Quote:I'd actually like to hear what BDG fans believe white should play against something as simple as 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 Bf5, with the idea that e.g. 5.fxe4 Nxe4 6.Qf3 Nd6 7.Bf4 e6 8.Bxd6 Bxd6 9.Qxb7 Nd7 and black has a most pleasant position or 5.g4 Bg6 6.h4 h6. That seems to be a fairly easy way of playing as black and doesn't require black to know much theory at all. Suggestions for white?!
According to Lane, "In tournament play, [5...Bf5] is one of the
most popular replies." It also seems to be the favorite choice
among GMs and strong masters who have to face the
BDG/Huebsch. Perhaps the strongest over-the-board player who
regularly essays the Blackmar- Diemer is Charles Diebert, who has
played - and defeated - some of the best players in the US, many
of whom have tried 5...Bf5.
Tom Purser in "Blackmar-Diemer Gambit World" identifies the
stem line as 6 g4 (White can also try 6 c3 as in Diebert-Blocker,
1983 Columbus, Ohio which resulted in a White win) 6...Bg6
and follow the game Diebert-Rohde 1985 Philadelphia, which
ended in a win for the GM, although White had good chances
throughout and may have even missed an opportunity for victory.
Black can deviate early, however, with 6...Bd7, which did not work
out especially well for GM Benjamin, who lost with it against
Diebert in a 1986 Columbus, Ohio tournament. Continuing with
Diebert-Rohde: 7 Ne2 (Another idea pointed out by Purser is 7 h4,
which led to a quick White win in the 1977 game Welling-Cobben)
e5 8 Be3 Qd6 9 c3 Nd7 10 h4 h5 11 Ng3 Nb6 12 Bb3 exd4 13
Bxd4 c5 14 gxh5 Bxh5 15 Nxh5 cxd4 16 Qg4 Qe5 17 0-0-0 Qxh5
18 Qxe4+ Be7 19 Rde1 Qc5 20 Rh3 Rd8 21 Rf3 Rf8 22 Rf5 Qd6
23 Re5 Rd7 24 c4 d3 25 Re3 Kd8 26 c5 Qc7 27 Kd1 d2 28 Rc3
Bf6 29 cxb6 Qxe5 30 Qxe5 (According to Diebert, 30 bxa7! Qa5
31 Qa4! Qxa4 32 Bxa4 Ke7 33 Re3+ would've given him
compensation for his pawn-minus.) 30...Bxe5 31 bxa7 Ke7 0-1.
Despite Rohde's victory in this game, Black's results with 5...Bf5
have been less than encouraging.
Sometimes the popular choices are not necessarily the best choices.
Such is the situation here. Black can certainly improve upon 5...e6
or 5...Bf5. One reply that appears better than its reputation is 5...g6.
Invariably, the game Diebert-Hayes, 1986 Columbus, Ohio
(Cardinal Open) is cited as the main line (suggested by both Lane
and Sawyer), which saw White win after 5 Bc4 g6 6 f3 Bg7 7 c3
exf3 8 Nxf3 0-0 9 0-0 c5 10 Ng5 e6 11 dxc5 Qc7 12 Qd6 Qxd6 13
cxd6 Bd7 14 Ne4 Bc6 15 Nf6+ Bxf6 16 Rxf6 Rd8 17 Bh6 Nd7 18
Rf4 Ne5 19 Rd1 b5 20 Bb3 a5 21a4 bxa4 22 Bxa4 Bxa4 23 Rxa4
f6 24 Be3 Ra6 25 Bc5 Rc6 26 Rxa5 Nc4 27 Rb5 Nxb2 28 Rb1
Na4 29 Rb8 Rcc8 30 Rxc8 Rxc8 31 Ba7 Nxc3 32 d7.