Win with the Halloween Gambit!!!

Is there a good resource to see how variations play out ... for example, the very smart GM knows hot to take advantage of various mistakes that black might make in their play.  But I don't have the foresight to appreciate on first glance these insights.  Is there a good source of why and how to play the "middle game" of this Halloween Gambit? 

The sacrifice on e5 in this gambit is a dangerous and attacking opening in bullet and blitz chess because black doesn't have time to think about it.

I've played this game in a decent level vote-chess match, and the black must be careful, the pitfalls are everywhere

Hi guys, 16 years ago I wrote a booklet about the Halloween Gambit and it is time now to make a revision of it. I still believe it is playable and  I am now collecting all possible "refutations". So please publish them if you know some.  

To start with, the "refutation" I met most on the forums is of Jan Pinski. Analysis shows he is not right :

Polish IM Jan Pinski claimed that the Halloween Gambit is refuted by these moves. He analyzed 9.Qxg7 Nxc3 10.Be3 Nd5+ 11.c3 Rf8 12.cxb4 Nxe3 13.fxe3 Qxb4+, concluding “Black is very close to winning”.

But with 9.Be3 White has a stronger move than 9.Qxg7 !

A)  9. .. O-O 10.Bd3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 (with a superior pawn structure for Black, but it is only temporary , Brause scored at 100 % by playing these moves) 11. .. Ba5 12.O-O Bb6 13.Qb4 Qxb4

(13...Re8 also possible, but this does not stop the exchange of Queens 14.Rae1 Qxb4 15.cxb4 Bxe3 16.Rxe3 Rxe3 17.cxb7 Bxb7 18.fxe3 )

14.cxb7 Bxb7 15.cxb4 ( the situation is equal )

B)  9...Nxc3!? may be a better alternative. We shall concentrate on 3 possibilities:

a) 10.bxc3 Bd6! 11.Qxg7 (11.cxb7?! Bxb7 12.Rb1 Be5 13.Qb4) 11...Be5- +;

b) 10.a3 Nd5+ 11.axb4 Nxe3 12.fxe3 dxc6 13.Qg7 Qxe3+ 14.Be2 Rf8 “ I don’t like White’s chances” Schiller ;

c) 10.Qxg7 ! Nd5+ 11.c3 Bxc3+ (11...Rf8!?) 12.bxc3 Rf8  13.cxd7+ Bxd7 14.Qg5 Qxg5 15.Bxg5 Nxc3 16.Bd3 Analysis Torrecillas-Schiller ]

C)  Black can also play 9. .. f5 but this also leads to equality : 9...f5 10.Bd3

a)10. .. Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 dxc6 12.O-O Be6 13.Rfe1 O-O 14.Bf4 Rfe8 15.Bxe4 fxe4 16.Rxe4)

b) 10. .. dxc6 11.Bxe4 fxe4 12.a3 Bd6 13.Qxe4 Be6 14.O-O-O O-O 15.Rhe1

c) 10. .. Bc5 ch leads to a draw in Torrecillas-Maciaga,HGT1, 2003,½-½(16) as well as in Wind- Torrecillas, HGT1, 2003,½-½(23). Both games continue 11.Qc4 Bxe3 12.Bxe4 Bxf2+ (12. ..Bb6? 13.0-0-0 fxe4 14.Rhe1 or 12. .. Bh6? 13.0-0 fxe4 14.Rfe1, both with strong attack) 13.Kxf2 fxe4

I was wondering Ohhhh that's the holloween gambit

https://youtube.com/c/Szachyb%C5%82yskawicznezKubkiem

Checkout my YT channel with more and more Halloween games 😉🎃🎃🎃🎃

Sansuk (2084) - Robertgold (1932), GK 11/3/2022

White does not have to play 7.Bc4, there is also the option 7.h4

Sansuk ( 2038) -  peteywheaty420 (1911), GK 19/03/2022

Why not ?  Because Black was not Stockfish. He is a human and can make mistakes if constantly being under pressure. I do agree the Halloween is unsound. But there are big practical chances for White because he gives the opponent the opportunity to go wrong again and again.

As long as I am playing chess, I could never beat an adversary 200 points higher than me. But when I discovered the Halloween I could, I even won a correspondence game against a FM who had 400 ELO more.  There is no other opening in which this had been possible.

I always loose the postmortem analyses but I often win the games. What is more important , finding the truth or winning ?

You have a ~24% expected score against a player rated 200 points above you. That's a mathematical fact, regardless of if you are playing the Halloween or not.

24 % score can be 48 % draws and 52 % losses.

With aggresive attacking play it can be 24 % wins and 76 % losses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZLISehYN_U&list=PLSqqqkIhZAIaRvdA9mj6rv3kr8dqrlEJD&ab_channel=Szachyb%C5%82yskawicznezKubkiem

My YT channel with Halloween playlists  check it out

This is a game between two computers , both rated more than 3000, on the Computer Chess Championship 2019

pfren ... maybe eat a snickers or just enjoy a novel opening for it's aggressiveness.  Sansuk is respectfully answering your questions and providing examples, yet your replies digress into something less. 

This should hold against the c6 line... Not the most dangerous line against the Halloween.

The complete analysis of your variation :  ( but 8. .. Bb4! is stronger than 8. .. Qb6)

A32. 9.Ne4!

a) 9. .. Ne7?! 10.c3! [10.Nd6+? keiserpaul-agropolis,GK,2003,0-1(40)]

10. .. c5 11.h4 cxd 12.Nd6+ Bxd6 13.exd+ Kf8 14.h5 Qxd6 15.hxg Qxg6 (“with a slight edge for White” analyse G. Giffen)

b) 9. .. Qxd4 10.c3 Qb6 [10...Qxe5? 11.f4 Nxf4 12.Bxf4 Qxf4 13.Nd6+ Kd8 14.Nxf7+ Kc7 15.g3 Qf6 16.Rf1+- ]

Now White has to choose between the logical Be3 and the aggressive f4.

b1) 11.Be3 !?

11. .. Qc7 12.f4 ?! gambitlover-dedantas, The Chess Knights,2005,0-1(45) . (12.Bd4!? Qb8 13.0-0)

11. .. Qa5 12.f4 “with excellent compensation” (Wind) e.g. 12. .. Nh6 13.b4 Qd8 14.0-0 Be7? 15.Nd6+

12.Nd6+ Bxd6 13.exd6 Kf8 14.0-0 b6 is slightly better for Black

b2) 11. f4 !

b21) 11. .. Qa5 12.0-0 b5 13.Nd6+ Bxd6 14.exd6+ Kf8 15.Bxf7 Kxf7 16.f5 Nf6 17.fxg6+ Kxg6 18.Rxf6+ gxf6 19.Qg4+ +-(Giffen)

b22) 11. .. Nh6 12.h4! c5!

[12...f5?? loosens the kingside too much according to an analysis of Glenn Giffen 13.Be3! Qa5 ( 13...Nxf4?? 14.Bxf4 fxe4 15.0-0-0+-) 14.b4 Qd8

(14...Qc7 15.Nd6+ Kd8 16.Rd1 b5±;)

(14...Qa3 15.Bc1 Qa4 16.Nd6+ Bxd6 17.exd6+ Kd8±)

15.Nd6+ Bxd6 16.exd6 Kf8 and White's attack should be strike home.]

[12... Be7 13.h5 Nh4 followed by 14.g3, g4 or f5 with complications (Wind)]

13.g4!? Be7 14.h5 d5 15.Nd6+ Bxd6 16.exd6+ Kf8 17.hxg6 Qxd6 18.f5 dxc4 19.Rxh6 Qg3+ 20.Kf1 fxg6 21.Be3 b6 22.Re1 Be6 23.Rh2 Bd5 24.Qf2 Qxf2+ 25.Rxf2 Unclear endgame, but White can hope for a draw.

13.h5! Ne7 14.Nd6+ Kd8 15.g4 Kc7 16.f5 (Analyse Giffen).

Thanks for proving my point.