White tries to defang the King's Gambit by playing a "high class" waiting move. This variation is not even as good as other defense variations according to the statistics even though this is the variation cited when masters are asked why the KGA has declined in popularity. Very often chess masters seem to be as full of themselves--as Fischer was when he wrote the
often cited article "A BUST TO THE KING'S GAMBIT"
given below. For more information about the Fischer Variation click here. Here is the continuation that seems to be best statistically:
4. d3 g5 5. h4 g4 5. Ngi Bh6 7. Bd2
[Event "corres NLD"] [Site "corres NLD"] [Date "1988.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Laarhoven"] [Black "John Raymond Markus"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "0"] [BlackElo "0"] [EventDate "1988.??.??"] [ECO "C34"] [PlyCount "65"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d6 4. d3 g5 5. h4 g4 6. Ng1 Bh6 7. Bd2 Nc6 8. Nc3 Be6 9. Nce2 Qf6 10. Qc1 f3 11. Nf4 O-O-O 12. gxf3 gxf3 13. Nxf3 d5 14. Bc3 d4 15. Bd2 Ne5 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Ne2 Bxd2+ 18. Qxd2 Ne7 19. O-O-O Rd6 20. Bh3 Bxh3 21. Rxh3 Qe6 22. Rf3 Qxa2 23. Qg5 Nc6 24. Rdf1 Qa1+ 25. Kd2 Qxb2 26. Rxf7 b6 27. Qg7 Rhd8 28. Rxc7+ Kb8 29. Rb7+ Ka8 30. Rff7 Qb4+ 31. Kd1 Qa5 32. Qxh7 b5 33. Nc1 1-0
If Black is not carefully he could easily trap himself as he does here by opening up his f7 square. This is an actual game that I played on the internet.
[Event "?"] [Site "Pogo"] [Date "2007.11.02"] [Round "?"] [White "frankpogo124c"] [Black "Swashbuckler006"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d6 4. d3 g5 5. h4 f6 6. hxg5 fxg5 7. d4 Bd7 8. Bc4 h6 9. Nh4 gxh4 10. Qh5+ Ke7 11. Qf7 1-0
A BUST TO THE KING'S GAMBIT
by U.S. Champion Bobby Fischer
International Grandmaster
Biographical Sketch of Bobby Fischer
In the winter of 1957 a bombshell burst upon the horizon of the
chess world when 15-year-old Bobby Fischer wrested the United
States National Title from defending Champion Arthur Bisguierg
and Grandmaster Samuel Reshevsky. True, he had previously shown
tremendous talent. He had tied with Bisguier and nosed him out
on a tie-break for the "Open" Title at Cleveland, but many
considered this a "fluke." No flash-in-the-pan, Bobby roundly
consolidated his position as the world's youngest Grandmaster
by winning the United States Title AGAIN in 1958 and AGAIN in
1959-60.
Bobby's international achievements are equally spectacular.
They include a solid second (to World Champion Tal) at the
powerful Zurich Tournament, 1959, and some notable victories
over Keres, Smyslov, Gligorich, Euwe and Unzicker, to name but
a few outstanding European Grandmasters. At Mar Del Plata,
1960, Bobby tied for first with Russia's Boris Spassky - again
ahead of a strong field. At this time of writing [Summer 1961]
Bobby has set off to lead the United States Team in the
Olympics at Leipzig, Germany, and he has recaptured the U.S.
title for the 4th time!
"Bobby Fischer's Best Games of Chess," published by Simon &
Schuster, contains a collection of some fine chess gems by the
youthful author.
A Bust to the King's Gambit
The King's Gambit has lost popularity, but not sympathy.
Analysts treat it with kid gloves and seem reluctant to
demonstrate an outright refuatation. "The Chessplayers Manual"
by Gossip and Lipschutz, published in 1874, devotes 237 pages
to this gambit without arriving at a conclusion. To this day
the opening has been analyzed romantically - not
scientifically. Moderns seem to share the same unconscious
attitude that caused the old-timers to curse stubborn Steinitz:
"He took the beauty out of chess."
To the public, the player of the King's Gambit exhibits courage
and derring-do. The gambit has been making a comeback with the
younger Soviet masters, notably Spassky (who defeated
Bronstein, Averbach and myself with it). His victories rarely
reflected the merits of the opening since his opponents went
wrong in the mid-game. It is often the case, also, as with
Santasiere and Bronstein, that the King's Gambit is played with
a view to a favorable endgame. Spassky told me himself the
gambit doesn't give White much, but he plays it because neither
does the Ruy Lopez nor the Giuoco Piano.
The refuatation of any gambit begins with accepting it. In my
opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force.
1 P-K4 P-K4 2 P-KB4 PxP 3 N-KB3 P-Q3!
This is the key to a troublesome position, a high-class
"waiting move." At Mar Del Plata, 1959, I played 3...P-KN4
against Spassky, but this is inexact because it gives White
drawing chances in the ensuing ending: e.g., 4 P-KR4 P-N5 5
N-K5 N-KB3 6 P-Q4 P-Q3 7 N-Q3 NxP 8 BxP B-N2 and now 9 P-B3!
(replacing Spassky's 9 N-B3) 9...Q-K2 10 Q-K2 B-B4 11 N-Q2
leads to an ending where Black's extra Pawn is neutralized by
White's stranglehold on the dark squares, especially KB4.
Another good try, but also inexact, is the Berlin Defense:
3...P-KR3 4 P-Q4 P-KN4 5 P-KR4 B-N2 6 P-KN3 P-N5 (also playable
is 6...P-Q3 7 PxBP P-N5) 7 N-R2 PxP 8 NxP (8 QxP loses to
8...PxN 9 QxB QxP+ 10 K-Q1 Q-B3) 8...P-Q4 9 P-K5 B-B4 10 B-KB4,
where Black cannot demonstrate any advantage.
Of course 3...P-Q4 equalizes easily, but that's all.
4 B-B4
4 P-Q4 transposes, the only difference if White tries to force
matters after 4...P-KN4 5 P-KR4 P-N5 6 N-N5 (White also gets no
compensation after 6 BxP PxN 7 QxP N-QB3 or 6 N-N1 B-R3)
6...P-KB3! 7 N-KR3 PxN 8 Q-R5+ K-Q2 9 BxP Q-K1! 10 Q-B3 K-Q1
and with his King and Queen reversed, Black wins easily.
4...P-KR3!
This in conjunction with Black's previous move I would like to
call the Berlin Defense Deferred. By this subtle transposition
Black knocks out the possibility open to White in the last note
(to move 3).
5 P-Q4 P-KN4 6 0-0 B-N2 7 P-B3
Necessary to protect the QP. 7 P-KN3 is always met by P-N5.
7...N-QB3
Here there is disagreement as to Black's best move. Puc and
Rabar, Euwe, Keres, and most analysts give the text as the main
line and mention 7...N-K2(!) in passing. I think 7...N-K2 is
best because there is no reason why Black should not strive to
castle K-side: e.g., 8 P-KN3 P-Q4! 9 PxQP PxNP 10 PxP (if 10
N-K5 PxP+! 11 K-R1 0-0 12 P-Q6 QxP wins) 10...0-0 11 Q-N3 Q-Q3
12 K-N2 N-B4 wins. There is little practical experience with
this sub-variation.
8 Q-N3
If 8 P-KN3 P-N5 9 N-R4 P-B6 10 N-Q2, Euwe and other analysts
betray their soft-mindedness toward this opening by giving the
inferior 10...B-B3(?) 11 N(2)xP PxN 12 QxP - "unclear"!! This
is yet another example of sentimental evaluation - after
12...Q-K2 followed by B-R6 and 0-0-0 Black wins easily. The
Pawn on KB6 is a bone in White's throat so why force him to
sacrifice when he must anyway? 10...Q-K2 is the strongest move.
In this last variation (instead of 10 N-Q2) White can vary with
10 Q-N3 but then comes Nimzovitch's beautiful winning line:
10...Q-K2 11 N-B5 BxN 12 PxB (if 12 QxP R-N1 13 QxN+ Q-Q2 14
QxQ+ BxQ and Black has a winning endgame) 12...0-0-0 13 BxP
Q-K7 14 Q-K6+ (if 14 R-B2 NxQP! 15 RxQ PxR wins) 14...R-Q2! 15
R-B2 Q-Q8+ 16 R-B1 Q-B7 17 N-Q2 N-B3 (threatening N-Q1) 18 B-N6
(if 18 Q-N3 QxQ 19 BxQ P-Q4 with a winning endgame) 18...P-Q4
followed by N-K2 with a winning game for Black.
8...Q-K2 9 P-KR4 N-B3
Again theoretical disagreement. Perfectly good is 9...P-N5! 10
BxP (forced, not 10 KN-Q2 NxQP! 11 PxN BxP+ etc.) 10...PxN 11
RxP - given by analysts again as "unclear," but after N-B3
followed by 0-0, White has nothing for the piece.
10 PxP PxP 11 NxP NxKP
A wild position, but Black is still master.
12 BxP+
The game is rife with possibilities. If 12 NxN QxN 13 RxP Q-K8+
14 R-B1 Q-R5 15 BxP+ K-Q1 16 Q-Q5 N-K4! 17 PxN BxP (threatening
B-R7 and mate) 18 R-Q1 Q-N6 wins, owing to the threat of R-R8+.
12...K-Q1 13 NxN
Not 13 N-K6+ BxN 14 QxB QxQ 15 BxQ NxQP!
13...QxN 14 BxP
14 RxP also loses to 14...Q-K8+ 15 R-B1 R-R8+ 16 KxR QxR+ 17
K-R2 QxQB etc.
14...NxP
And Black wins...
Of course White can always play differently, in which case he
merely loses differently. (Thank you, Weaver Adams!)
[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2007.10.20"] [Round "-"] [White "-"] [Black "-"] [Result "*"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 h6 5. d4 g5 6. O-O Bg7 7. c3 Nc6 8. Qb3 Qe7 9. h4 Nf6 10. hxg5 hxg5 11. Nxg5 Nxe4 12. Bxf7+ Kd8 13. Nxe4 Qxe4 14. Bxf4 Nxd4 *
Unsolicited CommentsThis is the best web site I have found on chess!!!!!!! I will be definately be telling everyone about this site!!!! Thank you Frank--CW I enjoy it every time I visit this site...there is always something of interest, something more I can learn--Liz I won a tournament using the ebooks found on this website--KY Great site! And I am definately sending you a donation via Pay Pal to help support your efforts!--RF
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