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Who is the elusive Birchbeer? But, perhaps more important, do we really want to know? Almost anybody in the Blackmar Diemer community has heard of Birchbeer, the 2500+ devotee who appears and disappears on the Internet Chess Club.
When he logs in, fans of his games will drop whatever they are doing to observe the great man and his games.

The ICC regualrly offers master class players free membership in the club in return for publicizing their presence. Birchbeer, however, chooses not to be identified. He clearly states in his notes that he wishes to remain anonymous. Speculation is rampant about who this master of the gambit might be. Tom Purser, who's Blackmar Diemer Gambit World is the vanguard of the opening professes ignorance, though he will occasionally relate a few of the myths of Birchbeer's identity.

Ask any BDG player on ICC and they can tell you two or three possibilities. But, in short, nobody knows, or those who do ain't talking. I'm not going to recite the half dozen or possible identities I've heard on the outside chance one of them is right. I don't want to unmask the great master and force him into further obscurity. I want to continue to enjoy his games and share a few with you.

Our selection will start with two games in the Euwe Defense to the Blackmar Diemer just to get going. The final game in the showcase is Queen's Pawn game illustrating well the nasty complications that can occur when a strong a BDG player is denied his favorite opening. Enjoy!

[Event "ICC u 2 14 11/11/96"] [Site "Internet Chess Club"] [Date "1996.11.11"] [White "Birchbeer"] [Black "Engqvist"] [WhiteElo "2579"] [BlackElo "2500"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A45"] [NIC "QP.07"] [LongECO "Blackmar-Diemer: Euwe defense"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4 dxe4 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 e6 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. O-O c5 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. Qe2 Qb6 12. Bxd7+ Ncxd7+ 13. Kh1 O-O 14. Ne4 Qb4 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. c3 Qg4 17. Qe3 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 Nf6 19. Rf3 Nd5 20. Qe5 h6 21. Ne4 f6 22. Qd4 Rad8 23. Re1 e5 24. Qxa7 Nf4 25. Qg1 Rd3 26. Nf2 {Black resigns} 1-0

[Event "ICC 2 14 10/04/96"] [Site "Internet Chess Club"] [Date "1996.10.04"] [White "Birchbeer"] [Black "DGurevich"] [WhiteElo "2559"] [BlackElo "2557"] [Result "1-0"] [GameID "844411744"] [ECO "A45"] [NIC "QP.07"] [LongECO "Blackmar-Diemer: Euwe defense"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4 dxe4 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 e6 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Qe1 h6 10. Qh4 Re8 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Qe4 Nf8 13. Ne5 c5 14. Ne2 Qd5 15. Qf4 cxd4 16. Ng4 Qg5 17. Nxh6+ Qxh6 18. Qxh6 gxh6 19. Rxf6 e5 20. Raf1 Be6 21. Ng3 Rac8 22. Rxh6 Nd7 23. Ne4 Kg7 24. Rh5 Rh8 25. Rg5+ Kf8 26. Nd6 Rc7 27. Nxf7 Bxf7 28. Bg6 Ke7 29. Rxf7+ Kd6 30. Bf5 Nf8 31. Rxc7 Kxc7 32. Rg7+ Kb6 33. Re7 {Black resigns} 1-0

[Event "ICC u 2 14 11/11/96"] [Site "Internet Chess Club"] [Date "1996.11.11"] [White "Birchbeer"] [Black "baba"] [WhiteElo "2579"] [BlackElo "2386"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A45"] [NIC "QP.07"] [LongECO "Queen's pawn game"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 Bb4 4. e5 Nd5 5. Qg4 O-O 6. Bh6 g6 7. Bxf8 Qxf8 8. Ne2 c5 9. dxc5 Qxc5 10. Qg3 Nc6 11. h4 Nd4 12. O-O-O Nf5 13. Qh3 Nxc3 14. Nxc3 Qxf2 15. h5 Ng3 16. hxg6 Nxh1 17. Qxh7+ Kf8 18. g7+ Ke7 19. g8=Q {Black resigns} 1-0

If you are a Birchbeer fan or want to share an identity myth, or, if you are Birchbeer, please drop me a line.


John Mongle

Copyright © 1997 John Mongle, All Rights Reserved.

Author's notes:

1. Tom Purser in "BDG World" Serial 76 (1997):
   Who is Birchbeer? He appears to know BDG theory well. Could a careful study of his choice of lines offer some clue to his identity?
2. According to informations by Timothy Sawyer (1999) "Birchbeer" is an International Master and played in ICC server from 1994 till '96... here a little collection of several games, even against grandmasters!
3. Tim Krabbé in "Chess Diary" on March 7th 2001:
   Birchbeer remains the most enigmatic strong player on ICC. He was a very early member (in their database there are games from 1994 by him), and in the early years, he was continually among the best 10 or 20. He played a very imaginative, often brilliant chess. His preferred time control was 2 14, only varying to 2 19 and 4 15 and the like. In his notes, he complained about his bad connection, and the fact that he couldn't use timestamp (I think at one time he even said he couldn't use an interface and had to make his moves on a real board.).
   He doesn't play anymore; his last games are from August 1998. The last time he logged on was in April 1999. But the account still exists. Nobody, outside ICC, knows who he is. In the last line of his notes, which are still there, he says: "Sorry, I prefer to be anonymous".
4. Lev Zilbermintz via e-mail in UnorthodoxChessOpenings@yahoogroups.com on Jan. 9th 2005:
   "McGrew told me that 'Birchbeer' was actually someone using an early version of Fritz. He said that there was no evidence that Birchbeer was an IM. Apparently one of the early ICC operators told others that he was an IM, and they did not check. Then, when in '99, new procedures went into effect, B. left of his own free will. Computers were supposed to be labelled (C) but they were not in the old days. McGrew says that after new procedures went into effect, B. left b/c it would have been an embarrassment to him if people knew he used a computer to help him. [...]"

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