Montana Open - Round 2 (fun with the From's Gambit)

Round 2 was against Dan McCourt, and I was eager to try out my Bird's opening against him because I knew it would likely lead to a From's Gambit. The From's is an aggressive response to the Bird's that challenges white to a game of "chicken"; most people, including Greg "the Octopus" Nowak, fear the From's and prefer to transpose to the King's Gambit (which, even though a wild opening in its own right, looks sober by comparison).

I have reviewed the From's and figured that if I accepted it, the resulting game would be crazy enough that it would pierce Dan's veil of invincibility. That might have been true if I'd played better during two critical moves early in the game. As it turned out, I blundered and gave Dan a strong attack, so I went into crisis mode and fought hard for the draw.

Final analysis: I'm not done with Bird's. I'm now a From's veteran and stronger for it!