Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (Batsford Chess Library. Openings) [Paperback]

Gary Lane (Author)

Book Description

Series: Batsford Chess Library. Openings | Publication Date: December 1995

The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is a favourite of club players wishing to rebel against the opening "fashion" created by professional players. The BDG - a much under-rated gambit - has generated its own sub-culture. Tartakower, Spassky, Velimirovic and Bellon have all played it with success.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co (P); Reprint edition (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080504230X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805042306
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,276,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gary Lane is the author of over twenty chess books including the best selling Prepare to Attack and The Greatest Ever Chess Tricks and Traps.
The winner of the best analysis by Chess Journalists of America and a well known chess player on the international tournament circuit. He is an international chess master and his victories include becoming the Australian champion (2004) and the Commonwealth Champion (1988).
He is a well known coach having attended the World Junior Championships on numerous occasions guiding Australian and English players.
Gary Lane is a regular contributor to publications including the British magazines, Chess, Kingpin and British Chess Magazine. He also wrties for the Australian national magazine known as Australasian Chess. His online monthly column at chesscafe.com has been going for over ten years.
He lives in Sydney.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good introductory book to this opening, February 19, 2004

By 

Sebastian Fernandez (Tampa, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (Paperback)

I have never heard about the Blackmar-Diemer gambit until one day when browsing the chess books in a tournament I found this book. I have always liked attacking chess, so I was intrigued by the book's description: "...the Blackmar-Diemer gives White very dangerous attacking chances, and Black must know a precise defence to come out of the opening alive." I could not pass up this opportunity, so I decided to give it a try.

Gary Lane does a very good job in explaining the different main variations and in each you will get a clear idea of the strategy you have to use in your attack. The main variations covered after 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 are: the Euwe Defense (5...e6), the Bogoljubow Defense (5...g6), the Tartakower-Gunderam Defense (5...Bf5), the Teichman Defense (5...Bg4), the Ziegler Defense (5...c6). Other variations include the Ryder Gambit, in which white takes on f3 with the queen instead of the knight; black has to be well prepared for this gambit too, but I did not find a lot of analysis for the white side on this book. In the Vienna Defense instead of taking the pawn on f3 right away, black plays 4...Bf5. Besides these lines, the author presents lines in which black returns the pawn and another gambit line for white which does not really belong in the Blackmar-Diemer complex, the Hubsch Gambit (5.Bc4).

There is sufficient information on each line for white to be prepared better than black in most cases, but if you find a player that has defended against the gambit many times and has a favorite pet line well studied you may run into problems. Since I adopted this opening as my main attacking weapon with white, I had to get a more book that went into more depth in each of the variations mentioned above. That is why I got "The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit: Keybook II" by Tim Sawyer, which has lot more analysis but does not explain the ideas as clearly as Lane's book. Therefore, the two books together make the perfect combination.

I would recommend this book if you are in one of the following situations: a) you are looking for a new opening with white and would like to give the Blackmar-Diemer a try. If you decide you like it, you can go forward with the Sawyer book to have a more complete reference. b) you are a player that opens with 1.e4 and has trouble facing the Scandinavian Defense (1...d5); this book may help you surprise your opponents without spending a lot of time studying the variations for an opening you will play from time to time. Actually, at the moment I am in the process of switching to 1.e4 but I will continue to play the Blackmar-Diemer against the Scandinavian.