Gambit Lines to Start TVC in the Cochrane Gambit

The Gambit Lines will open its Team Vote Chess (TVC) in the Cochrane Gambit against the Vote Chess Masters or VCM - a group of 35 vote chess specialists with an average rating of 2045. VCM is regarded as the toughest group in TVC matches at chess.com.  GM-Joker, a co-organizer of the Gambit Lines was initially unhappy about the choice of opening saying, “I wouldnt dare try this in long games unless i'm good at this sacrifice line and know more about it.”

However, after studying a game played in the gambit and playing a few games with his computer, he was full of excitement saying, “apparently the gambit works like this - 2 pawns for the knight - yet white gains the lovely center, and black has to move his King into a good defencive position - very insteresting gambit I have to say I realy look foward beating another group with this gambit line - yes the Center is a big part of this gambit.”

According to GM Boris Alterman, the Cochrane Gambit is a sharp line in the normally staid Petroff's Defence with 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nxf7!? - an idea that stunned the chess world not only when it was first played in 1848, but also when Veselin Topalov resurrected it again in 1999 against Vladimir Kramnik at Linares. A swashbuckler by nature, 19th-century Scottish master John Cochrane (1798 - 1878) - who is also associated with the confusing naming history of the Scotch Game - was the epitome of the early romantic era of chess, and his legacy lives on through the centuries with his daring tactical idea that survives un-refuted to this day. The Cochrane Gambit involves the gambit of a knight as early as move four to lure out the opponent's king in a complex board full of pieces, whilst pushing forward in the center with a mobile armada of pawns.

Gambit Lines is a group formed to study gambit opening lines and attacks through thematic Team Vote Chess matches. It accepts players who are 18 years old and above with exceptions of minors with advance playing skills. The group's profile emphasizes its adherence to the good sportsmanship practice.

One of the objectives of the group is to counter the false notion about gambit openings as being risky in long games. According to one of the organizers, the level of excitement in chess that humans play is decreasing due to the growing influence of computer chess. It is seldom now that you would see exciting plays in tournaments similar to the tactical combinations of the immortal game or those that characterize the games of Michael Tal and Paul Morphy. Computers are not known to open using gambit lines as they contradict the computer logic to make a move that returns the highest value. It is also not known to make queen sacrifices a few moves in advance because losing the queen generates a huge swing in the value of the position.

Each TVC match in Gambit Lines will be administered by a Team Leader who has a thorough knowledge of the opening line and its variations. In the Cochrane Gambit, participants in the TVC match wwill understand the basic chess principles about active pieces, rapid piece development, importance of center pawns, and understand why Philidor (right) said pawns are the soul of chess.

Please join the Gambit Lines by pressing on the join this group selection on the bottonm right hand side of the Gambit Line's home page.

Gambit Lines would appreciate higher rated players, including titled players, to join us and be a Team Leader in one of our groups' thematic TVC games, partcularly in the following gambit lines:   

• Four Knight's Rubenstein
• Albin Countergambit
• Alekhine 4-Pawns Attack
• Anti-Benoni/Benko system
• Belgrade Gambit
• Benko Gambit
• Blackmar-Diemer gambit
• Blumenfeld Gambit
• Budapest Gambit
• Central Attack Philidor Defence 
• Chatard-Alekhine Attack 
• Cochrane Gambit 
• Damiano gambit
• Damiano variation
• Danish Gambit
• Dilworth variation
• English Defense gambit
• English Openings
• Evans Gambit
• Falkbeer Counter Gambit
• French - Alekhine Gambit
• Fried Liver Attack
• From's Gambit
• Gajewski Gambit
• Geller-Tolush Gambit
• Goring Gambit
• Grand Prix Attack
• Grünfeld Gambit
• Hennig-Schara Gambit
• Italian-Koltanowski gambit 
• Janisch Gambit Ruy Lopez
• Kamsky Gambit
• Kasparov gambit
• KID Sämisch variation
• King's Gambit
• Kotrc-Mieses Gambit
• Krejcik Gambit
• Latvian Gambit
• Lewis Gambit
• Max Lange Attack
• Milner-Barry Gambit
• Neo-Benko
• Panov Attack Caro-Kann defense
• Petroff's Defense
• Polugaevsky Gambit  
• Ponziani's Opening
• Riga Variation
• Scandinavian Gambit 
• Schliemann Defense Deferred
• Semi-Slav: Winawer variation
• Shilling Gambit 
• Sicilian Moscow variation
• Sicilian Nimzowitsch
• Siesta Variation
• Spielmann Gambit
• Staunton Gambit - Dutch defense 
• Taimanov/Flick-Knife Attack
• Tal Gambit
• Tartakower variation
• Torre Attack: Spassky Gammbit
• Traxler counter-attack
• Trompowsky Attack: Vaganian Gambit
• Two Knights Chigorin Gambit
• Two Knights Morphy Attack
• Urusov Gambit
• Vienna Gambit
• Vienna: Frankenstein-Dracula
• Vitolinsh Gambits'
• Wagner Gambit

I am now playing with Old School and Gambit Lines. I encourage my friends to join Old School and Gambit Lines where views from everyone are heard and where a member is also a leader. There are team captains who moderate discussions well. Every move is openly analyzed and questions are properly entertained. I will be happy to see my friends from all the groups that we meet at Old School and Gambit Lines and continue the fun in TVC.