Thanks. I had a recent game where Black played the inferior 4...Bf3; 4...Nd7 would've been new to me. Seems playable at blitz anyway!

My article can be found on the Kaissiber site: http://www.kaissiber.de/Albin-Blackburne_Gambit.PDF ;
Seven pages, with an introduction in English, the rest is in German. I had written on the line in Englund Gambit (1988). The later 1.d4 e5 book by Smith & Hall "used" my analysis (to say it mildly; its 144 pages offered only seven new ideas; the case was settled by a payment). - I don't think that 4...Nbd7 gives Black full compensation for the pawn, but sacrifices for piece activity should never be underestimated. There is an analysis of Van Vliet - Em. Lasker, Amsterdam 1889, in the new Lasker book, pp. 426-428, by Robert Hübner. The variation was fashionable in the 1890s. - In 120 years s.o. might assess the line g2-g4 invented by Shirov as "absolute garbage". However, for a great majority of the players developing a repertoire aiming at piece activity is not such a bad idea.

There is somewhere in the internet an interesting article of Stefan Bücker about this line. Some great players tried it.

Tripler64 wrote on 01/21/10 at 14:39:33:


I've faced this line before. It's absolute garbage although it might work in 1-minute. I don't see any compensation for Black after 5.Nc3 Ngf6 6.h3 Bh5 7.Bd3 Qe7 8.Be3.

Does anyone know anything about this obscure line of the Philidor: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bg4 4.de Nd7!? Black gets an easy game for a pawn and White has to play carefully - it's probably only worth trying in blitz or maybe rapid.