10 craziest gambits
1. Cochrane gambit
This piece sacrifice in one of the main variations of the Russian game was proposed by the 19th century Scottish master John Cochran. The main idea of the gambit is to get ahead of the opponent in development by sacrificing a knight for two pawns and, taking advantage of the unreliable position of the king, to get chances for an attack. The modern theory considers the gambit to be dubious and this gambit practically does not occur in the tournament practice of grandmasters.
By itself, this gambit is considered dubious for White. However, Black must play carefully.
Otherwise, you can easily run into big trouble.
2. Jerome gambit
The opening is named after the American chess fan Alonzo Jerome (1834-1902), who published an analysis of this beginning in the Dubuque Chess Journal in April 1874. It is rare in modern chess practice. White sacrifices a piece for one or two pawns in the hope of further exploiting the unsecured position of Black's king. Today, the gambit is known primarily due to the efforts of the American amateur R. Kennedy, who maintains a blog dedicated to this gambit: http://jeromegambit.blogspot.ru/
3. Polerio- Muzio gambit
This variant was mentioned in the manuscript of the 16th-17th century Italian chess player J.C. Polerio. However, in the writings of Polerio, the move was discovered only in 1894 [3]. The debut was introduced into widespread practice around 1800 by Verdoni and his student J.G. Sarrat. Due to incorrect information from JG Sarrat, a certain Muzio began to be considered the inventor of the opening [4]. In the Muzio gambit, for the sake of the quickest development of the attack, White makes an additional sacrifice of the king's knight after the already committed sacrifice of the f-pawn. The 1988 Royal Gambit monograph notes castling, leaving the knight under attack, as the strongest continuation from the position that has arisen.
As a controversial continuation, White can also sacrifice the bishop by playing C: f7 + !? double gambit Muzio. The theory of the variation is not sufficiently developed, but practice convincingly testifies in favor of this move for White.
4. Halloween gambit
Gambit occurs in the game of the German philosopher and chess player Karl Theodor Goering (one of the initiators of the creation of the German Chess Union, 1841-1879) in 1873. In 1877 he was mentioned in the German chess magazine "Deutsche Schachzeitung", and in 1888 - in the manual "Führer durch die Schachtheorie" by Oskar Kordel (German) Russian. (1843-1913). The author said that the players of the Leipzig Chess Club use such an opening in their games, and recommended calling this opening the "Leipzig Gambit"
At that time, however, it bore a different name - "The Müller-Schulze Gambit". This double name does not refer to real-life chess players, but symbolizes the popularity of such an opening among amateur chess players (the playful German equivalent of English common surnames - "Smith and Jones", or names - "Tom, Dick, and Harry"). In 1916, the gambit was featured in the eighth edition of the theoretical debut handbook, Handbuch des Schachspiels, founded by P.R. von Bilger. The book notes the widespread occurrence of the gambit, but the unsatisfactory nature of the opportunities it provides for the white pieces. Grandmaster, world champion Max Euwe criticized the gambit and considered it unpromising for White [5].
The Halloween gambit is currently regarded as an aggressive opening, when White, at the cost of sacrificing a minor piece, tries to capture the center with pawns by pushing back the black knights. Despite White's control of the center, their compensation for the material is insufficient. If Black plays the gambit correctly, then he should get a good game. Usually the gambit is recommended for those chess players who like to experiment with different openings in order to be able to take their opponents by surprise. It is not recommended to play this gambit in a competitive environment, but against the average chess player or in blitz it can help to achieve victory [17].
5. Irish gambit
White's pawns occupy the center, but a knight sacrifice for a pawn is a very high price. Accordingly, the gambit is considered insolvent and almost never occurs in a high-level game. It is often referred to as the Chicago Gambit, possibly because Harold Meyer Phillips used it in an 1899 simul in Chicago to defeat Harry Nelson Pillsbury, one of the world's strongest players at the time. [1]
The following historical anecdote is told about the anonymous creator of the gambit. On his deathbed, when he was asked what kind of subtle idea was behind his gambit, the dying man's last words were: “I did not notice that the king's pawn was protected” [2].
6. Nakhmanson gambit
This is one of those gambits where black needs to know what to do. Otherwise White can win an easy and beautiful victory with a direct attack. Many side gambits start from this position, but we consider Nachmanson's gambit the most aggressive and beautiful.
Having sacrificed two central pawns, White also offers a knight. Aren't chess gambits impressive?
White, without wasting time, opens a position and puts all his pieces into play, no matter what. In practice, it is very difficult for Black to deal with this position; even strong grandmasters can easily fall victim to.
7. Four pieces gambit
Idea of this gambit get ahead of the opponent in development and bring the opponent's king to the center, where he can be attacked with pieces.
The gambit is considered incorrect, but Black is required to find the right moves to defend. Suitable for blitz and bullets, so you can quickly confuse your opponent
8. Frankenstein- Dracula variation
The idea of this gambit is, at the cost of an exchange sacrifice (the knight is more likely to be lost in the corner of the board) to get a powerful center and good development of the pieces. However, correct play is required on both sides. Because if White hesitates to develop, then Black can get a decisive advantage after playing the knight on a8. And Black also needs to be careful, after all, an extra quality can affect. You can use this variation in a game with any control. It is double edged, will work for both whites and blacks
9. Spanish gambit (my new weapon)
The idea behind this temporary knight sacrifice is to keep the opponent in the center and try to use the unfortunate position of the black knights on the e-file. Also gain a tempo by playing the knight after Re1. However, after this knight sacrifice, Black is better off completing the development, not wasting time defending the e4 knight.
If Black plays accurately, he gets a good position, so it is not recommended to play this in very long controls, because the opponent will be able to understand all the insidiousness of this gambit.
10. Cat gambit (my new variation on Blackburn-Shilling gambit)
The point of this variant sacrificing a piece for two pawns, as a result of which White gains time on retreating black pieces and also gets an excellent center and active pieces. But the option would be more risky if Black retreats to d8, then it will be very difficult for White to develop the initiative. But they will receive compensation for the figure. A very experimental gambit, in practice it is extremely rare for me.
Suitable for any controls. Play carefully, otherwise White will get a comfortable position.
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Until next time!