Gambits... do you use them?

THANK YOU BEDLAM!

Bedlam describes gambits perfectly, so I don't see what else I can say. I am also very glad to know that a player as strong as Bedlam plays the KG, this gives me some hope...

Also, Bedlam, I think you missed a couple of KG classics. If you already posted these, sorry I missed them, and they are some great games played by GM's.

[Event "URS-ch"]
[Site "URS-ch"]
[Date "1960.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "B Spassky"]
[Black "Bronstein David"]
[ECO "C36"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "46"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 Bd6 5. Nc3 Ne7 6. d4 O-O 7. Bd3
Nd7 8. O-O h6 9. Ne4 Nxd5 10. c4 Ne3 11. Bxe3 fxe3 12. c5 Be7 13. Bc2
Re8 14. Qd3 e2 15. Nd6 {One of the deepest sacrifices this side of
The Evergreen Game -- Soltis} Nf8 16. Nxf7 exf1=Q+ 17. Rxf1 Bf5 18. Qxf5 Qd7
19. Qf4 Bf6 20. N3e5 Qe7 21. Bb3 Bxe5 22. Nxe5+ Kh7 23. Qe4+ 1-0



[Event "Montpellier ct"]
[Site "Montpellier ct"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Spassky Boris"]
[Black "Seirawan Yasser"]
[ECO "C34"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "64"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Ne7 4. d4 d5 5. Nc3 dxe4 6. Nxe4 Ng6 7. h4 Qe7 8.
Kf2 Bg4 9. h5 Nh4 10. Bxf4 Nc6 11. Bb5 O-O-O 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Qd3 Nxf3 14.
gxf3 Bf5 15. Qa6+ Kb8 16. Nc5 Bc8 17. Qxc6 Rxd4 18. Rhe1 Rxf4 19. Qb5+ Ka8 20.
Qc6+ Kb8 21. Rxe7 Bxe7 22. Rd1 Rf6 23. Nd7+ Bxd7 24. Qxd7 Rd8 25. Qb5+ Kc8 26.
Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Qa4 g5 28. Qxa7 Rf4 29. Qa6+ Kb8 30. Qd3 Be7 31. Qxh7 g4 32. Kg3
1-0

Originally posted by Bedlam
Fischer went on to play the KG after he wrote that.

Mostly just in simuls though, and he never played the variation that he "busted" which is the King's Knights gambit.

That may be mistaken, but I'm 99% sure it isn't.

Let us also not forget this masterpiece 😉.

Game 2009303

Originally posted by cmsMaster
THANK YOU BEDLAM!

Bedlam describes gambits perfectly, so I don't see what else I can say. I am also very glad to know that a player as strong as Bedlam plays the KG, this gives me some hope...

Also, Bedlam, I think you missed a couple of KG classics. If you already posted these, sorry I missed them, and they are some great games played by GM's.

Qa6+ Kb8 30. Qd3 Be7 31. Qxh7 g4 32. Kg3
1-0

In the last KG thread that I saw "Northern Lad" said he played the Kings Gambit. Theres quite a few good players who do use this opening regularly. The reason I think the KG is not seen at GM level day in day out is more a question of style rather than soundness, the view of a lot of GMs seems to be "why risk it when I can play safe and always bail out with a draw".

The evans gambit was also on the way out until Kasparov played it a few times then people got intrested again, openings go through phases thats all.

Originally posted by Bedlam
In the last KG thread that I saw "Northern Lad" said he played the Kings Gambit. Theres quite a few good players who do use this opening regularly. The reason I think the KG is not seen at GM level day in day out is more a question of style rather than soundness, the view of a lot of GMs seems to be "why risk it when I can play safe and always bail out wi ...[text shortened]... played it a few times then people got intrested again, openings go through phases thats all.

I completely agree, the Scotch Gambit is a perfect example. It lost popularity, then Kasparov showed how much life it actually had, and regained some popularity. Right now everyone is playing QG, Ruy Lopez, and Sicilian, because of players like Fischer who used the Ruy and Sicilian with so much success. But that's not to say that these openings may and probably will lose most if not all popularity.

I'm not saying, Bedlam, that gambits don't have compensation. I'm saying that in over the board play, if you face the Albin countergambit, say, you find yourself thinking, "If I only could refer to that book on the second shelf." The fact is you can't so you have to find your way through the myriad variations to realize that extra pawn in the endgame with the clock ticking away. If someone used it on me on RHP, I'd think, "Oh, well, I know nothing about this so I'll grab that book on the second shelf and take three days to find a good line. Also, as you know, all gambits arent equal so if i find myself playing a king's gambit as black, i don't automatically assume i'm going to find a line that gives me advantage, but if i'm facing the 4. nxf6 line in the Petrov as black (I forget what it's called) I'm happy because even over the board i think i can survive with my extra piece. So, in essence, what i'm saying is that a gambit is less effective in correspondence. In my personal history here at RHP i've only once faced a traditional gambit, a king's gambit, and lost miserably as black. And, of course, there are lots of goofy gambits that people play just for entertainment value.

A correction: 4. Nxf7 in the Petrov not Nxf6. And it's called the Cochrane Gambit (after Scottish master of the last century).

The milner-barry & kg seem to be the most commonly discussed gambits on this thread.

Maybe a themed tourney for one or both??

Originally posted by Bedlam
Didnt Morozveich hammer Anand in a KG? 🙂


[Event "RUS Moscow Kremlin"]
[Site "RUS Moscow Kremlin"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "2"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "A Morozevich"]
[Black "Anand Viswanathan (IND)"]
[ECO "C33"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "56"]

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 c6
5.Bb3 d5 6.exd5 cxd5 7.d4 B ...[text shortened]... 23.Qf3 g6 24.Nxg6 hxg6
25.Bxg6 fxg6 26.Rxe6 Qf7 27.Qd5 Nf5 28.Rxf5 1-0

If Anand was hammered I would guess he was not ready to play or at least he was not ready for the King's Gambit as Black. As far as I know the only truely busted opening is the Latvian Gambit. Speaking of gambits did Tal ever play a gambit opening? I have never seen a game of his that was a gambit opening.

It seems that most of Tal's games on Chessgames were English, Sicilian, Ruy Lopez, and King's Indian games.

Having read The Life & Games of Mikhail Tal I can say he definitely played the benoni in response to 1. d4 (although not always).

Its a short step from that to the Benko. Will check the book when I get home although it only covers up to 1974.

From experience I can say that OTB gambits are tons of fun to play. You may catch your opponent off guard, but in reality it just raises the stakes and makes play even sharper. As a club player, you can get away with all sorts of dubious play, the question is are you ok when you run into that one guy who doesn't just punish but rather brutalizes your inaccurate moves? and would it have been better to play it safe or would that just be a slower death?

Personally I play gambits because even though when you compare my games to GMs, I mismanage my initiative, it is a heck of a lot of fun. I also play closed manuvering games and find those fun. It's all about your style and what you're ok with.