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Winning With The

King's Gambit
Volume One



GM Andrew Soltis
I
WINNING WITH
THE
KING'S GAMBIT

Volume One
ACCEPTED

GM Andrew Soltis

Chess Digest, Inc.


Copyright @1992 Andrew Soltis

All rights reserved under Pan American and International


Copyright conventions.

ISBN: 0-87568-212-X

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a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means:
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from the publisher.

AUTHOR: Andrew Soltis


EDITORS: Ken Smith & Parley Long
COMPUTER TYPESETTING: Parley Long
COVER: Elaine Smith
PROOFREADER: Roy DeVault
FINAL PREPARATION & DIAGRAMS: Parley Long


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3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Attitudes 5
The Multi-faceted K.G.A. 17

CHAPTER ONE .

The Modern (3 ... d5) Defense 26


1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf 3 N3, d5

CHAPTER TWO

Bobby Fischer's "Bust" (3 ... d6) 49


1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf 3 N3, d6

CHAPTER THREE

The Ancient 3 . . .g5 75


1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf 3 N3, g5

CHAPTER FOUR

Albert Becker's 3 ... h6 Finesses 93


1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf 3 N3, h6

CHAPTER FIVE

Max Euwe's Defense (3 . . . Be7) 100


1 e4, e5 2 4, exf 3 N3, Be7
4 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

CHAPTER SIX

Emil Schallop's 3 . . . Nf6 118


1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf 3 Nf3 , Nf6

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Variation Without A Name (3 . . . Nc6) 13 1


1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf 3 Nf3 , Nc6

CHAPTER EIGHT

Other Variations 140

.. " Scientific che$s, ches of SeTi tY lleV(!I; was and


. never call be chess for spirli.s that soti r f There ik a :noble,

fMnilhbc oJ>ehliig tht ttue gambit the I<:lli g's Qa.tnhi,.li if.
hoped ir Will fire your ritind With nothing less thar{ihat kfrid of
love which, in oUl" often sitd; materi3.listiC world. oflodafJs
Often toy . absent. Quite unique among chess opertilig. th
. Kfug's Gambit is especiruJY apt for<ta}ent, for genius for
.. heroisnL" . .. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .
Tony d'}t(l.Sier;t;(I9041977)

5

INTRODUCTION

ATIITUDES

The King's Gambit has enjoyed a strange reputation over


the years among grandmasters and amateurs alike. We prefer to
think that the gambit is frivolous, obsolete, and shot full of
analytical holes. But we also don't want to be playing Black after
l e4, e5 2 f4 and have to defend against it.

An illustration of this curious attitude:

Back in 1914, a casino was opened in Baden bei Vienna,


and the owners decided to do what casino operators had been
doing since the turn of the century: sponsor a chess tournament
as a means of promoting business. The operators asked the
respected chess editor Georg Marco to run matters and he
decided that it should be a gambit tournament, in which every
game began with White offering some king side gambit.

Marco's plan idea was to revive the 19th century gambit


spirit, which seemed to be dying out as more and more games
began with l d4, d5 after 1900. Under Marco's rules, players in
the tournament could choose King's, Evans', Danish, Scotch or
Two Knights Defense gambit lines. The players he chose to invite
included true gambiteers such as Rudolph Spielman. But they
were outnumbered by youngsters who would be considered
Hypermoderns - Richard Reti, Gyula Breyer and Savielly
Tartakower.

It turned out that White elected to offer the King's Gambit


in 20 of the 90 games played at Baden. But despite the "poor"
reputation of the 3 Nf3 version of the gambit accepted, Black
tried to avoid it. That particular gambit occurred only three times,
6 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

with Black losing twice and winning once on a gross blunder. And
when players decided to decline the gambit, Black won once,
drew six times - and lost eight times.

Perhaps the Baden masters were influenced by what


happened in the first round:

Reti-Nyholm, Baden bei Vienna 1914:

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 Nf6

4 Nc3

Nowadays we prefer to challenge Black's third move with


4 e5!. The modest text moves permits Black to transpose into a
position usually reached by 3 Nf3, d5 4 exd5, Nf6 5 Nc3.

4 d5
5 exd5 Nxd5
6 Nxd5 Qxd5
Introduction 7

7 d4 Bd6
8 c4 Qe6 ch

9 K2!

A common idea in the King's Gambit Accepted. White


clears the e-file for exploitation by his king rook. His king is quite
safe as long as the f2-c5 diagonal remains obstructed. The king
move to f2 would have been even stronger after the other queen
checks, e.g. 8 Qe4 ch 9 Kf2!, BfS 10 c5!, Be7 II Bb5 ch!, c6
...

12 Bc4 and with 13 Rei coming up White has an excellent


game.

A basic rule of the gambit is that if White can grab the


pawn at f4, Black will tum out to be the gambiteer - and will
have insufficient compensation. After 8 . . Qe6 ch 9 Kf2 White
.

threatens 10 c5 and II Bxf4. Routine play by Black to protect


f4, such as 9 . Qf6 10 c5, Be7 II Qd2!, g5 will allow 12 b4!
..

and 13 Bb2 with tremendous play for White's bishops, and


eventually his rooks.

9 c5
B WINNING WITII TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

10 Bd3 Qh6
11 Rei ch KfB
12 Qe2 Bd7
13 b4!

Typical of the spirit of a modern King's Gambit. White


fights for the center even at the cost of a queen side pawn
(13...cxb4 14 c5).

13 b6
14 Be4?

This appears to win outright (15 b5 coming up) but it has


a serious tactical flaw. With 14 dxc5! and 15 b5 White would
have a queen side bind and a huge advantage.

14 Nc6!
15 b5?! Nxd4
16 Nxd4 Re8!

Again, a move consistent with the themes of the gambit


accepted. Black brings his rook to safety and prepares to exploit
Introduction 9

the e-file pin.

17 Nf3 f5
18 Bd5! Rxe2 ch
19 Rxe2

White made a fine queen sacrifice that avoids getting the


worst of it. Now 19 ... g5 20 Bb2, Rg8! is probably best, with
roughly equal chances.

19 Be7
20 Bb2 Bf6
21 Be5! g5
22 Rae1 Bxe5
23 Nxe5 Qh4 ch
24 Kg1 Be8
25 Nf3 Qh5

White can wipe out his material deficit with 26 Rxe8 ch,
but he has much better.

26 Nxg5! Kg7
27 Re7 ch Kh6
28 Bf7!!

(See diagram, next page.)

A wonderful stroke. Black must surrender the queen since


28 . . . Bxf7 fails to the knight fork, and 28. . . Qxg5 allows 29 R1e6
ch, Kg7 30 Bh5 ch, Kg8 31 Rxe8 ch, Kg7 32 R8e7 ch, Kg8 33
Bf3 and wins with ensuing rook checks.

28 Kxg5
29 Bxh5 Bxh5
30 Rxa7 f3
l0 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

(Position after 28 Bp!!)

31 R1e7 fxg2
32 Kxg2 h6
33 Kg3 4 ch
34 K2 Rd8
35 Rad7 Ra8
36 ReS ch Kh4!

Black isn't ready for burial. On 3 7 Rxh6 he has his own


serious of checks beginning with 3 7 .. Rxa2 ch.
.

37 Rd2 Ra4
38 Re6 Rxc4
39 Rxb6 Rb4

And here 40 Rd5, Rb2 ch! would again approach a draw.

(See diagram, next page.)

40 Rxh6! c4
41 a3! Rb3
42 Rc6 R3 ch
43 Kg2 Rxa3
Introduction 11

(Position after 39 Rb4)


44 Rxc4 Black Forfeits 1-0

Nevertheless, opening theory was changing and Marco's


experiment was something of a flop. Even though the best players
in the world had been using the K.G.A. for more than a century,
the gambit was largely forgotten after 1 920. Official theory
concluded it was "speculative" or "quaint" - words that hinted
at dubiousness without exactly saying so. No one had found a
refutation of the gambit, but like so many openings it fell from
favor as a matter of fashion.

It was not until two Russians, David Bronstein and Boris


Spassky, began playing the gambit in the 1 950s that the K.G.A.
regained respectability. Here the two men most responsible for
the gambit's rehabilitation slug it out in one of the strongest of the
Soviet Championships.

Spassky-Bronstein, U.S.S.R. Championship, Leningrad


1 960
1 e4 e5
2 4 ex4
12 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMDIT ACCEPTED

In his notes to this game, Spassky raised "the natural


question: Why is the King's Gambit so rarely seen these days?"
His answer was that few modern players were comfortable with
the pace and clarity of the opening, and preferred the muddy
maneuvering of the Ruy Lopez. And since defensive skill had
improved so much in this century, it was believed that it was very
difficult to successfully conduct a King's Gambit attack.
"But it seems to me," Spassky added, "that in the King's
Gambit Black must play very exactly in order to equalize."

3 N3 d5
4 exd5

4 Bd6

Bronstein, with the white pieces, had lost a celebrated


game to world champion Mikhail Botvinnik in 1 952 that contin
ued with the modern 4 . . . Nf6. In that line Black is usually willing
to exchange off his f4 pawn for the new White pawn at d5 . But
in this game Black chooses the other main strategy: He decides
to make it difficult for White to regain the f4-pawn, by protecting
it with a knight and bishop.
Introduction 13

This choice is risky because i t creates the possibility of an


avalanche of White center pawns with d2-d4 and later c2-c4-c5!.
But Spassky prefers a more dynamic policy, using minor pieces
rather than the battering ram c-pawn.

5 Nc3 Ne7
6 d4 0-0
7 Bd3 Nd7
8 0-0 h6

Black takes time out to avoid Ng5, e.g. 8 0-0 9 Ng5!,


...

Ng6 10 Qh5 or 9 . h6 10 Nge4 and White stands well. Now it


..

WhiLe wants to put a knight on e4 it will temporarily cost him a


pawn.

9 Ne4! Nxd5
10 c4 Ne3
11 Bxe3 fxe3

12 c5 !

Another characteristic series of moves. Black is willing to


14 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

give back the f-pawn in return for creating dark-squares weak


nesses. But White gains space and directs his attention towards
f7 and h7.

12 Be7
13 Bc2! ReB
14 Qd3 e2

With this move Black tries to give back the extra pawn to
break White's stride ( 1 5 Qxe2, N8 and ... Bf5, or 1 5 Rf2, N8).
Spassky now makes a remarkable sacrifice whose main line runs
ten moves long and leads to complex but approximately even
chances.

15 Nd6! Nm
16 Nx7!

This second sacrificial offer would have been made


against 1 5 ... Nf6 also. What, you might wonder, would have
happened if Black accepted the initial sack? The most difficult
line for White would have been 1 5 ... Bxd6! (clearing e7 for the
king's escape) 16 cxd6, exfl (Q) ch 17 Rxfl , cxd6 18 Qh7 ch,
Introduction 15

Kf8 19 Qh8 ch, Ke7 20 Rei ch, Ne5 21 Qxg7 and now
2l. .. Rg8 22 Qxh6, Qb6 23 Khl, Be6! 24 dxe5, d5 and now
with 25 Ba4 White has good compensation in return for his slight
(Exchange for pawn) material deficit.

16 exfl (Q) ch
17 Rxfl Bf5

In order to neutralize the c2-h7 diagonal, Black returns


his booty, White will again end up with compensation for the
Exchange, but this time it is too great.

The pretty way to end the game would have been


17 Kxf7 18 Ne5 ch, Kg8 19 Qh7 ch, Nxh7 20 Bb3 ch and
...

Ng6 mate. Who says brilliant K.G.A.s can't be played by modern


grandmasters?

18 Qxf5 Qd7
19 Qf4 Bf6
20 N3e5 Qe7
21 Bb3 Bxe5
16 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

This is one of the most widely seen chess positions ever,


having been witnessed by millions of people - when it was used
as the finish to a game won by the evil Soviet spy master "Kronst
ein" in the 1964 James Bond movie From Russia With Love.

22 Nxe5 ch Kh7
23 Qe4 ch! Black Resigns 1-0

After 24 Rxf8! Black will not be able to seriously


continue.

What both Bronstein and Spassky had discovered was the


rich positional depth of the gambit. When Black plays 2 ...exf4 he
is making a slight but significant surrender of the center. That
surrender may not seem much but over the years experience has
shown that if White regains the sacrificed pawn, usually by Bxf4
after his d-pawn advances, then he should have some superiority.

Thus, modern theory, or for that matter, opening theory


in general since 1900 was based on the assumption that Black
must either retain the extra pawn (with a chain of fellow pawns at
g5 and h6 or with a knight at h5) or force some enemy conces
sions in the center. We will consider the pawn-chain in three
forms, 3 .
. . g5, 3 . . .h6 and 3 . d6, as well as the transpositional
..

3 . .. Nc6. The modern alternatives, such as 3 . ..d5 or the delayed


versions, 3 . ..Be7 and 3 . ..Ne7, are considered in three other
chapters.
Introduction 17

THE MULTI-FACETED K.G.A.

In many, if not most, openings a player will enjoy, by the


fifth move, a fairly good idea of what the near future offers him.
He will probably know, for example, whether by move 20 the
position will be tactical or positional, whether the center will be
open or closed, and perhaps he'll known exactly what the pawn
structure will be. Not so, in the K.G.A.

After 2 exf4 White may be called upon to conduct


...

several diffe rent types of positions. They vary considerably -


from endgame to slashing attack. For example:

Stoltz-Saemisch, Swinemunde 1932

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 N3 g5
4 h4

We will be recommending a diffe rent policy for White


18 WINNING wrrn THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

when faced with 3 ...g5. This game is well worth studying,


however, because it was one of the first modern grandmaster
games to illustrate the advantage to White of reaching an early
endgame. Previously, the attitude of many masters was: When
White offers a gambit, he must attack, and he cannot attack
without his queen. Gosta Stoltz appreciated a different point:
Without his queen, Black cannot easily defend!

4 g4
5 Ne5 N6
6 d4 d6
7 Nd3 Nxe4
8 Bxf4 Qe7
9 Qe2 Bg7
10 c3 h5

Now, if Black is not challenged in the next few moves, he


will smoothly coordinate his remaining pieces with 1 1... Bf5,
12... Nc6 and 13 ... 0-0-0. His king side weaknesses will be well
protected then.

11 Nd2 Nxd2
12 Kxd2 Qxe2 ch
13 Bxe2

(See diagram, next page.)

This may technically be called the endgame but it is more


of a "queenless middlegame." White now is able to use his rooks
effectively at e1 and fl, while his remaining knight yearns to
occupy the d5 outpost. For example, 1 1. .. 0-0 12 Be3!, Bf5 13
Nf4, Bg6 14 Nd5 offers White excellent compensation.

13 B5
14 Rhfl Nbd7
Introduction 19

(Position after 13 &d)

Black takes care that his other knight will be adequately


protected on f6 and that he will be able to play a pawn to c6 to
keep control of d5. And indication of what would happen after
14...Nc6 is this line: 15 Bg5!, Bg6 16 Nf4, 0-0 17 Bd3!, Bxd3
18 Nxd3, f6 19 Be3, Kf7 20 Nf4, Rh8 21 Nd5, Rac8 22 Bg5
and White pieces dominate.

15 Nb4! Nf6
16 Bb5 ch!

An embarrassingly strong move to confront Black with. On


16...c6 White will happily sacrifice on c6 - 17 Nxc6, bxc6 18
Bxc6 ch, Ke7 19 Bxa8, Rxa8 20 Bg5, Be6 21 Rf2 and 22 Rafl
is coming up very strongly.

16 Bd7
17 Rae1 ch Kd8

There's not much improvement in 17 ... Kf8 18 Bxd7,


Nxd7 19 Nd5 and 20 Nxc7.

18 Bg5 ! Bxb5
20 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

19 Rxf6! Black Resigns 1-0

Black can't even reach move 20 - despite the absence


of queens. After 19. . . Bxf6 there would follow 20 Bxf6 ch, Kd7
21 Re7 ch, Kd8 22 Rxf7 ch!, Ke8 23 Re7 ch, Kf8 24 Rxc7,
Rg8 25 Rxb7 with a winning position. A remarkable game - and
remarkably instructive.
Introduction 21

BASIC PRINCIPLES

There will be instances in the pages of analysis that follow


in which White's best policy is to exchange queens. (See Chapter
Five, in particular.) There will also be instances (cf. Chapter
Three) in which the best policy is to simply go all out for mate.

Regardless of the task posed by Black, White should keep


in mind certain basic principles of the K.G.A. The first is that
after 2. exf4 Black makes certain positional concessions in order
..

to be a pawn ahead. This may be obvious but often players, with


White or Black, forget this point. They believe that if Black
returns his extra pawn he should be able to equalize. Not true:
unless he has neutralized White's advantage in space or closed
the key attacking lines such as the f-file and b3-f7 diagonal, Black
may very well have changed from being worse in a pawn-up
position to being worse in an equal-material position.

Another point to keep in mind is that White must retain


some hopes of the initiative at all times. If he lets Black call the
tune, he will most likely be losing. Even a great player such as
Paul Keres looked like an amateur when he failed to heed this
advice:

Keres-Alatortsev, U.S.S.R. Championship 1951

1 e4 e5
2 4 ex4
3 N3 Be7
4 Bc4 N6
5 e5 Ng4
6 0-0 Nc6
7 d4 d5
8 exd6 Bxd6
22 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

We will be recommending a slightly different system for


White when we consider Euwe's 3... Be7 in Chapter Five. Note
that here 9 Re 1 ch could even be met by 9 ... Kf8!? 10 Nc3, Bf5
( 1 1 Ne4, Bxe4 12 Rxe4, g5 with a fine game for Black).

9 Nc3 0-0
10 Ne2

The beginning of a slow plan. When White has an


alternative method of attacking f4- 10 Nd5, Be6 ll Bb3 - he
should avoid such maneuvers.

10 Ne3
11 Bxe3 fxe3

(See diagram, next page.)

12 a3?

And here 12 Qd3!, seizing a key diagonal and preparing


Rae1 followed by Ng3 and Rxe3, was much to be preferred.
Introduction 23

(Position after ll .fte3)


..

12 Qf6!
13 Qd3 Qh6
14 Rae1 Bg4
15 h3 Bh5
16 Nc3 Rae8
17 Nd5 e2!

White has taken too long to activate his forces and pays
for it: 18 Rxe2 allows 18 ... Rxe2 19 Qxe2, Nxd4! and Black
wins. The rest of the game requires little comment. Even a great
altacker like Keres could do little once he had lost the initiative:
24 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

18 Rf2 Bg3
19 c3 Na5
20 Rexe2 Bxf2 ch
21 Rxf2 Nxc4
22 Qxc4 c6
23 Nb4 Bxf3
24 Rxf3 Qc1 ch
25 Kh2 Qxb2
26 d5 a5
27 Nd3 Qxa3
28 Rg3 Qd6
29 Qd4 g6
30 c4 cxd5
31 cxd5 f5
32 Nc5 b6
33 Nb7 Qc7
White Resigns 0-1

Now let's meet all defenses after I e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3


Nf6:
Introduction 25

Chapter One: The Modern (3 ... d5} Defense

Chapter Two: Bobby Fischer's "Bust" (3 d6)


...

Chapter Three: The Ancient 3 g5


...

Chapter Four: Albert Becker's 3 ... h6 Finesse

Chapter Five: Max Euwe's Defense (3 ... Be7)

Chapter Six: Emil Schallop's 3 ... Nf6

Chapter Seven: The Variation Without a Name


(3 .. . Nc6)

Chapter Eight: Other Variations


26

CHAPTER ONE

The Modern (3 d5) Defense

For approximately 40 years the move 3 ...d5 has earned


the masters' nod as the best method of countering the K.G.A.
Theory has not always been able to prove equality for Black and,
in fact, it is White who has the greater number of choices after
3 ...d5 4 exd5, Nf6. Nevertheless, 3 ... d5 remains popular chiefly
because it is the most effective in minimizing White's initiative.
The cost to Black is usually the gambit pawn.

1 e4 e5
2 4 ex4

The various methods of refusing the gambit are consid


ered in the companion volume to this, "Winning with the King's
Gambit Declined."

3 N3

There is something to be said for other versions of the


King's Gambit (3 Bc4; 3 Qf3; 3 Nc3) but this is the most solid.
White secures the el-h4 diagonal against queen checks and
prepares the traditional quick-development attack against f7 (Bc4
and 0-0 followed by Ne5 and Bxf4 or Qh5)

3 d5

(See diagram, next page.)

From time to time you will find opponents who will want
to avoid White's third-move alternatives (mentioned in the last
note) by way of this clever transpositional trick: l e4, e5 2 f4, d5
Chapter One 27

(Position after 3. d5)


..

3 exd5 (now 3...e4 is the Falkheer Countergambit) 3...exf4!.

There may be a way to exploit this move order but we


recommend the simple 4 Nf3. Then Black has nothing much
more to say than 4...Nf6, which transposes exactly into our main
line below.

4 exd5

It is easy to see why Black's liquidation of the center with


moves three and four appears to many defenders. He closes the
dangerous b3-f7 diagonal and prepares to castle. His develop
ment will now be smooth (...Nf6, ...Be7 and ...0-0) and, if
allowed to recapture on d5, he will retain his extra pawn for at
least the next several moves.

Attempts by White to retain material equality usually leave


Black with the initiative, as in the most popular "book" variation
- 4...Nf6 5 Bb5 ch, c6 6 dxc6, Nxc6 7 d4, Bd6 8 Qe2 ch, Be6
9 Ng5, 0-0 1 0 Nxe6, fxe6 l l Bxc6, bxc6 and ... Qc7/... Rae8.

4 Nf6
28 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

When Black's third move was first tried, he followed it up


with the simple-minded 4...Qxd5? 5 Nc3, Qd8 but after 6 Bc4,
Bd6 7 0-0 and after 8 Re 1 ch defenders soon discovered how
much time they had lost. A contemporary version of this
4 ... Qxd5? is the slaughter listed below as Illustrative Game l .

Occasionally you will see 4...Bd6, a similar idea to our


main line except that Black makes sure he will not lose his f4-
pawn before he attends to the recapture on d5. His knights may
go to d7 and e7, where they set up a defensive wall around the
king, followed by ... Nf6 and ...Nexd5.

However, the bishop on d6 blocks access to d5 and


makes it easier for White to retain a powerful central pawn front
with d2-d4 and c2-c4. Best play after 4...Bd6 appears to be 5
d4, Ne7 6 c4! followed by Nc3 and Bd3 with an edge in space,
or 5... Nf6 6 c4, Bg4 7 Bd3, 0-0 8 0-0 and now that White's
king position is secure he can begin using his mass of central
pawns. See Illustrative Game 2.

On the other hand, 4...Be7, which neither retains the f


pawn nor helps win the d5-pawn is poor here. The mixture of
3...d5 with the ...Be7-h4 ch idea turns out poorly, e.g. 4...Be7
5 Bc4, Bh4 ch 6 Kfl, and now developing the king knight at f6
or e7 leaves the h4-bishop hanging. Therefore, 6 ... Bf6 7 d4, Ne7
makes sense, but then 8 Nc3, 0-0 9 Bxf4 wins a pawn without
compensation for Black, e.g. 9...b5!? 1 0 Nxb5, Ba6 l l d6!,
cxd6 1 2 a4, Nffi 13 Bd5 with an advantage for White, as in
Blaess-Schoppmeyer, Bundesliga 1986-87.

Remember that after 4 exd5 material is equal. Black


cannot afford to lose his forward f-pawn unless (a) he gets the d5-
pawn in return, or (b) he gets substantial compensation, usually
in the form of piece activity.
Chapter One 29

5 Bc4!?

Around the tum of the century a German master by the


name of Paul Saladin Leonardt popularized this move and it
remained in fashion even into the 1950s before being pushed out
by the more forcing 5 Bb5 ch. Recently, thanks in part to the
English grandmaster Joe Gallagher, it has regained some of its
former stature.

Of course, the basic idea of 5 Bc4 is to take indirect aim


at f7, the vulnerable square that so often proves critical in the
King's Gambit. But there are several sub-themes, such as a timely
exchange of the bishop (after ...Nxd5/Bxd5) in order to gain time
with Nc3.

5 Nxd5

Black can win a tempo, at some inconvenience, with


Akiba Rubinstein's maneuver 5... Nbd7 6 0-0, Nb6 and now 7
Bb3, Nbxd5. However, the d5-knight is driven back with 8 c4
and 9 d4, and unless Black can defend the f-pawn through
extraordinary means he will have a spatial inferiority after l0
30 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

Bxf4. Instead of 7 Bb3 White can play the better 7 Bb5 ch as in


Illustrative Game #3.

This is another basic lesson of the K.G.A. - if material


remains equal through captures on f4 and d5, White usually has
more control over more terrain than Black. He can secure a
better center with his pawn at d4 being supported by another at
c3, while his rooks control the e- and f-files. Black cannot afford
to be smug after trading his f4-pawn for the one at d5.

Other moves at the fifth turn, such as 5...Be7 only defer


the capture on d5 for no particular purpose. Black can out fox
himself with 5... Qe7 ch 6 Be2, Nxd5 because his queen is
misplaced on e7. See Illustrative Game 4.

6 0-0

With this move White clears the e-file for checks.

6 Be 7

This position occurred in two influential Spassky games,


Chapter One 31

played nearly two decades apart, which helped mold opinions


about the modern 3 ...d5 defense. But since White has advertised
his interest in a check along the file, you will also encounter the
tricky move 6...Be6. This has the advantage of threatening to
discover an attack on White's c4-bishop, e.g . 7 Nc3??, Nxc3 and
8...Bxc4.

However, the bishop is not particularly well-placed on e6


and is subject to harassment by White's center pawns. Typical
play would run 6...Be6 7 Bb3! and now 7 ...Be7 leads into our
main line, while 7 ...Bd6 8 c4! reaches favorable positions for
White, e.g. 8... Ne7 9 d4, Ng6 1 0 c5!, Be7 1 1 Bxe6, fxe6 1 2
Re 1 or 8 ...Nb6 9 d4!?, Nxc4 1 0 Qe2!, b5 l l a4, and Black's
ring of mutual protection appears fragile (Gallagher-Greenfeld, Tel
Aviv 1 988).

7 d4

White has to time matters well. The immediate 7 Bxd5,


Qxd5 8 Nc3, Qd8 doesn't seem to lead anywhere. However, after
7 d4 White is getting close to a situation in which the exchange
is favorable.

For example, 7 d4, 0-0 invites 8 Bxd5, Qxd5 9 Bxf4 and


now 9 ...c5 is the thematic method of trying to break White's
central advantage. But after 1 0 Nc3, Qc4 l l Qe 1 White is
preferable (see Illustrative Game 5).

7 Be6

One point of this defensive move is that now 8 Bxd5,


Bxd5 9 Bxf4 leads to a more favorable version of 9 ...0-0 1 0
Nc3, c5! than in the previous note.
In the game Spassky-Averbakh, Soviet Championship
1 955, Black played the more conservative 7 ...c6, after which 8
32 WINNING WITII TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

Nc3, 0-0 9 Ne5, Be6 1 0 Bx4 allowed White to get his pawn
back. Black continued 1 0 ...f6 l l Bxd5, cxd5 1 2 Nd3, Bf7? 13
Qg4!, Kh8 14 Bxb8!, Rxb8 1 5 Rae 1 , Re8 16 Ne5! and was
soon lost.

In the post-mortem, 1 2... Nc6 was considered strong


enough to equalize. But 1 3 Bg3 followed by 14 Nf4 is the way to
exploit Black's slightly bad e6-bishop, e.g. 1 3 ... Nxd4 14 Nf4,
Bc5 1 5 Bf2.

Another basic point to remember. Although the exchange


on e3 is generally a good one for Black, he should not rush into
it. Here, for example, 7... Ne3? 8 Bxe3, fxe3 would allow 9 Ne5!
and f7 is revealed to be fatally indefensible. But after 7. .Be6
.

Black both defends f7 and also threatens 8... Ne3 9 Bxe3, Bxc4!.

8 Qe2

Defends the bishop against the ... Ne3 idea and prepares
to complete development with Nc3 followed by an exchange of
minor pieces on d5 and a capture on f4.

8 0-0

There is no reason for Black to hurry the protective 8...c6


before it is needed (see next move). At worst, after 8 ...c6, White
can transpose into our main line with 9 Nc3 since Black has little
better than 9 . 0-0.
. .

(See diagram, next page.)

9 Nc3!

This is an invitation into an exchange of two pairs of


minor pieces. Ordinarily, this should favor Black, now that he has
Chapter One 33

(Position after 8. .0.0)


.

castled and is a pawn ahead. However, 9... Nxc3 1 0 bxc3, Bxc4


l l Qxc4 and now if Black relinquishes the f-pawn with 1 l... Nd7
( 1l...Nc6 1 2 d5) 1 2 Bxf4, c6 he ends up with the spatial
inferiority we mentioned in the note to Black's fifth move ( 1 3
Rae 1, Nb6 1 4 Qd3, Nd5 1 5 Bd2 and 1 6 Ne5 or 1 6 c4.

And if Black protects the threatened f-pawn with 1 1...B


d6, White responds favorably with 1 2 Qb5, b6 1 3 Ng5! ( 1 3 ...c6
14 Q5).

9 c6

This occurred in Spassky-Pytel, Nice 1 974, which was


drawn after 1 0 Nxd5, cxd5 1 1 Bd3, Nc6 1 2 Bxf4, Nb4 because
the loss of White's good bishop to ... Nxd3 offset his spatial
advantage.

However, improvements were found for White such as


preserving the bishop with 1 3 Bb5!, a6 1 4 Ba4, b5 1 5 Bb3.
Then Black's queen side is vulnerable to a2-a4 and White's
bishop can re-emerge effectively after c2-c3 and Bc2. For
example, 1 5 ... Nc6 16 c3, b4 17 Rae 1 and White has excellent
34 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

play after Bc2.

10 Nxd5 Bxd5

Not as forcing as lO ...cxd5, but at least now Black's light


squared bishop is not hampered by his own pawn at d5. It
appears that Black can now force a favorable trade of bishops or
win a pawn with ll...Bxf3 and l2...Qxd4 ch.

11 Bd3!

Unlike the situation in the note to Black's ninth move,


White does best to avoid Bxd5 and Bxf4 because, while his
spatial advantage is still there to be exploited, it's better to
preserve that excellent light-squared B, the one that so often
mates Black at h7 or f7.

The retreat to d3 enables White to continue smoothly with


Bxf4, or Ne5 and c2-c3 or even c2-c4, e.g. ll...Bd6 1 2 Ne5,
Nd7 (l2...f6 1 3 Qh5!) 1 3 Bxf4, Qc7 14 Nxd7, Qxd7 1 5 Bxd6,
Qxd6 16 Rael with the familiar spatial edge.
Chapter One 35

Note, however, that 1 1 Bd3 is a pawn sacrifice: 1 l . . . Bxf3


12 Rxf3 , Qxd4 ch 1 3 Khl . One of the few examples of this
occurred in the correspondence game Glazhov-Crandall, 1984-85,
which went 13 ... Bd6 1 4 Bd2 , Nd7 (14 ... Qxb2 1 5 Bc3 ! , Qxc3 ??
16 Bxh7 ch and 17 Rxc3) 1 5 Bc3 , Qc5 16 Rh3 , g6 17 Bxg6!
and White wins ( 1 7...fxg6 18 Qe6 ch, Rf7 18 Rxh7!).

IlLUSTRATIVE GAME #1

Mazzeo-Bandoni, Correspondence 1 983

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 d5
4 exd5 Qxd5?
5 Nc3 Qe6 ch?

A second dubious move, since the queen will be booted


from this square at a gain of time.

6 K2! Nc6
7 Bb5

The immediate threat is 8 Re1 but White also prepares


d2-d4-d5 ! .

7 Ne7
8 d4 Qd6
9 Rei Bd7
10 Ne4 Qh6
36 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

11 d5!

Decisive. Black's best practical chance now may be to


castle, although it hardly offers enough compensation for the lost
knight.

11 Nb8
12 Bxd7 ch Nxd7
13 d6 Nc8

Capturing on d6 loses the queen. Black's game was well


beyond redemption.

1 Nf6 ch Kd8
15 Re8 mate 1-0

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME #2

Gallagher-Boulard, Paris 1 990


Chapter One 37

1 e4 e5
2 4 ex4
3 N3 d5
4 exd5 Bd6
5 d4 Ne7
6 c4 Ng6
7 Be2

No reason to hurry with a pawn push, since after 7 c5,


Be7 the d5-pawn requires protection. Note, however, that Black
cannot offer an exchange with 7 c6 because then 8 c5 and 9 d6
...

are too annoying.

7 0-0
8 0-0 b6
9 Nc3 c6

This frees Black's game a bit but changes the 3-l pawn
majority in the center to a 2-0 one.

10 dxc6 Nxc6
11 NbS Be7
38 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

12 d5 Bc5 ch
13 Kh1 Nce7
14 Nfd4! a6
15 Nc3 Bd6
16 Ne4 Be5
17 Nf3 Bb8
18 b4

With a bishop headed to b2 and his pawns to d6 and c5 ,


White holds a substantial superiority.

18 Bb7
19 Qc2 b5
20 Nc5 Bc8
21 Bb2 bxc4
22 Bxc4

22 Bd6

Not 22 . . . Nxd5 because of the pinning 23 Radl (23 . . . Ne3


24 Bxf7 ch, Kh8 25 Qc3 !). Now White proceeds swiftly to
dominate the center.
Chapter One 39

23 Ne4! Bxb4
24 Bxg7 Kxg7
25 Qb2 ch f6
26 Qxb4 Nxd5
27 Bxd5 Qxd5
28 Rfd1 Qb5
29 Qd6 Bg4
30 Rab1 Qc4
31 Rb7 ch Rf7
32 Qxf6 ch! Kg8
33 Rxf7 Qxf7
34 Nfg5! Qxf6
35 Nxf6 ch Resigns

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME # 3

Gallagher-Ferretti, Chiasso 1 99 1

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 d5
4 exd5 Nf6
5 Bc4 Nbd7
6 d4 Nb6
7 Bb5 ch

Perhaps better than 7 Bb3 which was considered in the


analysis section.

7 Bd 7
8 Qe2 ch
40 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

8 Be7?!

This allows White to reinforce his d-pawn with c2-c4.


Black had to try 8 Qe7 despite the questionable nature of the
...

endgame that follows 9 Bxd7 ch and 1 0 Nc3 . Now Black is


committed to exchange off one of the enemy d-pawns for h is c-
pawn.

9 Bxd7 ch Qxd7
10 c4! 0-0
11 0-0 c5?!
12 dxc6 bxc6
13 Bxf4 Rfe8
14 Qd3 Bc5
15 Nbd2!

Of course, not 15 Be5 ??, Rxe5 . The text refutes Black's


pawn offer.

15 Rad8
16 Nb3 Bm
17 Rae 1 Rxe 1
Chapter One 41

18 Rxe1 c5!
19 Bg5!

Better than 19 d5 , Nfxd5 20 cxd5 , c4.

19 cxd4
20 Bx6 gx6
21 Re4! Qc8
22 Rh4 h6
23 Nbd2 Na4!

Black bids for counterplay with 24 ...Nc5 and 2 5 ...d3 .


However...

24 b4! Bxb4
25 Rxh6 Bxd2
26 Nxd2 Qe6
27 Ne4 Kg 7
28 Rh7 ch! Kg8

Or 28 .. Kxh7 29 Ng5 ch, Kg7 30 Nxe6 ch, fxe6 3 1 Qa3!


.

and the endgame is a simple win.


42 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

29 Rh6 Kg7
30 Rxf6 Qg4
31 Rf3! Nb2
32 Qd2! Qh4
33 Ng3 Black Resigns 1-0

Also lost is 32 . . . Qxe4 33 Qg5 ch and 34 Qxd8.

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME #4

Gallagher-Orlov, Royan 1 988

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 d5
4 exd5 Nf6
5 Bc4 Qe7 ch
6 Be2

The comparison with the previous game is worth noting.


Here White avoids the endgame (6 Qe2?!) since he stands to take
the initiative with 7 0-0 . Note that the common idea in such
positions of 6 Kf2? has a tactical flaw here
- 6 Qc5 ch.
...

6 Nxd5
7 0-0 Qf6
8 c4! Ne7
9 d4 c5?!

A good idea from the strategic point of view since Black


now gains some control of dark squares and shortens the range
of White's pawns. But it also costs another valuable tempo and
further opens the position.
Chapter One 43

10 Nc3 cxd4
11 Nxd4 Ng6
12 Nd5 Qd8
13 Rei

Black should not last long in such positions.

13 Bc5
14 Bf3 ch Be6
15 b4! Bb6

Or 15 . . . Bxd4 ch 1 6 Qxd4, 0-0 1 7 Bb2 and wins.

16 c5 0-0
17 Nxf4! Black Resigns 1-0

Because of 17 ... Nxf4 18 Bxf4, Bc7 19 Nxe6, fxe6 20


Qxd8, Bxd8 2 1 Bxb7.
44 WINNING WITH 11IE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

IlLUSTRATIVE GAME #5

Gallagher-Balashov, Lenk 199 1

Yet another Gallagher game. This one also features an


early challenge by Black's c-pawn to the White center - and like
the last also features an unstoppable White initiative.

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 d5
4 exd5 Nf6
5 Bc4 Nxd5
6 0-0 Be 7
7 d4 0-0
8 Bxd5 Qxd5
9 Bxf4 c5
10 Nc3 Qc4
11 Qe 1 !

This attacks the bishop and also protects c3 so that 12 b3


may be played, e.g. 1 l . . . Be6 12 b3 , Q b4 1 3 a3 and 1 4 d5.

11 Bf6
12 Bd6! Bxd4 ch
13 Kh1 Rd8
14 Ne4 f5
15 Qh4 Nc6
16 Ne5!
Chapter One 45

This first occurred in Gallagher-Campora, Biel 1 990. Now


1 6 .. . Qxfl ch 1 7 Rxfl , Bxe5 18 Bxe5, fxe4 1 9 Qg5 is quite lost.
Black has better practical chances by surrendering his queen for
two minor pieces:

16 Bxe5
17 Nf6 ch Bxf6
18 Qxc4 ch Kh8
19 Bxc5 Ne5
20 Qe2 b6

In the stem game, Campora played 20 . . . Be6 2 1 Rfd1 , f4


22 Rxd8 ch, Rxd8 23 Be7! , f3 and lost soon after 24 gx3 , Bc4
25 Qxe5 , Bxe5 26 Bxd8.

21 Be7 Bxe 7
22 Qxe5 Bf6
23 Qc7 h6
24 Rae1 Ba6
25 Rxf5 Bxb2
26 h3 Rdc8
27 Qe7 Bc4
46 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

28 Qb4 Bd4
29 Re4

The fastest winning method, short of exchanging off all


four rooks, is this attacking plan.

29 a5
30 Qd2 Bb2
31 Rh5 Rc6
32 Rxc4!

Forcing a Q-and-pawns versus-R-and-B endgame that is


an effortless win.

32 Rxc4
33 Rxh6 ch gxh6
34 Qxh6 ch Kg8
35 Qe6 ch Black Resigns 1-0

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME #6

Goldstein-Remis , Correspondence 1981

1 e4 e5
2 4 ex4
3 N3 d5
4 exd5 N6
5 Bc4 Nxd5
6 0-0 Be6
7 Qe2 Be7
8 Nc3!
Chapter One 47

With 8 d4 White could transpose into our main line.


However, the text takes advantage of the enemy's problems on
the e-file.

8 Nxc3
9 dxc3! Qd6?

The spatial advantage is great after 9 . Bxc4 1 0 Qxc4, 0-0


..

l l Bxf4 and 1 2 Rad1 but this is too risky.

10 Bxe6 fxe6?

Overlooking White's next move. Black had to get queens


off the board with 1 0 . . . Qxe6 even if it meant a bad endgame.

11 Bxf4! Qxf4
12 Nd4 Qd6
13 Nxe6

The Black king is caught in the center and threatened by


14 Rad1 and 15 Nxg7 mate.
48 WINNING Wfl1l THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

13 Qb6 ch
14 Kh 1 Rg 8
15 Qh5 ch Black Resigns 1-0
49

CHAPTER TWO

FISCHER'S "BUST" (3 . . . 06)

Not long ago the move 3 . . . d6 had neither a name nor a


reputation. It was just there to be played, generally by amateurs
who didn't appreciate its subtle transpositional value. In the last
20 years, however, it has become a solid challenge to the
soundness of K.G.A.

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 d6

Black's third move had been known - and generally


overlooked - by King's Gambit devotees since at least the 1 9th
century. But it had not enjoyed independent recognition because
3 . . . d6 always seemed to transpose into the 3 . . .g5 (or 3 . . . h6)
variations. The earliest known example, Anderssen-Amelung,
Berlin 1 8 62 , went 3 .. . d6 4 d4, g5 5 h4, g4 6 Ng5?!, h6?! 7
Nxf7 with a more-favorable-than-usual version of the Allgaier
Gambit (7 . . Kxf7 8 Bc4 ch, Kg7 9 Bxf4, Rh7 10 Nc3, Kh8 ll
.

Qd2, c6 1 2 0-0-0 with a deadly attack).


50 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

The transpositional reputation of 3 . . . d6 changed in 1 96 1


when Larry Evans began a new magazine, American Chess
Quarterly. In its initial issue, the A.C.Q. featured a cover article
by Bobby Fischer that promised nothing less than "A Bust to the
King's Gambit. "

4 d4!

Fischer called 3 . . . d6 "a high-class waiting move. " One of


it's many points is revealed when White innocently plays 4 Bc4
and Black replies 4 . . . h6!.

Then 5 d4, g5 reaches a relatively favorable position for


Black - e.g. 6 0-0, Bg4 7 c3 , Nc6 8 Qb3 , Qd7! or 6 g3 , fxg3
7 hxg3 , Bg7 8 0-0, Nf6 and 9 . . . Be6. (Fischer actually analyzed
6 0-0, Bg7 7 c3 , Nc6 8 Qb3 , Qe7 9 h4, Nf6 10 hxg5 , hxg5 ll
Nxg5 , Nxe4 as leading to a win for Black, although subsequent
analysis exonerated White.)

What has happened is that Black has reached one of the


1 9 th century gambit positions by a means other than 3 . . . g5 . (As
we'll see in the next chapter, the immediate 3 . . .g5 allows White
other options, such as 4 d4).

4 g5

If Black does not try to hold onto the pawn w ith this
move, he will have merely assured himself by way of his 3 . . . d6
of a passive middlegame. For example, 4 ...Nf6 5 Nc3 , Bg4 6
Bxf4 or 5 . . . Nh5 6 Be2, Bg4 7 0-0, c6 (7. . . g6 8 Nd5 favors
White rather obviously) 8 Nel, Bxe2 9 Qxe2 , g6 10 QO with an
initiative, as pointed out by Igor Glazkov and Yakov Estrin in
their 1 982 book on the K.G.A.

5 h4!
Chapter Two 51

Again White must b e transposition-wary. On 5 Bc4 he


allows Black with 5 ... Bg7 6 h4, h6 (or even 5 ... h6 6 h4, Bg7) to
get another of those 19th century problem-positions. Black must
not be allowed to put his king side house in order.

5 g4
6 Ng l

Rather than sacrifice (6 Ng5 , f6!) White tries to prove that


Black's pawns are now unprotectable and therefore overextended.
There are three main ways for Black to respond to this challenge
and, because the Fischer Defense is so widely practiced these
days, it is worth considering them in some detail. They are (a)
6 ... Bh6, (b) 6 ... Nf6 and (c) 6 ... 3!?.

Of the other possibilities for Black at move six, 6 ... Bg7 is


the least challenging and allows White, with 7 Bxf4 and 8 Nc3
(or 7 ... Nc6 8 Be3 and then 9 Nc3), the clearest road to superior
ity.

If Black, on the other hand, attacks the h-pawn with


6 . . . Be7 , White plays 7 Bxf4, Bxh4 ch 8 g3 ! with an edge due to
52 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

Black's many exploitable king side holes (e.g. 8 . . .Bg5 9 Ne2, h5


10 Qd2, Bxf4 1 1 Nxf4, h4 1 2 Nc3, c6 1 3 0-0-0 with a tremen
dous centralized position - Handoko-Thipsay, Bangalore 1981).

This is typical of the favorable m iddlegames for White in


the Fischer Defense: a huge lead in development and plenty of
king side targets, chiefly around g7.

6 . . . Bh6 SECTION (a)


6 . . . Nf6 SECTION (b)
6...3?? SECTION (c)
Chapter Two 53

SECTION (a)

6 Bh6

(After 1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 Nf3, d6 4 d4, g5 5 h4, g4 6 Ng1 )

The Black bishop is not wonderfully placed here, but


there is no other convenient means of defending the f-pawn. Mter
6...Qf6 Black is subject to Nc3-d5 harassment, e.g. 7 Nc3 , c6 8
Nge2, f3 (or 8 ... Bh6 transposing into our line below) 9 Ng3 ! , f2
ch 10 Ke2 and despite the uncomfortable appearance of his king,
it is White who holds the edge. This will become apparent after
1 1 Bg5 . Remember, in the K.G.A. spatial advantages often count
much more than temporary king discomfort!

Similarly 9 ...fxg2 (instead of 9 ...2 ch) 10 Bxg2, Bh6 ll


e5 !, dxe5 1 2 Nde4, Qe7 13 dxe5, Qxe5 1 4 0-0 with a ferocious
attack (analysis by E. Bhend).

Better is 6...Qf6 7 Nc3, Ne7 and then 8 Nge2, Bh6 9


Qd2!, Nbc6. At his point 1 0 g3?! has been recommended as
54 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

leading to an excellent position for White (IO...fxg3 ll Qxh6,


Q2 ch 12 Kd1, g2 13 Bxg2, Qxg2 14 Rfl, Qf3 15 Bg5!). But
Black does much better with 10... Bg7!, after which White cannot
preserve control of d4, e.g. 11 d5, fxg3! 12 Nxg3, Nd4 and
Black is obviously better. Note how often and how significantly
the idea of challenging f4 with g2-g3 arises in the Fischer
Defense- and how equally significant is Black's counterattack on
d4.

The proper answer to 9...Nbc6 in the line above appears


to be 10 Nb5!, which attacks c7 and defends d4. For example,
10...Kd8 11 d5, Ne5 12 Nxf4 leaves Black with more problems
than White.

7 Nc3

Since Black is not pressuring d4 with a bishop at g7,


White need not save c3 for pawn support and can make use of
this fine developing idea. White prepares quick queen side
castling after Qd3.

7 Nc6

This became the recommended defense after a celebrated


victory by Svetozar Gligorich. However, there is reason to
question its reliability.

More common is 7 ...c6 after which White has a choice


between 8 Nge2, 8 Qd3 and 8 Bc4 (to discourage ...d6-d5).
Typical play would be 8 Nge2, Qf6 9 g3!, f3 10 Nf4 and now
10 ...Qe7 is best (10 ... Ne7? 11 e5! won quickly for White in
Craig-Dempster, Scottish Correspondence Champ. 1985 after
1l....dxe5 12 Ne4, Qg7 13 Nh5!, Qg6 14 Nhf6 ch, Kf8 15 h5,
Qg7 16 dxe5 and Qd6!).
Chapter Two 55

Similarly, 7...c6 8 Nge2, Qf6 9 g3! and once again


9...fxg3 10 Nxg3, Bxc1 11 Rxc1, h5 12 Qd2! leaves White with
more than enough compensation in view of the king side holes
(even in the endgame after 12...Qh6 13 Nce2!).

Black does better with 9 .3 10 Nf4, Qe7 (not the slow


..

10 ...Nd7 11 Be3 and 12 Qd2 with threats to the queen) 11 Kf2!,


Nd7 12 Bc4 with Re1 coming up (Day-Morovic, Buenos Aires
1978) or 11 Bd3, Bg7 12 Be3, h5 - to stop Nh5! - 13 Qd2,
Nd7 14 0-0-0, Nf8 15 Rhe1 with a picture-book position for
White (Gallagher-S. Jackson, British Championship 1989).

More recendy, Robert Huebner has tried a new defense,


7...Be6. See Illustrative Game 10.

8 Nge2

Orest Popovych, the longtime King's Gambiteer from New
Jersey, has played 8 Qd3, e.g. 8...Nf6 9 g3, d5 10 Nge2 with
advantage. The text is more direct.

8 f3
56 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

9 N4!

Not 9 Ng3 which allows Black an easier time after


9...Bxc1 10 Rxc1, f2 ch 11 Ke2, b6! and ... Ba6 ch.

9 f2 ch!

If Black doesn't try to seize the initiative - with a two


pawn sacrifice - he risks being overwhelmed by move 20. For
example, 9...Qf6 10 Ncd5!, Qxd4 11 Qxd4, Nxd4 allows 12
Nxc7 ch, Kd8 13 Nxa8, Nxc2 ch 14 Kd1, Nxa1 15 Nd5 and
White's pieces are superior.

Similarly, the middlegame of 9...fxg2 10 Bxg2, Nf6 11 0-


0 is a dangerous attacking formation for White with the usual
developmental problems plaguing Black. For example, 11...0-0
12 Be3, Be7 13 Qd2, Qe7 14 Rae l and White is ready for
Nfd5.

10 Kxf2

White does not really need another improvement because


of our main line below. However, 10 Ke2 is another possibility.

10 g 3 ch

Following Black's prescription in the highly publicized


game Planinc-Gligoric, Ljubljana/Portoroz 1977. The next few
moves are more or less forced.

11 Kxg3 N6
12 Be2 Rg8 ch
13 Kf2 Ng4 ch
14 Bxg4! Bxg4
15 Qd3 Bg7
Chapter Two 57

16 Be3 Qd7
17 Ncd5 !

After the Gligoric game, won by Black following 17 Nce2,


0-0-0 18 Ng3, f5! 19 Nxf5 , Rdf8 20 Nxg7, Qxg7 21 Ke1, Nb4!,
the text move was suggested as an improvement. It tested twice
by the Danish correspondence player Nimtz in 1984 and in other
games since.

It is worth considering these positions in rather extensive


depth because the fate of the Fischer Defense may hinge on it.
Black responds 1 7 0-0-0 and after 18 b4 we get:
.

(a) 1 8 ... Ne7 19 Nxe7 ch, Qxe7 20 Nd5, Qe6?! 2 1


Rae1, Rde8 2 2 Qc4, Qd7 2 3 b5, Kh 8 (23 .. . Rxe4 24 b6!
and wins) 24 B4, Be6 25 Re3 and White had a clear edge
(Nimtz-Skorpik). His king is the safer one because he can open
the queen side with a2-a4-a5 and b5-b6.

(b) 1 8 5 1 9 b5, Ne7 (or 19 ... Na5 20 Qc3, b6 21 e5


. . .

and White is again better, as the winner pointed out) 20 Qa3,


Kb8 21 Nxe7, Qxe 7 22 e5! and Black's game soon proved
58 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

hopeless because . . . dxe5 allows the opening of the e3-a7


diagonal.

The game went 22 . . . Rde8 23 e6, Bh6 24 d5 or, as


the game went, 22 . . . Rge8 23 e6, d5 24 Qxe7, Rxe 7 25
Rac1! (to open the c-:file), Bh6 26 Rhe1 , B8 27 c4, dxc4
28 Rxc4, Ree8 29 d5, Bd6 30 Nd3, Be7 3 1 B4, Rxd5
32 Rxc7, Bd6 33 Rd7, Bxf4 34 Rxd5, Bd2 35 Ree5
resigns (Nimtz-Bobkov).

Yet another game, Nimtz-Voltz, 1 986, varied from the last


two with 20 . . . Nxd5 (rather than 20 . . . Kb8) 2 1 exd5 !, Kb8 22
Qd3 , Rde8 23 Rae 1 and White will soon occupy e6 strongly.

A third possibility is clearing d8 for a knight retreat with:

(c) 18 . . . Rde8 as in Dufraisse-Roos, French Correspon


dence Championship 1987, which went 19 b5, Nd8 20 c4?,
Ne6 2 1 Rae 1 , f5! 22 ex5, Nf4 23 Nx4, Bxf5 24 Qa3,
Kb8 25 d5, b6 26 Qc2, Be5 27 Kg1 , Qg7 and Black won.

However, since Black's chief source of counterplay is the


e-:file and the pawn lever of . . f7-f5 , White need not play 20 c4.
.

A better plan is 20 a4 with the idea of 2 1 a5 and 22 b6, or the


more forceful, but sacrificial 2 1 b6!? followed by 22 a5 .

This appears to deal a very serious blow to Gligorich's


line of play and would seem to require Black to come up with
something better, most likely before the IOth move.
Chapter Two 59

SECTION (b)

6 Nf6

(After l e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 N3, d6 4 d4, g5 5 h4, g4 6 Ngl )

This counterattack o n White's center was once regarded


as dangerous because the knight, rather than the king bishop,
ends up defending Black's f4-pawn, from h5 . That leaves the
bishop free to go to g7, where it attacks d4, or to e7, from where
it will grab the h-pawn with check.

The reputation of 6 . . .Nf6 remained high for several years


because of lines such as 7 Qd3 , d5 ! 8 e5 , Nh5 9 Ne2 , Bh6 or
7 Nc3 , Nh5 8 Nge2 , Nc6 9 Qd3 , Be7 ! . However, White has a
simpler plan.

7 Bxf4!

This is similar to - but superior to - another, much


older K.G.A. variation called the Kierseritsky Gambit. The
60 WINNING WITII THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

difference is that the Kieseritsky leads to a questionable endgame


in which Black's extra pawn is significant (1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3
Nf3 , g5 4 h4, g4 5 Ne5 , Nf6 6 d4, d6 7 Nd3, Nxe4 8 Bxf4,
Qe7! 9 Qe2, Nc6! 1 0 c3 , Bf5 and . . . 0-0-0, etc.)

7 Nxe4

Black might as well grab the pawn since otherwise he has


no compensation for his king side weaknesses.

8 Bd3 Qe7

If the knight retreats, White continues naturally with the


now-familiar 9 Nc3 , 1 0 Qd2, l l Nge2 and 1 2 0-0-0.

Black can also try 8 . . .f5 which has the benefit of keeping
the dangerous e-file closed but also the risk that the weakening
of e6 and g6 will count against him. In Hebden-Psakhis, Moscow
1 986 White continued 9 Ne2 , Bg7 10 Bxe4, fxe4 I I Bg5 and
there followed 1 l . . . Bf6 1 2 Nbc3 !, Bxg5 1 3 hxg5 , Qxg5 14
Nxe4 , Qe3 15 Nf6 ch, Kd8 1 6 Qd2 ! , after which the ending that
follows a trade of queens and Rafl must favor White.

9 Ne2 Bg7

Black does best to remove his king to safety as quickly as


possible. After 9 . . . Nc6 1 0 0-0, Bg7 White has an extra tempo to
do damage and he can play l l Bxe4, Qxe4 1 2 Nbc3 ! .

I n Berthelot-Lamourex, Torey 1 99 1 , Black tried to break


the attack with 1 2 . . . Bxd4 ch 1 3 Khl ! , Bxc3 1 4 Nxe: . Qc4 but
following 15 Nd5 , Ne7 1 6 Nf6 ch, Kd8 1 7 Bxd6! it was too late
(1 7 . . . Be6 18 Rf4, Qc6 1 9 Ba3 ch, Kc8 20 Bxl!7 l!te.).
Chapter Two 61

10 0-0 0-0
11 Bxe4!

Still a strong idea since White's knight can almost


certainly go to d5 now with effect.

11 Qxe4
12 Nbc3

Where the Black queen retreats will determine White's


middlegame plan.
Now 1 2 . . . Qg6 safeguards the king side - but not the
queen side, following 1 3 Nd5 . Better is 1 2 . . . Qc6 after which 1 3
Qd2, d5 1 4 Ng3 leads to a dangerous initiative for White o n the
other wing (Nh5xg7 or Be5). See Illustrative Game 1 1 .
62 WINNING Wfi1I TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

SECTION (c)

6 f3 !?

(After 1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 N3, d6 4 d4, g5 5 h4, g4 6 Ng1 )

Up until a few years ago, this temporary counter-sacrifice


was considered inferior because of book analysis that continued
7 gxf3 , Be7 8 Be3 ! and then 8 . . . Bxh4 ch 9 Kd2 !, Nc6 1 0 Nc3 ,
Bf6 l l Bb5 ! (not l l Kc1 ? , gxf3 and . . . Bg4) with advantage to
White. For example, Bangiev-Mayr, Correspondence 1 986-87
went 1 1 ... Bd7 12 Bxc6, Bxc6 1 3 gxf3.

But Black's play may be strengthened in a number of


ways, including the challenge to the key d4 point with 9 . . . c5
(instead of 9 . . . Nc6). For instance, 10 Kc1 , cxd4 l l Qxd4, Bf6
is much smoother for Black to handle than the positions arising
from the last paragraph. A game Gallagher-Conquest, British
Championship 1 988 went 1 2 Qd2 , Nc6 1 3 Nc3 , Be6 1 4 Nd5 ,
Bxd5 1 5 exd5 , Ne5 1 6 f4, Nd7 and Black stood perfectly well.
Chapter Two 63

Therefore, we recommend White taking a different tack


from the diagram.

7 Bg5!

More accurate than the 7 Be3 , Be7 8 Bf2 , which leaves


Black a free hand for 8 . . . Nf6! 9 gx3 , Rg8 with fine piece play
on the mutually porous king side.

7 Be7

Of course, 7 ... f6 will doom any counterattack on the


White h-pawn and following 8 Be3 he will stand well, e.g.
8 . . . fxg2 9 Bxg2 , Nc6 1 0 Nc3 followed by the usual queen side
castling plan (Nge2, Qd2 and 0-0-0). Better is 8 5 after which
. . .

9 gx3 , fxe4 (9 . . . g3 1 0 Qd2 , Be7 1 1 Nc3 , Bxh4 12 0-0-0) 1 0


fxe4, d5 1 1 Nc3 .

8 Qd2

Now 8 . . . Bxg5 9 hxg5 cripples Black's king side (9 . . . f6?


1 0 g6; 9 . . . fxg2 1 0 Bxg2 , Ne7 1 1 Nc3 , Nbc6 1 2 Nge2 and the
knight heads for f6 via g3 and h5 .

8 f6

This was played in Gallagher-Bode, Bad Worishofen


1 99 1 , where White was able to regain his pawn with 9 Bh6
(threatening Bg7), Nxh6 10 Qxh6, Be6 1 1 gx3 .

(See diagram, next page.)

With no material as compensation, Black went quickly


downhill and in fact lasted only eight more moves: 1 l . . . gxf3 12
N:xf3 , c6 1 3 Nc3 , Qa5 1 4 Ng5 !, fxg5 1 5 Qxe6, Nd7 1 6 Bc4,
64 WINNING Wfi1I THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

(Position after B. .J6)


Rf8 1 7 0-0-0, gxh4 1 8 e5, d5 1 9 Bxd5 ! Black Resigns 1 -0


( 1 9 ... cxd5 20 Nxd5 , Qd8 2 1 Rhfl followed by Rxf8 ch and
wins).

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME # 7

Hebden-Cantero, Spain 1 986

1 e4 e5
2 4 exf4
3 N3 d6
4 d4 g5
5 h4 g4
6 Ngl

If you're really looking to get out of the books, 6 Ng5 ? !,


f6 7 Bx4, fxg5 8 Bxg5 has never been quite refuted although it
does appear doubtful.
Chapter Two 65

6 Bh6
7 Ne2 Qf6
8 Nbc3 c6
9 g3!

Once again a strong idea, since 9 .. fxg3 1 0 Nxg3 , Bxc1


.

1 1 Rxcl offers good compensation. Note how the Black pawns at


g4 and c6 obstruct his minor pieces.

9 f3
10 Nf4 Bxf4?

In another game Black fared poorly with 1 0 . . . Qe7 l l


Kf2, Nd7 1 2 Bc4, Nffi 1 3 h5. The text has no value whatsoever
and his next move is worse.

11 Bxf4 b5?
12 Qd2 Qe 7
13 0-0-0 Nd7
14 Bxb5!

Winning decisive control of d5 in case of 14 ... cxb5 1 5


66 WINNING WITII TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

Nd5 , Qd8 1 6 Bxd6 and Nc7 ch. The game now takes on the
character of a typical mid- 1 9 th century blowout:

14 Bb7
15 Bc4 aS?
16 Rhe1 Nb6
17 Bd3 Nd7?
18 Nd5 Black Resigns 1-0.

About time. After 1 8 ... cxd5 19 exd5 or 1 8 . . . Qd8 1 9


Bxd6 and Nc7 ch Black loses his queen.

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME #8

Keller-Hedler, West German Correspondence, 1 980

Another example of the 6 ... Bh6 variation being mishan


dled by Black.

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 d6
4 d4 g5
5 h4 g4
6 Ng1 Bh6
7 Nc3 c6
8 Nge2 Qf6
9 g3 f3
10 Nf4 b5?

For some reason this is a popular move among amateurs,


who perhaps think that a king side attack must always be met by
something on the opposite wing. White's 12th move shows that a
wing demonstration can also be met by a stroke in the center.
Chapter Two 67

11 Be3 b4
12 e5! dxe5
13 Ne4 Qe7
14 dxe5 Nd7

Too dangerous is 14 ... Qxe5 15 Nd6 ch, Kf8 1 6 Kf2 ! .

15 Nd6 ch K8
16 Qd2! Nxe5
17 0-0-0 Be6
18 Bc5 Black Resigns 1-0

Here resignation is premature but 1 8 . Nd7 (not 1 8


. . . . . Kg-
7 ? 1 9 Nffi ch and 20 Bxe7) 1 9 Bxb4 is too depressing.

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME #9

Day-Blocker, Chicago 1979

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 d6
4 d4 g5
5 h4 g4
6 Ng1 Bh6
7 Ne2 Qf6
8 Nbc3 Ne7
9 Qd2 Nbc6
10 g3?! f3?

Not 1 0 . . . Ng6 l l Nd5 ! but 1 0 . . . Bg7 ! punishes White for


his loss of control of d4)
68 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

11 Qxh6 Qxh6
12 Bxh6 fxe2
13 Nxe2

When the King's Gambit began its 20th century revival it


was due in part to White's success in such "instant endgames"
that can arise without a middlegame. White has a huge edge
consisting of the two bishops, the better center and open file and
the various targets he can attack, starting with f7. Black seeks to
repair that beginning with his next move.

13 f5!
14 e5!? dxe5
15 dxe5 Be6

Black can probably take the e-pawn {l5 ... Nxe5 1 6 Bg7 ,
Nf3 ch) but he wants to castle quickly.

16 Nf4 Bd5
17 Nxd5 Nxd5
18 0-0-0 Nce7
19 Rh2!
Chapter Two 69

The doubling of rooks along the d-file is particularly


dangerous and after Black's next move White could also enlarge
his superiority with 20 c4.

19 c6
20 Rhd2 b5
21 c4 bxc4
22 Bxc4 Rg8
23 h5! Kf7
24 e6 ch! Ke8

Or 24 . . . Kxe6 25 Rel ch, Kd6 26 Rde2 with threats of


27 Re6 ch and a growing advantage.

25 Bb3! Rd8
26 Ba4 Rd6
27 Rxd5! Nxd5
28 Rxd5 Rxe6

Black is, of course, lost following 28 . . . Rxd5 29 Bxc6 ch.


He now shortens the struggle with a blunder.
70 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

29 Bd2 Ke7
30 Rxf5 Rd8??
31 Bg5 ch Black Resigns 1-0

ILLUSTRA11VE GAME # 1 0

Gallagher-Huebner, Swiss League 1 9 9 1

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 N3 d6
4 d4 g5
5 h4 g4
6 Ng1 Bh6
7 Nc3 Be6

A new move at the time. It protects against a knight


incursion and against the occupation of the diagonal with Bc4. On
8 d5? ! the bishop retreats to c8 and Black occupies e5 with an
excellent knight.

8 Qd3 a6
9 Bd2 Nc6
10 Nd5 !

A strong idea that virtually forces Black to exchange (not


10 ... Nce7 1 1 Nx4).

10 Bxd5
11 exd5 Nce 7
12 Ne2!?

A number of alternatives suggest themselves, led by 12 0-


0-0! and 12 c4!
Chapter Two 71

12 Nxd5
13 Qe4 ch

This assures White of getting at least one pawn back but


Black is soon equal.

13 Nge7
14 c4 N6
15 Qxb 7 Qb8
16 Qxb8 ch Rxb8
17 Bx4 Bx4
18 Nx4 Ne4!?

This discourages queen side castling (. . . Nf2).

19 b3 Ng6
20 Nh5 ! g3
21 Be2 0-0
22 0-0 Draw

Just when the game was materially level but getting


interesting.
72 WINNIN<; WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME # I I

Hebden-Borm, Orange 1987

I e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 N3 d6
4 d4 g5
5 h4 g4
6 Ngi N6
1 Bx4! Nxe4
8 Bd3 Qe7

You don't really want your queen on e7 but 8 . . . Bf5 has


drawbacks as well. The knight is then in a small pin, which White
may try to exploit (9 Nd2, or 9 c4 and 1 0 Qc2) or just complete
his development with 9 Ne2 , Bg7 1 0 Nbc3 .

9 Ne2 Bg7
IO 0-0 0-0
Chapter Two 73

The modem treatment of the King's Gambit differs from


the Romantic version in many ways. One of the most common is
the willingness of White to exchange off the sacred light-squared
bishop, the one Morphy and Spielmann always seemed to
preserve for the eventual assault on f7.

11 Bxe4! Qxe4
12 Nbc3 Qc6
13 Qd2 d5

The threat was 14 Bh6 followed by 15 Qg5 or an


exchange of bishop and Ng3-h5 ch. Black's next move is just too
provocative.

14 Ng3 Qf6
15 Be5! Qxh4
16 Bxg7 Kxg7
17 Nxd5!

If Black now takes the knight he is mated with 18 Qg5 ch,


19 Qf6 ch and 20 Ne7 .

17 f5
1 8 Qf4 Nc6
And here 1 8 . . . Na6, to protect c7, allows a big check on
e5.

19 Nxc7 Rh8
20 Rae1 Kg8
21 d5! Ne7
22 Nh5!

This threatens 23 Qh6!, Rf7 24 d6 and 25 Re8 ch. Black


is just about lost.
74 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

22 Qxh5
23 Rxe7 b5
24 Rfe1 Rb6
25 d6 Qh4
26 g3 Q6
27 Ne8!

A pretty move. The queen is lost after 27 . . . Qg6 28 Rg7


ch and other queen moves allow a check at g5 .

27 Qxb2
28 Qg5 ch Kh8
29 Rxh7 ch! Kxh7
30 Re 7 ch Kh8
31 Qh6 ch Kg8
32 Qh7 mate 1-0

Rudolf Spielmann couldn't have handled it better.


75

CHAPTER THREE

The Ancient 3 . . . g5

One of the enduring myths of chess is that the moves


played today in grandmaster tournaments are the best possible
and that the reason you don't see 19th century openings in the
20th - and perhaps soon 2 1st - century tournaments is because
all the old stuff has been proven to fail.

Actually many of the old openings and their sub-variations


are perfectly usable. It's just that they've fallen out of fashion, as,
for example the Scotch Game and Four Knights did between the
tum of the century and the 1 990s. The same goes for 3 ..g5 . It
.

may very well be the best move against the King's Gambit
Accepted. The reason you won't find many Swiss System
opponents playing it these weekends is that they figure it can't be
a good move if Nigel Short or Vasily Ivanchuk aren't playing it.

Nevertheless, we intend to take 3 g5 quite seriously. If


. . .

the best players in the world couldn't refute it way back when,
how can we expect to without a serious look?

1 e4 e5
2 4 ex4
3 N3 g5

(See diagram, next page.)

4 d4!

We are going to recommend the same basic procedure (4


d4) here as against the Fischer (Chapter Two) and Becker
(Chapter Four) Defenses. By threatening to destroy Black's king
side pawn wedge with 5 h4, White forces the issue more so than
76 WINNING WffH 111E KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

(Position after 3. .g5)


with the traditional 4 Bc4. For example, 4 . . .h6 would allow White
to transpose into the Becker Defense with 5 h4!, Bg7 6 hxg5 .

There are now two principle methods for Black to


continue. One is (a) 4 . . . Bg7, hoping to remain in more familiar
terrain. The other is (b) 4 ... g4, daring White to sacrifice a piece
in the Muzio spirit. We'll consider them one at a time.

SECTION (a)

4 Bg7

(After l e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 Nf3 , g5 4 d4)

(See diagram, next page.)

Now 5 Bc4, h6 would permit Black to get his king side


house in order. That position, and related ones, have been
analyzed in great depth for more than a century and have, more
often than not, been found to favor Black. In fact, Bobby
Chapter Three 77

(Position after 4...1ftr7)

Fischer's contribution to the theory of the K.G.A. is based on


such positions, reached by transposition.

5 h4

But we prefer a different one. Once more Black is invited


into the Becker Defense, which now has a questionable reputa
tion. For that reason, most defenders with the Black pieces will
play 5 . . . g4 here, leading by transposition to what was once
popularly recognized as Louis Paulsen's Defense.

5 g4
6 Ne5

This positions is usually reached by way of I e4, e5 2 f4,


exf4 3 N3 , g5 4 h4, g4 5 Ne5 , Bg7 - and the reason this is a
good transposition for White is that Paulsen's 5 . . . Bg7 is not as
good as the superior 5 . . . Nf6!, which at least equalizes. Of course,
in our move order, Black never gets a chance to play the 5 . . . Nf6
position.

6 Nf6
78 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

If Black tries to gain time with 6 . . . d6 White does best


with 7 Nxg4, since 7 . . . Bxg4 8 Qxg4, Bxd4 allows White, with 9
Nc3! (Euwe) to develop strongly. For example, 9 . . Nc6 1 0 Bxf4,
.

Bxc3 ch 1 1 bxc3 , Qf6 1 2 Kd2 or 9 . . . Nf6 1 0 Qxf4, Nbd7 1 1


Bd2 and 1 2 0-0-0.

1 Nxg4

The simplest. Now on 7 . . . Nxg4 8 Qxg4 Black's bishop at


g7 is attacked and after 8 . . . Bxd4 9 Nc3 we reach a position
similar to the one mentioned in the last note.

1 Nxe4

Once - not very long ago - this was thought to equalize


(e.g. after 8 Bxf4, 0-0 9 Nc3 , Re8!). However, the case for
White has been strengthened by Igor Glazkov's analysis.

8 Nc3!

8 d5
Chapter Three 79

This received an exclamation point in the 1982 version of


Glazkov's book. Clearly, 8 . . . Ng3 fails to 9 Bxf4!, Nxh1 10 Bg5,
f6 1 1 Nxf6 ch!, Bxf6 12 Qh5 ch.

The strength of White's eighth move lies in part in his


ability to castle queen side quickly. For example, 8 ... 0-0 9 Nxe4,
Re8 - similar to what we considered in the note to Black's
seventh move above - is insufficient here because of 1 0 Qe2!,
d5 1 1 Ngf6 ch or 1 0 . . . Kh8 11 Bxf4, d5 12 Ne5 .

9 Bxf4 0-0

Back in Mikhail Tchigorin's days this pos1non was


abandoned - prematurely as it turns out - because it was felt
to be too strong for Black. The disadvantage to Black of exchang
ing knights (9 . . . Nxc3 1 0 bxc3 , 0-0) is illustrated by 1 1 Bd3 and
now 1 l . . . Re8 ch 1 2 Kd2 !, Nc6 13 Qf3 followed by Nh6 ch or
Qg3 Similarly, the attack on d4 with 1 l . .. c5 is too slow: 12 Nh6
ch, Bxh6 1 3 Bxh6, Re8 ch 1 4 Kd2 , c4 15 Q3 , Qd6 1 6 Bf4!,
Qf6 1 7 Rae l .

10 Nxe4 dxe4

Unfortunately for Black, the attractive 10 . . . Re8 allows 1 1


Ne5 !, keeping the e-file closed and taking aim at f7. Black could
still try 1 1 . . . Nc6 but then 1 2 Bg5 , f6 1 3 Qh5 ! offers White
strong attacking chances ( 1 3 . . . Nxe5 1 4 Bxf6; 13 . . .fxg5 14 Nxg5).

11 Nh6 ch Kh8

Of course, 1 l . . . Bxh6 1 2 Bxh6, Re8 - here not a check


as it is in the last note to Black's 9 0-0 - 1 3 Qh5 and Black
. . .

has no compensation for his porous king side.

12 Qh5
80 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

A key position. If White can get his bishop to c4 he


should be in the driver's seat. Glazkov analyzes 12 ... Qf6 13 Bg5 ,
Qg6 (or 13 ... Qe6 14 b3 followed by 15 Bc4) 14 Qxg6!, hxg6 1 5
Bc4 an d concludes Black is in trouble, e.g. 15 . . . 6 1 6 N f7 ch,
Kh7 1 7 Be3 , Bg4 1 8 Kd2!, Bh5 19 Rag1 intending 20 g4 or
1 8 ... Bh8 (intending ... Kg7) 1 9 Ng5 ch!, fxg5 20 hxg5 ch, Kg7
2 1 d5 and 22 Bd4 ch.

But it appears to be even more dangerous for Black to


grab the d-pawn, e.g. 12 ... Qxd4 13 Rd1 , Qf6 14 Be5 !, Qe6
(14 ...Qxe5 15 Nxf7 ch, Rxf7 16 Rd8 ch) and now the beautiful
15 Qxf7!!, Rxf7 1 6 Rd8 ch. Another version of the endgame is
1 4 ... Qg6 (instead of 1 4 ... Qe6) 1 5 Nxf7 ch, Kg8 1 6 Qxg6, hxg6
1 7 Bc4, Bxe5 1 8 Nxe5 ch, Kg7 19 h5 , g5 20 h6 ch and 2 1
Nf7.

Glazkov also points out that at move 1 3 in the last line,


Black has no perpetual check after 13 . . . Qxb2 (instead of
13 ...Qf6) because of 1 4 Nxf7 ch, Kg8 1 5 Nh6 ch, Kh8 1 6 Qd5!,
Bc3 ch 17 Ke2, Qxc2 ch 1 8 Ke3! and wins.

Although hardly conclusive, this suggests that the Paulsen


Chapter Three 81

system of defense should not be a major obstacle for White. A


greater challenge is posed by the rarely encountered 4 . . . g4. Then
White really has to take risks.
82 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

SECTION (b)

(After I e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 Nf3 , g5 4 d4!)

4 g4

An attempt at an improved version of this line is 4 ... d5 5


exd5 , g4 since 6 Bxf4 , exf3 offers Black a somewhat freer
defense than in the note to White's next move. However, White
need not sacrifice the knight in this move order and can play 6
Qe2 ch! (instead of 6 Bxf4).

Then 6 ... Qe7 7 Ne5 , f3 8 gxf3, gxf3 9 Qxf3 ! is quite


sound for White. The miniature Spielmann-Cohn, Abbazia 1912
concluded with 9 ... f6 1 0 Bb5 ch, Kd8 I I 0-0, Nh6 (or ll. . . Bg7
12 Bg5 !, c6 1 3 d6) 12 Qxf6, Rg8 ch 1 3 Kh1 , Bh3 14 Qxe7 ch,
Kxe7 15 Rxf8 ! , Rxf8 1 6 Bg5 ch, Rf6 ( 1 6 . . . Kd6 allows mate in
three) 1 7 Nc3 and Black resigned in view of Ne4.

5 Bxf4!
Chapter Three 83

White has little choice since 5 Ne5, Qh4 ch gives Black


at least equality. The piece sacrifice, properly the main line of the
Rosentreter Gambit, is quite promising although it has generally
eluded the attention of theoreticians. The 1 986 Korchnoi/Zak
book makes no mention of 5 Bxf4. Even Glazkov's most recent
book on the King's Gambit (Moscow, 1 988) devotes only a
paragraph to it.

5 gx3
6 Qx3

In similar positions of the Allgaier and Muzio Gambits,


after White sacrifices his king knight, Black tries to liberate his
game at the cost of a pawn with a quick . . . d7-d5. Here, however,
6 . . . d5 7 Nc3 helps White's development as much as Black's, e.g.
7 . . . dxe4 8 Nxe4 and then 8 . . . Qxd4 9 Bd3 is an untested
suggestion by the former East German correspondence player
Leisebein. For example, 9 . . . Nf6 1 0 0-0-0, Nc6 1 1 Bb5 or
10 . . . Nbd7 1 1 Rhe 1 , Be7 1 2 Bb5 , Qb6 13 Bd6 (See also 7 exd5
as in Illustrative game 13).

6 d6

This might be considered the main line, although it is


hard to speak of such things in a variation that has never really
been tested in a grandmaster game. (And in fact 6 . . . d6 receives
a question mark in Sergeant's celebrated collection of Morphy's
games.)
The most natural move is 6 . . .Bg7 but that runs into Qg3
in some lines, or transposes into our main line after 7 Bc4, d6.

The leading alternative is 6 . . . Nc6, attacking the d4-pawn.


White should respond 7 Bc4, and now 7 . . . Nxd4 is the typical
situation in which a sacrifice on f7 is appropriate - 8 Bx.f7 ch,
Kxf7 9 Qh5 ch, Kg7 1 0 Be5 ch, Nf6 1 1 0-0. A similar version
84 WINNING wrrn TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

of this "Wild Muzio," is 7 . . . Bg7 8 e5 ! , Nxd4 9 Bxf7 ch, Kxf7 1 0


Qh5 ch, KfB 1 1 0-0 with a strong attack.

7 Bc4 Bg 7

Black's last has been given an exclamation point in the


past. Let's see why by examining the other leading prospects:

(a) 7 . . . Qh4 ch 8 Bg3, Q6 forces White temporarily


away from the attack on f7 and discourages king side castling.
However, 9 Qb3 prepares a virulent 1 0 Rfl. For example,
9 Nh6 10 Rfl , Qe7 1 1 Nc3 as in a 1 968 Swedish game won

quickly by White.

(b) 7 . . . Be6 is another way of dealing with the impending


crisis on f7 . White gains little from 8 Bxe6?!, fxe6 9 Qh5 ch,
Kd7. However, 8 d5, Bc8 9 0-0 has not been tested since
Morphy-Maurian, New Orleans 1869, one of the very last games
Morphy ever played. See Illustrative game 12 - but bear in
mind that White was also giving knight odds.

(c) 7 . . . Nf6 transposes into an Alekhine game that went


8 Bg5, Be7 9 0-0, Nbd7 10 Nc3, c6 1 1 R2 followed by
Rafl and e4-e5! with a crushing attack.

8 0-0!

Note that neither 8 Bxf7 ch?, Kxf7 9 Bg5 ch, Nf6 nor 8
Bxd6, Be6! nor even 8 e5 , dxe5 9 Bxe5 , Nf6 give White what he
wants. He should continue in the spirit of Paul Charles Morphy.

8 Bxd4 ch

On 8 . . .Nf6 Black invites the pin 9 Bg5 , e.g. 9 Nbd7 10


Nc3 , 0-0 11 Rae1 intending 12 Nd5 or 12 e5 .
Chapter Three 85

9 Be3!?

An old analysis by the early Soviet master Nenarokov


suggested that 9 Kh1 , Bf6 was adequate for Black because after
10 e5, dxe5 1 1 Bxe5, Nd7 1 2 Bc3!, Qe7 13 Re1 , Be5 14 Bxe5,
Nxe5 15 Qh5 chances were equal.

As Glazkov points out, however, it is hard to find a good


move for Black in the final position of Nenarokov's analysis. After
either 15 . . . Bg4 or 15 . . . Nf6 White goes into a favorable endgame
with 1 6 Qxe5 .

However, 9 Kh1 seems to be met by 9 .Qf6 and if 1 0


..

Nc3, then 10 . . . Bxc3 l l bxc3, Nc6 12 Qg3 , Ne5! with good


chances for Black (IDustrative game 14).

9 Bxe3 ch

Since White's ninth move has opened the f-file, Black


cannot afford anything less forcing (9 . . . Bf6 1 0 Nc3, c6 l l e5 ,
dxe5 12 Ne4).

10 Qxe3

White is a full piece down but his assault on f7 cannot be


denied now (10 . . . Be6 ll Qd4 or 10 . . .Nf6 l l e5).

10 Qe7
11 Nc3

This appears more promising than 1 1 Rxf7 or 1 1 Bxf7


ch.
86 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

The chief threats are 12 Nd5 and 12 Rxf7 After .

1 l . . . Be6 12 Nd5 , Bxd5 1 3 Bxd5 White's attack is considerable


(13 . . . Nc6? 14 Qb3 ; 1 3 . . . c6 14 Rxf7 Qe5 15 Qb3). Also,
,

1 l . . . Qe5 1 2 Nd5, Kd8 after which 13 Rxf7 creates a danger of


a rook invasion at f8.

Perhaps the key line is 1 l . . . Nf6 after which 12 Rxf6!,


Qxf6 13 Nd5 maintains the initiative, e.g. 13 ... Qxb2 14 Rfl
(14 . . . 0-0? 15 Nf6 ch) or 1 3 . . . Qd8 14 e5 , Be6 1 6 Nf6 ch, Ke7
1 7 Bxe6, fxe6 18 Qg5 .

IlLUSTRATIVE GAME # 1 2

Morphy-Maurian, New Orleans 1 869 (White gave QN odds)

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 g5
4 Bc4 g4
5 d4 gxf3
6 Qxf3 d6
Chapter Three 87

7 0-0

Despite White's fourth move we will have transposed back


into our main line of section (b) by move nine.

7 Be6
8 d5 Bc8!
9 Bxf4

9 Qd7

Black retreated the bishop all the way in order to clear d7


for a piece. But here he moves the wrong piece. He probably
wanted to put a knight on d7 (and later on e5) but gave up on it
after seeing that 9 ... Nd7 allows 10 Bxd6 and a threat of mate on
f7. However, 1 0 ... Qf6 is a dangerous response. Also 1 0 Bg5 is
a paper attack (10 ... Qxg5 !).

If this game were not played at QN odds, White would


meet 9 ... Nd7 with 1 0 Nc3, after which 1 0 ... Bg7 1 1 Bxd6, Qf6
1 2 Qg3 leads to immense complications ( l 2 ... Qd4 ch 1 3 Kh1 ,
cxd6 1 4 Nb5, Be5 !).
88 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

10 e5! Qg4
11 Qe3 Be7
12 exd6 cxd6
13 Rae1

A case when not having a queen knight helps White


immeasurably. Now 13 . Kf8 is essential.
. .

13 h5?
14 Bxd6 Qd7
15 Bxe7 Nxe7
16 Bb5! Black Resigns 1-0

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME # 1 3

Leisebein-Jungle, East German Correspondence


Championship 1 986

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 g5
4 d4 g4
5 Bxf4 gxf3
6 Qxf3 d5
7 exd5

Here ECO gives 7 . . . Nf6 8 Bb5 ch, c6 9 Be5 , Bg7 10


dxc6, bxc6 1 1 Bxc6 ch, Nxc6 12 Qxc6 ch, Bd7 13 Qf3 , 0-0 14
0-0, Ne8 with advantage to Black.

7 Bd6
8 Bb5 ch Bd7
9 Bxd6!
Chapter Three 89

Analysis by Jakov Estrin once recommended 9 . . . Bxb5


here as a winning move. However, Leisebein points out that 1 0
Be5!, f6 l l Qh5 ch is a strong reply (1 l . . . Kf8 12 Nc3).

9 cxd6
10 0-0 Q6

An ancient game, Testa-Mlotkowski, Los Angeles 1 9 1 7 ,


saw l O . . .f6 l l Nc3 with double-edged play. The text is an
attempt to defuse the f-file but White's reply forces Black back
immediately.

11 Qc3! Qd8
12 Na3 Na6

Black cannot smooth out his pieces with 12 . . . Ne7 and 13


0-0 because of 13 Qg3, hitting at d6 and g7.

13 Rae1 ch K8
14 Q3 6
15 Q4 Qc7
90 WINNING Wl11l 111E KING'S GAMBn' ACCEPTED

And here 15 ... Bxb5 1 6 Nxb5 , Qd7 1 7 Re6! is killing


(17 ... Qxb5 1 8 Rxf6 ch).

16 Bxd7 Qxd7
17 Re6 Qf7
18 Nb5 Rd8
19 Nxd6 Qg7
20 Nf5 Qg6

Black is also lost following 20 ... Qf7 2 1 Nh6 or 20 . . . Qg5


2 1 Qxg5 and 22 Nh6 ch.

21 d6! Nb4
22 d7 Kf7
23 Qd6 Qg5
24 h4! Black Resigns 1-0

Black concedes because of 24 . . . Qh5 25 Re7 ch, Nxe7 26


Qxe7 ch, Kg6 27 Qg7 mate.

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME # 1 4

Leisebein-Kopplin, Correspondence 1988

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 g5
4 d4 g4
5 Bxf4 gxf3
6 Qxf3 d6
7 Bc4 Bg7
8 0-0 Bxd4 ch
9 Kh1 Qf6
10 Nc3 Bxc3
Chapter Three 91

Unfortunately, I I Bx:f7 ch?! does not work here:


l l . . . Qx:f7 1 2 Qxc3, Qf6! 1 3 e5, Qg7 and Black wins. Black now
gains time to control the crucial e5 square.

11 bxc3 Nc6!
12 Qg3 Ne5

But here Black could easily have fallen for a similar


version of the previous note: l 2 ... Qg6? and now 13 Bx:f7 ch!,
Qx:f7 1 4 Bxd6! and White wins.

13 Bxe5 Qxe5
14 Bx7 ch Kd8
15 Qh4 ch Ne7

Black can take a draw here with l 5 . . . Qe7 since White can
hardly avoid 1 6 Qg3, Qe5 1 7 Qh4, Qe7.

16 R6! Bd7!
17 Qh6 Qxe4?!

Leisebein, in New In Chess, suggested I 7 . . . c6! with the


92 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

idea of 1 8 Rxd6, Kc7 1 9 Rad 1 , Rad8 20 Qd2 , Nd5! and the d


file is defused.

18 Qg7 Re8
19 Bxe8 Bxe8
20 Qg3 Qe5
21 Qf2 Kd7
22 Rei Qg5
23 h4 Qh5
24 R8 Nc6
25 Rg8! Rd8
26 g4 Qd5 ch
27 Kh2 Qf7?

A blunder. The situation is still unclear after Black creates


a flight square with 27 . . . Ne5 28 Q5 ch, Kc6.

28 Rg7! Black Resigns 1-0

Because of 28 . . . Qxg7 29 Q5 mate.


93

CHAPTER FOUR

Albert Becker's 3 . . . h6 Finesses

Almost no one plays 3 . . . h6 nowadays. But at one time it


was considered an important finesse that would allow Black to
play an early . . . g7-g5 , without the complications of 3 ... g5 4 h4.
In other words, Becker's 3 ... h6 had the same transpositional
appeal of Fischer's 3 ... d6. However, since it adds almost nothing
to Black's development, 3 ... h6 has faced many attempts at
refutation.

1 e4 e5
2 4 ex4
3 Nf3 h6?!

4 d4

If he wants to point out the most obvious deficiency of


3 ... h6, White can reply 4 b3 !?, since then the only consistent
Black reply - 4 ...g5 - allows a strong seizure of the diagonal
with 5 Bb2. White can continue with Nc3 and Qe2 and queen
94 WINNING Wfi1I THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

side castling.

However, there's no reason to be fancy when such a


simple and natural - and easy-to-learn - method of handling the
Becker Defense is available. That means 4 d4, the same move we
used against the Fischer Defense.

4 g5

And as in the Fischer Defense, if Black allows 5 Bxf4, he


ends up with a passive position with nothing else to show for it
(5 . . . Nc6? 6 Bxf4).

5 h4

Again following the anti-Fischer prescription. One major


difference is that now 5 . . . g4 can be met by both 6 Ngl and 6
Ne5 here. Then the advantage of . . . d7 -d6 over the fairly
irrelevant . . . h 7 -h6 is obvious.

5 Bg7

This is the point of the Becker Defense: Black used his


third move to gain a tempo over the Fischer and 3 . . .g5 defenses
in order to get his king side pawns into a coherent mass. Now on
quiet moves Black can develop with . . . d6, . . . Nf6 and . . . Nc6,
whereas on the active 6 g3 he can respond 6 . . . d5! 7 exd5 , g4 8
Ne5, Qxd5 9 Rh2 , Bxe5 with advantage.

There is, however, one other way for White to exploit


Black's king side before it is completely coordinated:

6 hxg5 hxg5
7 Rxh8 Bxh8
Chapter Four 95

This exchange exposes h 7 and h8, and also g8 to


potential invasions by White's heavy pieces, particularly a queen
after Qh5 (or Qg4 and Qxg4 as in our main line below).

8 g3!

It is vital for White to strike at Black's pawn chain before


it can be fortified by developed pieces. Now Black cannot afford
8 . . . fxg3 9 Bxg5 and it is Black's king position that is more
vulnerable (9 . . . Bf6 10 Bxf6, Nxf6 1 1 e5).

Therefore his choice lies between our main line, 8 . . . g4,


and the various means of completing his development at the cost
of a pawn. White must bear in mind that if he gets to play 9 gxf4
Black is almost certain to reply 9 . . . g4!, keeping lines closed and
driving the White knight to a questionable square (since h4 will
no longer be available).

For example, 8 ... Nc6 9 gxf4, g4 is one likely continua


tion. White does best to continue with 10 Ng5 and then
10 . . . Nxd4 1 1 Bc4 with attacking chances well worth a pawn
(1 l . . . Nh6 1 2 Be3 and 1 3 Nc3).
96 WINNING WITH 111E KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

8 g4

On 8 . . . d5 White should avoid 9 exd5 , Qe7 ch when


Black stands well. Normally White should consider a piece
sacrifice on g5 here - 9 gxf4, g4! 1 0 Ng5 . But here it fails
because of 10 .f6 1 1 Nh3 , dxe4! and 1 1 f5, fxg5 1 2 Qxg4,
. .

Bxd4! are sound.

However, he can meet 8 ... d5 with 9 Nc3 when the


opening of the center should hold no terrors for White: 9 dxe4
10' Nxe4, Qe7 1 1 Nfxg5!?.

On the other hand, against a somewhat passive developing


move such as 8 . . . d6 White can indeed make the knight sacrifice
mentioned above: 9 gxf4, g4 10 Ng5, f6 1 1 Nh3! and 1 1 . .. gxh3
12 Qh5ch/13 Qxh8.

9 Nh2!

Now Black's king side collapses.

9 fxg3
10 Qxg4 Kf8

Not 10 ... gxh2 1 1 Qxg8 ch, Ke7 12 Bg5 ch, f6 13 Qh7


ch.

(See diagram, next page.)

11 Qxg3

We are following the below Illustrative Game No. 15 in


which Black continued 1 l . . . Bxd4 and lost. A more recent
example was Lenart-Mathe, Kesckemet 1 985 which went 1 1 Nf3 ,
d5 12 Qh5 , Bg7 13 e5 , c5 14 Ng5 with a similar edge to White.
Chapter Four 97

(Position after J O KJB)


ILLUSTRATIVE GAME # I 5

Keres-Soonurm, Tallinn 1 942

I e4 e5
2 4 ex4
3 N3 h6
4 d4 g5
5 h4 Bg7
6 hxg5 hxg5
7 Rxh8 Bxh8
8 g3 g4
9 Nh2 fxg3
IO Qxg4

By attacking g8 as well as g3 White sweeps the king side


open. Black decides to take on d4 to keep some material edge.

IO K8
II Qxg3 Bxd4
98 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

This capture also serves an important positional purpose.


Black can occupy e5 now with a minor piece. However, 1 2 Nf3,
Bg7 seems a more accurate defense than 12 . . Bf6, which
.

provokes White into closing the g3-c7 diagonal.

12 N3 B6?!
13 e5 Be 7
14 Ng5 Bxg5

In view of 15 Nh7 ch, Black can hardly avoid this new


concession.

15 Bxg5 Qe8
16 Nc3 Nc6
17 0-0-0

An easy decision. Black cannot last long if he doesn't take


the e-pawn, so . . . .

17 Qxe5
18 B4 Qg7
19 Qh2 d6
Chapter Four 99

20 Bxd6 ch! cxd6


21 Qxd6 ch Ke8

Or 2 l . . . Nge7 22 Qd8 ch! and mates.

22 Nd5 Qh6 ch
23 Qxh6 Nxh6
24 Nc7 ch Black Resigns 1-0
1 00

CHAPTER FIVE

Max Euwe's Defense (3 . . . Be7)

From Becker's now-rare 3 ... h6, we turn to a move that


has been in and out of fashion for more than a century. The last
word has yet to be said about Max Euwe's 3 . . . Be7 system.

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nr.J Be 7

This variation has a very long history and evokes memo


ries of the Berlin Pleiades and Cafe de la Regence. And most of
all it recalls the so-called "King Side" Gambit (4 Bc4, Bh4 ch 5
g3 !?, fxg3 6 0-0, gxh2 ch) in which White sacrifices not one but
all four king side pawns. One of the oldest King's Gambits was
the game Hanstein-Jaenisch, Berlin 1 842 which went:

1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 Nf3 , Be7 4 Bc4, Bh4 ch 5 g3, fxg3


6 0-0, gxh2 ch 7 Kh l ! , Bf6 8 Ne5 ! , Bxe5 9 Qh5 , Qe7 1 0 Rxf7!,
Qc5 1 1 RfB ch! , Ke7 1 2 d4! , Qxc4 1 3 Qe8 ch, Kd6 1 4 Qxe5
Chapter Five 101

ch, Kc6 1 5 Na3, d6 1 6 d5 ch, Kc5 1 7 Be3 ch, Kb4 1 8 c3 ch,


Ka4 19 b3 ch, Kxa3 20 Bel mate! 1 -0

A bit later on, Paul Morphy demonstrated that there was


no reason to take such risks when White gets a perfectly reason
able game by meeting 4 . . . Bh4 ch with 5 Kfl ! . This put the
3 ... Be7 lines under a cloud where it remained for half a century.
It was only when Euwe showed that 3 ... Be7 should be used as a
transpositional device that the bishop move regained respectability
- and gained its modern name: The Euwe Variation.

4 Bc4

For a while, thanks to Boris Spassky's efforts to revive the


K.G.A. , the move 4 Nc3 , and if 4 ... Bh4 ch then 5 Ke2, came
into fashion. But there is no reason to so disrupt the smooth
coordination of White's forces. His king will stand much worse on
e2, blocking in a bishop, than fl.

4 N6!

This was Euwe's contribution. Black has an extra move of


development when compared with Schallop's 3 ... Nf6 (Chapter
Six) and, since White's bishop is already developed on c4, Black
will follow an early advance of White's e-pawn with a tempo
gaining ... d7-d5 ! .

The old checking line, 4 ... Bh4 ch 5 Kfl ! , now appears


dubious. To illustrate:

(a) 5 d6 6 d4, Bg4 7 Bx4 and Black's pieces are


. . .

misplaced (7 . . . Qf6 8 Be3, Nc6 9 c3 or 8 ... Ne7 9 Nbd2, h6 1 0


h3 , Bx3 I I Nx3 , Nd7 1 2 Kgl !). Once again a spatial advantage
of White's proves its value.
1 02 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

(b) 5 Nh6 6 d4 and Black has no convenient method


of forestalling 7 Bxf4 (6 . . . g5? 7 Nxh4; 6 . . . Bg5 7 h4) after which


the knight is shown to be miserably placed on h6.

(c) 5 86 6 d4, g5 7 h4 followed by Ne5.

The most interesting try after the bishop check is 5 . . . d5 !


6 Bxd5 , Nf6 7 Bb3 . Now BCO, first edition, recommended the
blunder 7 . . . 0-0 as equal, but of course, 8 Nxh4 wins a piece.
Glazkov and Estrin note that 7 . . . Nxe4 is another blunder because
of 8 Qe2 .

One of the few examples of 7 Bb3 was the postal game


Wells-Corkett, 1989, which saw 7 . . . Bg4 8 d3, 0-0 9 Nc3 , Nh5
10 Nd5 , Qd6 1 1 Qd2 , Bxf3 ! 1 2 gxf3 , c6 and Black stood well.
White may improve with 10 Ne2.

For 4 . . . d5 see Illustrative Game 20.

5 e5

Another point to Black's play is that 5 Nc3 allows the


familiar fork trick of 5 . . . Nxe4! 6 Nxe4, d5, which, as usual,
equalizes.

5 Ng4

In contrast to Chapter Six, the knight is badly placed on


h5 here: 5 . . . Nh5 6 Nc3 and now 6 . . . d6 7 exd6 followed by 8 d4
and 9 Ne4 favors White.

6 Nc3

It's useful for White to prevent . . . d7-d5 , which was a key


move in Euwe's system . Note here that if Black goes ahead
Chapter Five 103

anyway with 6 . . . d5, White can reply 7 Bxd5 !, since 7 . . . Bh4 ch


8 Kfl , Nc6 offers insufficient compensation (9 Bxc6 ch, bxc6 1 0
d3, 0-0 1 1 Bxf4 and now Keres gives 1 l . . . f6 12 e6, f5 1 3
Nxh4, Qxh4 14 Qe1 as favoring White).

Note also that development alone will not solve Black's


opening problems. After 6 . . . Nc6 7 d4, for example, 7 . . . d6 8
Bxf4, dxe5 9 dxe5 , 0-0 1 0 h3 followed by 1 1 Qxd8, Nxd8 12
0-0-0! favors White's more aggressive pieces.

And, once more, 7 . . . d5 simply surrenders a pawn without


compensation - 8 Bxd5! , Bh4 ch 9 Kfl and now 9 . . . Bf2, with
the idea of a fork on e3 , is met by 10 Bxf4, Be3 1 1 Bg3 , Ne7
1 2 Be4.

6 d6

The other key test of White's play is 6 . . . Bh4 ch, since


Black is ready to castle and therefore in better overall shape than
in the positions considered above that arise after 4 . . . Bh4 ch. We
will consider the four most likely Black procedures after 6 ... Bh4
ch 7 Kfl ! .

(a) 7. . .Nf2 8 Qe1 , Nxh1 9 Qxh4 and White will


emerge with two minor pieces for a rook. A 1 986 postal game,
Wason-Otte, saw 8 g5 9 Nxh4, Nxh1 1 0 N3 and Black
.

resigned following 1 0 ... Qe7 1 1 Nd5, Qc5 1 2 Nf6 ch, Km


13 Bb3, d6 1 4 d4.

(h) 7 ... Nc6 can improve on the last line after 8 d4, Nf2
9 Qe1 , Nxh1 10 Qxh4, Qxh4 1 1 Nxh4, Nxd4, since Black
has won the d-pawn. However, after 12 Bxf4 Black is left with
a problem of developing his queen side, e.g. 1 2 ... b6 13 Rd1 ,
Ne6 14 Be3, Bb7 1 5 Kgl .
I 04 WINNING WITH mE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

(c) 7 ... d6 8 exd6! and now 8 Qxd6?? hangs the h4


bishop (9 Nxh4, Qd4 10 Qe2 ch). Therefore, 8 cxd6 is the


expected recapture. White can then play 9 Qe2 ch! strongly


since 9 . . Qe 7? and 9 . Be6? lose material. Black should
. . .

respond 9 . . Be7, after which 1 0 d4, and 1 1 Bxf4, offers


.

White excellent chances (IO . .g5 1 1 h4; IO . . . Ne3 ch 1 1 Bxe3,


.

fxe3 1 2 Qxe3, 0-0 I 3 Rei , Bf6 I 4 Nd5).

This theme of capturing on d6 followed by a queen check


is one we'll see again in our main line. Therefore, Black may do
best to avoid all checks with . . .

(d) 7 . . . 0-0 8 d 4 and now Glazkov gives 8 Ne3 ch 9


Bxe3, fxe3 1 0 Qd3, B! 1 1 h4! and Ng5 as leading to a


White advantage, and also 8 Kh8 9 g3! (9 . . .fxg3 1 0 hxg3,

Bxg3? 1 I Ng5 and wins, or I O . . . Be7 I I Qd3 , h6 I2 Qe4, d6


I3 Bxh6).

7 exd6!

One of the major discoveries - actually a rediscovery -


during the King's Gambit revival of the 1 950s was that White has
Chapter Five 1 05

quite a good endgame if he can trade queens. This exchange


favors White in large part because of his prospects after the
natural 7 . . . Bxd6 8 Qe2 , Qe7.

7 Bxd6

Rarely played but perfectly reasonable is 7 . . . Qxd6. It's


principal drawback is that White will gain a useful tempo with
Ne4. For example, 8 d4, 0-0 9 0-0, c6 10 Ne4, Qc7 1 1 h3 , as
given by Euwe, grants White a small but certain advantage.
However, there have been few examples of this from actual play.
See Illustrative Game 18.

8 Qe2 ch

White cannot allow Black to castle into safety if he hopes


to extract something from the opening. Black can now avoid
exchanges with 8 . Kf8!? with 9 Nc6 to follow. But White can
. . . . .

regain his pawn favorably with 9 d4 and Nd5 , e.g. 8 . . Kf8 9 d4,
.

Nc6 10 Nd5 , g5? 1 1 h4! or 9 . . h6?! 10 h3! , Nf6 1 1 Ne5 .


.

8 Qe7
9 Qxe7 ch Kxe 7

The natural 9 . . Bxe7 recapture is faulty because of 1 0 d4


.

(threatening Bxf4) and if 1 0 . . . Bd6, then 1 1 Ne4 and Nxd6 ch as


in Illustrative Game 1 7 .

10 0-0

Time to evaluate. Black still has his extra pawn but his
king is somewhat insecure and his queen side is still asleep.
White's principle method of exploiting Black's problems will be
Ne4xd6 or Nd5 ch, depending on Black's next move. For
example, 1 0 .. . c6 takes away the knight check but makes 1 1 Ne4
106 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

stronger, e.g. 1 l . . . Bc7 1 2 b3 and 13 Ba3 ch or 1 l . . .Bf5 1 2


Nxd6, Kxd6 13 d3 .

And if Black begins to get his other pieces into play with
10 . . . Nc6 he makes 1 1 d4, Bf5 12 Nd5 ch a danger. Note also
that White has another idea in the form of Re1 ch, tying Black's
king to the defense of his f7 pawn.

10 Re8

This is a most logical move (allowing the king to retire to


8) but perhaps not best. Black would like play 10 . . . Bf5,
attacking c2 with an apparent gain of time. But 1 1 Re1 ch then
becomes annoying, e.g. 1 l . . . Kf8 1 2 Ne4 or 1 l . . . Kd7 1 2 Bxf7,
Nc6 ( 1 2 . . . Bxc2?? 1 3 Be6 ch) 13 d4, Rhf8 14 Bb3, Rae8 15
Rxe8 and 1 6 h3 as in Leisebein-Klugman, Correspondence,
1986.

Another way of dealing with problem of defending f7 is


10 . . .f6 with the additional benefit of supporting a . . . g7 -g5
advance. This means 1 1 Nd5 ch, Kd8 1 2 d4 is questionable
because Black keeps his extra pawn with 1 2 . . .g5 and 1 3 . . . c6.
Better is Glazkov's suggestion of the immediate l l d4! , with a
possible continuation of 1 l . . . c6 1 2 Ne4, Bc7 13 h3 , Nh6 1 4 b3 .

11 d4 K8

To stop White's next move, Black has tried 1 l . . .h6 but


then 1 2 Bxf4, Bxf4 1 3 Nd5 ch, Kd8 1 4 Nxf4 favors White, e.g.
14 . . . Ne3 15 Bxf7, Re4 (15 . . . Re7 and 15 Rf8 encourage a
. . .

good Exchange sacrifice in 1 6 Ne5) 1 6 Nd2 , Re7 1 7 Nd5 , Nxfl


18 Nxe7 !, Nxd2 1 9 Nxc8, Kxc8 20 Re 1 (Perrone-Neus, Corre
spondence 1 984. The Black knight is trapped and White will
stand better once it's corralled.
Chapter Five 107

12 Ng5 !

A strong move which hits at h7 and f7 as well as prepar


ing to centralize the knight at e4. For an example of this line, see
Illustrative game 19.

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME # 1 6

Rennemo-Iversen, Correspondence 1980

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 Be7
4 Bc4 Nf6
5 e5 Ng4
6 Nc3 Nc6
7 d4 d5
8 Bxd5! Bh4 ch
9 Kfl Nf2
10 Qd2!
108 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

A general rule of thumb indicates that a pawn as solid as


White's d-pawn is well worth the Exchange. Here the sacrifice is
more effective than usual because Qxf4 will threaten mate on 7
as well as a capture on h4.

10 Nxh1
11 Qx4 0-0
12 Nxh4 Nb4
13 Bb3 Be6
14 Nf3 c6

Black's threats are over and he must lose the hi-knight.


The rest requires little comment.

15 Kgl Nrl
16 Qg3 Nh3 ch
17 gxh3 Kh8
18 Bg5 Qd7
19 Ne4 Bxb3
20 cxb3 Nd5
21 Rei 6
22 Bd2 fxe5
Chapter Five 1 09

23 dxe5 Rae8
24 Nfg5 Qc7
25 e6 Qb6 ch
26 Khl Qd4
27 Bc3 Nxc3
28 bxc3 Qd5
29 c4 Q5
30 Nd6 Qc2
31 Ndf7 ch Kg8
32 Nh6 ch!

There are several ways to win but mate is fastest.

32 gxh6
33 Ne4 dis. c h Kh8
34 Qe5 ch Kg8
35 Rgl ch Black Resigns 1-0

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME # 1 7

Bronstein-Lemoine, Munich 1958

This game did probably more than any other to popularize


White's treatment of the Euwe Defense.

I e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 N3 Be7
4 Bc4 Nf6
5 e5 Ng4
6 Nc3 d6
7 exd6 Bxd6
8 Qe2 ch Qe7
9 Qxe7 ch Bxe 7?
l l0 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

10 d4 Bd6
11 Ne4

Black has lost time with his ninth and tenth moves and
will
still end up losing back the f4-pawn. As a result, he has no
compensation for his positional weaknesses in the endgame.

11 Nd7
12 Nxd6 ch cxd6
13 Bxf4 Nb6
14 Bd3 d5
15 0-0 0-0
16 b3! N6
17 Rae1 Bg4
18 Re 7

The main target now is not b7, but f7 (Nf.3-e5xf7) .

18 Nbd7
19 Be5! b6
20 Bxf6 Nx6
21 Ne5 Be6
Chapter Five Ill

22 Ba6!

Attempting to run Black out of moves (22 . . . Rae8 23


Rxa7).

22 Bc8
23 Bb5 a6
24 Bc6 Rb8
25 Nxf7!

Now 25 . . . Rxf7 26 Bxd5 , Nxd5 27 ReS ch forces mate.

25 Bg4
26 Rxf6! Black Resigns 1-0

Because of 26 . . . gxf6 27 Nh6 ch and 28 Nxg4 with an


easy win.

IU.USTRATIVE GAME # 1 8

Gall agher-Chiburdanidze, Biel-Tblisi match, 1990

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 Be7
4 Bc4 Nf6
5 e5 Ng4
6 Nc3 d6
7 exd6 Qxd6
8 d4 Be6!

This takes advantage of White's inability to attack the


queen (9 Ne4, Qb4 ch). Now 9 Qe2 , Bxc4 eases Black's defense.
To avoid that White must concede some control of e5 and c5 .
1 12 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

9 d5 Bd7
10 Qe2 0-0
11 Ne4 Qb6
12 Bxf4 Bf5
13 Ng3?

This appears to win a piece but 1 3 0-0-0 was more


natural.

13 Bg6
14 h3 Bd6!

Saves the piece and forces the positionally desirable


exchange of dark-squared bishops - and then the win of a pawn.

15 Bxd6 Qxd6
16 0-0-0 Qf4 ch
17 Kh1 Ne3
18 Rd4 Qxg3
19 Qxe3 Qxg2
20 Rh2 Qg3
21 Rg4 Qd6
Chapter Five 113

22 Rhg2 Nd7

It's remarkable that Black could have conducted the


pawn-grabbing raid without completing queen side development.
The rest of the game was spirited but fore-ordained.

23 h4 Rae8
24 Qxa7 Qf6!

The knight cannot move because of the deadly rook


check.

25 a3 Qxf3
26 h5 Nf6
27 hxg6 Nxg4
28 gxf7 ch Rxf7
29 Rd2 Ne3
30 Re2 rum
31 d6 ch Nxc4
32 White Resigns 0-1

White should have played 13 0-0-0.

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME # 1 9

Leisebein-Kasper, Correspondence 1986

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 Be7
4 Bc4 Nf6
5 e5 Ng4
6 Nc3 d6
7 exd6 Bxd6
1 14 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

8 Qe2 ch Qe7
9 Qxe7 ch Kxe7
10 0-0 Re8
11 d4 Kf8
12 Ng5! 6

Now 1 3 Nxh7 ch traps the knight with obscure results


following 1 3 . . . Ke7 1 4 Bxf4, Rh8.

13 Nge4! Bd7
14 Nxd6 cxd6
15 Bx4 Rc8

As in the Bronstein-LeMoine game, the consequences of


losing the dark-squared bishop are disastrous for Black.

16 Bxd6 ch Ke8
17 Rae1 ch Kd8
18 Be7 ch Kc7
19 h3 Nh6
20 Nd5 ch Kc6
21 Bx6! Black Resigns 1-0
Chapter Five l l5

II.J..USTRATIVE GAME #20

Tringov-Pedersen, Moscow 1 95 6

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 N3 Be7
4 Bc4 d5!?

This speeds Black's development at a gain of time.


However, it cannot be overlooked that the best thing about
Black's position in the King's Gambit is often his extra pawn.
Without that pawn, Black has the worst of it. The . . . d7 -d5
counter-sacrifice is often a powerful refutation of variations in
which White has gambitted more than a mere pawn. For exam
ple, in Muzio-like gambits, White offers a full piece for the attack,
and after . . . d7-d5 Black still holds a material edge. Not so in this
position.

5 Bxd5 Nf6
6 Nc3! Nxd5
7 Nxd5

Black has returned his extra pawn and now must take
care that he doesn't lose the f4-pawn as well. True, he has
blunted White's traditional attacking plan that is directed at 7 .
But the knight at d5 is an excellent piece that must be eliminated
at some cost.

7 g5
8 d3 c6
9 Nxe 7 Qxe 7
10 Qe2 Na6
11 h4! g4
12 Nd4 Qe5
1 16 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

13 Bd2 Rg8

After 1 3 . . . Nc5 1 4 Bc3 , Na4 1 5 Nxc6! White wins a


pawn.

14 Bc3 Qc7
15 0-0-0 Be6
16 Rhfl 0-0-0
17 Qr.l f3
18 gx3 g3

19 Qe3

Even stronger is 1 9 Nxe6, fxe6 20 Qxa7, e.g. 20 . . .g2 2 1


Rg1 , Qf4 ch 2 2 Kb1 , Qxf3 2 3 Qa8 ch, NbS 2 4 Be5 .

19 Qb6
20 Rde1 Nc5
21 4 g2
22 Rg1 Bxa2?
23 N5 Bb3
24 Bd4 Rxd4
Chapter Five 1 17

25 Nxd4 Be6
26 f5 Bd7
27 Kb 1 Na6
28 Nb3 c5
29 Re2 Ba4
30 Nc1 Nc7
31 Rexg2 Rxg2
32 Rxg2 NbS
33 Na2 Nd4
34 Nc3 Bc6
35 Qh6 Black Resigns 1-0
l l8

CHAPTER SIX

Emil Schallop's 3 . . .Nf6

Emil Schallop, a minor German master who also hap


pened to be chief stenographer of the Reichstag, is credited with
this counterattack in the center. It is actually a disguised method
of protecting the extra pawn, since Black is going to meet the
natural 4 e5 with 4 . . . Nh5 . The knight appears lonesome - and
vulnerable - on h5 , but it may be a less troublesome method of
defending the f4-pawn than the various pawn chain ideas (3 . . g5;
.

3 . d6; 3 . . h6) .
. . .

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 N6

Black not only attacks the only pawn in the center, he


prepares to add his own with 4 . . . d5 .

4 e5
Chapter Six 1 19

A fairly automatic, and quite reasonable, advance. Now


4 ... Nd5 , as in an Alekhine's Defense, was the first move Black
tried when 3 ... Nf6 was young. However, the knight is more
vulnerable than in the Alekhine's and after 4 ... Nd5 5 c4, Nb6 6
d4, d6 7 exd6 and 7 ... Bxd6 allows 8 c5.

4 Nh5 !

Yuri Averbakh, the longtime Russian magazine editor and


endgame authority, once experimented with 4 ... Ne4, a move
reminiscent of a variation of the King's Gambit Declined (1 e4,
e5 2 f4, Nf6!? 3 fxe5 , Nxe4 4 Nf3 , Ng5). For example, 5 d3 ,
Ng5 eases Black's game a bit.

However, 4 . . . Ne4 5 d4 and 6 Bxf4 is a simpler treatment


that leaves the knight vulnerable to attack with the developing
move Bd3 . For example, play could continue 5 d4, d5 6 Bxf4
and if 6 . . . c5 then 7 Nbd2 , Nc6 8 Bd3 , as suggested by Paul
Keres.

5 d4

A simple and direct approach. There is something to be


said for 5 Qe2 (which discourages Black from moving his d
pawn), and the developing 5 Be2 , and even the bayonet attack of
5 g4!?. But we'll stick to the most flexible move, the move White
can count on playing in all variations.

Now 5 ... g5 would be a matter of overkill, since the f-pawn


is already protected. Worse, the advance of the g-pawn deprives
Black of the defense . . .g7 -g6 and also of ... Qh4 ch once White's
knight moves. This means that 5 ...g5 6 Nfd2! forces the Black
knight back to g7 after which 7 Ne4 must favor White.
1 20 WINNING WfTII KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

Black's choice at move five is based on his attitude


towards the center. Will he push his d-pawn one square, in order
to exchange on e5 , or will he push it two, and offer to keep
matters closed?

5 . . . d6 SECTION (a)
5 . . . d5 SECTION (b)
Chapter Six 121

SECTION (a)

5 d6

(After 1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 Nf3 , Nf6 4 e5 , Nh5 5 d4)

The chief alternative, 5 . . . d5 , will be examined in the next


section. But we should also take note of 5 . . . g6, which protects the
knight without making a commitment with the d-pawn. Both
Glazkov and Hay recommend meeting 5 . . . g6 with 6 Be2 and this
makes sense. Then after subsequent developing moves the White
knight will move from f3 and threaten Bxh5 , e.g. 6 Be2, d6 7 0-
0, Bg7 8 exd6!, Qxd6 and after White protects his d-pawn with
9 c3 and obtains a good game with the surprisingly strong retreat
10 Ne1 ! .

6 Qe2 !

A strong reply since Black cannot afford the opening of


the e-:file with 6 . . . dxe5 7 Nxe5, e.g. 7 . . . Nf6?? 8 Nc6 ch and 9
Nxd8.
1 22 WINNING WITH KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

Another trap in the position is revealed by 6 ... Be7 , after


which 7 exd6, Qxd6 and there appears to be nothing wrong with
Black's position - except for 8 Qb5 ch!, picking up the knight
with a long-range fork.

6 d5

There is nothing better. Now it is up to White to prove


that this position is better for him than the one that comes about
via 5 . . . d5 (instead of 5 . . . d6). In other words, is White better off
with an extra move if the extra move is Qe2?

7 c4

Yes, if he can break the center blockade with this move.


Now 7 . . . c6 is a bit passive and allows White a free hand with 8
Nc3 , threatening 9 cxd5 , cxd5 10 Qb5 ch. Perhaps 7 . dxc4 is . .

best, after which 8 Qxc4, Be6 9 Qb5 ch gives White back his
gambit pawn.

7 Be6
8 cxd5 Bxd5
9 Nc3 Nc6

If Black can maintain control of d5 he will achieve


equalizing piece play (10 Nxd5?, Qxd5 l l Qc4, Bb4 ch 12 Kf2 ,
Qxc4 13 Bxc4, Nxd4! an d Black wins a pawn). Note that 9 . . . Bb4
can be answered by I 0 Bd2 , after which Black probably does
best with I O Nc6, transposing into our main line.
. . .

10 Bd2! Bh4

Maintaining the d5 outpost. On I O . . . Bxf3 I I Qxf3 , Nxd4


White can go for broke with 1 2 Qxh5 , Nc2 ch 13 Kdl , Nxal 1 4
Bc4 or 1 4 e 6 since the knight at a l is trapped anyway.
Chapter Six 123

11 Nxd5

Now 1 l . . . Bxd2 ch? 12 Nxd2 , Qxd5 loses a piece (13


Qxh5).

11 Qxd5
12 0-0-0!

Offering the a2-pawn in order to break the blockade on


d5 . Now 12 . 0-0-0 13 Qc4 would break it in a different manner
. .

(13 . . . Bxd2 ch 1 4 Rxd2, Qxc4 ch 1 5 Bxc4 and Black appears to


have nothing better than to allow 1 5 . . .f6 1 6 Be6 ch, Kb8 l 7
Bg4! with a clear edge).

12 Qxa2
13 d5!

Despite his king's exposure, White has the advantage.


Two key variations from Glazkov show this:

(a) Black can't simplify with 13 . . . Bxd2 ch because of 14


Nxd2!, Qxd5 1 5 Qxh5, Qxe5 16 Qxe5, Nxe5 and Black's
124 WINNING WITH KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

pawns don't make up for the loss of the knight ( 1 7 Rei , f6 1 8


Nc4, 0-0-0 1 9 Nxe5, fxe5 2 0 Rxe5 etc.).

(b) There is no perpetual check or mating attack with 1 3


Qa1 ch 14 Kc2, Qa4 ch 1 5 Kb1 and now 1 5 . . . Bxd2 1 6
dxc6! or 1 5 . . . Ne7 16 Qb5 ch! trades down to a favorable
endgame ( l 6 . . . Qxb5 1 7 Bxb5 ch, c6 1 8 Bxb4).
Chapter Six 1 25

SECTION (b)

5 d5

(After 1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 Nf3 , Nf6 4 e5 , Nh5 5 d4)

5 d5

6 Be2

Basically a waiting move. White ultimately will attack in


one of two ways: in the center with his c-pawn, or on the king
side with a knight move that exposes Black to Bxh5 . What Black
does on his next few moves will help determine White's target.

For instance, 6 . . .g5 secures protection for the f-pawn so


that the knight can retreat and it also creates a retreat square at
g7. However, 7 c4! is a strong reply, since Black's king side will
now be considerably more vulnerable now that the center is
becoming liquid (7 . . . c6 8 cxd5 , cxd5 9 Nxg5 ! and 10 Bxh5).
And if Black presses on with 7 ... g4, White can afford a nice
piece sacrifice with 8 0-0!, gxf3 9 Bxf3 , e.g. 9 Ng7 10 cxd5
...
126 WINNING WITH KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

and l l Bxf4 or 9 . Ng3 1 0 hxg3 , fxg3 l l Rf4 (to stop . . . Qh4).


. .

6 Bg4

Alternatives include the strange-looking preparatory move


6 . . . Rg8!?, which allows Black to play 7 0-0, g5 safely. However,
8 c4, c6 9 Nc3 once again brings prohibitive pressure on d5,
e.g. 9 . . . Be6 10 cxd5 , cxd5 l l Qd3 (hitting h7) or lO . .. Bxd5 l l
Nxd5 , exd5 1 2 Qd3 , Rg6 1 3 Nh4! with advantage.

7 0-0 Nc6

Protecting the knight with 7 . . .g6 also makes sense. See


Illustrative game 2 1 .

On the other hand, 7 . . . Be7, which prepares to castle,


encourages White into 8 Nel l , after which 8 . . . Bxe2 9 Qxe2 , g6
is virtually forced. Then l 0 Qb5 ch, winning back a pawn, should
secure an edge (lO . Nc6 l l Nc3 !).
. .

8 c3 !

We are following an old Paul Keres analysis which has


stood up well to attempts at improvement for Black.

(See diagram, next page.)

8 g6
9 Nel Bxe2
10 Qxe2 Qe7

This prepares queen side castling. Black's lack of scope


in the closed center is indicated by lO . . . Bg7 l l Nd3, 0-0 1 2
Nxf4, Nxf4 1 3 Bxf4 when White has excellent play with Nd2-f3
and Rae l .
Chapter Six 127

(Position after 8 c3..?

11 Qb5 !

That maneuver again. Now 1 1 . . . 0-0-0 1 2 Nd3 and N:x4


must assure White of some advantage.
1 28 WINNING WITH KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

ILLUSI'RATIVE GAME #2 1

Bucker-S. Nikolic, Biel 1 984

1 e4 e5
2 4 exf4
3 Nf3 Nf6
4 e5 Nh5
5 d4 d5
6 Be2 Bg4
7 0-0 g6
8 Rei

White abandons hopes of opening up the f-file (with


devices such as g2-g3) when he places the rook here. An
appealing alternative is 8 c3 , with the immediate 9 Qb3 in mind.

8 Be7
9 c3 c5
10 Qb3 b6
11 h3 ! Be6
12 Nh2 cxd4
13 cxd4 Nc6
Chapter Six 129

Not 1 3 . . . 0-0 1 4 Bxh5 or 1 3 . . . Ng3 1 4 Bb5 ch and 14


Bxf4 with an obvious advantage for White in either case. White
might consider 14 Bxh5 now, since 1 4 ... Nxd4 loses a piece. As
played, Black returns his extra pawn and gets a reasonable game.

14 Rd1 ReB
15 Ne3 Ng3
16 Bx4 Nxe2 eh
17 Nxe2 h5
18 Bg3!

Clearing a square for the knight.

18 Na5
19 Qf3 Ne4
20 h3 Na3
21 N4 Qd7
22 Rae1 0-0
23 Nn NbS
24 Bf2 Ba3
25 Rxe8 Rxe8
26 Rd3 Rei
27 Be3 Re3
28 Ng3 Rxd3
29 Nxd3

Both sides have bad bishops but Black's is a bit worse


and his king side is the greater target remaining.

29 h4!
30 Ne2 B5
31 Nf2 Bh2?
32 Q4! Qd8
33 Qh6 Ba3
34 g4 !
130 WINNING WITH KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

White takes advantage of the diversion of Black's good


bishop. Now 34 . . . Be6 35 Bg5 , Be7 36 Bxe7 must favor White,
but the en passant capture is worse.

34 hxg3
35 Nxg3 Be6
36 Bg5 Be7
37 Bxe7 Qxe7
38 Nfe4!

The knight cannot be kept out of f6 with decisive effect


now.

38 dxe4
39 Nxe4 Nxd4
40 N6 ch Qxf6
41 exf6 Black Resigns 1-0
131

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Variation Without A Name (3 . . . Nc6)

Since virtually every opening variation or sub-sub-variation


seems to get at least one name these days, it's remarkable that
this knight move has remained anonymous even after 300 years
of experience with it.

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 Nc6

Perhaps if 3 . . Nc6 had a name it would get more respect


.

- and more adherents. Yet it is one of the oldest of King's


Gambit variations. In Freeborough & Ranken's tum-of-the-century
Chess Openings, Ancient and Modem, the knight move appears in
a footnote with the comment, " If 3 . . . Nc6, 4 h4 and Black cannot
hold the Gambit Pawn."

This may have been inspired one of the oldest games ever
played, although the play of White and Black can be considerably
improved:

Lafon L'aisen-Maubisson, Paris 1 680 (!)

1 e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 Nf3, Nc6 4 h4, d5! 5 e5, Bg4


6 d4, Bxf3 7 gxf3, Be7 8 c3, Bxh4 ch 9 Kd2, Qg5 1 0
Kc2, Bg3

White's king is headed for seclusion around a2 . And


Black, who finds it hard to open the position further, soon gets
into trouble.

1 1 Bd3, h6 12 Nd2, Nge7 1 3 Nfl , Nf5 14 Kb1, a6


132 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

1 5 a3, Na5 1 6 Qa4 ch, Nc6 1 7 K.a2, 0-0 18 Rg1 !, Nce7


1 9 Bd2, c6 20 Qc2, h5 21 Qc1 !

Suddenly White threatens to obtain the advantage as the


f4-pawn falls. The game is decided by a blunder.

2 l . . . h4 22 Nxg3, Nxg3 23 Bxf4, Qh5 24 Bxg3,


hxg3 25 Rxg3, Nf5 26 Rg1, Qxf3 2 7 Bc2, Ne3 28 Bh3,
aS 29 a4, b5 30 Qd2, b4 3 1 Rae 1 , Nc4?'! 32 Qg5!, g6 33
e6!, Q2 34 exf7 ch, Rxf7 35 Qxg6 ch Resigns

However, 4 h4 is not a particularly useful move. We


wouldn't think of playing it after 3 . . . Be7 , so why do it after Black
makes a solid developing move like 3 . . . Nc6? Also, White must be
aware that if he responds with 4 d4, Black has a great reply in
the form of 4 . . . d5 ! , and then 5 exd5 , Qxd5 6 Nc3 , Bb4.

We recommend:

4 Bc4

White can also play 4 Nc3 in order to stop 4 . . . d5 . But


Chapter Seven 133

after 4 ... g5 he arrives, by transposition, in a Vienna Game


offshoot that usually requires him to sacrifice a piece (5 d4, g4
6 Bc4! rather than 6 Ne5?, Nxe5 7 dxe5 , Qh4 ch 8 Ke2, f3 ch!).

4 g5!

The quieter 4 . . . Nf6 allows White to offer another pawn


with 5 Nc3 , and if 5 . . . Bb4, then 6 Nd5 ! . For example, 6 . . . d6 7
0-0, Nxd5 8 exd5, Ne5 9 Nxe5, dxe5 10 d4, Qe7 1 1 Bb5 ch
with advantage, as in an old Tchigorin game, or 6 . . . 0-0 7 0-0,
Nxe4 8 d4, Be7 9 Bx.f4, d6 10 Qd3 ! intending Rae1 or Ng5
after the knight retreats ( 1 0 . . . Bf5 l l Rae 1 , Ng3 1 2 Qe3;
10 . . . Nf6 1 1 Ng5!, g6 1 2 Nxe7 ch, Nxe7 1 3 Nxf7! with a
murderous attack.

5 d4 Bg7

Black hastens to set up the proper pawn chain on the king


side. If he dallies with 5 . . . d6 then 7 h4! is strong.

We should also note that 5 . . . g4 is best met by a piece


sacrifice as in the Muzio Gambit: 6 0-0!, gxf3 7 Qxf3 and now
7 . . . Nxd4? 8 Bxf7 ch leads to a quick mate, and 7 . . . Bh6 8 Nc3 ,
Qh4 9 Nd5 , Kd8 1 0 g3 appears too dangerous for Black to invite
(analysis by T. Hay).

6 Nc3 d6

Another way for Black to proceed is 6 . . . h6 7 0-0, Nge7


after which White should strike at the king side with 8 g3 ! ?
before Black can consolidate with . . . Ng6 an d . . . 0-0. After 8 g3
there may follow:

(a) 8 fxg3 is the type of move that should get Black


. .

murdered before he has castled - 9 Nxg5, Bxd4 ch 1 0 Kg2


134 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

and a capture on f7 next move.

(b) 8 g4 9 Nh4, f3 is an attempt to keep the f-file


.

closed, but White can insist on it being opened with 1 0 Nx3!,


gx3 1 1 Bxf7 ch, Kxf7 12 Qx3 ch, Kg8 13 Qf7 ch, Kh 7
14 Rf6 etc.

Note that Black can insert ... Bxd4 ch at a number of


points in this line, but it does not appreciably improve his
defensive chances.

7 Nd5!

The delay in castling appears to have been a novelty


introduced by Harry Pillsbury during the gambit tournament at
Vienna, 1 903, in which all games began with 1 e4, e5 2 f4,
exf4.

7 h6

If White was willing to sacrifice a piece at move six he


should certainly be willing to do it at move eight (that is, after he
has a good developing move Nc3-d5 and Black has the extra
. . . Bg7 that may not be useful in the defense of the key f7
square). In other words, after 7 . . .g4 White should play 8 c3 !,
gxf3 9 Q:xf3 , Be6 10 Bxf4 following an old analysis by Georg
Marco that ran 10 . . . Qd7 l l Qg3 or 10 . . . Nge7 l l Bg5 , Qd7 1 2
Nf6 ch.

8 0-0

Also quite reasonable is 8 c3 , protecting the d-pawn and


clearing the queen's path to b3 where it pressures b7 and f7.
This is a move White is likely to play at some point, and in fact
our main line defers it for one move. See also Illustrative Game
Chapter Seven 135

22.

8 Nge7

Glazkov cites the game Lenart-Petran, Budapest 1 985,


which went 8 ... Be6 (protecting f7) 9 c3 , Nce7 10 Qb3, c6 and
now 1 1 Nxe7, Bxc4 1 2 Qxc4, Nxe7 1 3 h4! , Ng6 1 4 h5, Ne7 1 5
g3 ! with better chances for White ( l 5. . .d 5 1 6 Qe2, dxe4 1 7
Qxe4, Qd5 1 8 Qxd5 ! and 1 9 gxf4.

9 c3

White is ready to loosen the king side now with 10 g3 ,


e.g. 9 . . . 0-0 1 0 g3 , fxg3 1 1 Nxg5, Nxd5 1 2 Nxf7!? or 1 0 ... Ng6
l l gxf4, g4 1 2 f5 .

Black does better to exchange a pair of knights off with


9 ... Nxd5 1 0 Bxd5, Ne7 after which preserving the bishop with
1 1 Bb3 is White's best strategy. Then 1 l . . . Ng6 1 2 g3! leads to
a major decision for Black.

(a) The most natural - and dangerous - is 1 2 fxg3?,


136 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

which allo ws I 3 Nxg5! . Since I 3 hxg5 I 4 Bxf7 ch is awful,


..

Black most likely would reply I 3 . 0-0 I 4 Qh5!, gxh2 ch I 5


. .

Kh l an d now Black is faced with a fatal I 6 Qxg6. After


I 5 ... hxg5 I 6 Qxg6, d5 I 7 Qh5 or 1 6 . . . Qe8 I 7 Bxg5, Be6
I 8 Rxf7 and White wins, as in a 1 928 blindfold game by
Alexander Alekhine.

(b) The main alternative is 12 ... g4 I3 Nei , f3 after


which White can sacrifice on f3 but he can improve it a bit with
I 4 h3! , and if 14. . . h5, then 1 5 Nx3, gxf3 I6 Qx3 .

(c) One other possibility at move 1 2 is 12 ... Be6, after


which I 3 Bxe6, fxe6 I 4 gx4, gx4 I 5 Qh3, Qc8 and Black
appears to cover all the key points. However, the clever queen
maneuver of 16 Qb5 ch and 1 7 Qh5 ! offers White promising
chances.

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME #22

Pillsbury-Schlechter, Vienna 1903

I e4 e5
2 4 ex4
3 Nf3 g5

This transposes into our main line by move six, reaching


a position usually obtained via 3 . . . Nc6 4 Bc4, g5 5 d4, Bg7 6
Nc3 , d6.

4 Nc3 Bg7
5 Bc4 d6
6 d4 Nc6
7 Nd5 h6
8 c3 N6
Chapter Seven 137

9 h4!

White generally has two levers for opening the king side
once Black has established his f4-g5-h6 pawn chain. In the
analysis section of this chapter we found g2-g3 being the right
idea. But there are occasions in which h2-h4xg5! is more
dangerous, particularly when Black's queen no longer protects g5 ,
as in this position.

9 g4
10 Nd2 Nh5
11 Nfi ! Bf6
12 Bx4 Nx4
13 Nx4 Bxh4 ch
14 g3 Bg5
15 Ne3

Completing an impressive knight maneuver that concen


trates control of d5 and f5 .

15 Bx4
16 gxf4 h5
138 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

17 Nxg4! Bxg4
18 Qxg4 hxg4
19 Rxh8 ch Ke7
20 Rxd8 Rxd8
21 Kf2

White has a clear edge thanks to his bishop and superior


pawns. But he mistakenly allows an exchange of rooks and fails
to convert his edge - even though he'll hold a clear extra pawn
in the minor-piece ending.

21 Rh8
22 Rg1? Rh2 ch
23 Rg2 Rxg2 ch
24 Kxg2 f5 !
25 exf5 Kf6
26 Kg3 Ne7
27 Kxg4 Nxf5
28 Kf3 Nh4 ch
29 Ke4 c6
30 d5 c5!
31 Bfl Nf5
32 Bh3 Ne7
33 a4 Ng6
34 a5 Ne7

Remarkably, White makes little progress now.

35 b4 b6
36 bxc5 bxc5
37 Be6 Ng6
38 a6 Nh4
39 Bd7 Ng6
40 K3 N8
41 Bc8 Nh7
Chapter Seven 139

42 Kg4 Ke7
43 Kf5 Nf6 Draw.
1 40

CHAPTER EIGHT

Other Variations

Even in an opening as old as the King's Gambit there are


bound to be minor variations that have almost no history. We'll
consider four very rare birds in this concluding chapter.

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3

What else is there? Well, there are some rarities that pop
up even in the games of grandmasters. We'll consider:

3 . . . Ne7 SECTION (a)


3 . . . f5 SECTION (b)
3 . . . c6 SECTION (c)
3 . . .g6 SECTION (d)
Chapter Eight 141

SECTION (a)

3 Ne7

This knight move has the same general aim as its brother,
3 . Nf6, - the promotion of 4 . . . d5 . But 3 . . Ne7 lacks the
. . .

drawback of being forced to retreat after 4 e5 .

However, there is inevitably a price Black pays for this


difference and the price is the passivity of the knight on e7.
When it eventually moves it will most likely land on g6, where it
is vulnerable to attack from the White h-pawn. In fact, Greco
analyzed 3 . . . Ne7 back in the early 1 7th Century and kept coming
to the conclusion that Black was lost after 4 h4!?.

4 d4

Unlike the situation in Chapter Six, White has freedom of


choice at move four since his e-pawn is not attacked.

4 d5
1 42 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBrr ACCEPTED

Black can be too consistent here with 4 ... Ng6?, which


places the knight on a square on which it can be readily attacked
by 5 h4! and 6 h5 , e.g. 5 . . . Be7 6 h5 , Nh4 7 Bxf4 and White
stands better (7 ... d5 8 Nxh4, Bxh4 ch 9 g3 , Be7 10 Nc3) or
5 . . .h5 6 Nc3 , Be7 7 Nd5 .

5 Nc3 dxe4

If Black doesn't make this capture his development is


delayed even further, e.g. 5 . . . c6 and now 6 e5 , Ng6 7 h4! .

6 Nxe4 Ng6
7 h4!

Introduced in the game Kuznetsov-Bonch-Osmolovsky,


Moscow 1 964, this move threatens to kick the wayward knight
back to e7. Black got an awful position in the game cited with
7 ... Be7 8 h5, Nh4 because of 9 Bxf4, Bg4 1 0 h6!.

But if he blocks the h-pawn with 7 ... h5 , Black surrenders


control of g5 and makes g6 vulnerable, e.g. 8 Bc4, Be6 9 Bxe6,
fxe6 10 Qd3. For a modern example of this variation, see
Illustrative Game 23.
Chapter Eight 1 43

SECTION (b)

3 f5?!

(After 1 e4, e4 2 f4, exf4 3 Nf3)

This ancient move gained a degree of respectability at


Vienna 1 903 , a gambit tournament in which several top players
were invited. Each player had to chose how to defend against the
King's Gambit and one of the popular choices was 3 ... f5?!.

4 e5!

This quite changes the nature of the opening, since with


the advance of the e-pawn White is seeking an advantage in space
in a semi-closed center, rather than the usual K.G.A. objective,
and advantage in time an open center.

4 d5

If Black continues 4 . . .g5 5 d4, g4 White should be quite


144 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

content to offer the knight: 6 Bxf4!, gxf3 7 Qx3 and now in


Schlechter-Teichman, Vienna 1 903 Black's bid to exchange
queens failed - 7 . . . Qh4 ch 8 g3 , Qg4 9 Qe3 , Nc6 10 Be2 , Qg6
1 1 Nc3 , Bb4 12 d5 !, Nd8 13 0-0-0, h6 1 4 g4! , Ne7 15 d6 with
an overwhelming position. See also Illustrative Game 24.

The logic of the situation calls for Black to close the


position and that explains why 4 . . . d5 should be superior to
4 . . . d6. The latter move allows 5 Qe2, with the idea of 5 ... dxe5
6 Nxe5 (threatening discovered check) and now 6 ... Qe7 7 d4, g5
8 Qh5 ch! , Kd8 9 Qxg5 ! , Qxg5 10 Nf7 ch as in an old analysis
by Simon Alapin.

Better is the loss of time from 5 Qe2 , d5 6 h4, g6 7 d4


or 5 ... Be7 6 d4, Nc6 7 Bxf4, dxe5 8 dxe5 , as in Bronstein
Drozdov, Riga 1 986.

5 d4 g5

Once again, Black surrenders all hope of equality in the


King's Gambit if he makes no effort to hold the f-pawn or
otherwise interfere with White's development.

6 h4! g4
7 Ngl

An idea reminiscent of the modern treatment of Fischer's


Variation (Chapter Two) - although this analysis predates
Fischer's by decades. Now 7 ... Bh6 8 Ne2 and 9 Bxf4, or 7 . . . Be7
8 Bxf4!, Bxh4 ch 9 g3, are familiar forms of a White positional
advantage thanks to the difference in the "bad" bishops: White's
dark squared bishop is much better than Black's light-squared
one.

7 f3
Chapter Eight 1 45

Hoping to liquidate favorably with 8 gxf3, Be7!, since


White can no longer meet . . . Bxg3 ch by blocking with his g
pawn.

8 Bg5 !

This preserves the king side - and most of all the safety
of his king.

8 fxg2
9 Bxg2 Be7
10 Nc3!

White can afford to trade the h-pawn for Black's more


valuable d-pawn (lO . . . Bxg5 l l hxg5 , Qxg5 12 Nxd5 and now
l2 . . . Na6 1 3 Ne2 , c6 1 4 Ndf4 followed by pushing the d-pawn
must favor White substantially .

If Black prefers 1 0 ... Be6 then ll Nge2 and 12 Nf4 give


White terrific compensation for a pawn.
146 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

SECTION (c)

3 c6

(After l e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 Nf3)

Black declares with this move that he wants to achieve


. . . d7 -d5 and to be able to recapture on d5 with a pawn after
exd5 . The drawback is that it costs a tempo and takes away the
good c6 square for a knight. In effect, Black is playing the Caro
Kann Defense to the King's Gambit!

4 Nc3 d5
5 d4

Now on 5 . . . Nf6 6 exd5 followed by 7 Bxf4, or 5 . . .g5 6


h4, g4 7 Ne5 the drawbacks to Black's center strategy become
apparent.

5 dxe4
6 Nxe4 Nf6
Chapter Eight 1 47

7 Qe2

This occurred (by slight transposition) in Bronstein


Bykhovsky, U.S.S.R. Championship, Tallinn 1 966 and the threat
of discovered check virtually assures an exchange of queens. Play
continued 7 ... Nxe4 8 Qxe4 ch, Qe7 9 Qxe7 ch and 1 0 Bxf4 with
the usual advantage in space to White now that he has regained
his pawn. The advantage is not great but Illustrative Game 25
well illustrates what can be done with it.
148 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

SECTION (d)

3 g6

(After l e4, e5 2 f4, exf4 3 N:ffi )

This move has been played only a few times in master


events but appears to be better than its reputation. Black will
develop a bit more conservatively than in the 3 ...g5 lines, with
... Bg7, . . . Nf6 and king side castling. He may decide to defend
the f4-pawn with a knight at h5 . And he aims for a delayed ... d7-
d5 to equalize in the center.

4 d4

As usual, White should aim for this advance at move four


in our system because it is the most flexible and forcing. Note
that 4 Bc4 - a move that 1 9 th century players chose automati
cally in such positions - may actually misplace the bishop. After
4 ... Bg7 5 d4, Nf6 6 e5, Nh5 we have reached a version of
Schallop's 3 ... Nf6 system in which White would prefer to have his
Chapter Eight 1 49

bishop at e2. See illustrative game 24.

4 N6

On 4 ... Bh6 the Black bishop is misplaced. White should


then continue 5 Nc3 and if 5 ... Nf6 then 6 e5.

5 e5 Nh5

Or 5 ... Nd5 6 Bc4, Ne3 7 Bxe3 , fxe3 8 0-0 with a


dangerous attack developing against f7.

6 Be2 !

We have transposed into the note to 5 . . .d 6 i n Chapter


Six's Section A.

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME #23

Spassky-Seirawan, Candidates tournament, Montpellier, 1 985

1 e4 e5
2 4 ex4
3 N3 Ne7
4 d4 d5
5 Nc3 dxe4
6 Nxe4 Ng6
7 h4! Qe 7

A negative innovation, apparently made without appreciat


ing the strength of White's next move. Did Black expect 8 Bd3?,
f5 or 8 Qe2 , Bf5 ?
150 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

8 Kf2! Bg4

Of course, 8 . . . Qxe4 loses the queen to 9 Bb5 ch and 1 0


Rel . Black's bishop move at least averts a forced retreat o f the
knight next move.

9 h5 Nh4
10 Bxf4 Nc6
11 Bb5! 0-0-0

Black also has a bad game following 1 l . . . Bxf3 12 gxf3 ,


N5 13 Nd6 ch! and 1 4 Rel .

12 Bxc6 bxc6
13 Qd3 Nxf3
14 gxf3 Bf5
15 Qa6 ch Kh8
16 Nc5

White has a substantial edge.

16 Bc8
Chapter Eight 151

17 Qxc6 Rxd4
18 Rae1 Rxf4

Black has no choice, since 1 8 . . .Qxc5 allows mate in one


move with 19 Bxc7. Now he ends up with rook and two bishops
for a queen and knight.

19 Qb5 ch Ka8
20 Qc6 ch Kb8
21 Rxe7 Bxe 7
22 Rdl Rf6

A better try is 22 ... Rb4 with the idea of 23 Nd7 ch,


Bxd7 24 Rxd7, Bd6! 25 Rxd6, Rb6!. However White might still
win with 2 6 Qc3 .

23 Nd7 ch Bxd7
24 Qxd7 Rd8
25 Qb5 ch Kc8
26 Rxd8 ch Bxd8
27 Qa4 g5
28 Qxa7 Rf4
29 Qa6 ch Kb8
30 Qd3 Be7
31 Qxh7 g4
32 Kg3 ! Black Resigns 1-0

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME #24

Kuindzhi-Yanoshevsky, Moscow 1 954

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 Nf3 f5
152 WINNING WITII 111E KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

4 e5 g5
5 d4 g4
6 Bxf4! gxf3
7 Qxf3 Qh4 ch
8 g3 Qg4
9 Qe3

White has a pawn and an excellent position for his


sacrificed knight. Now 9 . . . h5 followed by the maneuver . . . Nh6-f7
is an attractive defensive try.

9 Bb4 ch?
10 c3 Ba5
11 b4 Bb6
12 Nd2 Ne7
13 Bg2 Nbc6
14 0-0 0-0
15 b5 Nd8
16 Bg5 Rf7

Black is also in trouble after 1 6 . . . Ng6 1 7 Bf3!, Qh3 1 8


Bxd8, Rxd8 1 9 Qg5, RfB 2 0 Bh5. Note how powerful White's
Chapter Eight 153

minor pieces have become and how well the g2-bishop performs.
Now 1 7 B3 , Qh3 would lose to 1 8 Bxe7 and 19 Qg5 ch.

17 Bf3 4!
18 Bxf4 Qg7
19 Be4 Qg4
20 Bg5 Qh5?

Black had to try 20 ... Qe6.

21 Bxe7! Rxe7
22 Rf5 Qe8
23 Rafl Ne6
24 Bd5!

Leading to the win of the queen with Rffi ch - and an


old-fashioned king hunt.

24 Rg7
25 Q4 Rg6
26 R8 ch Kg7
27 Rxe8 Nx4
28 Rxf4 c6
29 Rg8 ch Kh6
30 Rh4 ch Kg5
31 N f3 ch Kf5
32 Rf4 mate! 1-0

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME #25

Bronstein-Bykhovsky, U.S.S.R. Championship, Tallinn 1966

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
154 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

3 Nc3

Offering an ancient Steinitz gambit that usually sees


3 . . . Qh4 ch 4 Ke2 , Bg4 ch 5 N3 being played. Black's reply
leads directly back into our analysis in Section (c) above.

3 c6
4 Nf3 d5
5 d4 dxe4
6 Nxe4 Nf6
7 Qe2 Nxe4
8 Qxe4 ch Qe7
9 Qxe 7 ch Bxe7
10 Bxf4 Bf5
11 0-0-0

White has better scope for his minor pieces and a


potential passed queenside pawn. But there is no obvious Black
weakness, and White must try to win by probing with his d-pawn.

11 0-0
12 Bc4 Nd7
13 Rhe1 Rfe8
14 d5!

(See diagram, next page.)

Here 1 4 . . . cxd5 15 Bxd5, Nc5 1 6 Ne5 is clearly bad for


Black. He had probably counted on 14 . . . Nb6, only to discover
that 15 dxc6!, Nxc4 1 6 cxb7 wins outright.

14 Nb6
15 dxc6! bxc6
16 Ba6! Bc8
17 Bxc8 Raxc8
Chapter Eight 1 55

(Positwn after 14 dS!)

18 Nd4 g6
19 c3 Kg7
20 Kc2 a6
21 b3 c5
22 Nf3 f6
23 c4 B8
24 Bd2!

An exchange of rooks should enable White's king to


penetrate on the queenside or his rook along the d-file.

24 Rxe1
25 Bxe1 Kf7
26 Ba5 Rc6
27 Rd8 Be 7
28 Rh8 h5
29 Rh7 ch Ke8
30 Rh6 Kf7
31 Nh4! f5

This loses a pawn but 3 l . ..g5 32 Nf5 was hardly any


better.
156 WINNING WITH THE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

32 Nxf5 B8
33 Rh7 ch Kg8
34 Ne7 ch Kxh7
35 Nxc6 Nd7
36 Kd3 Bd6
37 h3 Kg7
38 Bc3 ch K7
39 Ke4 Ke6
40 Nd8 ch Ke 7
41 Nb7 Ke6
42 Nd8 ch Ke7
43 Kd5! Black Resigns 1-0

ILLUSTRATIVE GAME #26

Filipowicz-Grabisch, Polish Championship, 1960

1 e4 e5
2 4 ex4
3 Nf3 g6
4 Bc4 Bg7
5 d4 N6
6 e5 Nh5
7 Nc3 0-0
8 g4!?

On 8 Ne2 or 8 Nd5 White regains his pawn but Black has


good chances to equalize with 8 ... d6. The bayonet-attack with the
g-pawn that White preferred is often seen in the 3 . . . Nf6 defense.
Here Black has a sharp reply in the form of 8 ... d5 ! because on
9 Bxd5, Bxg4 10 Bxb7 he can offer a strong sacrifice with
10 . . . Nd7 1 1 Bxa8 , Qxa8 12 0-0, c5 !.

8 fxg3
Chapter Eight 157

9 Bg5 g2
10 Rg1 Qe8
11 Nd5 d6!
12 Qe2

Not 1 2 Nxc7, Qc6 o r 1 2 Be7, Qc6 13 Bxf8, Qxc4


14 Ne3, Qb4 ch 1 5 c3, Qxb2 1 6 Bxg7, Qxc3 ch and
1 7 . . . Kxg7 with excellent compensation. Black already stands
well and with the simple 1 2 ... Qd7 (13 0-0-0, b5) he should be
at least equal.

12 Bg4?
13 Qxg2 Bxf3
14 Qxf3 dxe5
15 Qxh5!

A tremendous shot which leads to a wonderful attacking


finish. Black could avoid mate with 1 5 . . . exd4 ch 1 6 Qe2 , Nd7
but his position would still be lost.

15 gxh5
16 B6 Nd7
158 WINNING WITH TilE KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED

17 Bxg7!

There is only one big check after 1 7 Rxg7 ch, Kh8. Now,
however, the threat of 1 8 Bf6 mate is murderous (1 7 . . ffi 1 8 Nf6
.

double check and mate).

17 h6
18 Nf6 ch Nxf6
19 Bxf6 ch Kh7
20 Rg7 ch Kh8
21 Rxf7 ch Kg8
22 Re7 ch Black Resigns 1-0

Black would have to play 22 Qf7 if he wanted to


. . .

continue, but then 23 Rxf7, Rxf7 24 Bxf7 ch, Kxf7 25 Bxe5


leaves him a clear piece down.
NOTES
ISBN: 0-87568-21

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