 
  A1. 5.Nxf3 Bg4 (Other defenses are: 
        <A> 5...e6 6.Bg5 h6 (or...c5) 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Bc4 Bd6 9.0-0 Qd8 10.Qe2 
	    advantage for white. 
	  
        <B> 5...g6 6.Be4 Bg7 7.Ne5 0-0 8.Bg5 Nd7 (8...Nc6 9.Nxc6 bxc6 
            10.0-0-0 advantage for white) 9.0-0 c6 10.Kh1 Nb6 11.Nb3 a5 =)
		
      6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 c6 8.Be3 e6 
        <A> 9.Bd3 Be7 10.g4 Nd5 11.Rf1 0-0 12.Ne4 Nd7 = 
        <B> 9.Bd3 Nbd7 10.0-0 Be7 11.Rf2 Qa5 12.g4 0-0 = 
		 
 B. 5.Qxf3 g6 (5...Qxd4 is double-edged and not fully explored 6.Be3 (6.Nb5 Qe5+ 
    7.Be2 Na6 with the advantage to white. 6...Qb4 7.a3 Qb6 8.Bc4 Bg4 9.Qg3 Nxc6 
	with an unclear posistion.) 6.Be3 c6 7.Bc4 Bg7 8.Nge2 Nbd7 (9.0-0-0 Nb6 
	10.Bb3 a5 11.a3 Bg4 with advantage to black)


Well, here is what all of the 'opening books' have to offer.
Unfortunately, there are very few complete games available on the 'net' that 
concerns the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. Here is where the group comes in.  
OEU2200 is meant to cultivate thought, and to build complete theroitical articles 
about opening play. These articles will include middlegame patterns, and possible 
endgame play.
To achieve this, your help is needed. Please contribute. If you are rated 2000 
or even 200, your input is extremely valuable. The articles will be kept at my 
chess homepage.
(http://www.crown.net/~miker)  Feel free to suggest future openings
for discussion. (miker@crown.net)  Thanks for your help and input.

Ryan P. Ripley
Ryan (miker@crown.net)  Visit my home page!!
http://www.crown.net/miker

It is always nice to see analysis on the BDG, even if it is incorrect. 
Ryan P. Ripley offer his analysis and writes: "Well, here is what all of the 
opening books have to offer."

Apparently he is unaware of BDG opening books and the major sources (in the USA) 
for all opening books, such as Chess Digest and Chessco/Thinkers' Press.

When I wrote my 700 game "Blackmar-Diemer Gambit Keybook", I cited about
30 books on the BDG.  Most are still available from the above sources. 
There have been about half a dozen more since then (1992).

It is nice to see someone try to evaluate openings such as he has done, but beware, 
sadly Mr. Ripley's evaluation is full of errors.

Tim Sawyer

In article <4ucghd$n8a@newsbf02.news.aol.com> timsawyer@aol.com
 (Tim Sawyer) writes:

>It is nice to see someone try to evaluate openings such as he has done,
>but beware, sadly Mr. Ripley's evaluation is full of errors.

Tease.

Do tell.

Just a few comments from memory of Mr. Ripley's evaluations. As I noted, there are 
more than 30 books on the BDG and he implied there was very little.

After 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3

1. Ripley recommended 3... e5 4.Be3 (Schiller's favorite), but the line is
questionable at best. I recently won a game in the critical line as Black after 
4... exd4 5.Bxd4 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Nge2 Nf6 and Black has the better game. White has 
many 4th move options, but 4.Nxe4 or 4.dxe5 seems the best, depending on your 
temperment.

2. Ripley gave 3... Nf6 4.f3 Bf5 5.g4 Bg6 6.h4 h6, but 6... exf3 wins for Black.  
6.g5 or 5.fxe4 are correct.

3. Ripley gave 3... Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Qxf3 as unclear, but I have seen nothing to 
change the evaluation since my 1992 book that Black is better. 
One person played 5.Qxf3 in the World BDG Correspondence Tournament, and I won 
easily. The correct move for White is 5.Nxf3.

Tim Sawyer

>Well, here is what all of the ?opening books? have to offer.

opening books only refer to MCO, and ECO. I have to admit that the analysis is 
incorrect. I am currently working on corrections to this. 
The first posting was meant to 1> encourage/gauge interest, and 2>create a 
starting point.

Thanks to all of you that have already contributed. Post you analysis here, and 
lets see what we come up with...

Later
Ryan

Ryan (miker@crown.net)  Visit my home page!!
http://www.crown.net/~miker

Before I get stuck in, this thread surely belongs in rec.games.chess.analysis. 
Please follow-up there and not rec.games.chess.misc. 

I have three follow-ups

1. editing only
2. editing with alternatives given in Gary Lane's book
3. review of GL book


BLACKMAR-DIEMER GAMBIT

Firstly:

a. can we lay this out more like a tree in a book? I've had a go!
b. names and references would also be helpful when quoting from other sources
c. the size of advantage is important: I suggest the ASCII scale
   =   equal  
   +=  slight plus
   +/- clear plus
   +-  large plus, probably winning
   &   unclear
   &/= with compensation
d. for consistency, should it be O-O (letters) or 0-0 (zeroes)?

So: all the material below is Ryan's, edited by me.
All unattributed text is Ryan's/MCO/BCO 1(?)

 1.d4 d5 2.e4!? (I give the move e4 !? because this opening is under a 
 persistent cloud.) 2...dxe4 3.Nc3
   (3.f3 is refuted by 3...e5!  4.dxe5 Qxd1+ 5.Kxd1 Nc6 6.Bf4 Nge7 with an 
   advantage for black.)
 3...Nf6
   (Popiel's Lemberger Counter Gambit 3...e5 is met by 4.Be3 exd4 5.Bxd4! Nc6 
   6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Nge2 Nxd4 8.Qxd4 c6 9.Bc4 Nf6 10.0-0-0 Be7 11.Rhe1 0-0 12.Ng3 
   with an advantage for white.)
 4.f3 

(1) The Gambit Declined
(2) The Gambit Accepted

(1) The Gambit Declined

A 4...Bf5 5.fxe4!
      (5.g4 Bg6 6.h4 h6 with an unclear posistion)
  5...Nxe4 6.Qf3 Nd6 7.Bf4 e6 8.0-0-0 c6 and now:
   <A1> 9.d5? cxd5 10.Nxd5 Be4
         (10...exd5 11.Bxd6 with a better position for white)
       11.Qe3 exd5 12.Rxd5 f5 13.Bb5+ Nc6
       14.Nf3 Be7 15.Rxd6 Bxd6 16.Rd1 0-0 with an unclear position. 
   <A2> 9.g4 Bg6 10.Qe3 Be7 11.Nf3 Nd7 12.d5 cxd5 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.Bxd6 Rc8 
       15.Rxd5 Bxc2 16.Kd1 with slightly better chances for white.)

(2) The Gambit Accepted

4...exf3

Here are many forks in the road. You can either continue Nxf3, or Qxf3. 
Both continuations lead to interesting positions which allow for further research 
and improvements. 

1A. 5. Nxf3
 A1 5. Nxf3 Bf5
 A2 5. Nxf3 Bg4
 A3 5. Nxf3 e6
 A4 5. Nxf3 g6

1B. 5. Qxf3


A. 5. Nxf3

 A1. 5.Nxf3 Bf5

 5.Nxf3 Bf5 6.Ne5 e6 7.g4 Bg6
       (7...Be4 8.Nxe4
         (8.Rg1 Bb4 9.d3 Nc6 10.Be3 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Bxd3=)
       8...Nxe4 9.Qf3 Qxd4!  10.Qxf7+ Kd8 11.Qf4 Bb4+
         (11...g5? 12.c3 Qd5 13.Nf7+ Ke8 14.Qf3 Rg8 15.Bg2 with an advantage for 
          white)
       12.c3 Bxc3
          (12...g5 13.Qe3)
       13.bxc3 Qxc3+ 14.Kd1 with an advantage for white)
    8.Qf3 c6 9.g5 Ng8 10.Bd3 Qxd4 11.Nxg6 hxg6 12.Bf4 c5
    13.Rf1 e5 14.Qe2 Ne7 15.Bxe5 Qe3 16.Qxe3?! (16.Ne4) 16...Bxe3 with an unclear 
    position)

 A2. 5.Nxf3 Bg4

 5.Nxf3 Bg4
 (Other defenses are:
   <A3> 5...e6 6.Bg5 h6 (or...c5) 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Bc4 Bd6 9.0-0 Qd8 10.Qe2 
        advantage for white. 
   <A4> 5...g6 6.Be4 Bg7 7.Ne5 0-0 8.Bg5 Nd7
          (8...Nc6 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.0-0-0 advantage for white)
        9.0-0 c6 10.Kh1 Nb6 11.Nb3 a5 =)
 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 c6 8.Be3 e6 and now:
  <A21> 9.Bd3 Be7 10.g4 Nd5 11.Rf1 0-0 12.Ne4 Nd7 =
  <A22> 9.Bd3 Nbd7 10.0-0 Be7 11.Rf2 Qa5 12.g4 0-0 =

B. 5.Qxf3

 5.Qxf3 g6
   (5...Qxd4 is double-edged and not fully explored 6.Be3
     (6.Nb5 Qe5+ 7.Be2 Na6 with the advantage to white)
    6...Qb4 7.a3 Qb6 8.Bc4 Bg4 9.Qg3 Nxc6 with an unclear position.)
 6.Be3 c6 7.Bc4 Bg7 8.Nge2 Nbd7 9.0-0-0 Nb6 10.Bb3 a5 11.a3 Bg4 with advantage 
 to black)

-- 
May your pieces harmonise with your Pawn structure and your sacrifices be sound 
in all variations

D  _       
 / "()/~   Dave Regis  &8^D*  WWW: http://www.ex.ac.uk/~dregis/DR/chess.html
|| \_/|    = DrDave on BICS 
~\   /                        "...what else exists in the world but chess?"
 _|||__SHEU: ~/sheu.html                                          -- NABOKOV