i came across this game yesterday playing online chess and was not only beaten by it 3 times in a row, i was stomped by it. i have never seen this variation of center counter before, and when i asked him what it was he said he just saw some people playing it a little while ago, and didnt know the name or any lines of the gambit himself. as a fellow gambiter, the idea of ripping apart youre queensid, loosing two pawn and then castleing on the side you just ripped up seems amateur to me. but somehow he not only managed to beat me, he ended up ahead and material,position and tempo. if aneyone has any information on this obsure gambit at all please post so i can educate myself and mabey understand what it is better (and mabey learn to use it myself)

I like the idea of giving back the pawn with 3. d6! when you make 2...c6 look silly as it blocks the natural square for the knight.

I don't like 3. d6. Then 3... exd6 with 4... d5 should give black at least equality, or he can play 3... e5 with 4... Bxd6, or 3... Qd6. All are if anything good for black.

 

One good way to avoid being gambited is to simply play 3. d4 heading for a Caro-Kann exchange. Or if you're daring enough (confident enough that you won't lose by tactics, which is the main idea of gambiting) you can just accept the gambit with 3. dxc6. 3... Nf6? looks very dubious to me, I think for example 4. cxb7 Bxb7 5. Nf3 followed by Bb5+ and O-O should give white a big advantage.

 

"I like the idea of giving back the pawn with 3. d6! when you make 2...c6 look silly as it blocks the natural square for the knight."

 

I think 3.d6?! grants Black easy equality. Consider that one Scandinavian mainline is 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.d4 c6. Observe that if 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 c6!? 3.d6?! Qxd6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.d4 Black is a tempo ahead in comparison.

 

I think White must accept the gambit if he wants an advantage. But 3.d6?! might make sense if you know Black is a much better tactician. 

I think this position is pretty good for white. Maybe your mistakes were further in the game? Can you publish the hole game(s)?

I would gladly play whites position with the two extra pawns. Where is blacks compensation? A small lead in development is all I see, I dont think its enough.

Reb wrote: I would gladly play whites position with the two extra pawns. Where is blacks compensation? A small lead in development is all I see, I dont think its enough.

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I agree after n-f3 and b to b5 game looks great for white

This is just the mirrored version of that other gambit...1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4. 3. c3 dxc3.  4. (insert move here) cxb2. 5. Bxb2, and white's got a decent position

But he's black, right?

i don't like the idea of 2...Nf6, i think 2...Nxc6 is far better. with the white pieces , the danish gambit works very well.... but nothing can ever come like the ruy lopez or giouco piano!

This looks a little like the Benko, gambit position for black minus 3 pawns, with the bishop developed instead of the knight developed minus 2 pawns. The position is not the same...but if people are getting toasted with it, then it is just as effective as the Benko can be with the same type of open queenside for black