Weekly Article: Exploring the King's Gambit

 Exploring the King's Gambit: Week 1  -  August 8, 2011

The King's Gambit is one of the oldest and most-used openings in the game of chess. The possibilities that this opening presents have intrigued the greatest chess minds for years.

To start off, let's talk about the basic goal for this chess opening. The opening's idea is to divert the Black pawn e5 from the center, open the f-file, and seize the center by moving d2-d4. The King's Gambit has dozens of subvariations, of these the most common 10-15. In short, white challenges black's center and begins an attack at the black's kingside.

Black can accept or decline the gambit. Most players choose to accept the gambit and try to counterattack the semi-exposed king side. If the gambit is accepted, white can then focus their attention on the f7 square, which is shown above. This square is a big weakness for your opponent. Putting pressure on this specific spot would give you a great advantage. 

The good thing about the King's Gambit is that it is also highly unpredictable. If your opponent is not very familiar with how to defend, they can find themselves in big trouble early.

For the creative chess player that likes to use exotic combinations and wild sacrifices, the King's Gambit is the perfect opening. Such a dangerous and highly unpredictable set of moves is an incredibly popular opening in the ever-improving game of chess.

Thank you for "Exploring the King's Gambit" along with me!

~ CalbaMan