Chess Gambit
The word gambit was first used by Rúy López de Segura in the 16th century. The Italian word gambetto which relates to tripping someone took on the Spanish form gambito.
They are opening lines that involve a sacrifice in order to gain an advantage of some sort. They form an interesting part of chess strategy. Usually when accepted your opponent can with precise play nullify any advantage accrued. However you can often profit against an opponent not familiar with the particular line. You can also talk about your favorites.
These tricks allow you to take your unsuspecting opponents off the beaten track and into unknown territory. You will get a lot of joy taking these guys away from their safe familiar lines. Drag them away from the shore and into deep, dark choppy waters...
King's
King's
The King's Gambit is a risky but aggressive opening salvo for White. While it compromises White's kingside somewhat, it offers exciting attacking options. The result usually goes to whoever plays the stronger game.
Philidor claimed that this play does not offer either side any inherently decisive advantage. It later fell out of favor at the highest level with players such as Tarrasch and Fischer rubbishing it.
It is used only sparingly between masters probably because those players know all of it's possible lines inside out from both sides. But it is a good weapon to have in your arsenal down at the club. You will most likely be confronted with it from time to time when you are playing with black or when white you can spring it on an unprepared opponent.
Queen's
Queen's
The Queen's Gambit has been around for at least 500 years. There are a plethora of variations attached that in the main fall into two distinct categories. They are QGA and QGD.
For a long time this particular play was not especially common in top-level chess as the closed openings did not lend themselves to explosive attacking games right from the off.
When Steinitz and later Tarrasch developed the concept of positional play it underwent a renaissance and due to it's endgame possibilities became extremely popular. It has receded since it's zenith in the 20's and 30's but is still used by masters from time to time.
Albin-Counter
Albin-Counter
The Albin-Counter was a popular play at one time to respond to the Queen's. It was widely used at the end of the 19th century. It was named after Adolf Albin.
The degree of success is largely dependant on the knowledge of both players on the variations contained in it. Good play can leave White okay when faced with it. But if the player playing with White is unfamiliar and makes one or two little errors Black can wreak havoc.
This one is not seen frequently at the highest level but has been thrown in occasionally and with some success.
Benko
Benko
The Benko Gambit named after Pal Benko did the rounds in the 30's, 40's and 50's. It was not until the 60's that Benko started writing about it and developing new ideas for it.
This is a queen-side option for Black. Also known as the Volga Gambit it opens up files a and b for Black. What's more is it gives Black's kingside bishop good control of it's long diagonal while simultaneously neutralizing White's kingside bishop somewhat.
Many top players over the years such as Tal, Ivanchuk, Shirov and Kasparov have used it albeit sparingly.
Latvian
Latvian
The Latvian Gambit got it's name when it was extensively analyzed by some Latvian players early in the 20th century. It is considered unsound at the highest level because perfect or even solid play from White gives White a better game than Black.
However there is a flip-side and it's this. The Latvian Gambit is extremely complicated and has lots of possible lines, many of these leading to promising situations for Black.
Many players below master level and indeed some masters are not familiar with the maze of variations that arise from this gambit so it could be a useful weapon in your arsenal and you may be able to score some good victories with Black using it's variations.
Smith Morra
Smith Morra
The Smith Morra Gambit is named after Frenchman Pierre Morra and American Kenneth Smith, both of whom studied it thoroughly. It is used by White to counter the Sicilian Defence by Black.
People are split on who has the better line; White on the Smith Morra or Black on the Sicilian. One thing for sure is that there is plenty of theory to cover on the Smith Morra as there are plenty of roads this one can take you down.
The Smith Morra is well worth a look if you're a 1. e4 player and you're sick or those smug Sicilian fans! It's probably as successful as 2. Nf3 at club level.
Blackmar-Diemer
Blackmar-Diemer
The Blackmar-Diemer is a variation of the earlier Blackmar Gambit named after Armand Blackmar. The variation that we are concerned with here, the Blackmar-Diemer gets it's name from German master Emil Josef Diemer who analyzed the opening and wrote a book on it in the 50's.
This is an aggressive opening option for White. There is an entire legion of club players who have fallen in love with it. It's not hard to see why. White sacrifices a pawn and what does he get? Well he gets a big lead in development and powerful attacking opportunities.
It must be said that it's not popular at grandmaster level as there are holes in it that Black can exploit and use to gain dominance. But at lower levels where Black players often don't know how to deal with it, the Blackmar-Diemer can give White a good game.
Vienna
Vienna
The Vienna Gambit is so named because it was first played in the mid-nineteenth century by a Swiss guy called Carl Hamppe. The thing was though he worked as a government official in Vienna, Austria and used to play a lot of his games there.
This is essentially a delayed King's Gambit with the Queen's knight developed to c3 on the second move and the f-pawn offered as a sacrifice with 3. f4.
This is a gambit of it's time, aggressive as was the style at that time. The idea behind this is to give White the chance to pressurize Black's soft center down the bishop's file at f7. It is generally believed to lead to equality with best play from both sides.
Budapest
Budapest Gambit
The Budapest was first seen in tournament play in Budapest in 1896 (Adler vs Maróczy). This was a low profile game however and the opening was not used frequently for another 22 years. It was only when Milan Vidmar used it to shock Akiba Rubinstein in Berlin in 1918 that it attracted attention from the elite.
Black offers up his king's pawn for a sacrifice and if White accepts there are three main lines that the opening can continue: the Adler variation where White abandons the extra pawn and develops his minor pieces; the Alekhine variation where White builds a formidable pawn structure in the center; or else if White develops knight before bishop the rook lift can give Black good pressure on White's castled king.
Belgrade
Belgrade
The Belgrade is a variation inside the Four Knights Game. It was analyzed in depth nearly 70 years ago by several chess masters from Belgrade. Up until that time the opening was not considered to hold much potential for White.
After 1. e4 e5 followed by the development of the four knights, White would play his queen's pawn up to d4 which would then be taken by Black's pawn on e5. The usual continuation from that point prior to the analysis from Belgrade was the king's knight on f3 simply retaking the pawn on d4.
The problem was that this opening tended to yield only a minimal advantage for White and Black would not have to face any pressure. The lads in Belgrade discovered an interesting new option for White. Instead of the solid but uninspiring 5.Nxd4, they recommended 5 Nd5!? which opened up a whole new world of exciting possibilities for White.
Réti
Reti
The Reti Gambit was introduced by Richard Reti in the 1920's. It is designed to counter the French Defence. White plays the kings pawn up to tempt Black's queen's pawn to capture it effectively ripping the head off the French Defence.
This one will take you down some novel positions and may disorientate your opponent. Reti himself stunned the mighty Capablanca with his hypermodern inventions. So if his ideas could throw someone like Capa what chance for your friends down the club!
There are several possibilities for the Reti and there is a lot of theory attached. But if you do your homework and get familiar with the main lines, you will have a real gem, especially below master level.
Marshall
Marshall Attack
The Marshall Attack was famously played by Frank Marshall against Jose Raúl Capablanca in New York in 1918. Capablanca survived the astonishing attack but had to call on every ounce of his brilliance to do so. However we are not all Capa and even today with all of the powerful computer analysis this ploy is still considered sound with only minimal improvements.
It is an extremely aggressive assault from Black in the face of White's Ruy Lopez Opening. Black gives up both central pawns for one in order to launch a brutal attack on White's castled king.
The Marshall Attack is still feared today. So much so that Garry Kasparov never let it be played against him when he played the Ruy Lopez. Also worth noting that Leko used it to humble Kramnik in 2004.
Moving On
Moving On
There is isn't anything better in chess than to play a sacrifice that really works and that paves the way to a well worked victory. And I say that as a committed positional strategist.
We all dream of the out of the ordinary killer combinations. We live for that one game where we get our entire 16 piece army working in concert almost as one living (fire-)breathing monster creating that masterpiece brilliancy.
You can come back to this section at any time for ideas or upload your own article. To see all of the openings see the ECO Index.
Return from Chess Gambit To Online Chess Homepage
This link takes you from Chess Gambit back to your Homepage. Your Homepage is where you get a site overview. There you can see all of the resources on offer in this web site.
Subscribe to our Free Ezine - Lapoc Chess Board
Copyright 2008-12 learn-and-play-online-chess.com
