The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit is the most straightforward way to get an attack after 1.d4. White offers a pawn as early as move two: 2.e4 dxe4, and then undermines it with f3, opening the f-file and developing every piece in a few tempi. Objectively Black has reliable defences, but in practice the gambit is very dangerous - the defence has to be precise from the first moves.
The dimmed moves are the rest of the main line, and the dots mark branching points. Click any move to jump to that position.
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The starting position. Play the opening out move by move - at a branching point several continuations are available.
The logic is simple: White trades a pawn for time. After 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3 he is a pawn down but has an open f-file, two developed knights, free diagonals for both bishops and the move.
White's typical set-up is Bc4 or Bd3, Bg5 pinning the f6 knight, Qd2 and queenside castling. The attack then runs down the f-file and the diagonal to f7.
The key to understanding it: White is playing for speed, not for the return of material. If the attack can be slowed down and the pieces traded, Black's extra pawn decides.
Move order matters: 3.Nc3 first and only then f3. The immediate 3.f3 occurs too, but it allows more deviations.
After 5.Nxf3 do not rush into checks. Development first - bishop to c4 or d3, bishop to g5, queen to d2 - and only then concrete blows.
Do not agree to a queen trade. Without queens the compensation for the pawn all but vanishes, and there is nothing to play for a pawn down in the endgame.
The most reliable defence is the Euwe, 5...e6. Black builds a pawn wall, develops calmly and returns the pawn at the right moment to defuse the initiative.
The Bogoljubov Defence 5...g6 is more popular and more active: the bishop goes to g7 and takes control of the long diagonal, where the attack usually comes.
There is a practical route too - do not take the second pawn at all: 4...Bf5. White wins the material back but has no attack, and the attack is what the whole gambit is for.
The objective verdict of theory is this: with precise defence Black is a pawn up and no worse. The gambit is not considered sound.
The practical verdict is different. The positions are sharp and unorthodox, mistakes are easy to make and expensive - for blitz and rapid it is an excellent weapon.
A sensible strategy: play it as a surprise against opponents who prepare for quiet closed openings, and do not rely on it in a long classical game against someone who is ready for it.
The typical set-ups this opening leads to - learn them, and the plan follows by itself.
White is a pawn down but the f-file is open, both knights are developed and the bishops can come out in one move. Bc4, Bg5 and Qd2 usually follow.
These are the main named variations. Click any one of them and it loads straight onto the board above, where you can play it out move by move. The trainer itself holds more lines than this: it also covers main-line continuations and transpositions that have no name of their own.
Black does not take the second pawn. White wins the material back and gets a solid centre but no attack - a practical choice for Black.
What to avoid, and what catches an unprepared opponent.
Black's most common mistake in this gambit: the e6 pawn shuts in the c8 bishop and it stays a spectator for the rest of the game. If you play the Euwe Defence, remember that this is the price of reliability.
This time the mistake is White's: by agreeing to a queen trade he is simply left a pawn down. The compensation in this gambit rests on the attack, not on the structure.
Traps in other openings - the 12 most common opening traps.
An opening for White after 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3: White gives up a pawn to open the f-file and develop every piece quickly. The attack runs down the f-file and along the diagonal to f7.
In theory, no: with precise defence, for example the Euwe System 5...e6, Black keeps the extra pawn and at least equality. In practice, though, the gambit is very dangerous, especially in blitz and rapid.
The most reliable routes are the Euwe Defence 5...e6 and the Bogoljubov Defence 5...g6. There is also the practical option of never taking the second pawn: 4...Bf5, after which White wins the material back but has no attack.
Then White simply gets a good centre: he plays f3 or Be3 and develops with a space advantage. Declining the gambit does not refute it, but it does not give White the attack the whole thing was for either.
Want the tactics that decide these positions? Start with the 12 most common opening traps and tactics for beginners. If you are just starting out, read the rules of chess and how to set up the board.
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