Tomas Segerberg (1800) - Jyrki Heikkinen (1880)

Diemer-Duhm Gambit, DDGA'96, 5.12.1996

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. c4 dxe4 4. Nc3 c5 5. d5 exd5 6. cxd5 f5

TS: 6... Bf5 7. g4 Bg6 8. Bg2 Nf6 9. g5 or 8... Qe7 9. Qe2 with interesting game. This of course fails to follow the gambit idea. Why play gambits when you try to retake the pawn?

JH: 6... Bf5 7. Nxe4! regains the pawn.

7. Qh5+

Interesting idea, weakening Black's castled-to-be king. Brause, a crafty program has used a similar idea: 4. Nc3 f5 5. Qh5+.

TS: When Black plays f5, the f3 push is met with silence and fxe4 by fxe4 leaving a pawn on e4, which is a major obstacle to the king's knight.

7... g6 8. Qd1 Nf6

8... Bd6 9. g4!?.

9. Bc4 a6 10. a4 Bd6 11. Nge2

I was afraid of 11. Bh6 Ng4 (11... Kf7? 12. Nh3) 12. Qd2 e3!? 13. Bxe3 O-O 14. Bf4 =.

11... O-O 12. Nf4

12. O-O g5!?

• 13. Ng3 Ng4!? 14. h3 Nxf2!? 15. Kxf2 e3+ 16. Bxe3 f4 is unclear. TS: Black has compromised his kingside pawns without gaining any material. 17. Kg1
  • 17... fxe3 18. Rxf8+ Qxf8 19. Nge4 with nice play for white, 18... Bxf8 (18... Kxf8 19. Qf3+ Kg8 20. Rf1) 19. Qf3 and white is at least OK.
  • 17... fxg3 18. Rxf8+ Qxf8 19. Qh5 (not 19. Bxg5 Qxf2+ 20. Kh1 Bxh3 with black initiative) and it's hard to find a good move for black, e.g. 19... Bf4 20. d6+ Kg7 21. Bxc5 Nc6 (not 21... Bxd6 22. Bd4+) 22. Ne4 threatening 23. Nxg5 and 23. d7 or 19... h6 20. Qg6+ Kh8 21. Rf1 Qe7 22. Rf7 Qxe3+ 23. Kh1 Qe1+ 24. Bf1 1-0 or 19... Bf5 20. Qxg5+ Bg6 21. Rf1 etc.
• 13. Bxg5 Bxh2+ 14. Kxh2 Ng4+ and 15... Qxg5. TS: 14. Kh1 Bd6 15. Nf4 looks better.
• 13. f3? exf3 14. Rxf3 Ng4 -/+ intending Ne5.

12... Ng4 13. h4

13. Ne6 Qh4 14. Qe2? (14. g3 =) e3 15. Bxe3 Nxe3 -/+ because of 16. Qxe3 Qxc4.

TS: Further, what is wrong with 13. Ne6 Bxe6 14. dxe6 Be7 when the pawn will be difficult to protect?

TS: 13. h4 is bad and white is beginning to have problems with the king. 12. O-O is probably necessary. I had an idea to exploit the open diagonal to your kingside but I tried to do so much too quickly.

13... Ne5

13... Qe7 14. Ne6 e3!? is unclear.

14. b3??

This must be a serious mistake. Suddenly Black gets very strong initiative.

TS: It was. I have added one more ? since the move actually lost the game. After 14... Qa5 white might as well resign. On the other hand, 14. Ba2 Bd7 would allow black to produce a counter-attack on the queenside. 14. Bb3 c4 15. Bc2 Nd3+ looks even worse. White should have castled earlier.

14... Qa5 15. Rh3?

Another weak move, and White is driven to deep defence.

TS: There are no good moves, only bad or worse moves.

• 15. Nfe2 Nxc4 (JH: 15... b5! wins a piece) 16. bxc4 Qb4 loses one more pawn with no compensation and white will surely be defeated although perhaps not as drastically as in the game.
• 15. Qc2 Nxc4 16. bxc4 Be5 17. Bd2 Qb4 with the same result.
• 15. Bd2 Nxc4 16. bxc4 Bxf4 and black is one piece ahead.

15... e3 16. Ne2

Other moves lose a piece: 16. Rxe3 Nxc4 17. bxc4 Bxf4.

16... f4 17. Rh1 f3

Go for a mate!

• 17... b5 18. Bd3 Nxd3+ 19. Qxd3 Bf5 20. Qd1 Be5 21. Bb2 b4 would only win a piece.
• 17... Nxc4 18. bxc4 exf2+ 19. Kxf2 Qb4 intending Qxc4.

18. gxf3

18. Bxe3?? fxg2 19. Rg1 Nf3#.

18... Nxf3+ 19. Kf1 Bh2 20. d6+ Kg7 21. Kg2

• 21. Ng1 Qxc3 22. Nxf3 Bh3+ 23. Ke2 Bg4 -+.
• 21. fxe3 Bh3+ 22. Kf2 Qd8 (22... Ng1+ 23. Nf4 Qxc3? 24. Rxh2 Qxa1? 25. Kxg1 +/-) 23. Nf4 (what else?) Qxh4+ 24. Ke2 Bxf4 25. exf4 Re8+ 26. Be3 Nd4+ 27. Kd2 Rxe3! 28. Kxe3 Qg3+ 29. Kd2 Qxf4+ 30. Kd3 (30. Ke1 Qe3+) Bf5+ wins.

21... Nxh4+! 22. Kxh2 Rxf2+ 23. Kg3 Nf5+ 24. Kh3

24. Kg4 h5+ 25. Rxh5 gxh5+

• 26. Kxh5 Qd8 27. Qg1+ Kh7! wins. If Black does not like silent moves, he could also hunt the king: 26... Ng3+ 27. Nxg3 Rh2+ 28. Kg5 Qd8+ 29. Kf4 Qf6+ 30. Kxe3 (30. Ke4 Qg6+!) Qf2+ 31. Kd3 Qxg3+ 32. Be3 Bf5+ 33. Ne4 Bxe4+ 34. Kxe4 Qg6+ 35. Kf4 Rh4+ 36. Kf3 Qg4+ 37. Kf2 Rh2+ mating.
• 26. Kh3 Qd8 27. Qg1+ Ng3+! 28. Kxg3 h4#.

24... Qd8 0-1

PGN version.