Forum

The Scandinavian or Center Counter with 1 e4 d5 is one of the oldest asymmetric defenses in chess history, dating back to 1475. It became a theory backwater though for many years until it was revitalized and rechristened "the Scandinavian" due to it being adopted by Denmark's Bent Larsen, who defeated World Champion Anatoly Karpov with it. It is now extremely popular at club level, and particularly the line 1 e4 d5 2 exd5 Nf6, the so-called Marshall Gambit (or Scandinavian Gambit) after U.S. Champion Frank Marshall. And in our latest Gambit Lines TVC, we will show to the Philippines Finest how the "Sizzling Scandinavian" can be a potent weapon for Black. Follow the highlighted link and join us.

I played the Latvian Gambit in this game due to our current TVC against Team Serbia where we are playing this opening. I just finished this game and I want to share it with you. Find MATE IN THREE.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C Major, Op. 56, more commonly known as the Triple Concerto, was composed in 1803 and later published in 1804 under Breitkopf & Hartel. The choice of the three solo instruments effectively makes this a concerto for piano trio and the only concerto Beethoven ever wrote for more than one solo instrument. A typical performance takes approximately thirty-seven minutes. In the game below I played the Hippopotamus Defence against a player and a friend bearing the name of this famous classical tune. In our game, I exchanged my queen with Triple's three minor pieces while gaining positional advantage. The game was easy to play because Triple was not paying too much attention in the game as he was busy playing with his toddler. You may listen to the Beethoven - Triple Concert Barenboim by Yo-Yo Ma & Perlman while reading this blog and playing the games below. The Hippopotamus Defence is a name for various irregular chess opening systems in which Black moves a number of his pawns to the third rank, often developing his pieces to the second rank, and does not move any of his pawns to the fourth rank in the opening. Boris Spassky employed the same set-up, dubbed the "Hippopotamus" by commentators, in the 12th and 16th match games against World Champion Tigran Petrosian. Both games ended in draws. Spassky was likely inspired by the Slovak International Master Maximilian Ujtelky, who had been experimenting with similar openings for several years. Ujtelky's game as Black against Spassky at Sochi 1964, in which he played the same setup Spassky later adopted against Petrosian, is given below. Ujtelky played even more provocatively in some other games, such as against the very strong Soviet International Master Rashid Nezhmetdinov in the same tournament and won. Please see these games below.

Trompowsky Attack: Borg (MR. ROBOTO) Variation (A45) A chess.com friend, Jeff Burton or BURT65, likes to open in the Trompowsky. He just finished a game where he sac his queen for a mating attack. We are playing a friendly game where I am again in the attack mode. However I was so careless that I think I will end up prematurely losing a piece. We are still playing though. He sent me the following message: i had one of those rare games where i got to sack my Q and all moves were forced mate in 4 moves. how would i be able to show this game to other people, like not braggin' or anything. i just think its an awesome combo to win the game. go to it if you got time its against jmarshall, go through it for a sec and you'll see what i'm talkin about. It is a nice game indeed. Somewhat, Jeff is telling me to develop my pieces first like he did before launching an attack. In our current game, I already launched my attack while from my queenside only my knight is in the game. I am missing the services of my bishop and rook. I know I am in violation of those chess fundamentals. Jeff/Burt's game is shown below, a queen sac followed with a neat checkmate in the Trompowsky. Just a couple of days ago however, I was able to defend in an unorthodox manner against Burt65's Trompowsky Attack using the seldom heard Borg Variation. See both games below and be prepared playing against Jeff Burton with his Trompopwsky, or watch out for my Borg Variation if you are playing the Trompowsly against sollevy10. AND see below the Borg: Since we are already in the Borg Variation, let's spice up this blog with Mr. Roboto - Dennis Deyoung - HD. The music video is an apt representation of the present day chess technologies that make us enjoy this game more and make us play better chess. However, the technology we enjoy is not without its share of problems in our sports and in our society in general, and every online chess player knows what I am talking about. Comments: Delete by BURT65 - 4 hours ago Corbin,Ky United States Member Since: Mar 2009Member Points: 19 thx 4 posting these games "Dobo airy gotto Mr. Roboto" totally awesome song! Kilroy!

Queens Gambit Accepted ... I am trying to play into the trap line with Qf3. Most of my moves were correct in this game, I am proud of this. http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=46347015

These are two 13' + 3" games in which I used the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit. The Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.e4) is one of the most agressive gambits in the Queen Pawn openings. If accepted, my gameplan normally is the typical one when gambiting (that is, develop fast and agressively), and it involves castling queenside and placing your rooks on the e and d files.

We have new TVC games against the Celtic Cultures where will be playing both colors in a simultaneous game in the Traxler Counterattack. A third game on the Traxler has just started with the Power of Chess and they chose to only play black. The challenge offering them the white pieces was declined. The starting position is given below. The Traxler Counter-Attack (or Wilkes-Barre) in the tricky Two Knights Defense with 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 Bc5!? It's named after the Czech priest Karel Traxler, who first played a game in the line in 1890. However, it wasn't until Correspondence World champion Yakov Estrin wrote a famed book on the Two Knights some 80 years later that the main theory of the opening really developed. The idea is to ignore the early attack on f7 with the bold 4...Bc5!?. Is this a sound gambit? Let's find out.

This is me, playing the Falkbeer in a 1' bullet game:

A link to the post is here

Here is a game in the Smith Morra Gambit that I played on my old chess.com account. The game shows how black can be dangerous in the endgame ... my opponent missed a chance to win in the opening (my bishop gambit was a blunder) and then a chance to draw in the endgame with N+R vs R+R.

A shortcut to the Old School group THE OLD SCHOOL

Hi to everybody! I am glad I got invited by Sollevy. I like Gambits and I am a regular player of Cochrane, Morra and Evans for over 20 years. But I also like to play the other side in particular against Staunton and four knights defense systems. Last not least I often lose material early in the game 'cause I am not on top of the theory. In those cases I tell my self: "it's a gambit!" and that makes me feel at least better. Looking forward to exploring this group.

Hello Guys. We got another TVC Match challenge from The Unit and i was a little concerned about accepting as we have 3 matches ongoing and our team is only 29 Strong. How many TVC Matches would the regulars feel comfortable with ? I think 3 is reaching the max for a team of 29 BUT maybe some of you feel this is way too little a number ! How Many TVC Matches to have ongoing guys? Shall we accept and kick some butt !! lol

please join our current TVC games. Vote Chess Masters vs Gambit Lines Vote Chess Masters 30 2 French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit Vote Chess Assassins 18 1 Taimanov/Flick Knife Attack The Chess Dragons 19 1

The Gambit Lines has started a new TVC game against the Chess Dragons led by The_Chess_Ninja , Alan_Tudor , sjpdna , Teary_Oberon, __vxD_mAte. The Chess Dragons are playing the white pieces In this opening after refusing a challenge giving them the black pieces. Alan Tudor, the Dragon's No. 1 player said, "Yo whoever challenged the Chess Dragons to a Vote Chess game, I accepted it until I saw the opening started out with white having a big advantage. Challenge us with some line that is more even to start on. I will not accept a game where we are starting in a hole. Thanks." According to the Gambit Guide, Ben-Oni in the Bible is the name Rachel gives her son as she lays dying in childbirth. The term means “child of my sorrow” in Hebrew. Never has an opening in chess been more aptly associated with sorrow than the Benoni - especially against the Taimanov variation (or the so-called ‘Flick-Knife Attack', as Dave Norwood graphically describes it in his 1994 book) almost proving to be the death knell for the Benoni. After 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6 4 Nc3 exd5 5 cxd5 d6 6 e4 g6 7 f4 Bg7 8 Bb5+ and some wild gambit plays, sacrifices and all-out attack prove to be the order of the day in this aggressive line against the Benoni. Another TVC game in the Gambit Line's current games is in the Milner-Barry Gambit against the French Defence played by the Vote Chess Assassins manage by Alan_Tudor , KiNg_ChApO, MikeDoyle, thegab03, jbell3, darkharvest, and CaptainJimTKirk. The Milner-Barry Gambit (1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3) is very popular at club level, and one of the sharpest weapons for white against the French Defense. It was invented by legendary World War II Enigma Code breaker Sir Stuart Milner-Barry, who always liked to play with a sense of adventure. Milner-Barry Gambit is a potent weapon for white - and especially for players who like to play actively. Although I follow GM Alterman's weekly presentation in ICC called the Gambit Guide, I find his book, The Alterman Gambit Guide: White Gambits, a handy reference. The Alterman Gambit Guide: White GambitsBy Boris Alterman The Alterman Gambit Guide: White Gambits is an instructional manual for improving players. Sharpen your tactics and learn to play dynamic attacking chess while studying the most entertaining gambits. Lines covered include: Evans Gambit, Panov Attack, Morra Gambit, Philidor, Danish Gambit, Urusov Gambit, Morphy Attack, Cochrane Gambit, Max Lange Attack and Milner-Barry Gambit. Best instructional and repertoire book for beginner and intermediate players . ISBN:978-1-906552-53-4 – 440 pages

I have accepted a TVC challenge .We will be playing the White side of the Milner Barry Gambit in the French defense. Hope you can come and help as its a Gambit seen in practical play in OTB tournies at the 1600-2000 sort of level. http://www.chess.com/votechess/game.html?id=21256

Here is a CC game played here on chess.com in the Dracula gambit, I was using the white pieces and my opponent (who obviously had not seen the video) quickly collapsed after I played c3. My opponent also did not play 7...f5.

Our first TVC game will be on the Cochrane Gambit. I have issued a challenge against Chess Etiquette and 'Vote Chess Masters where we will be playing the white pieces. Once they accept the challenge, I'll issue another one with us playing the black pieces. 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.

Hey guys. Accepted a VCM challenge. Hope u don't mind as i know we are a small group but if u have troubles in playing i can give it a try for a while until others join. Its a well known Gambit by white which tends to end in a draw with correct play. So if ever u NEED a draw as white give it a try :) http://www.chess.com/votechess/game.html?id=21160

The Gambit Lines will open its Team Vote Chess (TVC) in the Cochrane Gambit against Vote Chess Masters, a group of 35 vote chess specialists with an average rating of 2045, and considered to be 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 botton 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