King's Gambit A Challenge From Ponz

@ponz111, re: #252 ... Why do you think Black is better?

I think you mean the game vs RR8MMM.  Just watch and you will soon see Black is a little better.  This is all I can discuss right now.

Just won the game vs dzikus.  I think my last  move gave him problems and he lost on time? 

Results so far    I have won 4 games out of the 9 with 5 games still fighting on.  I think the game with Luft Waffles will be over soon and it will be a draw.

What does this mean so far? We have found some lines which give Black problems and I will elaborate later. 

I won the game vs Archer Knight. These are my results so far

Wins over

Michael Porcelli

RRM888

Mainline_Novelty

dzikus

Archer Knight

5 wins  However the game vs Luft Waffles will soon be a draw

This leaves 3 games still being contested with

ro1-g11   [looks drawish but I have very slight advantage]

RRM888   [I have some advantage]

Chess King Dreamer   [only on the 11th move, I have very slight advantage]

What have we learned so far?

This line was played by dzikus  1. e4  e5 2. f4  exf4  3. Bc4 The book by John Snow claims 3. Bc4 is refuted.  Not sure what he means by "refuted"

However I did get a slight advantage and the game got complicated and I won though he could easily have played many more moves as winning would have been problematic for me.

Here is the most important theory we have learned.  After

1. e4  e5  2. f4  exf4  3. Nf3  g5!  should be played. Do not play the Fischer Defense as there are drawing lines for Black.

Here is something else we learned. The very excellent book by John Snow devotes several chapters and 136 pages to this main line variation:

1. e4  e5  2. f4  exf4  3. Nf3 g4  4. h4  g4 Black manages to get an even game in many cases.  However there is only one line Black needs to know and that is the follow up with 5. Ne5  Qe7!   With 5. ...Qe7 Black gets a very small advantage.  But this is better than the equal positions in the other 136 pages.  Several games in this experiment started with this line.

I will give the recently complete game  vs Archer Knight as an example of this line...

Archer Knight  vs ponz111

Here is the game Michael Porcelli vs ponz111  He avoided some of the mainline theory.  He played very fast and thus this was the first game completed...

My apologies, I did not notice the "game to date" line which indicated the game was still in progress.

I would be interested in a challenge game, at a time of your choosing, to explore the 5...Qe7 line.

Steve  thank you  but I have had enough playing the black side of the Kings Gambit  9 games is enough and 4 were in the 5. ...Qe7 line

ponz111 How to defend against the Kings Gambit Lesson for Today

Follow up on "lesson"

maybe white should try Bc4 instead of h4

What about 2 f4d5?

ahhh but Over the board its hard to prove, but yes in this day of engines every romantic style opening looses... and 4 Bg7 is of course the best reply... not even bothering with the Muzio, and what now, white develops the b1 knight, and yeah seems loosing to me /s but what do I know... I'm just a guy who likes the art in chess as opposed to the scientific side of the game.

White must try to make this work then 

I would slightly dissagree with the line you posted Arkhimeedes, after Ne5 in you subvariation, d6 works well as it takes the g4 square from the white queen regardless, puts the knight to question, and offers a slight advantage to black as now Qh4+is possible.

Actually 5..Nc6! is the best BUT my idea wasn't to show the best play in that variation just show that the tempting g4, followed by Qh4 just after it is wrong. Even 5..h5 can be played in oder of defending the pawn.   

1. e4  e5  2. f4  d5 does not give Black any advantage.  It is ok but just gives an equal game.

Best thing is to refute the Muzio, which is not hard.