Play the Rice Gambit

      I was recently looking at this gambit (1.e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Bc4 d5 7. exd5 Bd6) because I was curious to see if engines could suggest any improvements for white. I didn’t find any, but if you are interested in giving it a try, the result was this 8-page pdf pamphlet you can download here.      

      My conclusion is that if you’re interested in surprising an opponent in a club game or weekend tournament and want to lose some points, this opening is a good way to do it. Still, there are always a few adventurous souls who are willing to try anything.