[blind-chess] Chess Article #112: The King's Gambit
- From: Roderick Macdonald <rmacd@xxxxxxxx>
- To: Blind Chess Mailing List <blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:12:42 -1000 (HST)
Chess Article #112:
The King's Gambit
Adapted and Condesed from
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Contents
++1. The King's gambit
++1.A History
++1.B Variations
++1.C King's Gambit Declined
++1.C1 Falkbeer Countergambit
++1.C.2 Nimzowitsch Countergambit
++1.C3 Classical Defense
++1.C4 Other moves
++1.D King's Gambit Accepted
++1.D1 Classical Variation
++1.D2 Becker Defense
++1.D3 Bonch-Osmolovsky Defense
++1.D4 Cunningham Defense
++1.D5 Schallopp Defense
++1.D6 Modern Defense
++1.D7 Fischer Defense
++1.D8 3. ... Nc6
++1.E Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
++1. The King's gambit
The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins:
1. e4 e5
2. f4
White offers a pawn to divert the Black e-pawn so as to build a
strong center with d2-d4. Theory has shown that in order for Black
to maintain the gambit pawn, he may well be forced to weaken his
kingside. The King's Gambit is one of the oldest documented
openings, as it was examined by the 17th century Italian chess
player Giulio Polerio. It is in an older book by Luis Ramirez de
Lucena. The King's Gambit is now infrequently seen at master level,
as Black can obtain a reasonable position by returning the extra
pawn to consolidate. There are two main branches, depending on
whether or not Black plays 2. ... exf4: the King's Gambit Accepted
(KGA) and the King's Gambit Declined (KGD).
Black has four ways to react to 2 f4:
(1) Accept and hold the pawn;
(2) Accept and return the pawn;
(3) Decline the pawn;
(4) Offer a countergambit.
++1.A History
The King's Gambit was one of the most popular openings for over 300
years, and has been played by many of the strongest players, in
many of the greatest brilliancies, including the Immortal Game;
nonetheless, players have held widely divergent views on it.
Francois-Andre Danican Philidor (1726-95), the greatest player and
theorist of his day, wrote that the King's Gambit should end in a
draw with best play by both sides, stating that "a gambit equally
well attacked and defended is never a decisive (game), either on
one side or the other." Writing over 150 years later, Siegbert
Tarrasch, one of the world's strongest players in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, pronounced the opening "a decisive mistake"
and wrote that "it is almost madness to play the King's Gambit."
Similarly, future World Champion Bobby Fischer wrote a famous
article, "A Bust to the King's Gambit", in which he stated, "In my
opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force" and offered
his Fischer Defense (3. ... d6) as a refutation.
None of these pronouncements, however, have proven to be actual
refutations of the King's Gambit. Although the King's Gambit has
been rare in modern Grandmaster play, a handful of grandmasters
have continued to use it, for example players such as Joseph
Gallagher, Nigel Short, and Alexei Fedorov. It was also part of the
arsenal of David Bronstein, who almost singlehandedly brought the
opening back to respectability in modern play. The King's Gambit is
also frequently seen in club play.
++1.B Variations
Both the accepted and declined gambit have several variations,
though acceptance is generally considered best.
++1.C King's Gambit Declined
Black can decline the offered pawn, or offer a countergambit.
++1.C1 Falkbeer Countergambit
The Falkbeer Countergambit runs 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4, in
which Black sacrifices a pawn in return for quick and easy
development. It was once considered good for Black and scored well,
but White obtains some advantage with the response 4. d3!, and the
line fell out of favour after the 1930s.
++1.C2 Nimzowitsch Countergambit
A more modern interpretation of the Falkbeer is 2. ... d5 3. exd5
c6!?, as advocated by Aron Nimzowitsch. Black is not concerned
about pawns and aims for early piece activity. White has a better
pawn structure and prospects of a better endgame. The main line
continues 4. c3 exf4 5. f3 Bd6 6. 4 Ne7 7. xc6 Nbxc6, giving
positions analogous to the Modern Variation of the gambit accepted.
++1.C3 Classical Defense
A common way to decline the gambit is with 2. ... d5, the
classical" KGD. The bishop prevents White from castling and is such
a nuisance that White often expends two tempi to eliminate it by
means of Nc3-a4, to exchange on c5 or b6, whereupon he may castle
without worry. It also contains an opening trap for novices: if
Wite continues with 3.fxe5?? Black continues 3. ... Qh4+, in which
either the rook is lost (4. g3 Qxe4+, forking the rook and king) or
White is checkmated (4. Ke2 Qxe4#). This line often comes about by
transposition from lines of the Vienna Game or Bishop's Opening,
when White plays f2-f4 before Nf3.
++1.C4 Other moves
Other options in the KGD are possible, though unusual, such as the
sharp countergambit 2. ... Nc6 3. Nf3 f5, advocated by Tony Miles;
2. ... d6, when after 3. Nf3, best is 3. ... exf4 transposing to
the Fischer Defense (though 2. ... d6 invites White to play 3. d4
instead); and 2. ... Nf6 3. fxe5 Nxe4 4. Nf3 Ng5! 5. d4 Nxf3+ 6.
Qxf3 Qh4+ 7. Qf2 Qxf2+ 8. Kxf2 with a small endgame advantage, as
played in the 1968 game between Bobby Fischer and Robert Wade in
Vinkovci. The greedy 2. ... Qf6 (known as the Norwalde Variation),
intending 3. ... Qxf4, is considered dubious. Also dubious is the
Keene Defense: 2. ... Qh4+ 3. g3 Qe7.
++1.D King's Gambit Accepted
The King's Knight Gambit
As stated above, Black usually accepts with 2. ... exf4. White then
has two main continuations: 3. Nf3, the King's Knight Gambit is the
most common as it develops the knight and prevents 3. ... Qh4+; and
3. Bc4, the Bishop's Gambit, where White's development will rapidly
increase after the continuation often played in the 19th century,
3. ... Qh4+!? 4. Kf1 followed by 5. Nf3, driving the queen away and
gaining a tempo; however, 3. ... Nf6 is far more common in modern
practice. There are also many other third moves, such as:
* 3. b3?! - the Orsini Gambit
* 3. Nc3 - the Mason Gambit, the Keres Gambit, the Parnu
Gambit, or the Requena Gambit
* 3. d4 - the Villemson Gambit or Steinitz Gambit
* 3. Bb5 - the Shurig Gambit
* 3. Be2 - the Lesser Bishop's Gambit or Tartakower Gambit
* 3. Qe2 - Basman's Gambit
* 3. Qf3 - the Breyer Gambit, Hungarian Gambit, or Carrera
Gambit
* 3. Qg4 - the Dodo Gambit
* 3. Qh5?! - the Carrera Gambit
* 3. g3?! - the Gaga Gambit
* 3. Ne2 - the Paris Gambit
* 3. h4 - the Stamma Gambit or Leonardo Gambit
* 3. Nh3 - the Eisenberg Gambit
* 3. Kf2?! - the Tumbleweed Gambit, Drunken King, or King's
Own Gambit. This allows 3. ... Qh4+ 4. g3 fxg3+ 5. Kg2. It
seems that White has given up two pawns for nothing, but
Black must proceed cautiously, or White can use the many
open lines with surprising effectiveness.
++1.D1 Classical Variation
The Classical Variation arises after 3. Nf3 g5, when there are two
main continuations, 4. h4 (the Paris Attack), and 4. Bc4. After 4.
h4 g4 White can choose between 5. Ng5 or 5. Ne5. 5. Ng5 is the
Allgaier Gambit, intending 5. ... h6 6. Nxf7, but is considered
dubious by modern theory. Stronger is 5. Ne5, the Kieseritzky
Gambit, which is relatively positional in nature. It was used very
successfully by Wilhelm Steinitz, and was used by Boris Spassky to
beat Bobby Fischer in a famous game at Mar del Plata 1960. This
motivated Fischer into developing his own defense to the King's
Gambit - see "Fischer Defense" below.
Instead of 4. h4, the extremely sharp Muzio Gambit arises after 4.
Bc4 g4 5. 0-0!? gxf3 6. Qxf3, where White has gambited a knight but
has three pieces bearing down on f7. Such wild play is rare in
modern chess, but Black must exercise care in consolidating his
position. Black can avoid the Muzio by meeting 4. Bc4 with 4. ...
Bg7 and ...h6.
++1.D2 Becker Defense
The Becker Defense (3. Nf3 h6), has the idea of creating a pawn
chain on h6, g5, f4 to defend the f4 pawn while avoiding the
Kieseritzky Gambit; Black will not be forced to play ...g4 when
White plays to undermine the chain with h4. White has the
interesting option of 4. b3, though the main line continues with 4.
d4 g5 and will usually transpose to lines of the Classical after 5.
d4 d6 6. Bc4 Bg7.
++1.D3 Bonch-Osmolovsky Defense
The rarely-seen Bonch-Osmolovsky Defense (3. Nf3 Ne7) was played by
Mark Bluvshtein to defeat former world title finalist Nigel Short
at Montreal 2007, though it has never been highly regarded by
theory.
++1.D4 Cunningham Defense
The Cunningham Defense (3. Nf3 Be7) is Black's most aggressive
option; it can permanently prevent White from castling after 4. Bc4
Bh4+ 5. Kf1 (else the wild Bertin Gambit, or Three Pawns' Gambit,
5. g3 fxg3 6. 0-0 gxh2+ 7. Kh1, played in the nineteenth century).
In modern practice, it is more common for Black to simply play 4.
..Nf6 5. e5 Ng4, known as the Modern Cunningham.
++1.D5 Schallopp Defense
The Schallopp Defense (3. Nf3 Nf6) - intending 4. e5 Nh5, holding
onto the pawn - is considered somewhat inferior needed] and is
rarely played today. In one of the lines, White can usually obtain
a crushing attack via a rook sacrifice, i.e., 4. e5 Nh5 5. d4 g5 6.
h4 g4 7. Ng5 Ng3 8. Bc4! Nxh1 9. Bxf7+ Ke7 10. Nc3 (looking for
immediate mate at d5, or later via queen at f6) and Black appears
doomed.
++1.D6 Modern Defense
The Modern Defense, or Abbazia Defense, (3. Nf3 d5) has much the
same idea as the Falkbeer Counter-Gambit, and can in fact be
reached by transposition, e.g. 2.f4 d5 3. exd5 exf4. Black
concentrates on gaining piece play, rather than keeping the extra
pawn, fighting for the initiative. It has been recommended by
several publications as an easy way to equalize, although White
keeps a slight advantage due to his extra central pawn and piece
activity.
++1.D7 Fischer Defense
"The refutation of any gambit begins with accepting it. In my
opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force." - R.
Fischer, A Bust to the King's Gambit
The Fischer Defense (3. Nf3 d6), although previously known, was
advocated by Bobby Fischer after he was defeated by Boris Spassky
in a Kieseritzky Gambit at Mar del Plata 1960. Fischer then decided
to refute the King's Gambit, and the next year the American Chess
Quarterly published Fischer's analysis of 3. ..d6, which he called
"a high-class waiting move"
The point is that after 4. d4 g5 5. h4 g4 White cannot continue
with 6. Ne5, as in the Kieseritzky Gambit, and 6. Ng5 is unsound
because of 6. ... f6!. This leaves the move 6. Ng1 as the only
option, when after six moves neither side has developed a piece.
The main alternative to 4. d4 is 4. Bc4, but it is considered
inferior.
++1.D8 3. ... Nc6
Joe Gallagher writes that 3. Nf3 Nc6 "has never really caught on,
probably because it does nothing to address Black's immediate
problems." Like Fischer's Defense, it is a waiting move.
++1.F Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings has ten codes for the King's
Gambit, C30 through C39.
* C30: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 (King's Gambit)
* C31: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 (Falkbeer Countergambit)
* C32: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. d3 Nf6 (Morphy,
Charousek, etc.)
* C33: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 (King's Gambit Accepted)
* C34: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 (King's knight's Gambit)
* C35: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Be7 (Cunningham Defense)
* C36: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d5 (Abbazia Defense)
* C37: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Nc3 / 4. Bc4 g4 5. 0-
0 (Muzio Gambit)
* C38: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 (Philidor,
Hanstein, etc.)
* C39: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 (Allgaier,
Kieseritzky, etc.)
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