Play the Urusov Gambit!

 

    The Bishop’s Opening (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4) is rarely played these days and if it is the opening often transposes into the Giuoco Piano, King’s Gambit or the Vienna Gane, but there is another possibility that most opponents won’t be prepared for...the old Urusiv Gambit (3.d4!). It’s named after Russian Prince Sergey Semyonovich Urusov (1827–1897). 

    What’s more, it’s easy for black to go wrong if he is not familiar with it! You can watch a Youtube video on it HERE. 

    White’s play in the following miniature is a perfect example of the dangers black faces. White is the forner Soviet, now Israeli, GM Boris Avrukh (born 1978). He was the World Under-12 champion in 1990. Black is the Moldovan-French WGM Almira Skripchenko (born1976), She won the European Women's Individual Championship in 2001 and is a seven-time French Women's Champion. 

 

[Event "Linares Anibal Open"] [Site "Linares"] [Date "2001.01.11"] [Round "?"] [White "Boris Avrukh"] [Black "Almira Skripchenko"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C24"] [WhiteElo "2625"] [BlackElo "2440"] [Annotator "Stockdish 17"] [PlyCount "41"] [EventDate "2001.01.08"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "ESP"] [SourceTitle "CBM 081"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2001.03.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam " C.A. EBANO"] [BlackTeam " C.A. EBANO"] {C24: Urusov Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 {The usual response.} (3... Nxe4 {is not recommended.} 4. dxe5 {Black has played a number of different moves here, but most often seen is} Ng5 5. f4 Ne6 6. Nf3 {and white is better.} ) (3... Nxe4 4. dxe5 Nxf2 {This is completely unsound, but it has been tried.} 5. Qd5 (5. Kxf2 Qh4+ {with what should be a winning advantage.}) 5... Qe7 6. Kxf2 Qc5+ 7. Be3 Qxd5 8. Bxd5 {White gas a winning position. Chulis,A (2172) -Kanzlirsch,A Vienna 2003}) 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qxd4 Nf6 {Technically this position is evaluated as equal as black has no weaknesses, but white's huge lead in development must account for something.} 6. Nc3 (6. Bg5 {is not as good as it looks., After} Nc6 7. Qe3+ Qe7 8. Bxf6 gxf6 9. Nc3 Qxe3+ 10. fxe3 Bb4 {Black is slightl better.}) (6. Bg5 Be7 {This looks logical and is the move most often played. After} 7. Nc3 {Black has 7...Nc6, 7...c6 and 7...O-O, all reasonable moves.}) 6... c6 7. Bg5 d5 8. O-O-O {[%mdl 2048]} Be7 9. Qh4 Nbd7 10. Rhe1 {Black has made no errors and her position of free from weaknesses, but white is ready to undertake action against black's K. Black's best move is probably 10...O-O} dxc4 (10... Kf8 {This odd move was played in Kreiman,B (2400) -Shirazi,K (2435) New York and it's not likely to be repeated.} 11. Bxd5 cxd5 12. Rxe7 Qxe7 13. Nxd5 Qe4 14. Bf4 h6 15. Bd6+ {and white went on to win.} ) 11. Bxf6 {This leaves lack's K-side is in shambles.} gxf6 12. Ne4 {[%mdl 32]} O-O 13. Ng3 {[%mdl 1024]} Kh8 {This loses quickly. Her position was difficult, but gar from hopeless after 13...Re8} (13... Re8 14. Qe4 f5 15. Qxf5 c3 16. Nh5 Nf8 17. Qe5 Bg5+ 18. Qxg5+ Qxg5+ 19. Nxg5 cxb2+ 20. Kxb2 Rxe1 21. Rxe1 Be6 { Black has survived the attack and white is better, but his advantage is not a winning one,}) 14. Nf5 Bc5 15. Qh5 (15. Re4 {at once was also good.} Rg8 16. Nh6 Rg7 17. Ne5 Qf8 18. Nxd7 Bxd7 19. Rxd7 {and white is winning.}) 15... c3 16. Re4 Qb6 17. b3 {White wants to mate with Rh4.} Rg8 (17... Bxf2 18. Qh6 $18 Rg8 19. Rxd7 Bxd7 20. Qxf6+ Rg7 21. Qxg7#) (17... Qa5 18. Ra4 Ba3+ 19. Kb1 Qc7 20. Rh4 {nates}) 18. Qxf7 Qa5 {After this white has a mate, but her position was hopelessly lost no matter what she played.} 19. Rxd7 Ba3+ 20. Kb1 Qxf5 { White is clearly winning, but he has a mate in 5 with the following problem-like move.} 21. Re8 {[%mdl 512] Black resigned.} (21. Re8 Bf8 22. Rxf8 Qg6 23. Rxg8+ Qxg8 24. Qxf6+ Qg7 25. Qxg7#) 1-0