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Gambit (chess)
A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage. The word ''gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe similar tactics used by politicians or business people in a struggle with rivals in their respective fields, for example: "The early election was a risky gambit by Theresa May." Terminology The word "gambit" was originally applied to chess openings in 1561 by Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, from an Italian expression ''dare il gambetto'' (to put a leg forward in order to trip someone). López studied this maneuver, and so the Italian word gained the Spanish form ''gambito'' that led to French ''gambit'', which has influenced the English spelling of the word. The broader sense of "opening move meant to gain advantage" was first recorded in English in 1855. Gambits are most commonly played by White. Some well-known examples of a gambit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chess Opening
A chess opening or simply an opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established theory; the other phases are the middlegame and the endgame. Many opening sequences have standard names such as the "Sicilian Defense". ''The Oxford Companion to Chess'' lists 1,327 named openings and variants, and there are many others with varying degrees of common usage. Opening moves that are considered standard are referred to as "book moves", or simply "book". When a game begins to deviate from known opening theory, the players are said to be "out of book". In some openings, "book" lines have been worked out for over 30 moves, as in the classical King's Indian Defense and in the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian Defense. Professional chess players spend years studying openings, and continue doing so throughout their careers, as opening theory continues to evolve. Players at the club level also study openings but the importance of the opening phase is smaller t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, ( – May 5, 1995) was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster. The sixth World Chess Champion, he also worked as an electrical engineer and computer scientist and was a pioneer in computer chess. Botvinnik was the first world-class player to develop within the Soviet Union. He also played a major role in the organization of chess, making a significant contribution to the design of the World Chess Championship system after World War II and becoming a leading member of the coaching system that enabled the Soviet Union to dominate top-class chess during that time. His pupils include World Champions Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik. Early years Botvinnik was born on August 17, 1911, in what was then Kuokkala, Vyborg Governorate, Grand Duchy of Finland, now the district of Repino in Saint Petersburg. His parents were Russian Jews; his father, Moisei Botvinnik (1878–1931), was a dental technician and his mother, Shifra (Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Italian Gambit
The Italian Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Bc5 :4. d4 It is often played as an alternative to the quiet and closed lines of the Giuoco Piano or Giuoco Pianissimo openings. Black can: * take with the pawn (4...exd4, a transposition to the Scotch Gambit, usually leading to the Max Lange Attack); * take with the knight (4...Nxd4), which is considered weak since it allows 5.Nxe5, attacking f7 with the bishop and knight; or * take with the bishop (4...Bxd4), which is considered best. 4...Bxd4 After 4...Bxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd4: * 6.0-0, favoured by George Koltanowski, transposes to the related gambit line 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4 following 6...Nf6, when 7.f4 and 7.Bg5 are the main possibilities for White; however, 6...d6 is an independent alternative for Black. * 6.Be3, dubbed the ''Miami Variation'' by Jude Acers and George Laven, is a way for White to deviate that probably suffices for dynamic . * 6.f4 is considered dubious due to 6 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elephant Gambit
The Elephant Gambit (also called the Queen's Pawn Countergambit or Englund Counterattack) is a rarely played chess opening beginning with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 d5 Although the Elephant Gambit is considered unsound, it has been used frequently by the Barbadian master Philip Corbin. Lines White is able to capture either of Black's center pawns with the advantage, either by 3.exd5 or 3.Nxe5. With a center pawn removed, Black is in a passive position with White clearly having the initiative as White controls more . 3.exd5 Black's responses to 3.exd5 include 3...e4 and 3...Bd6 (the Elephant Gambit proper). 3...Qxd5 saves the pawn, but leaves White with a big lead in after 4.Nc3. 3...e4 After 3...e4 4.Qe2 Nf6 lines might continue: * 5.d3 Qxd5 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.dxe4 Qe6 and White remains a pawn ahead, although Black's development is somewhat smoother. * 5.d3 Be7 6.dxe4 0-0 7.Nc3 Re8 8.Bd2 Bb4 9.0-0-0, with advantage for White (Nick de Firmian). * 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Nxe4: ** 6...Nxd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blackburne Shilling Gambit
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit is the name facetiously given to a dubious chess opening, derived from an offshoot of the Italian Game, that begins: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Nd4 It is also sometimes referred to as the Kostić Gambit after the Serbian grandmaster Borislav Kostić, who played it in the early 20th century. History Wilhelm Steinitz made the first known mention of this line, noting it in 1895 in the Addenda to his ''Modern Chess Instructor'', Part II.Wilhelm Steinitz, ''The Modern Chess Instructor'', Edition Olms Zürich, 1990 (reprint), p. 63 of Part II. . The earliest game with the opening on chessgames.com, Dunlop–Hicks, New Zealand Championship, dates from 1911. Another early game, mentioned by Bill Wall, is Muhlock–Kostić, Cologne, 1912. The beginning 4.Nxe5 "continues to catch victims, including two in successive rounds at Blackpool 1987". Analysis Black's third move is a weak, time-wasting move. Steinitz recommended 4.0-0 or 4.Nxd4 in respo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danish Gambit
The Danish Gambit, known as the ' in German and the ' in Dutch (both meaning Nordic Gambit), is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. d4 exd4 :3. c3 White will sacrifice one or two pawns for the sake of rapid and the attack. However, with care, Black can accept one or both pawns safely, or simply decline the gambit altogether with good chances. Although it may have been known earlier, Danish player Martin Severin From essayed the gambit in the Paris 1867 tournament and he is usually given credit for the opening. The Danish Gambit was popular with masters of the attack including Alekhine, Marshall, Blackburne, and Mieses, but as more defensive lines for Black were discovered and improved, it lost favor in the 1920s. Today it is rarely played in top-level chess. History From the very beginning the nomenclature of the Danish Gambit was very confusing. The idea stems from a famous correspondence game London–Edinburgh, 1824: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Budapest Gambit
The Budapest Gambit (or Budapest Defence) is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. d4 Nf6 :2. c4 e5 Despite an early debut in 1896, the Budapest Gambit received attention from leading players only after a win as Black by Grandmaster Milan Vidmar over Akiba Rubinstein in 1918. It enjoyed a rise in popularity in the early 1920s, but nowadays is rarely played at the top level. It experiences a lower percentage of draws than other main lines, but also a lower overall performance for Black. After 3.dxe5 Black can try the ''Fajarowicz variation'' 3...Ne4 which concentrates on the rapid development of pieces, but the most common move is 3...Ng4 with three main possibilities for White. The ''Adler variation'' 4.Nf3 sees White seeking a in the with his pieces, notably the important d5-square. The ''Alekhine variation'' 4.e4 gives White an important spatial advantage and a strong . The ''Rubinstein variation'' 4.Bf4 leads to an important choice for White, after 4...Nc6 5. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Staunton Gambit
The Staunton Gambit is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. d4 f5 (the Dutch Defence) :2. e4!? White sacrifices a pawn for quick development, hoping to launch an attack against Black's , which has been somewhat weakened by 1...f5. Black can decline the gambit with 2...d6, transposing to the Balogh Defence, but accepting the pawn with 2...fxe4 is considered stronger. Although the Staunton Gambit was once a feared weapon for White, it is rarely played today, since theory has shown how to neutralise it, and White scores only about 50 percent. The '' ECO'' codes for Staunton Gambit are A82 and A83. Gambit accepted After 2...fxe4, play usually proceeds 3.Nc3 Nf6. Main line: 4.Bg5 The main line runs 4.Bg5, first played by Howard Staunton against Bernhard Horwitz in London, 1846. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
From's Gambit
Bird's Opening (or the Dutch Attack) is a chess opening characterised by the move: :1. f4 Bird's is a standard flank opening. White's strategic ideas involve control of the e5-square, offering good attacking chances at the expense of slightly weakening their own . Black may challenge White's plan to control e5 immediately by playing From's Gambit (1...e5); however, the From Gambit is notoriously double-edged and should only be played after significant study. The ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' assigns two codes for Bird's Opening: A02 (1.f4) and A03 (1.f4 d5). History The opening was mentioned by Luis Ramírez de Lucena in his book ''Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez con Cien Juegos de Partido'', published c. 1497. In the mid-nineteenth century the opening was sometimes played by La Bourdonnais and Elijah Williams, among others. The British master Henry Edward Bird first played it in 1855 and continued to do so for the next 40 years. In 1885, the ''Hereford Times'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blackmar–Diemer Gambit
The Blackmar–Diemer Gambit (or BDG) is a chess opening characterized by the moves: :1. d4 d5 :2. e4 dxe4 :3. Nc3 where White intends to follow up with f2–f3, usually on the fourth move. White obtains a tempo and a half-open f-file in return for a pawn, and as with most gambits, White aims to achieve rapid and active posting of their pieces in order to rapidly build up an attack at the cost of the gambit pawn. It is one of the few gambits available to White after 1.d4. History The Blackmar–Diemer Gambit arose as a development of the earlier Blackmar Gambit, named after Armand Blackmar, a relatively little-known New Orleans player of the late 19th century who popularized its characteristic moves (1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.f3) and was the first player to publish analysis of the opening. The popularity of the original Blackmar Gambit, however, was short-lived, as it was basically unsound, allowing Black to secure a superior position after White's immediate 3.f3 with 3...e5!. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sicilian Defence, Smith–Morra Gambit
Sicilian refers to the autonomous Italian island of Sicily. Sicilian can also refer to: * Sicilian language, a Romance language spoken on the island of Sicily, its satellite islands, and southern Calabria * Sicilians, people from or with origins in Sicily * Sicilian Defence, a chess opening * '' The Sicilian'', a 1984 novel by Mario Puzo * ''The Sicilian'' (film), a 1987 action film based on the novel See also * * Caecilian Caecilians (; ) are a group of limbless, vermiform or serpentine amphibians. They mostly live hidden in the ground and in stream substrates, making them the least familiar order of amphibians. Caecilians are mostly distributed in the tropics o ..., an order of amphibians, occasionally pronounced ''Sicilian'' * Sicily (other) {{Disambiguation Language and nationality disambiguation pages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rousseau Gambit
The Rousseau Gambit (or Ponziani Countergambit after Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani) is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 f5 The gambit is named after French chess master Eugène Rousseau. White can decline the gambit by supporting the e-pawn with 4. d3. The resulting position is similar to a King's Gambit Declined with colours reversed, and White's aiming at Black's weakened . Black will have trouble castling kingside, and Ng5 is a likely threat. White's position is better, but still requires careful play. Key themes for White are to attack Black's kingside and to avoid attempts by Black to the position. Exchanges involving White's are particularly suspect. White responses Gambit Declined: 4.d3 White can decline the gambit and wait to capture the f-pawn. 4...Bc5 transposes to the Lucchini Gambit. Gambit Accepted: 4.exf5 White still has a good game after the inferior 4.exf5, but the position is less clear. Black usually plays 4.. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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