Wing Gambit

I had recently read a historial article on the Wing Gambit by John Hurt, presented by Dwight Weaver of the Memphis Chess Club, called John Hurt - On a Wing and a Gambit.  I liked what I saw and thought I'd give the Wing Gambit in the Sicilian a try. I played a half dozen games without the benefit of any theory, just to try to get a feel for the opening. I must say that while I had mixed results, I could see the potential, but I also felt finding good continuums quite difficult, especially in blitz. The surprise factor seemed high, as all my opponents paused for a long time after I played b4.

The following game was played against an opponent rated approximately 100 pts above me.

I knew I should have put "cheating" in the thread title.

Well, I know you like trivia and stuff, did you know older books refer to this as the Keres Gambit?

Although I can't find a game where he actually played it :(

Nice win.  I think that many gambits are well worth playing in rapid/blitz games.

I don't like trivia.

I think they can work in standard games and CC games too, but they tend to be more complex in those cases. 

Takes what on a3 ??

Well, as I wrote, my games were played without the benefit of theory, and, as LisaV suggests, my idea for posting this is that the opening is a fun variation.  It's my feeling that chess, even if unsound, should be fun.

However, according to John Hurt who wrote the article that enticed me to try this opening: "The main line of the Sicilain "Wing Gambit" goes as follows:  1.e4 c5 2. b4 cb4 3. a3 d5 4. ed5 Qd5 5. Nf3 e5 6. ab4 Bb4  . . . . This gambit may be declined by Black on his second turn with 2. . . b6  or 2. . . d6  or 2. . . e6  or 2. . . Nf6  or 2. . . d5  or 2. . . e5, but none of these moves give White trouble."
I don't think a single one of his many examples suggest Black playing 3...bxa3.

"3...b6 actually seems slow and doesn't help Black develop but I guess it's not bad. Still it can't really help Black."

In the games I played over before attempting this opening, I never saw 3...b6.  I agree it doesn't seem to do anything much, and seems to retard his development.  My thought has always been is that the Sicilian is a fighting response more than a "Defense."  There seems nothing in 3...b6 that follows the "spirit" of the Sicilian.

But I'm not a Sicilaian player and, in fact, dislike playing against it for the most part (hence my exploration into alternative responses).

Well, the game isn't about getting what you want, but playing what you get. :-D

Where else does white gambit his b pawn?  Capt. Evans' Gambit, of course.  It can be with powerful effect too, though, like most openings, not quite as strong the higher the skill level, but still leads to fun games.

Black's best reply against the Wing Gambit is an early ...d5.  The Kere's Gambit is only played after Black has played ...d6, so that Black will lose a tempo getting in the thematic ...d5.

The idea of gambiting the b - pawn in order to build a strong center is an intriguing one, but I've never seen this opening used successfully in casual play. Anecdotal evidence to be sure, but on the rare occasions that I've faced it I've been able to beat it without the benefit of having studied the opening.

Not good against the Sicilian, great against the French.

Some interesting stats on the Sicilian Wing Gambit (take stats for what they're worth)

I went to 3 databases: chess.com, chessgames.com and Chesslab

W=wins for white; B=ins for Black; D=Draws

Chess.com
W 34.2% 
D 18.3%
B 47.6%

Chessgames.com
W 44.3%
D 16.8%
B 38.9%

Chesslab (pre-1991)
W 47%
D  15%
B  38%
Chesslab (1991-present)
W  32%
D  21%
B  47%

Clearly, the wing gambit had better results years ago, but today it results are pretty dismal.  (chessgames.com contains a greater number of historic games, so I would guess that's why White's results seem better there.  Chesslab breaks things down a bit, with White looking far better in the older games)

The oldest wing gambit I could find was this 1620 game of Greco

The above game came from a 1933 10-board simul played at Surabaya Indonesia during his second tour there. Six of the boards were played in consultation and the Surber game was the only loss. Two games ended in draws and Alekhine won the other 7.