chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

, the Kieseritzky Gambit is an

opening Opening may refer to: Types of openings * Hole * A title sequence or opening credits * Grand opening of a business or other institution * Inauguration * Keynote * Opening sentence * Opening sequence * Opening statement, a beginning statemen ...

line in the

King's Gambit The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. f4 White offers a pawn to divert the black e-pawn. If Black accepts the gambit, White may play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit pawn with domination, or direc ...

. It begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. f4 exf4 :3. Nf3 g5 :4. h4 g4 :5. Ne5 Following Black's attempt to hold the sacrificed pawn by 3...g5, White reacts by immediately undermining the pawn chain. It is one of the main lines of the King's Gambit after 3...g5, and its overall assessment is still unclear but approximately equal. The ''

Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings The ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' (''ECO'') is a reference work describing the state of Chess theory#Opening theory, opening theory in chess, originally published in five volumes from 1974 to 1979 by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugos ...

'' classifies the Kieseritzky Gambit under code C39. C39 is also the code for the Allgaier Gambit, in which White plays 5.Ng5?!, sacrificing the knight for an attack after 5...h6 6.Nxf7 Kxf7. The Allgaier Gambit is considered dubious by modern theory.

History

The opening now known as the Kieseritzky Gambit was first described by Polerio in the late 16th century.

Greco Greco may refer to: People * Greco (surname), a list of people with this surname * a masculine variant of Greca (given name), an Italian feminine given name * Greco Mafia clan, one of the most influential Mafia clans in Sicily and Calabria Wi ...

also included a game with this opening in his 1620 collection. It was also analyzed by

Salvio Salvio is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Alessandro Salvio ( 1570– 1640), Italian chess player *Eduardo Salvio (born 1990), Argentine footballer See also *Nicole Di Salvio (born 1979), Italian softball player *Salvo (surna ...

(1604) and

Philidor Philidor (''Filidor'') or Danican Philidor was a family of musicians that served as court musicians to the French kings. The original name of the family was Danican (D'Anican) and was of Scottish origin (Duncan). Philidor was a later addition to t ...

(1749). In the first edition of the Handbuch in 1843, 5.Ne5 was considered under the heading of the Allgaier Gambit, but the editors noted that Kieseritzky had contributed significantly to the theory of 5.Ne5, which they advocated as superior to 5.Ng5 (an opinion shared by almost all subsequent analysts). The corresponding chapter in the second edition of the Handbuch in 1852 was headed "Allgaier and Kieseritzky's Gambit". Subsequently the name Kieseritzky Gambit came into general use for 5.Ne5, Allgaier Gambit being used exclusively for 5.Ng5.

Main Line

5...Nf6 6.Bc4

Although both the bishop on c4 and the knight on e5 target the pawn on f7, if Black does not protect the pawn, the threat is typically Bxf7+ rather than Nxf7. 6.d4 has been tried as well, although it is regarded by some to be inferior to 6.Bc4.

6...d5 7.exd5 Bd6

The other main move is 7...Bg7.

Notes

References

Bibliography * * * * * *{{cite book , last=Shaw , first=John , authorlink=John K. Shaw , title=The King's Gambit , publisher=Quality Chess , year=2013 , isbn=978-1-906552-71-8 Chess openings