I'm sure if you're reading this, you probably know the ICBM Gambit. For those who don't know, click here for my introduction. In that post, I showed you the basic gambit and common mistakes to avoid. However, what can you do if your opponent doesn't play along?
You're probably thinking, "Well, you just accept that your trap just didn't work, right?"
Well, yes and no.
Responding to the ICBM Declined
There are a few moves that your opponent can make that will give you an opportunity to play some other tricks on them.
Case 1: It Evolves into the Giuoco Piano Game
Let's say you play Nf3, and your opponent wants to play e5. Naturally, they will play Nc6 to defend it from your f3 knight. You will take the center with e4, and they will respond with e5. Then, you will both develop your bishops to attack that one weak by the king (aka f2 or f7). BAM! You've just played the Giuoco Piano Game! Now you say, "I'm bored with this positional trash. Where's the good stuff?" Not to worry! Just play the Jerome!
https://www.chess.com/blog/Ethanchock7/what-the-jerome
Case 2: Play the Scotch
If your opponent instead responds with developing their own knight and pushing King's pawn, you can now play the Scotch Gambit, sacrificing d4 for some interesting trickery. I could paste a board here, but this video explains it more thoroughly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSCxyqVe0-Q&t=143s
Case 2: It evolves into the Four Knights Game
If your opponent responds to Nf3 with the developing one of their own knights to the center, develop your other knight and play e4. Your opponent will develop their other knight (If they don't, see below) and play e5. BAM! You've got yourself the Four Knights Game. Lucky for you, I made a post on how to trap your opponent from the Four Knights Game! (linked below!)
Case 3: Bf5
Following the pawn sacrifice and Ng5, your opponent might defend the pawn with Bf5 instead of Nf6. Offer the trade on d3. If the trade is not accepted, continue normal play. However, if the trade is accepted, do not recapture. Instead, play Qf3, attacking the pawn on d3, the pawn on b7, and the bishop on f5. Bd7 is a seemingly natural move for Black, but it loses instantly with Qxf7#.
If your opponent plays any bishop move that does not defend the f7 square, Qxf7+ is deadly even without checkmate, because after Kd7 and Qd5+, the king retreats to e8. Now, you can just trade queens and go for the fork on f7. However, you are out for the big money. Instead, play Qf7+ again. Now that the king is back on d7, Ne6 threatens Black's queen. Qe8 is Black's only move that doesn't lose the queen. Nxf8 checks Black. The king retreats to the d8 square. After this, play Qd5+ again, and then after Bd7 blocks (if knight blocks then Ne6#) Qxb7 wins a pawn. Bb6 prevents the rook's capture (if Black allows the rook capture with Qxf8, then capture. After Kc8 and Bxd3, then followed by Bc6, Ba6+ and Kd7 are followed by Bb7.) Play Ne6, then retreat the queen to b3, capture the d3 pawn, castle, and you are pretty well off.
If Black does not allow Qxf7+ and instead plays Be6, then capture with the knight. Following Black's recapture, play Qxb7. After Black plays some random developing move, capture on d3 and castle.
...dxc2
Let's say Black plays something more standard. dxc2 is the most common because it aspires to promote with cxb1=Q. Following dxc2, play knight c3. This allows your queen to move freely without the risk of Qd1#, and the bishop blocks promotion. From here, the fork on the bishop and pawn is still active, so Black might still play the bishop moves who's responses we've covered above. From here, you have a lot of opportunity, despite being down two pawns.
Conclusion
I hope I taught you something, despite my characteristic overcomplicated explanation of all possible lines and permutations that could possibly evolve from a move. Again, if you want to learn how to play the basic ICBM, click
here. As always, thank you for reading and have a great rest of your day!
