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The Gambit Files: Tactical modern games with a quick link to the

Themes to Sharpen Your Play solution. This is his first book.

by Bill Harvey

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Sharpen your sword! Puzzle king Bill
Introduction:
Harvey presents 237 violent positions from
15 gambit variations – ranging from the rare Long before I learned how to read chess notation, I
Lisitsin and the neglected Blumenfeld, to the remember marveling over the final position in the
popular Milner-Barry and the fashionable famous "Shower of Gold” game, Levitsky-Marshall,
Gajewski – where one side is poised to Breslau 1912. Notation can make a game permanent,
but it is the winning combination that captures a
deliver the final blow. young explorer’s attention. In any opening,
characteristic
Studying typical tactics is one of the best strategies yield typical tactics. A good grounding in
ways to get to know an opening: you will the combinations that we are likely to face in the
discover the traps and the pitfalls, develop opening we wish to master gives us a clearer
both a sense of danger and a feel for understanding and appreciation of that opening.
opportunities, and learn to stay always on
Gambits are a remedy for chessplayers who have
the alert. In The Gambit Files, the author become complacent. As King Solomon would say,
surveys the common tactical motifs for each "Don’t set your heart on your wealth, but never say, ‘I
variation, and then inivites you to hone your have enough.’” Studying gambits makes us better
cut-and-thrust skills with thematic puzzles. people: There’s greed and fear, along with
braggadocio and uncertainty and to some extent,
there’s an
Whether you’re looking to breathe new life
equal measure of each. This is exactly what gets in
into your current openings or to overhaul the way of formalized gambit study. Memorizing lines
your repertoire, The Gambit Files will help often leads to cold, unemotional middlegames. This is
you to slay your opponents faster and with not really what the student seeks.
confidence.
For this book I have reviewed thousands of chess
games for interesting combinations, relying on the
engines Rybka 3 and Fritz 6 to verify that the
About the Author combinations here are sound and unique. These
positions should give the reader a good idea of the
A veteran of hundreds of tournaments in kind of power that must be harnessed, or faced, in a
online, postal and over-the-board gambit. Following the review of the themes and
strategies for each gambit, I have provided a
competition, Bill Harvey has taught chess in collection of puzzles taken from miniatures to help to
schools for a dozen years in the Washington, improve the reader’s understanding of the variation.
D.C. area, and edited two chess puzzle The solutions are given at the end of the book, with
their starting diagrams for convenience.
columns. Bill Harvey - Alexandria, Virginia - May 2010

Harvey is the webmaster of


http://wtharvey.com where readers can find ---------------------------------------------------------------
10,000 critical positions from historical and
The Gambit Files
Eine interessante Buchidee hat der
Amerikaner Bill Harvey mit seinem Werk kann das Buch dem Spieler, der mindestens
"The Gambit Files", Untertitel "Tactical eines der behandelten Gambits bereits im
Themes to Sharpen Your Play" umgesetzt. Repertoire hat, zusätzlichen Stoff geben.
In 15 Kapiteln stellt er 15 mehr oder weniger Jeden Leser aber kann es unterhalten.
bekannte und gängige Gambits vor, macht
den Leser über mehrere Diagramme und Aus meiner Sicht ist "The Gambit Files" ein
daran vorgestellte Zugfolgen auf jeweils hervorragender Urlaubsbegleiter oder die
typische Wendungen aufmerksam und Lektüre zum geruhsamen Feierabend oder
nimmt ihn dann in die "Pflicht", durch das Wochenende. Ein Kapitel am Tag dürfte
Lösen von gestellten Diagrammaufgaben regelmäßig zu schaffen sein;
eigenes Gehirnschmalz zu investieren. ausnahmsweise aber kann dieses Pensum,
Einerseits wird durch diese Aufgaben das wenn der Autor dem Leser eine besonders
Auge auf der Suche nach typischen stattliche Zahl an Aufgaben stellt, zu
Aktionen geschult, andererseits vermitteln ehrgeizig sein.
diese auch etwas vom Wesen des gerade
behandelten Gambits. Folgende Gambits Die Anforderungen an die englischen
sind, in der Reihenfolge der Kapitel, im Sprachkenntnisse des Lesers sind niedrig,
Buch enthalten: die ohnehin nur kurzen Texte sind einfach
Lisitsin-Gambit, Skandinavisch geschrieben und kommen weitgehend mit
(Portugiesisches Gambit), Caro-Kann Standardvokabeln aus.
(Fantasy-Variante), Sizilianisches
Flügelgambit, Tal-Gambit im Grand-Prix- "The Gambit Files" ist eine Bereicherung
Angriff, Milner-Barry-Gambit in der am Büchermarkt!
Französischen Verteidigung, Rosentreter-
Gambit (Königsgambit), Cochrane-Gambit
(Russische Verteidigung), Schottisches Das Rezensionsexemplar wurde
Gambit, Gajewski-Gambit (Spanische freundlicherweise von der Firma Schach E.
Partie), Albins Gegengambit, Winawer- Niggemann (www.schachversand.de) zur
Gegengambit (Damengambit), Geller- Verfügung gestellt.
Gambit (Damengambit), Blumenfeld-Gambit (Uwe Bekemann)
und Polugajewski-Variante in der
Damenindischen Verteidigung.
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Im Anschluss an diese Kapitel schließen die
Lösungen der oben genannten Aufgaben
THE GAMBIT FILES. Tactical
das Werk ab. Themes to Sharpen your Play
Bill Harvey. Moongose Press.
Mehr als ein ernstes Werk zur Theorie- und
Taktikschulung ist "The Gambit Files" ein Afila tu espada!  El rey de los Puzzles de
gelungener Beitrag zur Schachunterhaltung. Ajedrez,  Bill Harvey presenta 237 posiciones
violentas de 15 variaciones tácticas - que van
Erlernen im engeren Sinne kann man eine desde la ra Lisitsin raras y la descuidada
Gambiteröffnung hiermit nicht. Auf eine Blumenfeld, hasta el popular gambito Milner-
solche scharfe Waffe aufmerksam werden Barry y la actualmente de modo Gambito
aber kann man hierdurch sehr wohl. Auch Gajewski  en la apertura Española. Son
posiciones en las que un lado está a punto  para
dar el golpe final. "Bill Harvey bringt dem Leser 15 Gambits
näher."
Todas las variantes tratadas son:
http://www.bdf-
1) The Lisitsin Gambit, 2) La Defensa fernschachbund.de/newsletter/ausgaben/fe
Escandinava, variante Portuguesa, 3) La
Variante Fantasía en la CaroKann, 4) El bruar2011.html
Gambito del Ala, 5) El Gambito Tal en el Grand
Prix, 6) El Ataque Milner Barry en la Defensa --------------------------------------------------
Francesa, 7) El Gambito Rosentreter, 8) El
Gambito Cochrane en la Petroff 9) El Gambito
Escocés, 10) El Gambito Gajewski en la Ruy The gambit files by Bill
Lopez, 11) El Comtragambito Albin, 12) El
contragambito Winawer, 13. El Gambito Geller, Harvey
14) El Gambito Blumenfeld, 15. La variante 2010
Polugaevsky en la Defensa India de Dama.
Mongoose Press
El estudio de la táctica típica es una de las Boston
mejores maneras de conocer a una apertura: http://www.mongoosepress.com
usted descubrirá las trampas y le ayudará  a
desarrollar un sentido de peligro y una idea de The American Bill Harvey well known from his
las oportunidades que la posición le ofrece  y
aprenderá a mantenerse siempre alerta. site http://wtharvey.com/ presents you in this
book 237 gambit exercises, all divided from 15
En Archivos del Gambito, el autor examina los gambit lines as the Lisitsin Gambit: 1.Nf3 f5 2.e4
motivos tácticos comunes para cada variante, y
luego le invita a perfeccionar sus habilidades de fxe4 3.Ng5,Portuguesse Gambit: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5
corte y empuje con los  rompecabezas Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 or better known as the Jadoul
temáticos. Variation of the Scandinavian Defence.
Ya sea que usted está buscando para dar nueva Other lines are Caro-Kann Fantasy Variation:
vida a sus variantes actuales o para reformar su 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 dxe4 4.fxe4 e5 5.Nf3 exd4
repertorio, Archivos del Gambito le ayudará a 6.Bc4,Wing Gambit: 1.e4 c5 2.b4 cb4 3.d4 d5
"matar" a sus oponentes más rápido y con
mayor confianza. 4.e5 Nc6,Grand Prix Attack-Tal Gambit:1.e4 c5
2.f4 d5 3.exd5 Nf6 4.Bb5+ Bd7 5.Bxd7 Qxd7 6.c4
Un veterano de cientos de torneos en la e6 7.Qe2 Bd6,French Attack-Milner –Barry
competencia en línea, postales y sobre el
tablero, Bill Harvey ha enseñado ajedrez en las Attack:1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3
escuelas de una docena de años en el área de Qb6 6.Bd3 Bd7 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nxd4 9.Nxd4
Washington, DC, y ha editado dos columnas del
Qxd4,King’s Gambit,The Rosentreter Gambit:
rompecabezas de ajedrez.
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.d4,Petroff’s
Harvey es el webmaster de wtharvey.com Defence- Cochrane’s Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6
donde los lectores pueden encontrar 10.000
3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7 Kxf7 5.d4,
posiciones de partidas históricas y actuales con
un acceso rápido a la solución. Este es su The Scotch Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4
primer libro. 4.Bc4,Ruy Lopez-Gajewski Gambit: 1.e4 e5
1.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1
www.inforchess.com/catalogo/NIC3.htm
b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 d5,Albin
------------------------------------------------ Counter Gambit 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5,The Winawer
Counter Gambit:1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e5
4.dxe5 d4,The Geller Gambit: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6
3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.e4,The Blumenfeld
The book servers a great purpose of grouping
Gambit: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 b5 and
various possibilities of chess-positions under
at last the Queen’s Indian Defence-Polugaevsky the famous Gambits. It has so far helped to
Variation:1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 identify a position as a gambit and go for the
5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.d5 exd5 8.Nh4. kill (OR avoid the pitfall).
Every above mentioned line is covered with a
The standard algebraic notation is easy to
collection model games,as the classic beauty
understand, even if you are not already aware
Staunton,Howard - Brodie,Alfred [C44] of it. The puzzles are huge in number and
London knockout London (1.1), 27.05.1851 helps to master the gambit.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3
however, keeping a chess software open with
dxc3 6.0-0 Qf6 7.e5 Qe7 8.a3 cxb2 9.Bxb2 Bc5
you will help even further.
10.Nc3 d6 11.Nd5 Qd8 12.exd6 Bxd6 13.Bxg7
Bg4 14.Re1+ Nge7 15.Nf6# 1-0,and not to forget The only 'cons' side of the book is that it'll
a lot of entertaining puzzles! make you addictive to chess and you'll have to
look for someone to try these gambits out!
Conclusion: A very enjoyable gambit book!
 ankushag | Mar 20, 2011
http://chessbooks.nl/elburg156.html

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I received this book through the Member


Giveaway.

In this book, Harvey lists 15 gambits (openings


and countergambits). Variations are explained,
comparative advantages of the positions are
explained, and several puzzles are offered for
each of the 15 gambits.

The book uses both algebraic notation and lots


and lots of board shots to explain movements.
One need not have extensive mastery of chess
in order to understand what is happening,
though you will need to learn algebraic
notation (which is not difficult to do).

The book is nicely produced and would be


suitable for a family that plays chess together
or a public library collection. This could not be
one's sole source on chess, but it is a great
secondary source. ( )

BenTreat | Feb 25, 2011

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I received the Member Giveaway book (Thanks


Bill for the autographed copy).

I have so far read just 5 of the gambits and


trying to master them.

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