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Gambit Gaming Players
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 fields, for example: "The early election was a risky gambit by Theresa May." Terminology The Spanish word ''gambito'' was originally applied to chess openings in 1561 by Ruy López de Segura, from an Italian expression ''dare il gambetto'' (to put a leg forward in order to trip someone). In English, the word first appeared in Francis Beale's 1656 translation of a Gioachino Greco manuscript, ''The Royall Game of Chesse-play'' ("illustrated with almost one hundred Gambetts"). The Spanish ''gambito'' led to French ''gambit'', which has influenced the English spelling of the word. The metaphorical sense of the word as "opening move meant to gain advanta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chess Opening
The opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established Chess_theory#Opening_theory, theory. The other phases are the chess middlegame, middlegame and the chess endgame, endgame. Many opening sequences, known as ''openings'', have standard names such as "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 Chess theory#Opening theory, opening theory, the players are said to be "out of book". In some openings, book lines have been worked out for over 30 moves, such as some lines in the classical King's Indian Defense and in the Sicilian Defense, Najdorf Variation, Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defense. Professional chess players spend years studying openings, and they continue doing so throughout their careers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Queen's Gambit
The Queen's Gambit is the chess opening that starts with the moves: :1. d4 d5 :2. c4 It is one of the oldest openings and is still commonly played today. It is traditionally described as a '' gambit'' because White appears to sacrifice the c-pawn; however, this could be considered a misnomer as Black cannot retain the pawn without incurring a disadvantage. History The Queen's Gambit is one of the oldest known openings in chess. It was mentioned in the Göttingen manuscript of 1490 and was later analyzed by Gioachino Greco in the 17th century. In the 18th century, it was recommended by Philipp Stamma of Aleppo and is sometimes known as the Aleppo Gambit in his honor. During the early period of modern chess, queen pawn openings were not in fashion, and the Queen's Gambit did not become commonplace until the 1873 tournament in Vienna. As Wilhelm Steinitz and Siegbert Tarrasch developed chess theory and increased the appreciation of , the Queen's Gambit grew more popula ... [...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. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4, d4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6, Nf6 :2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6/2. c4, c4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. d4/1...Nf6/2. c4/2...e5, e5 Despite an early debut in 1896, the Budapest Gambit received attention from leading players only after a win as White and Black in chess, Black by grandmaster (chess), 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 draw (chess), 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 piec ... [...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 , with the idea of launching 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. Black can avoid the Staunton Gambit by playing 1...e6 before f5. The drawback of this move order is that it allows White to transpose to the French Defence on move 2 (an opening that normally starts with 1. e4), in which case playing the Dutch is no longer an option. 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. ... [...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 Named after 19th century English player Henry Bird, Bird's opening 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 t ... [...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 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. In 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smith–Morra Gambit
In chess, the Smith–Morra Gambit (or simply Morra Gambit) is an Chess opening, opening gambit against the Sicilian Defence distinguished by the moves: :1. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4, e4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5, c5 :2. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5/2. d4, d4 b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5/2. d4/2...cxd4, cxd4 :3. b:Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c5/2. d4/2...cxd4/3. c3, c3 White sacrifices a Pawn (chess), pawn to quickly and create attacking chances. In exchange for the gambit pawn, White has a piece developed after 4.Nxc3 and a pawn in the , while Black has an extra pawn and a central pawn majority. The plan for White is straightforward and consists of placing his Bishop (chess), bishop on c4 to attack the f7-square, and controlling both the c- and d- with Rook (chess), rooks, taking advantage of rapid development, open lines, and Black's difficulty in finding a good square for the Queen (chess), queen. The Smith–Morra is popular at the club level an ... [...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] |
Halloween Gambit
The Halloween Gambit (also known as the Müller–Schulze Gambit or Leipzig Gambit) is an aggressive chess opening gambit in which White sacrifices a knight early on for a single pawn. The opening is an offshoot of the normally staid Four Knights Game and is defined by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Nc3 Nf6 :4. Nxe5?! The theoretician Oskar Cordel reported in 1888 that Leipzig club players used the opening to dangerous effect, but he did not believe it was . Their name for it, ''Gambit Müller und Schulze'', was not after any players by those names, but rather a jocular German equivalent of " Smith and Jones" or " Tom, Dick, and Harry". The modern name "Halloween Gambit" was given by the German player Steffen Jakob, who explained that "Many players are shocked, the way they would be frightened by a Halloween mask, when they are mentally prepared for a boring Four Knight's, and then they are faced with Nxe5." White's objective is to seize the with pawns and drive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scotch Gambit
The Scotch Game, or Scotch Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. d4 Ercole del Rio, in his 1750 treatise ''Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche d’anonimo Autore Modenese'' ("On the game of Chess, practical Observations by an anonymous Modenese Author"), was the first author to mention what is now called the Scotch Game. The opening received its name from a correspondence match in 1824 between Edinburgh and London. Popular in the 19th century, by 1900 the Scotch had lost favour among top players because it was thought to release the central tension too early and allow Black to without difficulty. In the 20th century grandmasters Garry Kasparov and Jan Timman helped to re-popularise the Scotch when they used it as a surprise weapon to avoid the well-analysed Ruy Lopez. Analysis White aims to dominate the by exchanging their d-pawn for Black's e-pawn. Black usually plays 3...exd4, as they have no good way of m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pawn Structure
In a game of chess, the pawn structure (sometimes known as the pawn skeleton) is the configuration of pawn (chess), pawns on the chessboard. Because pawns are the least mobile of the chess pieces, the pawn structure is relatively static and thus plays a large role in determining the strategic character of the position. General observations Weaknesses in the pawn structure, such as Isolated pawn, isolated, Doubled pawns, doubled, or Backward pawn, backward pawns and , once created, are usually permanent. Care must therefore be taken to avoid them (but there are exceptions—for instance see ''Boleslavsky hole'' below). In the absence of these structural weaknesses, it is not possible to assess a pawn formation as good or bad—much depends on the position of the pieces. The pawn formation does determine the overall strategies of the players to a large extent, however, even if arising from unrelated openings. Pawn formations symmetrical about a vertical line (such as the #e5-chain, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (; ; – May 5, 1995) was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster who held five world titles in three different reigns. The sixth World Chess Champion, he also worked as an electrical engineer and computer scientist and was a pioneer in computer chess. He also had a mathematics degree (honorary). 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. He is often described as the patriarch of the Soviet chess school and is revered for his analytical approach to chess. Early years Botvinnik was born on August 17, 1911, in what was then Kuokkal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
