ter 3.exd5, with its most notable advocate being John Nunn. It is usually attributed toAron Nimzowitsch, who successfully played it inSpielmann–Nimzowitsch, Mu- nich 1906.[3] However, Frank Marshall actually intro- duced the move to master play at Ostend 1905, defeat- ingRichard Teichmannin 34 moves.[4][5]Annotating that game in his 1914 book Marshall’s Chess “Swindles”, Mar- shall described his 3...c6 as, “An innovation.”[6]
Although Black won both of those games, 3...c6 lan- guished in obscurity for many years thereafter. White can respond with 4.Qe2, despite the drastic defeat inflicted on the youngAlexander AlekhinebyPaul Johnerat Carlsbad 1911, although 4.Nc3 exf4 is much more common. The resulting positions are analogous to theModern Defence of the King’s Gambit Accepted, in which White strives to
5.6. RICE GAMBIT 99
utilise his 4–2queensidepawn majority, with Black rely- ing on his piece activity and cramping pawn at f4 to play against White’s king. Theory has not reached a definitive verdict, but the resulting positions are believed to offer Black more chances than 3...e4.
5.5.3
See also
• List of chess openings• List of chess openings named after people
5.5.4
References
[1] Adolf Anderssen vs Ernst Falkbeer, Berlin 1851. [2] Rudolf Spielmann vs Siegbert Tarrasch, Maehrisch-
Ostrau 1923.
[3] Rudolf Spielmann vs Aron Nimzowitsch, Munich 1906. [4] Edward Winter,Chess Note 6792(published 2010/10/17). [5] Richard Teichmann vs Frank James Marshall, 1905. [6] Marshall’s Chess “Swindles”, American Chess Bulletin,
1914, p. 119.
5.5.5
External links
• Falkbeer Countergambit video and analysis
• Takchess Chess Improvement – The Spirit of the
Falkbeer Countergambit KGD
• Opening Report: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 (4297 games)
• Edward Winter, Falkbeer Counter-Gambit (pub- lished 2010/10/17). List of pre-World War II mag- azine references to the Falkbeer.
5.6 Rice Gambit
The Rice Gambit is achess openingthat arises from the
King’s GambitAccepted. An offshoot of theKieseritzky Gambit, it is characterized by the moves 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Bc4 d5 7. exd5 Bd6 8. 0-0 (instead of the normal 8.d4). Whiteoffers the sacrifice of theknighton e5 in order to get his king to safety and prepare a rook to join the attack againstBlack’s
underdeveloped position.
5.6.1 History
The Rice Gambit was heavily promoted by wealthy German-born, American businessman Isaac Rice to- wards the end of the 19th century. He sponsored numer- ous theme tournaments where the diagram position be- came the starting point of every game played. Such giants of the chess world asEmanuel Lasker,Mikhail Chigorin,
Carl Schlechter, Frank Marshall, and David Janowski
were among the participants.[1] These events stretched from Monte Carlo, Saint Petersburg, and Ostend, to
Brooklyn andTrenton Falls.[1] In a 1905 Pillsbury Na- tionalCorrespondence ChessAssociation event, 230 am- ateurs played the gambit by mail.[1]So obsessed was Rice with his pet line, he formed The Rice Gambit Asso- ciation in 1904, at his home in New York.[2] With Dr. Lasker as Secretary, the Association even published a book of all the games played in the theme tournaments.[2] Concrete analysis has long since shown the gambit to be “neither good nor necessary”, so it has been aban- doned in serious play and stands only as “a grotesque monument to a rich man’s vanity”.[3] TheEncyclopedia
of Chess Openings(1997) analyzes 8...Bxe5 9.Re1 Qe7 10.c3 Nh5 11.d4 Nd7 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.b3 0-0 14.Ba3 Nf3+ 15.gxf3 Qxh4 16.Re5 Bf5 (or 16...Qg3=) 17.Nd2 Qg3+ 18.Kf1 Qh2 19.Bxf8 g3 20.Bc5 g2+ 21.Ke1 Qh4+ (or 21...g1=Q 22.Bxg1 Qxg1+ 23.Bf1 Ng3 with an un- clear position) 22.Ke2 Ng3+ 23.Kf2 Ne4+ with a draw byperpetual check, attributing this analysis toJosé Raúl Capablanca,Amos Burn, andEdward Lasker.[4]
5.6.2 See also
• List of chess openings
• List of chess openings named after people
5.6.3 References
[1] Soltis 1978, p. 165. [2] Sunnucks 1970, p. 404.
[3] Hooper & Whyld 1996, Rice Gambit, p. 340. [4] Matanović 1997 (Vol C), p. 209, n. 28.
Bibliography
• Hooper, DavidandKenneth Whyld(1996).The Ox-
ford Companion To Chess. Oxford University Press.
ISBN 0192800493.
• Matanović, Aleksandar, ed. (1997).Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings. C (3rd ed.). Yugoslavia: Chess Informant.ISBN 86-7297-035-7.
• Soltis, Andy(1978). Chess to Enjoy. Stein and Day.
• Sunnucks, Anne (1970). The Encyclopaedia of Chess. Hale.ISBN 0709110308.
5.6.4
External links
• Edward Winter,Professor Isaac Rice and the Rice
Gambit(2006)
• Opening Report: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Nf6 6.Bc4 d5 7.exd5 Bd6 8.0-0 (178 games)
5.7 Center Game
The Center Game is achess openingthat begins with the moves:
1.e4 e5
2.d4 exd4
The game usually continues 3.Qxd4 Nc6, developing with a gain oftempo due to the attack on the whitequeen. (Note that 3.c3 is considered a separate opening: the
Danish Gambit.)
The Center Game is an old opening. It was mostly aban- doned by 1900 because no advantage could be demon- strated forWhite. Jacques Mieses,Savielly Tartakower
andRudolf Spielmannseemed to be the last strong play- ers who would adopt it. The Center Game was rarely played by elite players until Shabalov revived it in the 1980s. Later,Alexei Shirov,Michael Adams,Judit Pol- gárand Alexander Morozevich also contributed to the theory of the Center Game by forcing re-evaluation of lines long thought to favor Black. In recent years, the young playerIan Nepomniachtchihas also experimented with it.
White succeeds in eliminating Black’s e-pawn and open- ing the d-file, but at the cost of moving the queen early and allowing Black to develop withtempowith 3...Nc6. In White’s favor, after 4.Qe3, the most commonly played retreat, the position of the white queen hinders Black’s ability to play ...d5. Theback rankis cleared of pieces quickly which facilitatesqueenside castlingand may al- low White to quickly develop an attack. From e3, the white queen may later move to g3 where she will pres- sure Black’s g7-square.
5.7.1 Variations
3.c3Main article:Danish Gambit
3.Qxd4 Nc6
The nearly universal sequence of moves in the Center Game is 3.Qxd4 Nc6 (ECO code C22). Now White has a choice of retreat squares for the queen. Although 4.Qa4 corresponds to a fairly commonly played variation of the
Scandinavian Defense(1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5), it is rarely played in the Center Game because tournament experience has not been favorable for White in this line. The best move for the queen seems to be 4.Qe3, known as Paulsen’s Attack. White intends to castle Queen’s side in this line. Black usually continues 4...Nf6 when a typical line continues 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 0-0 7.0-0-0 Re8. White may try to complicate play by means of the pawn sacri- fice 8.Qg3!? intending 8...Rxe4 9.a3! -Shabalov's move. Black’s best reply seems to be the quiet 9...Ba5. Even though this line gives White some compensation for the pawn, it is probably fine for Black.[1]
A more solid option for Black is the natural 5...Be7! in- tending d7-d5 (sometimes even after White plays 6.Bc4), opening up lines as soon as possible. Black also seems to get a good game with 4...g6, and 4...Bb4+ has been played successfully as well.
3.Nf3 or 3.Bc4
Postponing recapture of the queen pawn is a standard idea in theScandinavian Defense(1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6), but 3.Nf3 is less commonly played in the Center Game. Black can safely transpose to theScotch Game,Petrov’s Defenseor thePhilidor Defense, or play a line recom- mended byAlekhine, 3...Bc5 4.Nxd4 Nf6 and now 5.e5 would be met with 5...Qe7. Similar ideas are possible after 3.Bc4, which is also uncommon.
3.f4?! (Halasz Gambit)
The Halasz Gambit (3.f4?!) is another rare try. Although the move dates back to at least 1840, it has been cham- pioned more recently by theHungarian correspondence chessplayer Dr György Halasz. Thegambitseems dubi- ous but it has not been definitely refuted.[2]
5.7.2 References
[1] “Archived copy”. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-08- 17. Retrieved 2009-08-15. Arne Moll, Finding Nepo (on
an old laptop) (2009) at ChessVibes.com
[2] Budzinski, Glenn (1998). “Anatomy of a Gambit: Dis- secting the Halasz”. ChessCafe. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
5.7.3 External links
• Harding, Tim (August 1999). “The Vampire Gam- bit: Can We Bury It Now?". ChessCafe.com, The
5.8. DANISH GAMBIT 101
Kibitzer.
• Harding, Tim (December 2004). “The Center Game takes Center Stage” (pdf). ChessCafe.com, The Kibitzer.
5.8 Danish Gambit
The Danish Gambit, known as the Nordisches Gam- bit (Nordic Gambit) in German, and the Noors Gambiet (Norwegian Gambit) in Dutch, is achess openingthat be- gins with the moves:[1]
1.e4 e5
2.d4 exd4
3.c3
White will sacrifice one or two pawns for the sake of rapid development and the attack. However, with care, Black can accept one or both pawns safely, or simply decline the
gambitaltogether with good chances.
Although it may have been known earlier,Danishplayer
Martin Severin Fromessayed the gambit in theParis 1867 tournamentand he is usually given credit for the open- ing. The Danish Gambit was popular with masters of the attack includingAlekhine,Marshall,Blackburne, and
Mieses, but as more defensive lines for Black were dis- covered and improved, it lost favor in the 1920s. Today it is rarely played in top-level chess.
5.8.1
History
From the very beginning the nomenclature of the Dan- ish Gambit was very confusing. The idea stems from a famous correspondence game London–Edinburgh, 1824: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.c3 Qe7 6.0- 0 dxc3 7.Nxc3. The Swede Hans Lindehnplayed 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 on a regular basis from 1857 at the latest. He defeated the later World ChampionWilhelm Steinitzwith his gambit in London, 1864. It is possible, that Severin From met Lindehn in Paris in this period and learned about the gambit there. According to Gra- ham Burgess, inDenmarkitself, the opening is called the Nordic Gambit.[2]
Many games transposed to theGöring Gambit, as Nf3 for White and Nc6 for Black are logical moves. As Carl Theodor Göring also used to play the double gambit, there was hardly any difference.
Remarkably enough, the idea to sacrifice just one pawn (Nxc3) is older in the Göring Gambit than in the Danish.
Paul Morphyencountered it at the first USA-Congress of 1857 againstAlexander Meek. In the Danish, especially Alexander Alekhine applied 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3, but on unimportant occasions.
5.8.2 Main lines
The Danish Gambit is a variation of theCenter Gamethat is important enough to be treated on its own. It is C21 in theEncyclopaedia of Chess Openingsclassification. After 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3, Black can safely decline the gambit with 3...d6, 3...Qe7, or 3...d5 (Sörensen De- fense or Capablanca Defence). If Black enters the Danish Gambit Accepted with 3...dxc3, the main possibilities are 4.Nxc3 and 4.Bc4.
Alekhine Variation: 4.Nxc3
• 4...d6 5.Bc4 Nc6 6.Nf3 (Göring Gambit, by
transposition)
• 4...Bc5 5.Bc4 Nc6 6.Nf3 (Göring Gambit, by trans- position)
• 4...Nc6 5.Bc4 and 6.Nf3 (Göring Gambit, by trans- position)
• 4...Bb4 5.Bc4 (5.Qd4 is an independent option) Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 d6 7.Qb3 Qe7 8.Ne2 Alekhine– Pomar, clock simul Madrid 1943
Alekhine recommended that White play 4.Nxc3. This line often transposes into the Göring Gambit of the
Scotch Game. There are only few lines with Black omit- ting Nc6 and/or White omitting Nf3. This move order enables White to avoid the critical main line of the Göring Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 dxc3 5.Nxc3 Bb4) by keeping open the option of meeting an early ...Bb4 by developing the king’s knight to e2 rather than f3 and thus preventing Black from disrupting White’s queen- side pawn structure, as Alekhine did in his game against Pomar above.
Lindehn’s continuation: 4.Bc4 Danish Gambit Accepted
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2
• 4...d6 5.Nxc3 (also Göring Gambit, by transposi- tion)
• 4...cxb2 5.Bxb2 (Danish Gambit Accepted, see dia- gram)
• 5...Bb4+ 6.Kf1 or 6.Nc3 • 5...d6 6.Qb3
• 5...d5 (SchlechterDefense)
White can instead offer a second pawn with 4.Bc4. The second pawn can be safely declined by transposing into the Göring Gambit. Accepting the pawn allows White’s two bishops to rake the Black kingside after 4...cxb2
5.Bxb2. White will often follow up with Qb3 if possible, applying pressure on Black’s b7- and f7-squares. Com- bined with White’slong diagonalpressure on g7, this can make it difficult for Black to develop his bishops. A sim- ilar position arises except for Black in the Ross Gam- bit,[3]a variation of theScandinavian Defence.
Schlechter recommended one of the most reliable de- fenses for Black: by returning one of the pawns with 5...d5 Black gains time to complete development. Af- ter 6.Bxd5 Nf6 (Bb4+ is also possible) 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qxd8 Bb4+ 9.Qd2 Bxd2+ 10.Nxd2 c5, Black regains the queen. Most theorists evaluate this position as equal, but some believe that thequeenside majoritygives Black the advantage in theendgame.The popularity of the Dan- ish plummeted after Schlechter’s defense was introduced as the resulting positions are not what White generally de- sires from a gambit opening. There have been attempts, especially by German correspondence player Ingo Firn- haber, to revive the gambit idea with 7.Nc3, but ac- cording to Karsten Müller and Martin Voigt in Danish Dynamite, this line gives insufficient compensation af- ter 7...Nxd5 8.Nxd5 Nbd7 (8...c6?? 9.Nf6+) 9.Nf3 c6, since the piece sacrifice 10.0-0 is dubious on account of 10...cxd5 11.exd5 Be7! If White instead plays 6.exd5, his light-square bishop is blocked and after 6...Nf6 7.Nc3 Bd6 Black can complete development relatively easily. The big advantage of Göring’s move order (Nf3 first, be- fore c3) is avoiding Schlechter’s defence, since after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 dxc3 5.Bc4 cxb2 6.Bxb2 Black cannot safely play 6...d5 with the queen’s knight committed to c6. The big advantage of 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 is the option to meet 3...d5 with 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.cxd4 Nc6 6.Be3 instead of 6.Nf3 transposing to the Göring Gambit Declined (the main objection being the Capablanca Vari- ation, 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be2 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Qc4, when White must exchange queens or give up castling rights). It also has the advantage of avoiding Black’s other options after 2.Nf3, which is mainly thePetrov Defence
2...Nf6.
5.8.3
See also
• List of chess openings• List of chess openings named after places
5.8.4
Notes
[1] Edward G. Winter (1999). Kings, Commoners and Knaves: Further Chess Explorations. Russell Enterprises. p. 158.ISBN 978-1-888690-04-0.
[2] Graham Burgess, The Mammoth Book of Chess, Carroll & Graf, 1997, p. 114.ISBN 0-7867-0725-9.
[3] “Scandinavian Defense, Marshall / Ross Gambit: Black Attack!". Retrieved 10 October 2016.
5.8.5 References
• Lutes, W. John (1992). Danish Gambit. Chess En- terprises.ISBN 0-945470-19-3.
• de Firmian, Nick(1999). Modern Chess Openings: MCO-14. Random House.ISBN 0-8129-3084-3.
5.8.6 External links
• Opening Report: 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 (2086
games)
5.9 Lopez Opening
Not to be confused withRuy Lopez.The Lopez Opening (or MacLeod Attack) is achess openingcharacterized by the moves:
1.e4 e5
2.c3
The opening was played frequently by 19th century Scottish–Canadian chess masterNicholas MacLeodbut has otherwise arisen rarely in tournament play.
5.9.1 Discussion
White’s second move prepares to push apawnto d4, es- tablishing a strongcenter. Play can potentiallytranspose
to other openings, most likely thePonziani Opening or the Göring Gambit in theScotch Game. However,Eric Schiller states in Unorthodox Chess Openings that the opening is too slow; that Black can respond vigorously with 2...d5! to eliminatetranspositionalpossibilities and solve all of his opening problems, as after 1.e4 e5 2.c3 d5! 3.exd5 Qxd5, 4.Nc3 is not available to chase thequeen
away and gain atempo.
5.9.2 See also
• Ruy Lopez—a very popular opening with a similar name
5.9.3 References
Schiller, Eric (2003). Unorthodox Chess Openings. Car- doza.ISBN 1-58042-072-9.
5.11. PARHAM ATTACK 103
5.10 Napoleon Opening
The Napoleon Opening is an irregular chess opening
starting with the moves: 1.e4 e5
2.Qf3
As with the similar Wayward Queen Attack (2.Qh5), White hopes for the Scholar’s Mate (2.Qf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5?? 4.Qxf7#), but Black can easily avoid the trap.
5.10.1
History
The Napoleon Opening is named after theFrenchgeneral and emperorNapoleon Bonaparte, who had a deep love of chess but was said to be a mediocre player.[1]The name came into use after mid-nineteenth century publications reported[2]that he played this opening in an 1809 game which he lost toThe Turk, a chessautomatonoperated at the time byJohann Allgaier.[3] The name may also be a slighting reference to Napoleon’s empress,Josephineand her scandalous infidelities,[4] hence Napoleon’s inability to keep his Queen at home.
5.10.2
Assessment
The Napoleon is a weak opening because it develops the white queen prematurely and subjects it to attack, and deprives the whitekingside knightof its best devel- opment square. By comparison, the Wayward Queen Attack is more forcing and stronger—2.Qh5 requiring Black to first defend his e-pawn (usually with 2...Nc6), and then after 3.Bc4 forcing Black to play a sub-optimal move (3...g6 virtually committing Black to afianchetto
rather than a more aggressive placement of thebishop; 3...Qe7 blocking the bishop; or 3...Qf6 taking away the knight’s best square). 2.Qf3 places no such impediments on Black’s development.
5.10.3
See also
• List of chess openings• List of chess openings named after people
5.10.4
References
[1] Murray, H.J.R. A History of Chess (London: Oxford Uni- versity Press), 1913, p. 877.
[2] Winter, Edward (1998 with updates). “Napoleon Bona- parte and Chess by Edward Winter”. Retrieved 18 Jan- uary 2013. Check date values in: |date= (help)
[3] Murray, H.J.R. A Short History of Chess (London: Oxford University Press), 1963 posthumously, p. 79.
[4] Napoleon Himself, 2005, John Schneider
5.10.5 External links
• Napoleon vs. The Turk, Schönbrunn Palace, 1809
5.11 Parham Attack
The Danvers Opening,[1] also known as the Ken- tucky Opening,[2]Queen’s Attack,[3]Queen’s Excur- sion,[4]Wayward Queen Attack,[5]Patzer Opening[6] or Parham Attack[7] is an unorthodox chess opening characterized by the moves:
1.e4 e5
2.Qh5