The McDonnell Gambit is a

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 ''op ...

gambit 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 ...

, Classical Variation that begins with the moves:Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 241. ''McDonnell Gambit''. :1. e4 e5 :2. f4 exf4 :3. Nf3 g5 :4. Bc4 g4 :5. Nc3 or alternatively via the Quaade Gambit:Kasparov & Keene (1982), p. 289. :4. Nc3 g4 :5. Bc4 The opening is named after

Alexander McDonnell Alexander McDonnell may refer to: * Alexander McDonnell (chess player) (1798–1835), Irish chess master *Alexander McDonnell (engineer) Alexander McDonnell was an Irish locomotive engineer and civil engineer. He was born in Dublin on 18 Dece ...

, a 19th-century Irish

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 ...

master, who successfully introduced it in his third match with

Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais (1795 – December 1840) was a French chess master, possibly the strongest player in the early 19th century. Early life La Bourdonnais was born on the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean in 1795. He w ...

. The aim is to gain a significant lead in (

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, and

queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

) for the sacrificed knight, followed by a attack. The McDonnell Gambit has always been much less popular for

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

than the similarly motivated Muzio Gambit (4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0). Although considered obsolete by '' MCO'', it has not been thoroughly tested.

5...gxf3

After 5... gxf3 6. Qxf3 is usual, though the wild 6.0-0 is occasionally seen. Now 6...Bh6 (as in the McDonnell–La Bourdonnais game below) is regarded as inferior. Better options for Black are: * 6... d5 7.Nxd5 Nc6 led to approximate in Charousek & Fahndrich – Halprin & Marco, Vienna 1897 after 8.0-0 Bd6 9.d4 Nxd5 10.Qh5 Be6 11.Bxf4 Bxf4 12.Nxf4 Bxc4 13.Qe5+ Kf8 14.Qxh8 Bxf1 15.Rxf1 Qf6 16.Qxh7 Qxf4. * 6... d6 7.0-0 Be6 8.Nd5 c6 9.Qc3 cxd5 10.Qxh8 dxc4 11.Qxg8 Qb6+ 12.Kh1 Nc6 13.b3 Qd4 and Black is better (analysis by J. Malkin, Wiener Schachzeitung 1911).

McDonnell vs. La Bourdonnais, London 1834

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. Nc3 gxf3 6. Qxf3 Bh6 7. d4 Nc6 8. 0-0 :Continuing his policy of development over . 8... Nxd4 9. Bxf7+! :A frequently seen move in the King's Gambit as it strips away a key defensive pawn. 9... Kxf7 10. Qh5+ Kg7 11. Bxf4 Bxf4 12. Rxf4 Nf6 13. Qg5+ Kf7 14. Raf1 :McDonnell has built up a winning attack almost effortlessly. 14... Ke8 15. Rxf6 Qe7 :Looking for some with his queen and at the same time freeing a square for his king. 16. Nd5! Qc5 :One last try; if McDonnell is inattentive he could miss the 17...Nf3+! followed by 18...Nxg5 when suddenly he has a lost position. 17. Kh1! Ne6 18. Rxe6+! dxe6 19. Nf6+! :White will win the queen next move, so La Bourdonnais resigned here.

Maróczy vs. Chigorin, Vienna 1903

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. Nc3 gxf3 6. Qxf3 d6! 7. d4 Be6 8. Nd5 White can try 8.d5 Bc8 9.Bxf4 as in Dufresne–Anderssen, Berlin 1851 ( Korchnoi).Matanović 1981 (Vol C), p. 180, n. 38. 8... c6 9. 0-0 cxd5 10. exd5 Bf5 11. Bxf4 Bg6 12. Bb5+ Nd7 13. Rae1+ Be7 14. Bxd6 Kf8? Black had a clear advantage after 14...Qb6! 15.Qa3 Qxd4 16.Rf2 Be4 17.Bxe7 Nxe7 18.d6 Rg8 19.Rxe4 Qxe4 20.Re2 Qxe2 21.Bxe2 Nc6 in Barth–Lenz, 1913 (Korchnoi). 15. Rxe7 Nxe7 16. Re1 Kg7 17. Bxe7 Qa5 18. Qe2 Nf8 19. Bf6+ Kg8 20. Qe5 h6 21. Bxh8 f6 22. Qe7 Kxh8 23. Qxf6+ Kg8 24. Re7 1–0

Alternatives to 5...gxf3

* 5...Nc6 transposes to the Hamppe–Muzio Gambit after 6.0-0, or to the Pierce Gambit after 6.d4. * 5...d5 is also likely to lead to a transposition after 6.Bxd5 gxf3 7.Qxf3 or 6.Nxd5 gxf3 7.Qxf3.

Marshall vs. Leonhardt, Hamburg 1911

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.Nc3 d5 6.Bxd5 gxf3 7.Qxf3 Nf6 8.Qxf4 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.b4 a5 11.Bb2 axb4 12.Ne2 Ra6 13.Qh6 Kh8 14.Nf4 Rg8 15.Bxf7 Bf8 16.Qh5 Rg4 17.Ne6 Bg7 18.Bxf6 1–0Frank Marshall vs. Paul Saladin Leonhardt
365chess.com

References

Bibliography * * * *{{cite book , editor-last=Matanović , editor-first=Aleksandar , editor-link=Aleksandar Matanović , title=

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 ...

, publisher=

Chess Informant Chess Informant () is a publishing company from Belgrade, Serbia, that periodically (since 2012, four volumes per year) produces volumes of a book entitled ''Chess Informant'', as well as the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'', ''Encyclopaedia ...