How to beat your opponent in 20 moves or less. The King's Gambit, Part Two.
In the first part of the article we learned some typical attacking ideas employed in the King's Gambit. Even though these articles cannot be a substitute for an opening manual, still today I would like to give you some basic ideas for how White should play in the main lines of the opening.
After 1.e4 e5 2. f4 Black has a choice to accept the Gambit or decline it. If he declines the Gambit, White simply uses his f4 pawn to increase pressure against the Black's center. The next game is a good example.
Another option Black can choose is to counter-attack White's center by 2...d5 . Usually White plays 3.exd5, but the next beautiful game shows another option.
Still, White's main move in this line is 3.exd5 as was played in the following game.
When Black accepts the Gambit by 2...exf4, White has two main moves. 3.Bc4 was played in the Immortal Game (see the previous week's column), but today the most popular option is 3.Nf3.
After 3.Nf3 Black has a wide variety of defenses. The oldest defense is 3...g5. Black protects his extra pawn and ready to push his pawn further attacking the Nf3. This defense is very risky as Black's Kingside becomes very vulnerable.
The next game is a brilliant demonstration of the problems Black faces in this variation.
The final, relatively recent game was played by two strong modern Grandmasters. Even though Black played the more or less solid 3...Be7 defense, one unexpected shot finished the game in White's favor.
I hope you enjoyed our little King's Gambit journey and are ready to checkmate your next opponent employing this dangerous opening!
