But... but... you're not really supposed to win (or draw) when you just blithely give up a piece for a pawn in the opening, are you? Which is to say... I don't believe in the halloween gambit.
You've lost one game out of 179, according to your online profile, and you say in your analysis after move 24 you are just randomly moving your pieces. I don't think I can help. Sorry.
14.g4? looks a little iffy. Why not just 14.c3! defending your d-pawn?
its the opening
Definitely the opening.
I disagree.
This is an opening that even some engines have trouble coping with.
I don't like it, giving away a knight to a pawn. I think my opening is better.
Crik'ey I thought the four knights was a quiet opening. My bible the Batsford Chess Openings 2 edition 1989 does not include mention of the Halloween? gambit. Thanks for publishing this game as the line is new for me, Im not sure what the time controls were but I doubt if fourteen days per move could prove some of the lines. I might give the opening a go in club games as you can switch early when black is intending to defend the Spanish or play the Petroff. With opening preparation white may oft be able to steal a march on the opponent.
In terms of offering any help, I found your bishop moves puzzling, seeming in haste to exchange off both for no advantage that I could see. Gonno's comments will offer you meaningful help here. & didnt blacks ds bishop prove to be a thorn in your side.
Thank You
John Boy
No one is really claiming it is sound. It is perhaps along the lines of the Cochrane Gambit, which theory holds to be clearly better for Black.
Practical play often sees a reversal of theory when it comes to actual game results however, as finding the correct move in razor sharp play is sometimes too challenging for even the best to do onsight.
It is a marvelous testiment to the greatness of chess that this type of play can be found today by some enterprising and independent thinkers and that (some) validity for it can be wrought in actual play against other people.
~ richie_and_oprah
Really? Which ones?
I have an ebook on opening lines that defeat this (or at the very least break it down to its weaknesses), my ancient ChessMaster doesn't flinch at it (so it'd be a wonder if stronger more up-to date genuine chess engines would struggle), and I have played two 2000+ players here on chess.com who had never faced it before, who showed me how they would defeat it.
So it's hardly as impenetrable as its reputation claims... I'd be interested to know what engines struggle with this and how.
The free 32 bit rybka does not have a good and up to date version of it in its opening book and Hiarcs up to 11 do not have good track record against it.
If you have recent db and ebook you can load into an engine that makes a big difference.
If you take Fritz 8 and use engine without a specific opening book it will not find best play as Black.
Thanks for that. All those types of engines and resources are well above my head, I'm afraid... so I humbly take your word for it that they struggle. But as I said above, good players defeat it, I've read that serious Master level players ignore it and consider it unsound, and I've seen it defeated by sound play and following strong opening book lines. So -- seems like a way to defeat someone caught unawares but not going to phase a strong or well prepared player.
There's a really nice .pdf for it at:
http://www.chessville.com/UCO/Halloween_Gambit/UON13HalloweenGambit.pdf
...lots of lines analyzed.
It IS unsound!
But, so what. I have lost to it. I have an otb that floats near 2200. Against 98% of all players it is beyond the grasp to refute on their own without some assistance from at least an opening book.
I believe also the Blackmar-Diemer and the Grob, the Fried Liver and the dreaded Frankenstein-Dracula.
Dubious.
I sure hate losing to them, too. Painful. One time I successfully committed hari-kari after a particularly tough defeat to the Englund Gambit.
So be careful.
One of the things I love about cc is that I can lean (heavily) on a Db when confronted with berserker openings. I know many players find the halloween, the cochrane, et al, thrilling, but god I hate these things. They're unaesthetic, by virtue of illogic. They make me think my action craving opponent would secretly prefer to be playing Counterstrike.
Please don't take this post too seriously ! I'm just spouting my personal taste... but I do feel that surely, if there is a fault known as overly aggressive play, this is it.
thanks Niven 42
a great reference
u have a rating of 2.6k+ and so many blunders... nothing to say
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