Welcome to my Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (ECO D00)  game with Tom G. Schrade!

On this page I have posted one my chess games in which I played the White side of the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, Teichmann defense. The game includes analysis and diagrams. My opponent had a USCF OTB rating of 1866 at the time we started this game.

Correspondence Game "A"
Section: 96CA283
Dates Played: 4 November 1996 to 18 May 1998
White: Mike Serovey (1832) Black: Tom G. Schrade (1806)

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4 dxe4 4. f3 exf3

Black accepted the gambit and now White has a choice of playing 5. Qxf3, which drops the pawn on d4, or 5. Nxf3, which protects the pawn on d4. I chose to protect my d pawn. Black's next move pins the defending Knight so White has to defend the pawn again with 6. Be3.

5. Nxf3 Bg4 6. Be3 e6 7. Bd3

I can't remember why I played the Bishop to d3 instead of c4. Note that White has a slight lead in development for his pawn. However, if White's attack fails he will go into the endgame a pawn down. Black now decided to cause some trouble for me by giving me doubled pawns.

Bb4 8. O-O Bxc3 9. bxc3 Nbd7 10. c4 e5

Black is threatening to play e4 forking the Knight and Bishop so White must capture the pawn here. This leaves White with no way to undouble the pawns on the c file.

11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Be2 Qxd1 13. Raxd1 Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 Bxf3 15. Rxf3 O-O

Black is up a pawn and has the better pawn structure. Here is where White begins to fight for a draw. I now wonder if 16. Bg5 followed by Rdf1 wasn't a better plan than what I played in this game.

16. Bf4 c6 17. Bd6 Rfe8 18. Rb3 b6 19. a4 Re4!

Black is now threatening to win either the pawn on a4 or the one on c4. Rook to b4 fails after c5 kicking the Rook. I decided to see if I can't get some counterplay for my lost pawn.

20. c5 bxc5 21. Rb7 Rxa4 22. Bxc5 a5

White is now down 2 pawns and one of them is a passed pawn on the a file! White now tries to trade off the rooks on a7 but Black declines leaving White with a Rook behind Black's passed pawn. I think that Black would have been better off trading rooks here.

23. Ra7 Re8 24. Rb1 Rc4

Black now decided to trade off his pawn at a5 for the White one at c2. I think that 24... Ra2 was better.

25. Rxa5 Rxc2 26. Bd4 Ree2!

Black is still up 2 pawns and one of them is passed. Black now has mate threats on White's second rank. White must now protect his kingside pawns as well as stop the passed c pawn from queening.

27. Rg5 Kf8 28. h3 h6 29. Rb8+ Re8

If instead Black had played 29... Ne8 then 30. Bxg7+ Ke7 31. Bxh6 and the material is even again. Normally, I avoid trading off pieces when I am down material, but found it necessary to trade rooks here.

30. Rxe8+ Nxe8 31. Bc5+ Kg8 32. Re5 Nc7

Black is still up 2 pawns and one of them is still passed. White is trying to blockade the passed pawn, but Black does succeed in advancing it.

33. Bd6 Ne6 34. Ra5 c5 35. Ra8+

Here is where I made my first draw offer. Black declined because he is still up two pawns. However, I am now able to get my Rook behind his passed pawn.

Kh7 36. Rc8 c4 37. Be5 Ng5 38. Rc7 Kg6 39. Rc6+ f6 40. Bd4 Ne4 41. Kh2 c3 42. Rc7 Re2? 43. Bxc3 1/2-1/2

Here is where I made my second draw offer and this time Black accepted. Although Black is still up a pawn on the Kingside, a win would be quite difficult with the rooks still on the board.

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