The gambit is considered unsound and Israeli GM Boris Avrukh wrote that to him it was the worst possible reply to 1.d4.
Most agree which is why it's only occasionally seen even in amateur games although the Swiss Master Heni Grob sometimes played it using the 3...Qe7 line. But, then Grob also played the Grob Attack, 1.g4.
After 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 black has numerous ways to continue:
* 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 d6
Black offers to exchange his d-Pawn for white's e-Pawn. The idea is that if white plays 3.exd6 then 3...Bxd6 gives black a lead in development as compensation. This sounds like a pretty weak argument. This line is known as the Charlick Gambit after Henry Charlick (1845–1916) who introduced the 2...d6 line in the early 1890s. It is also sometimes called Blackburne–Hartlaub Gambit
* 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6
If 3.Nf3 black can go after the white P on e5 with 3...Qe7, intending to meet 4.Bf4 with the 4...Qb4+. In that case, the only way white can maintain the extra P on e4 is to expose his Q with 4.Qd5 where it can prove to be awkwardly placed.
* 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 f6
The Soller Gambit. White can play either 4.exf6 or return the P (as recommended by IM Gary Lane) with 4.e4
* 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5
The Felbecker Gambit, intending to follow up with ...f6, with similar play to the Blackmar–Diemer Gambit except that black is a tempo behind.
* 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3
The Zilbermets Gambit. Black intends 4...Ng6 in an effort to regain the P, but this requires extra time.
* 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7
This the Main Line today which has considerable analysis available.
Because the gambit is considered unsound that means with careful play white should be able to obtain a significant advantage.
However, white may prefer to decline the gambit and in that case he can play 2.e4 transposing to the ancient Center Game which was abandoned by 1900 because no advantage could be demonstrated for White.
White can also play 2.c3 transposing to the rare Saragossa Opening. The Saragossa is likely to transpose into many solid systems, including a reversed Caro-Kann, a Slav Defense with an extra tempo for white, or the Exchange Variation of the QGD.
Or, white can decline the gambit with 2.d4, but then black gets a satisfactory game with 2...Bc5.
White can play 2.e3 when after 2...exd4 3.exd4 d5 the opening has transposed into the Exchange Variation of the French Defense..
Lastly, 2.c4 d6 results in what is known as the Rat Defense.
The following miniature played by Charlick back in 1894 is good for a chuckle.
Henry W. Apperly–Henry Charlick0–1A40Adelaide-Unley matchAdelaide AUS10.12.1894Stockfish 15
Englund Gambit 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 d6 The Blackburne–Hartlaub Gambit.
Everybody knows who Blackburne was, but Hartlaub was Carl Hartlaub (1869-1929),
a lawyer from Bremen, Germany. Emanuel Lasker called him a player of
extraordinary imagination. In more modern time GM Robert Huebner said he had a
"fine sense for early, rapid and surprising attacks." 3.f4 c6 4.exd6 f6 5.c1 What was white thinking? There was no reason to retreat the B. 5.c1 This is white's best move. After xd6 6.xd6 xd6 7.d2 White is a clear
P up and black has no compensation. 5.e3 is met by xb2 6.d2 xd6 7.xd6 cxd6 8.b1 and white has no more than equality. 5...xd6 6.c3
White's play is incredibly passive. f5 7.e3 Apparently white never heard
of the term development. Obviously he should play 7.Nf3 compelling black to
deal with the coming Bg5 attacking his Q. 7.f3 e7 7...h6 8.g3 and
white has a reasonably good, if passive, position. 8.g5 f6 9.e3 The
position is equal, black's P minus being compensated for as a result of his
lead in development and white's cramped position. 7...0-0-0
8.d2 g6 9.h3 One passive move too many. Now
black gets a clear advantage. Correct was 9.Ngf3 f6 Way back I read a book
on the middlegame by Znosko-Borovsky in which he broke the middlegame down in
to Space, Time and Force. Here black has a huge advantage in space and he has
six pieces in play compared to white's one. This seems like a lot more
compensation than Komodo 14's 3/4 of a P in black's favor. Stockfish 15's
evaluation of a little over 3 Ps seems more appropriate. 10.gf3 he8 11.a4 White is lost no matter what he plays, but this only makes matters worse, if
that's possible. 11.h4 was relatively best, but black has a nifty answer. xe3+ 12.e2 12.fxe3 g3+ 13.e2 d3+ 14.f3 e5# 12...h5 13.xf5 xf5 14.fxe3 14.c4 xc3 15.bxc3 c5 wins the Q 14...g3# 11...c2 12.b3 e4 13.h4 This allows a truly stunning finish. g3 Let's not
quibble over the fact that Stockfish points out a mate in 23 moves after 13...
Bg3 14.fxg3 Why not allow the mate? 14.xe4 avoids the mate. xe4 15.f3 g6 and white is totally without hope, 14...xg3+ 15.e2 d1#
A fun little game. 0–1
No comments:
Post a Comment