Exciting of King's Gambit ...

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As I see it, the advantages of this opening carry the day. It's exciting, challenging, easy to learn since the different black defences have a personality of their own and it is both educational (you'll learn a lot about structure vs material and material vs time) and practical since you only need one opening against 1 - e5.

The downside is that you really must know your stuff or you may end up on the wrong side of a miniature. But, is there any opening you can play with confidence, without knowing it?

King's Gambit Do and Don't..............

Tartakower's Tips on King's Gambit

The first essential for an attack is - the will to attack!

Don't play the KG if you're not interested in grabbing the initiative and using it!

An attack is mounted not only against the opponent's position, but also against his Psyche.

For example, many of your opponents will chicken out in the opening, and not play very critical variations...

It's really a sad thing that most second players wheel out the same mistakes with the same enthusiasm century after century. But it's simply a fact, so why not take advantage of it? All those players who e.g. feel 'instinctively' that The Long Whip is the refutation of 2.f4; really deserve a chance to test their idea...

Five Famous Games

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Wilhelm Steinitz

I) Steinitz-Simonson, Manhattan 1883: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 g5 4 h4 g4 5 Ne5 h5 6 Bc4 Nh6 7 d4 d6 8 Nd3 f3 9 gf3 Be7 10 Be3 Bxh4+ 11 Kd2 gf3 12 Qxf3 Bg4 13 Qf4 Nc6 14 Nc3 Ne7 15 Raf1 Rh716 Rxh4! Ng6 17 Rxg4 Nxf4 18 Rgxf4 c6 19 Rf6 Ng4 20 Bxf7+ Kd7 21 Be6+ Kc7 22 Rf7+ Rxf7 23 Rxf7+ Kb6 24 Bxg4 hxg4 25 d5+ c5 26 e5 Ka6 27 Bxc5! dxc5 28 Nxc5+ Kb6 29 Rxb7+ Kxc5 30 Kd3! Qa5 31 b4+ Qxb4+ 32 Ne4+ Qxe4+ 33 Kxe4 1-0.

II) Gunsberg-Amateur, London 1891: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 g5 4 h4 g4 5 Ng5 h6 6 Nxf7 Kxf7 7 d4 d5 8 Bxf4 Nf6 9 Nc3 Bb4 10 Be5 Nxe4 11 Bd3 Nxc3 12 0-0+ Kg8 13 Qe1 Ne4? 14 Qxe4 dxe4 15 Bc4+ Kh7 16 Rf7+ Kg6 17 Rg7+ Kh5 18 Bf7+ Kxh4 19 Kh2 1-0.

III) Morphy-Medley, London 1858: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 g5 4 h4 g4 5 Ne5 Nf6 6 Bc4 d5 7 ed5 Bd6 8 d4 Nh5 9 Nc3 Bf5 10 Ne2 Qf6 11 Nf4 Ng3 12 Nh5! Nxh5 13 Bg5 Bb4+ 14 c3 Qd6 15 0-0 Ng7 16 Rxf5! Nxf5 17 Qxg4 Ne7 18 Re1 h5 19 Qf3 Rh7 20 Bb5+ c6 21 dc6 bc6 22 Nxc6 Nxc6 23 Bxc6+ Kf8 24 Bxe7+ Qxe7 25 Rxe7 Bxe7 26 Bxa8 1-0.

Morphy giving blindsimul
IV) Rubinstein-Hromadka, Ostrau 1923: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 Bc5 3 Nf3 d6 4 Nc3 Nf6 5 Bc4 Nc6 6 d3 Bg4 7 h3 Bxf3 8 Qxf3 Nd4 9 Qg3 Qe7 10 Kd1 c6 11 fe5 de5 12 a4 Rg8 13 Rf1 h6 14 Ne2 0-0-0 15 Nxd4 Bxd4 16 c3 Bb6 17 a5 Bc7 18 Be3 Kb8 19 Kc2 Ka8 20 Rf3 Nd5 21 Bg1 Nf4 22 Qf2 Bb8 23 g3 Nxh3 24 Rf7 Qd6 25 Qb6! Rd7 26 Bc5 Rxf7 27 Bxd6 Rf2+ 28 Qxf2 Nxf2 29 Bc5 1-0.

V) Lutikov-Kortchnoi, Leningrad 1951: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 Be7 4 Bc4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nxe4 6 Bxf7+ Kxf7 7 Ne5+ Ke6 8 Nxe4 d5 9 Qg4+ Kxe5 10 d4+ Kxd4 11 c3+ Ke5 12 Bxf4+ Kxe4 13 Qf3+ Kf5 14 Bxc7+ Kg6 15 Bxd8 Rxd8 16 0-0 Nc6 17 Qg3+ Kh6 18 Rf7 g5 19 h4 Rg8 20 Raf1 Be6 21 hg5+ Rxg5 22 Qh4+ Rh5 23 R1f6+ 1-0.

Five Recent Games

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I) Fedorov-Heine Nielsen, Viking Games 1997: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 Be7 4 Bc4 Bh4+ 5 Kf1 d5 6 ed5 Bg4 7 d4 Ne7 8 Nc3 Ng6 9 Qe2+ Be7 10 h4 h5 11 Qe4! Nd7 12 d6 cd6 13 Ng5 1-0.



II) Short-Akopian, Madrid 1997: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 d6 4 d4 g5 5 h4 g4 6 Ng1 Bh6 7 Nc3 c6 8 Nge2 Qf6 9 g3 fg3 10 Nxg3 Bxc1 11 Rxc1 Qh6 12 Bd3 Qe3+ 13 Nce2 Ne7 14 Qd2 Qxd2+ 15 Kxd2 d5 16 Rce1 Be6 17 Nf4 0-0 18 ed5 Nxd5 19 Nxe6 fxe6 20 Rxe6 Nd7 21 Nf5 Kh8 22 Rf1 Rae8 23 Rxe8 Rxe8 24 c4 N5f6 25 Ng3 c5 26 d5 Kg7 27 Nf5+ Kh8 28 Nd6 Rf8 29 Re1 g3 30 Bf5 Nb6 31 b3 Ne8 32 Nxb7 Ng7 33 Bh3 Rf4 34 Nxc5 Rxh4 35 Bg2 Rh2 36 Re2 Nf5 37 Be4 Nd6 38 Bf3 Rh6 39 Ne6 Rf6 40 Bg2 Nd7 41 c5 Nf7 42 d6 Nfe5 43 Bd5 Rf5 44 c6 Nb6 45 Bg2 Rf2 46 Rxf2 gxf2 47 Ke2 1-0.

III) Short-Piket, Madrid 1997: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 Be7 4 Nc3 Bh4+ 5 Ke2 d5 6 Nxd5 Nf6 7 Nxf6+ Qxf6 8 d4 Bg4 9 Qd2 Nc6 10 c3 0-0-0 11 Qxf4 Qe6 12 Ke3 g5 13 Nxg5 Bxg5 14 Qxg5 f5 15 h3 Nxd4 16 cxd4 Rxd4 17 hxg4 Rxe4+ 18 Kf2 fg4 19 Rh6 Rf8+ 20 Kg1 Rxf1+ 21 Kxf1 Re1+ 22 Kf2 Qe2+ 23 Kg3 Qd3+ 24 Kxg4 1-0.



IV) Short-Shirov, Madrid 1997: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 g5 4 h4 g4 5 Ne5 d6 6 Nxg4 Nf6 7 Nf2?! Nc6?! 8 d4 Bh6 9 Be2 Qe7 10 Nc3 Bd7 11 Bf3 0-0-0 12 a3? Nxe4 13 Nd5 Qe8 14 0-0 f5 15 c3 Rhg8 16 Rfe1 Qf7 17 Bxf4 Bxf4 18 Nxf4 Ne7 19 Nxe4 fxe4 20 Rxe4 d5 21 Qb3 Rdf8 22 Rxe7 Qxe7 23 Nxd5 Qxh4 24 Ne3 c6 25 Rf1 Qg5 26 c4 Re8 27 Nd1 Qh4 28 d5 Qd4 0-1.


V) De Wit-Van der Sterren, the Netherlands 1995: 1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 g5 4 h4 g4 5 Ne5 Nf6 6 d4 d6 7 Nd3 Nxe4 8 Bxf4 Bg7 9 c3 0-0 10 Nd2 Re8 11 Nxe4? Rxe4+ 12 Kf2 c5! 13 dc5 dc5 14 Qd2 c4 15 Nb4 Qb6+ 16 Kg3 Be6 17 Nd5 Qc5 18 Rd1 Nc6 19 b4 cb3 20 ab3 Rd8 21 c4 Rxf4 0-1.

Lets try King's Gambit!!!

Morra Gambit: The secret plan...

What's the game plan for White?

• Mind the vulnerable f7 square through 6 Bc4.
• Place the rooks on the open c-file and half open d-file in order to pose developmental problems for the Black Queen.
• Utilize the Nc3-d5/b5 maneuver to attack Black's position.
• Where possible, aim for a timely e4-e5 breakthrough.

What's the game plan for Black?

Accept the gambit and consolidate the position as follows:

• Cover e5 via 5 ... d6.
• Limit the c4 bishop's scope through 6 ... e6.
• Advance 9 ... e5 so as to prevent e4-e5.

Morra Gambit: Be carefull ........Avoid this trap........

Anybody have their Morra Gambit games?

Email me or give some comment......

MORRA GAMBIT in action at Mar Del Plata Tournament 1955!