Are there any gambits involving sacrificing a piece?












29














My impression of the word "gambit" is the sacrifice of a pawn or several pawns at the opening stage of a chess game. However, based on the definition on Wikipedia, a gambit (from ancient Italian gambetto, meaning "to trip") is a chess opening in which a player, more often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position.



The phrase "usually a pawn" seems to imply that a gambit could be a sacrifice of other pieces. Am wondering what are examples of gambits that sacrifice a knight, or a bishop, or a rook, or even the queen, or a combination of these pieces?



I am not talking about blunders at the opening stage that cause loss of material. I am asking about openings that stand the test of time where one side willfully sacrifices some material other than pawns to earn some advantage.



A related question: What is the "biggest" gambit that is still being played at the master's or above level? That is, a gambit that white sacrifices a combination of biggest value of pieces and yet obtained enough advantage development and/or space; at the same time, the game is somewhat acceptable for black as well.






opening gambits sacrifice







share|improve this question




















  • 8




    Look up the Muzio gambit in the King's gambit. There white sacrifices numerous pieces to get an attack.
    – Scounged
    Dec 9 '18 at 8:10






  • 1




    I know this is the opening line of Wikipedia's article, but to be more precise: "gamba" is leg (old as well as new Italian), and to get somebody off their feet in say wrestling would be "gambettare" ( conjit.cactus2000.de/showverb.en.php?verb=gambettare&pas=1 although I'd think in modern Italian you'd say "sgambettare", with the "s-" as in italian.stackexchange.com/questions/6888/… ). So "gambetto" (in old & new Italian) could be translated as "the tripping up" --- a noun, not a verb like "tripping up" or "to trip" as you/wiki have.
    – user3445853
    Dec 10 '18 at 14:23
















29














My impression of the word "gambit" is the sacrifice of a pawn or several pawns at the opening stage of a chess game. However, based on the definition on Wikipedia, a gambit (from ancient Italian gambetto, meaning "to trip") is a chess opening in which a player, more often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position.



The phrase "usually a pawn" seems to imply that a gambit could be a sacrifice of other pieces. Am wondering what are examples of gambits that sacrifice a knight, or a bishop, or a rook, or even the queen, or a combination of these pieces?



I am not talking about blunders at the opening stage that cause loss of material. I am asking about openings that stand the test of time where one side willfully sacrifices some material other than pawns to earn some advantage.



A related question: What is the "biggest" gambit that is still being played at the master's or above level? That is, a gambit that white sacrifices a combination of biggest value of pieces and yet obtained enough advantage development and/or space; at the same time, the game is somewhat acceptable for black as well.






opening gambits sacrifice







share|improve this question




















  • 8




    Look up the Muzio gambit in the King's gambit. There white sacrifices numerous pieces to get an attack.
    – Scounged
    Dec 9 '18 at 8:10






  • 1




    I know this is the opening line of Wikipedia's article, but to be more precise: "gamba" is leg (old as well as new Italian), and to get somebody off their feet in say wrestling would be "gambettare" ( conjit.cactus2000.de/showverb.en.php?verb=gambettare&pas=1 although I'd think in modern Italian you'd say "sgambettare", with the "s-" as in italian.stackexchange.com/questions/6888/… ). So "gambetto" (in old & new Italian) could be translated as "the tripping up" --- a noun, not a verb like "tripping up" or "to trip" as you/wiki have.
    – user3445853
    Dec 10 '18 at 14:23














29












29








29


4





My impression of the word "gambit" is the sacrifice of a pawn or several pawns at the opening stage of a chess game. However, based on the definition on Wikipedia, a gambit (from ancient Italian gambetto, meaning "to trip") is a chess opening in which a player, more often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position.



The phrase "usually a pawn" seems to imply that a gambit could be a sacrifice of other pieces. Am wondering what are examples of gambits that sacrifice a knight, or a bishop, or a rook, or even the queen, or a combination of these pieces?



I am not talking about blunders at the opening stage that cause loss of material. I am asking about openings that stand the test of time where one side willfully sacrifices some material other than pawns to earn some advantage.



A related question: What is the "biggest" gambit that is still being played at the master's or above level? That is, a gambit that white sacrifices a combination of biggest value of pieces and yet obtained enough advantage development and/or space; at the same time, the game is somewhat acceptable for black as well.






opening gambits sacrifice







share|improve this question















My impression of the word "gambit" is the sacrifice of a pawn or several pawns at the opening stage of a chess game. However, based on the definition on Wikipedia, a gambit (from ancient Italian gambetto, meaning "to trip") is a chess opening in which a player, more often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position.



The phrase "usually a pawn" seems to imply that a gambit could be a sacrifice of other pieces. Am wondering what are examples of gambits that sacrifice a knight, or a bishop, or a rook, or even the queen, or a combination of these pieces?



I am not talking about blunders at the opening stage that cause loss of material. I am asking about openings that stand the test of time where one side willfully sacrifices some material other than pawns to earn some advantage.



A related question: What is the "biggest" gambit that is still being played at the master's or above level? That is, a gambit that white sacrifices a combination of biggest value of pieces and yet obtained enough advantage development and/or space; at the same time, the game is somewhat acceptable for black as well.






opening gambits sacrifice




opening gambits sacrifice






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Dec 10 '18 at 14:56









Evargalo

5,7891526




5,7891526










asked Dec 9 '18 at 3:23









Zuriel

35229




35229








  • 8




    Look up the Muzio gambit in the King's gambit. There white sacrifices numerous pieces to get an attack.
    – Scounged
    Dec 9 '18 at 8:10






  • 1




    I know this is the opening line of Wikipedia's article, but to be more precise: "gamba" is leg (old as well as new Italian), and to get somebody off their feet in say wrestling would be "gambettare" ( conjit.cactus2000.de/showverb.en.php?verb=gambettare&pas=1 although I'd think in modern Italian you'd say "sgambettare", with the "s-" as in italian.stackexchange.com/questions/6888/… ). So "gambetto" (in old & new Italian) could be translated as "the tripping up" --- a noun, not a verb like "tripping up" or "to trip" as you/wiki have.
    – user3445853
    Dec 10 '18 at 14:23














  • 8




    Look up the Muzio gambit in the King's gambit. There white sacrifices numerous pieces to get an attack.
    – Scounged
    Dec 9 '18 at 8:10






  • 1




    I know this is the opening line of Wikipedia's article, but to be more precise: "gamba" is leg (old as well as new Italian), and to get somebody off their feet in say wrestling would be "gambettare" ( conjit.cactus2000.de/showverb.en.php?verb=gambettare&pas=1 although I'd think in modern Italian you'd say "sgambettare", with the "s-" as in italian.stackexchange.com/questions/6888/… ). So "gambetto" (in old & new Italian) could be translated as "the tripping up" --- a noun, not a verb like "tripping up" or "to trip" as you/wiki have.
    – user3445853
    Dec 10 '18 at 14:23








8




8




Look up the Muzio gambit in the King's gambit. There white sacrifices numerous pieces to get an attack.
– Scounged
Dec 9 '18 at 8:10




Look up the Muzio gambit in the King's gambit. There white sacrifices numerous pieces to get an attack.
– Scounged
Dec 9 '18 at 8:10




1




1




I know this is the opening line of Wikipedia's article, but to be more precise: "gamba" is leg (old as well as new Italian), and to get somebody off their feet in say wrestling would be "gambettare" ( conjit.cactus2000.de/showverb.en.php?verb=gambettare&pas=1 although I'd think in modern Italian you'd say "sgambettare", with the "s-" as in italian.stackexchange.com/questions/6888/… ). So "gambetto" (in old & new Italian) could be translated as "the tripping up" --- a noun, not a verb like "tripping up" or "to trip" as you/wiki have.
– user3445853
Dec 10 '18 at 14:23




I know this is the opening line of Wikipedia's article, but to be more precise: "gamba" is leg (old as well as new Italian), and to get somebody off their feet in say wrestling would be "gambettare" ( conjit.cactus2000.de/showverb.en.php?verb=gambettare&pas=1 although I'd think in modern Italian you'd say "sgambettare", with the "s-" as in italian.stackexchange.com/questions/6888/… ). So "gambetto" (in old & new Italian) could be translated as "the tripping up" --- a noun, not a verb like "tripping up" or "to trip" as you/wiki have.
– user3445853
Dec 10 '18 at 14:23










9 Answers
9






active

oldest

votes


















23














This is kind of out there (virtually nobody plays it as white and even fewer allow it as black) but there is a rather crazy queen sacrifice line in the Grand Prix:



[FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1 "]

1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Ng5 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bg4!? 6.Bxf7+ Kd7 7.Qxg4+ Nxg4 8.Be6+ Kc6 9.Bxg4


5...Bg4!? by black is quite rare and combative, inviting (daring) white to initiate the festivities where 5...e6 instead is calmer. So white takes it up and sacrifices the queen for just two minors and the hope of long-term play against black's lack of development. Yes, there isn't any quick tactical win, just long-term pressure while down a queen.



The position has occurred several times in master play (check the lichess database) but is extremely rare, and most examples not recent. It was even featured on chessgames.com many years back: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1648780






share|improve this answer





















  • Grand Prix players typically play 2. Nc3 for the very purpose of preventing 2...d5.
    – Quintec
    Dec 9 '18 at 23:48










  • I have heard it said that 3 minors defeats a queen so this isn't ridiculously implausible.
    – Joshua
    Dec 10 '18 at 17:26



















17














A commonly known knight sacrifice by white is the Fried Liver Attack:



[FEN ""]

[ECO "C57"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5?! (5... Na5 {The main line.} 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 {Black has compensation in form of initiative for the pawn.}) 6. Nxf7!? (6. d4 {The Lolli variation.}) Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3


White has a strong attack against the king in the middle of the board.






share|improve this answer





























    15














    The 'Halloween Gambit' or 'Müller-Schulze Gambit' is a knight gambit in the (often characterized as dull) Four Knights Game:



    [FEN ""]
    
[White "Blokje"]
    
[Black "Platypussy"]
    
[StartPly "7"]
    

    
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 5. d4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5 7.f4 Ng6 8.e5 Ng8 9.Bd3 Bb4 10.O-O Bxc3 11.bxc3 d6 12.e6 fxe6 13.dxe6 Nf6 14.g4 O-O 15.g5 Ne8 16.f5 Ne5 17.Re1 Nxd3?? 18.e7 (5... Ng6 {This is the old refutation, but it's still hard to defend.} 6. e5 Ng8 7. Bc4 d5 8. Bxd5 c6)


    As the famous Dutch writer Tim Krabbé phrases it:




    This [4. Nxe5] irritated me. I vaguely knew about this move - not as a real opening, but as some sort of a student's joke, something silly that might be played at the end of a long blitz-and-boozing session. Wasn't this the 'Irish Gambit', the one with the anecdote where they asked the inventor on his death bed how he had thought of it, and he had answered: 'I didn't see it was protected'?




    Even though a 'refutation' had already been published in the mid 50s, it's surprisingly hard to defend for Black, especially in blitz games. The Tim Krabbé article I linked to, though somewhat old, is a nice introduction; it features several games where IMs and GMs are beaten by a lower-rated player with this gambit.






    share|improve this answer



















    • 4




      This is also commonly known as the Halloween Gambit.
      – eyeballfrog
      Dec 9 '18 at 17:35










    • @Joshua 11. bxc3 as in, the white b-pawn captures the black bishop on c3
      – Jack
      Dec 12 '18 at 4:36



















    15














    The Cochrane Gambit:



    [FEN ""]
    
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7


    This is relatively sound gambit, Topalov has played it against Kramnik.



    The Traxler Gambit:



    [FEN ""]
    
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Nxf7 Bxf2 6. Kf1 Qe7 7. Nxh8


    White does have an option of taking on f7 with the bishiop 5. Bxf7 which leads to only a pawn sacrifice and less complicated position, but black does allow for a greater material sacrifice.



    Gambit in Ruy Lopez. I don't remember the name of this, but it is a piece sacrifice.



    [FEN ""]
    
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. d4 fxe4
    
5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 c6 7. Nc3 cxb5 8. Nxe4





    share|improve this answer



















    • 2




      +1, the Cochrane is the only one of these that has been played at high level in decades, namely in that single Topalov game.
      – RemcoGerlich
      Dec 10 '18 at 14:58










    • How is the last one ("gambit in Ruy Lopez") good for white? I don't see any advantage.
      – user21820
      Dec 11 '18 at 5:17






    • 1




      @user21820, black is undeveloped and has problems finishing development, and their king is weak and stuck in the center. the usual move for black here is 8...d5 giving back pawn, 8...Be7 for example is a mistake, since after this move black can take on d6 with a tempo, or 8...Be7, 9. 0-0 Nh6 10. Bxh6 an white king is too open. Having said that, white's sacrifice is probably not fully sound, but white does have some compensation and black has to be very careful.
      – Akavall
      Dec 12 '18 at 3:41










    • Thanks for your reply! I see that lichess Stockfish 10+ thinks that Black only has a slight advantage despite the significant material imbalance.
      – user21820
      Dec 12 '18 at 14:33



















    11














    The Perenyi Gambit is an important theoretical variation that has been favored by GMs like J.Polgar or A.Shirov. White sacrifices at least one piece, and often two:



    [FEN ""]
    
[ECO "C57"]
    
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. g4!? e5 8. Nf5 g6 9. g5 (9.Bg2) gxf5 10. exf5 d5 11. Qf3 d4


    See, for instance, Polgar-Anand, 1999.



    Or this game by Svidler against Gelfand.






    share|improve this answer























    • And Svidler, chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1231058
      – Akavall
      Dec 10 '18 at 17:52






    • 1




      Thx @akavall, I added the game in the answer.
      – Evargalo
      Dec 10 '18 at 20:54










    • Very impressive sacrifices. To me they kinda look speculative, but in both games black was demolished lol.
      – Isac
      Dec 11 '18 at 16:14



















    10














    Not sure if this is considered a gambit, but one of the lines of the Steinitz variation of the Caro Kann defense involves white sacrificing a knight:



    [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1 "]
    
[Event "IBM Man-Machine, New York USA"]
    
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
    
[Date "1997.05.??"]
    
[Round "6"]
    
[Result "1-0"]
    
[White "Deep Blue"]
    
[Black "Garry Kasparov"]
    
[ECO "B17"]
    
[PlyCount "37"]
    
[StartPly "14"]
    

    
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5 Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 h6 8.Nxe6 Qe7 9.O-O fxe6 10.Bg6+ Kd8 11.Bf4 b5 12.a4 Bb7 13.Re1 Nd5 14.Bg3 Kc8 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qd3 Bc6 17.Bf5 exf5 18.Rxe7 Bxe7 19.c4 1-0


    There are only a few games involving this sacrifice, and this is due to the position requiring accurate play from white to keep the advantage.






    share|improve this answer

















    • 1




      I think this isn't seen often because the position is really hard for black to defend and so he shouldn't go into it in the first place. Pretty sure Kasparov entered it by accident, too.
      – Allure
      Dec 9 '18 at 11:12










    • True. I read this somewhere and wanted to quote the source, but couldn't remember it. Feel free to edit my post if you find a source. Thanks for your remarks!
      – Wais Kamal
      Dec 9 '18 at 16:34



















    7














    The Frankenstein-Dracula variation of the Vienna game features a Rook sacrifice by Black (effectively an exchange sacrifice however, since the Knight will not escape).



    [FEN ""]
    
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.Nb5 g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8


    Impressively, this variation seems to favour Black.






    share|improve this answer





















    • Then why it does not have the word "gambit" in its name?
      – Zuriel
      Dec 11 '18 at 21:01










    • @Zuriel beats me.
      – Allure
      Dec 11 '18 at 21:34



















    5














    Légal Trap is one of my most favorite games. It's just so simple, and yet gives a powerful reminder of what sacrifices can allow you to do. White sacrifices the Queen, but in exchange Black concedes the game!



    [FEN ""]
    
[ECO "C57"]
    
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. Nc3 Bg4?! 5. h3 Bh5? 6. Nxe5! Bxd1?? 7. Bxf7+ Ke7 8. Nd5#





    share|improve this answer

















    • 9




      Does an opening trap really constitute a gambit?
      – Bladewood
      Dec 11 '18 at 2:32






    • 3




      This is not really a sacrifice.
      – JiK
      Dec 12 '18 at 1:38



















    1














    There is the Bronstein Gambit in the Two-knights Defence



    [FEN ""]
    

    
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.d3 h6 7.Nf3 e4 8.dxe4





    share|improve this answer























      Your Answer








      StackExchange.ready(function() {
      var channelOptions = {
      tags: "".split(" "),
      id: "435"
      };
      initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

      StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
      // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
      if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
      StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
      createEditor();
      });
      }
      else {
      createEditor();
      }
      });

      function createEditor() {
      StackExchange.prepareEditor({
      heartbeatType: 'answer',
      autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
      convertImagesToLinks: false,
      noModals: true,
      showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
      reputationToPostImages: null,
      bindNavPrevention: true,
      postfix: "",
      imageUploader: {
      brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
      contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
      allowUrls: true
      },
      noCode: true, onDemand: true,
      discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
      ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
      });


      }
      });














      draft saved

      draft discarded


















      StackExchange.ready(
      function () {
      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fchess.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f23187%2fare-there-any-gambits-involving-sacrificing-a-piece%23new-answer', 'question_page');
      }
      );

      Post as a guest















      Required, but never shown

























      9 Answers
      9






      active

      oldest

      votes








      9 Answers
      9






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      23














      This is kind of out there (virtually nobody plays it as white and even fewer allow it as black) but there is a rather crazy queen sacrifice line in the Grand Prix:



      [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1 "]
      
1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Ng5 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bg4!? 6.Bxf7+ Kd7 7.Qxg4+ Nxg4 8.Be6+ Kc6 9.Bxg4


      5...Bg4!? by black is quite rare and combative, inviting (daring) white to initiate the festivities where 5...e6 instead is calmer. So white takes it up and sacrifices the queen for just two minors and the hope of long-term play against black's lack of development. Yes, there isn't any quick tactical win, just long-term pressure while down a queen.



      The position has occurred several times in master play (check the lichess database) but is extremely rare, and most examples not recent. It was even featured on chessgames.com many years back: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1648780






      share|improve this answer





















      • Grand Prix players typically play 2. Nc3 for the very purpose of preventing 2...d5.
        – Quintec
        Dec 9 '18 at 23:48










      • I have heard it said that 3 minors defeats a queen so this isn't ridiculously implausible.
        – Joshua
        Dec 10 '18 at 17:26
















      23














      This is kind of out there (virtually nobody plays it as white and even fewer allow it as black) but there is a rather crazy queen sacrifice line in the Grand Prix:



      [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1 "]
      
1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Ng5 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bg4!? 6.Bxf7+ Kd7 7.Qxg4+ Nxg4 8.Be6+ Kc6 9.Bxg4


      5...Bg4!? by black is quite rare and combative, inviting (daring) white to initiate the festivities where 5...e6 instead is calmer. So white takes it up and sacrifices the queen for just two minors and the hope of long-term play against black's lack of development. Yes, there isn't any quick tactical win, just long-term pressure while down a queen.



      The position has occurred several times in master play (check the lichess database) but is extremely rare, and most examples not recent. It was even featured on chessgames.com many years back: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1648780






      share|improve this answer





















      • Grand Prix players typically play 2. Nc3 for the very purpose of preventing 2...d5.
        – Quintec
        Dec 9 '18 at 23:48










      • I have heard it said that 3 minors defeats a queen so this isn't ridiculously implausible.
        – Joshua
        Dec 10 '18 at 17:26














      23












      23








      23






      This is kind of out there (virtually nobody plays it as white and even fewer allow it as black) but there is a rather crazy queen sacrifice line in the Grand Prix:



      [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1 "]
      
1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Ng5 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bg4!? 6.Bxf7+ Kd7 7.Qxg4+ Nxg4 8.Be6+ Kc6 9.Bxg4


      5...Bg4!? by black is quite rare and combative, inviting (daring) white to initiate the festivities where 5...e6 instead is calmer. So white takes it up and sacrifices the queen for just two minors and the hope of long-term play against black's lack of development. Yes, there isn't any quick tactical win, just long-term pressure while down a queen.



      The position has occurred several times in master play (check the lichess database) but is extremely rare, and most examples not recent. It was even featured on chessgames.com many years back: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1648780






      share|improve this answer












      This is kind of out there (virtually nobody plays it as white and even fewer allow it as black) but there is a rather crazy queen sacrifice line in the Grand Prix:



      [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1 "]
      
1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Ng5 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bg4!? 6.Bxf7+ Kd7 7.Qxg4+ Nxg4 8.Be6+ Kc6 9.Bxg4


      5...Bg4!? by black is quite rare and combative, inviting (daring) white to initiate the festivities where 5...e6 instead is calmer. So white takes it up and sacrifices the queen for just two minors and the hope of long-term play against black's lack of development. Yes, there isn't any quick tactical win, just long-term pressure while down a queen.



      The position has occurred several times in master play (check the lichess database) but is extremely rare, and most examples not recent. It was even featured on chessgames.com many years back: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1648780







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Dec 9 '18 at 16:43









      Remellion

      703116




      703116












      • Grand Prix players typically play 2. Nc3 for the very purpose of preventing 2...d5.
        – Quintec
        Dec 9 '18 at 23:48










      • I have heard it said that 3 minors defeats a queen so this isn't ridiculously implausible.
        – Joshua
        Dec 10 '18 at 17:26


















      • Grand Prix players typically play 2. Nc3 for the very purpose of preventing 2...d5.
        – Quintec
        Dec 9 '18 at 23:48










      • I have heard it said that 3 minors defeats a queen so this isn't ridiculously implausible.
        – Joshua
        Dec 10 '18 at 17:26
















      Grand Prix players typically play 2. Nc3 for the very purpose of preventing 2...d5.
      – Quintec
      Dec 9 '18 at 23:48




      Grand Prix players typically play 2. Nc3 for the very purpose of preventing 2...d5.
      – Quintec
      Dec 9 '18 at 23:48












      I have heard it said that 3 minors defeats a queen so this isn't ridiculously implausible.
      – Joshua
      Dec 10 '18 at 17:26




      I have heard it said that 3 minors defeats a queen so this isn't ridiculously implausible.
      – Joshua
      Dec 10 '18 at 17:26











      17














      A commonly known knight sacrifice by white is the Fried Liver Attack:



      [FEN ""]
      
[ECO "C57"]
      
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5?! (5... Na5 {The main line.} 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 {Black has compensation in form of initiative for the pawn.}) 6. Nxf7!? (6. d4 {The Lolli variation.}) Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3


      White has a strong attack against the king in the middle of the board.






      share|improve this answer


























        17














        A commonly known knight sacrifice by white is the Fried Liver Attack:



        [FEN ""]
        
[ECO "C57"]
        
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5?! (5... Na5 {The main line.} 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 {Black has compensation in form of initiative for the pawn.}) 6. Nxf7!? (6. d4 {The Lolli variation.}) Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3


        White has a strong attack against the king in the middle of the board.






        share|improve this answer
























          17












          17








          17






          A commonly known knight sacrifice by white is the Fried Liver Attack:



          [FEN ""]
          
[ECO "C57"]
          
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5?! (5... Na5 {The main line.} 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 {Black has compensation in form of initiative for the pawn.}) 6. Nxf7!? (6. d4 {The Lolli variation.}) Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3


          White has a strong attack against the king in the middle of the board.






          share|improve this answer












          A commonly known knight sacrifice by white is the Fried Liver Attack:



          [FEN ""]
          
[ECO "C57"]
          
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5?! (5... Na5 {The main line.} 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 {Black has compensation in form of initiative for the pawn.}) 6. Nxf7!? (6. d4 {The Lolli variation.}) Kxf7 7. Qf3+ Ke6 8. Nc3


          White has a strong attack against the king in the middle of the board.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Dec 9 '18 at 18:20









          xehpuk

          27114




          27114























              15














              The 'Halloween Gambit' or 'Müller-Schulze Gambit' is a knight gambit in the (often characterized as dull) Four Knights Game:



              [FEN ""]
              
[White "Blokje"]
              
[Black "Platypussy"]
              
[StartPly "7"]
              

              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 5. d4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5 7.f4 Ng6 8.e5 Ng8 9.Bd3 Bb4 10.O-O Bxc3 11.bxc3 d6 12.e6 fxe6 13.dxe6 Nf6 14.g4 O-O 15.g5 Ne8 16.f5 Ne5 17.Re1 Nxd3?? 18.e7 (5... Ng6 {This is the old refutation, but it's still hard to defend.} 6. e5 Ng8 7. Bc4 d5 8. Bxd5 c6)


              As the famous Dutch writer Tim Krabbé phrases it:




              This [4. Nxe5] irritated me. I vaguely knew about this move - not as a real opening, but as some sort of a student's joke, something silly that might be played at the end of a long blitz-and-boozing session. Wasn't this the 'Irish Gambit', the one with the anecdote where they asked the inventor on his death bed how he had thought of it, and he had answered: 'I didn't see it was protected'?




              Even though a 'refutation' had already been published in the mid 50s, it's surprisingly hard to defend for Black, especially in blitz games. The Tim Krabbé article I linked to, though somewhat old, is a nice introduction; it features several games where IMs and GMs are beaten by a lower-rated player with this gambit.






              share|improve this answer



















              • 4




                This is also commonly known as the Halloween Gambit.
                – eyeballfrog
                Dec 9 '18 at 17:35










              • @Joshua 11. bxc3 as in, the white b-pawn captures the black bishop on c3
                – Jack
                Dec 12 '18 at 4:36
















              15














              The 'Halloween Gambit' or 'Müller-Schulze Gambit' is a knight gambit in the (often characterized as dull) Four Knights Game:



              [FEN ""]
              
[White "Blokje"]
              
[Black "Platypussy"]
              
[StartPly "7"]
              

              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 5. d4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5 7.f4 Ng6 8.e5 Ng8 9.Bd3 Bb4 10.O-O Bxc3 11.bxc3 d6 12.e6 fxe6 13.dxe6 Nf6 14.g4 O-O 15.g5 Ne8 16.f5 Ne5 17.Re1 Nxd3?? 18.e7 (5... Ng6 {This is the old refutation, but it's still hard to defend.} 6. e5 Ng8 7. Bc4 d5 8. Bxd5 c6)


              As the famous Dutch writer Tim Krabbé phrases it:




              This [4. Nxe5] irritated me. I vaguely knew about this move - not as a real opening, but as some sort of a student's joke, something silly that might be played at the end of a long blitz-and-boozing session. Wasn't this the 'Irish Gambit', the one with the anecdote where they asked the inventor on his death bed how he had thought of it, and he had answered: 'I didn't see it was protected'?




              Even though a 'refutation' had already been published in the mid 50s, it's surprisingly hard to defend for Black, especially in blitz games. The Tim Krabbé article I linked to, though somewhat old, is a nice introduction; it features several games where IMs and GMs are beaten by a lower-rated player with this gambit.






              share|improve this answer



















              • 4




                This is also commonly known as the Halloween Gambit.
                – eyeballfrog
                Dec 9 '18 at 17:35










              • @Joshua 11. bxc3 as in, the white b-pawn captures the black bishop on c3
                – Jack
                Dec 12 '18 at 4:36














              15












              15








              15






              The 'Halloween Gambit' or 'Müller-Schulze Gambit' is a knight gambit in the (often characterized as dull) Four Knights Game:



              [FEN ""]
              
[White "Blokje"]
              
[Black "Platypussy"]
              
[StartPly "7"]
              

              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 5. d4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5 7.f4 Ng6 8.e5 Ng8 9.Bd3 Bb4 10.O-O Bxc3 11.bxc3 d6 12.e6 fxe6 13.dxe6 Nf6 14.g4 O-O 15.g5 Ne8 16.f5 Ne5 17.Re1 Nxd3?? 18.e7 (5... Ng6 {This is the old refutation, but it's still hard to defend.} 6. e5 Ng8 7. Bc4 d5 8. Bxd5 c6)


              As the famous Dutch writer Tim Krabbé phrases it:




              This [4. Nxe5] irritated me. I vaguely knew about this move - not as a real opening, but as some sort of a student's joke, something silly that might be played at the end of a long blitz-and-boozing session. Wasn't this the 'Irish Gambit', the one with the anecdote where they asked the inventor on his death bed how he had thought of it, and he had answered: 'I didn't see it was protected'?




              Even though a 'refutation' had already been published in the mid 50s, it's surprisingly hard to defend for Black, especially in blitz games. The Tim Krabbé article I linked to, though somewhat old, is a nice introduction; it features several games where IMs and GMs are beaten by a lower-rated player with this gambit.






              share|improve this answer














              The 'Halloween Gambit' or 'Müller-Schulze Gambit' is a knight gambit in the (often characterized as dull) Four Knights Game:



              [FEN ""]
              
[White "Blokje"]
              
[Black "Platypussy"]
              
[StartPly "7"]
              

              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nxe5 Nxe5 5. d4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5 7.f4 Ng6 8.e5 Ng8 9.Bd3 Bb4 10.O-O Bxc3 11.bxc3 d6 12.e6 fxe6 13.dxe6 Nf6 14.g4 O-O 15.g5 Ne8 16.f5 Ne5 17.Re1 Nxd3?? 18.e7 (5... Ng6 {This is the old refutation, but it's still hard to defend.} 6. e5 Ng8 7. Bc4 d5 8. Bxd5 c6)


              As the famous Dutch writer Tim Krabbé phrases it:




              This [4. Nxe5] irritated me. I vaguely knew about this move - not as a real opening, but as some sort of a student's joke, something silly that might be played at the end of a long blitz-and-boozing session. Wasn't this the 'Irish Gambit', the one with the anecdote where they asked the inventor on his death bed how he had thought of it, and he had answered: 'I didn't see it was protected'?




              Even though a 'refutation' had already been published in the mid 50s, it's surprisingly hard to defend for Black, especially in blitz games. The Tim Krabbé article I linked to, though somewhat old, is a nice introduction; it features several games where IMs and GMs are beaten by a lower-rated player with this gambit.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Dec 9 '18 at 18:14

























              answered Dec 9 '18 at 10:31









              Glorfindel

              12.8k43560




              12.8k43560








              • 4




                This is also commonly known as the Halloween Gambit.
                – eyeballfrog
                Dec 9 '18 at 17:35










              • @Joshua 11. bxc3 as in, the white b-pawn captures the black bishop on c3
                – Jack
                Dec 12 '18 at 4:36














              • 4




                This is also commonly known as the Halloween Gambit.
                – eyeballfrog
                Dec 9 '18 at 17:35










              • @Joshua 11. bxc3 as in, the white b-pawn captures the black bishop on c3
                – Jack
                Dec 12 '18 at 4:36








              4




              4




              This is also commonly known as the Halloween Gambit.
              – eyeballfrog
              Dec 9 '18 at 17:35




              This is also commonly known as the Halloween Gambit.
              – eyeballfrog
              Dec 9 '18 at 17:35












              @Joshua 11. bxc3 as in, the white b-pawn captures the black bishop on c3
              – Jack
              Dec 12 '18 at 4:36




              @Joshua 11. bxc3 as in, the white b-pawn captures the black bishop on c3
              – Jack
              Dec 12 '18 at 4:36











              15














              The Cochrane Gambit:



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7


              This is relatively sound gambit, Topalov has played it against Kramnik.



              The Traxler Gambit:



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Nxf7 Bxf2 6. Kf1 Qe7 7. Nxh8


              White does have an option of taking on f7 with the bishiop 5. Bxf7 which leads to only a pawn sacrifice and less complicated position, but black does allow for a greater material sacrifice.



              Gambit in Ruy Lopez. I don't remember the name of this, but it is a piece sacrifice.



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. d4 fxe4
              
5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 c6 7. Nc3 cxb5 8. Nxe4





              share|improve this answer



















              • 2




                +1, the Cochrane is the only one of these that has been played at high level in decades, namely in that single Topalov game.
                – RemcoGerlich
                Dec 10 '18 at 14:58










              • How is the last one ("gambit in Ruy Lopez") good for white? I don't see any advantage.
                – user21820
                Dec 11 '18 at 5:17






              • 1




                @user21820, black is undeveloped and has problems finishing development, and their king is weak and stuck in the center. the usual move for black here is 8...d5 giving back pawn, 8...Be7 for example is a mistake, since after this move black can take on d6 with a tempo, or 8...Be7, 9. 0-0 Nh6 10. Bxh6 an white king is too open. Having said that, white's sacrifice is probably not fully sound, but white does have some compensation and black has to be very careful.
                – Akavall
                Dec 12 '18 at 3:41










              • Thanks for your reply! I see that lichess Stockfish 10+ thinks that Black only has a slight advantage despite the significant material imbalance.
                – user21820
                Dec 12 '18 at 14:33
















              15














              The Cochrane Gambit:



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7


              This is relatively sound gambit, Topalov has played it against Kramnik.



              The Traxler Gambit:



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Nxf7 Bxf2 6. Kf1 Qe7 7. Nxh8


              White does have an option of taking on f7 with the bishiop 5. Bxf7 which leads to only a pawn sacrifice and less complicated position, but black does allow for a greater material sacrifice.



              Gambit in Ruy Lopez. I don't remember the name of this, but it is a piece sacrifice.



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. d4 fxe4
              
5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 c6 7. Nc3 cxb5 8. Nxe4





              share|improve this answer



















              • 2




                +1, the Cochrane is the only one of these that has been played at high level in decades, namely in that single Topalov game.
                – RemcoGerlich
                Dec 10 '18 at 14:58










              • How is the last one ("gambit in Ruy Lopez") good for white? I don't see any advantage.
                – user21820
                Dec 11 '18 at 5:17






              • 1




                @user21820, black is undeveloped and has problems finishing development, and their king is weak and stuck in the center. the usual move for black here is 8...d5 giving back pawn, 8...Be7 for example is a mistake, since after this move black can take on d6 with a tempo, or 8...Be7, 9. 0-0 Nh6 10. Bxh6 an white king is too open. Having said that, white's sacrifice is probably not fully sound, but white does have some compensation and black has to be very careful.
                – Akavall
                Dec 12 '18 at 3:41










              • Thanks for your reply! I see that lichess Stockfish 10+ thinks that Black only has a slight advantage despite the significant material imbalance.
                – user21820
                Dec 12 '18 at 14:33














              15












              15








              15






              The Cochrane Gambit:



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7


              This is relatively sound gambit, Topalov has played it against Kramnik.



              The Traxler Gambit:



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Nxf7 Bxf2 6. Kf1 Qe7 7. Nxh8


              White does have an option of taking on f7 with the bishiop 5. Bxf7 which leads to only a pawn sacrifice and less complicated position, but black does allow for a greater material sacrifice.



              Gambit in Ruy Lopez. I don't remember the name of this, but it is a piece sacrifice.



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. d4 fxe4
              
5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 c6 7. Nc3 cxb5 8. Nxe4





              share|improve this answer














              The Cochrane Gambit:



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7


              This is relatively sound gambit, Topalov has played it against Kramnik.



              The Traxler Gambit:



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Nxf7 Bxf2 6. Kf1 Qe7 7. Nxh8


              White does have an option of taking on f7 with the bishiop 5. Bxf7 which leads to only a pawn sacrifice and less complicated position, but black does allow for a greater material sacrifice.



              Gambit in Ruy Lopez. I don't remember the name of this, but it is a piece sacrifice.



              [FEN ""]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. d4 fxe4
              
5. Nxe5 Nxe5 6. dxe5 c6 7. Nc3 cxb5 8. Nxe4






              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Dec 11 '18 at 2:43

























              answered Dec 9 '18 at 20:52









              Akavall

              2,9401919




              2,9401919








              • 2




                +1, the Cochrane is the only one of these that has been played at high level in decades, namely in that single Topalov game.
                – RemcoGerlich
                Dec 10 '18 at 14:58










              • How is the last one ("gambit in Ruy Lopez") good for white? I don't see any advantage.
                – user21820
                Dec 11 '18 at 5:17






              • 1




                @user21820, black is undeveloped and has problems finishing development, and their king is weak and stuck in the center. the usual move for black here is 8...d5 giving back pawn, 8...Be7 for example is a mistake, since after this move black can take on d6 with a tempo, or 8...Be7, 9. 0-0 Nh6 10. Bxh6 an white king is too open. Having said that, white's sacrifice is probably not fully sound, but white does have some compensation and black has to be very careful.
                – Akavall
                Dec 12 '18 at 3:41










              • Thanks for your reply! I see that lichess Stockfish 10+ thinks that Black only has a slight advantage despite the significant material imbalance.
                – user21820
                Dec 12 '18 at 14:33














              • 2




                +1, the Cochrane is the only one of these that has been played at high level in decades, namely in that single Topalov game.
                – RemcoGerlich
                Dec 10 '18 at 14:58










              • How is the last one ("gambit in Ruy Lopez") good for white? I don't see any advantage.
                – user21820
                Dec 11 '18 at 5:17






              • 1




                @user21820, black is undeveloped and has problems finishing development, and their king is weak and stuck in the center. the usual move for black here is 8...d5 giving back pawn, 8...Be7 for example is a mistake, since after this move black can take on d6 with a tempo, or 8...Be7, 9. 0-0 Nh6 10. Bxh6 an white king is too open. Having said that, white's sacrifice is probably not fully sound, but white does have some compensation and black has to be very careful.
                – Akavall
                Dec 12 '18 at 3:41










              • Thanks for your reply! I see that lichess Stockfish 10+ thinks that Black only has a slight advantage despite the significant material imbalance.
                – user21820
                Dec 12 '18 at 14:33








              2




              2




              +1, the Cochrane is the only one of these that has been played at high level in decades, namely in that single Topalov game.
              – RemcoGerlich
              Dec 10 '18 at 14:58




              +1, the Cochrane is the only one of these that has been played at high level in decades, namely in that single Topalov game.
              – RemcoGerlich
              Dec 10 '18 at 14:58












              How is the last one ("gambit in Ruy Lopez") good for white? I don't see any advantage.
              – user21820
              Dec 11 '18 at 5:17




              How is the last one ("gambit in Ruy Lopez") good for white? I don't see any advantage.
              – user21820
              Dec 11 '18 at 5:17




              1




              1




              @user21820, black is undeveloped and has problems finishing development, and their king is weak and stuck in the center. the usual move for black here is 8...d5 giving back pawn, 8...Be7 for example is a mistake, since after this move black can take on d6 with a tempo, or 8...Be7, 9. 0-0 Nh6 10. Bxh6 an white king is too open. Having said that, white's sacrifice is probably not fully sound, but white does have some compensation and black has to be very careful.
              – Akavall
              Dec 12 '18 at 3:41




              @user21820, black is undeveloped and has problems finishing development, and their king is weak and stuck in the center. the usual move for black here is 8...d5 giving back pawn, 8...Be7 for example is a mistake, since after this move black can take on d6 with a tempo, or 8...Be7, 9. 0-0 Nh6 10. Bxh6 an white king is too open. Having said that, white's sacrifice is probably not fully sound, but white does have some compensation and black has to be very careful.
              – Akavall
              Dec 12 '18 at 3:41












              Thanks for your reply! I see that lichess Stockfish 10+ thinks that Black only has a slight advantage despite the significant material imbalance.
              – user21820
              Dec 12 '18 at 14:33




              Thanks for your reply! I see that lichess Stockfish 10+ thinks that Black only has a slight advantage despite the significant material imbalance.
              – user21820
              Dec 12 '18 at 14:33











              11














              The Perenyi Gambit is an important theoretical variation that has been favored by GMs like J.Polgar or A.Shirov. White sacrifices at least one piece, and often two:



              [FEN ""]
              
[ECO "C57"]
              
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. g4!? e5 8. Nf5 g6 9. g5 (9.Bg2) gxf5 10. exf5 d5 11. Qf3 d4


              See, for instance, Polgar-Anand, 1999.



              Or this game by Svidler against Gelfand.






              share|improve this answer























              • And Svidler, chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1231058
                – Akavall
                Dec 10 '18 at 17:52






              • 1




                Thx @akavall, I added the game in the answer.
                – Evargalo
                Dec 10 '18 at 20:54










              • Very impressive sacrifices. To me they kinda look speculative, but in both games black was demolished lol.
                – Isac
                Dec 11 '18 at 16:14
















              11














              The Perenyi Gambit is an important theoretical variation that has been favored by GMs like J.Polgar or A.Shirov. White sacrifices at least one piece, and often two:



              [FEN ""]
              
[ECO "C57"]
              
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. g4!? e5 8. Nf5 g6 9. g5 (9.Bg2) gxf5 10. exf5 d5 11. Qf3 d4


              See, for instance, Polgar-Anand, 1999.



              Or this game by Svidler against Gelfand.






              share|improve this answer























              • And Svidler, chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1231058
                – Akavall
                Dec 10 '18 at 17:52






              • 1




                Thx @akavall, I added the game in the answer.
                – Evargalo
                Dec 10 '18 at 20:54










              • Very impressive sacrifices. To me they kinda look speculative, but in both games black was demolished lol.
                – Isac
                Dec 11 '18 at 16:14














              11












              11








              11






              The Perenyi Gambit is an important theoretical variation that has been favored by GMs like J.Polgar or A.Shirov. White sacrifices at least one piece, and often two:



              [FEN ""]
              
[ECO "C57"]
              
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. g4!? e5 8. Nf5 g6 9. g5 (9.Bg2) gxf5 10. exf5 d5 11. Qf3 d4


              See, for instance, Polgar-Anand, 1999.



              Or this game by Svidler against Gelfand.






              share|improve this answer














              The Perenyi Gambit is an important theoretical variation that has been favored by GMs like J.Polgar or A.Shirov. White sacrifices at least one piece, and often two:



              [FEN ""]
              
[ECO "C57"]
              
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. g4!? e5 8. Nf5 g6 9. g5 (9.Bg2) gxf5 10. exf5 d5 11. Qf3 d4


              See, for instance, Polgar-Anand, 1999.



              Or this game by Svidler against Gelfand.







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Dec 11 '18 at 16:14

























              answered Dec 10 '18 at 12:53









              Evargalo

              5,7891526




              5,7891526












              • And Svidler, chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1231058
                – Akavall
                Dec 10 '18 at 17:52






              • 1




                Thx @akavall, I added the game in the answer.
                – Evargalo
                Dec 10 '18 at 20:54










              • Very impressive sacrifices. To me they kinda look speculative, but in both games black was demolished lol.
                – Isac
                Dec 11 '18 at 16:14


















              • And Svidler, chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1231058
                – Akavall
                Dec 10 '18 at 17:52






              • 1




                Thx @akavall, I added the game in the answer.
                – Evargalo
                Dec 10 '18 at 20:54










              • Very impressive sacrifices. To me they kinda look speculative, but in both games black was demolished lol.
                – Isac
                Dec 11 '18 at 16:14
















              And Svidler, chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1231058
              – Akavall
              Dec 10 '18 at 17:52




              And Svidler, chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1231058
              – Akavall
              Dec 10 '18 at 17:52




              1




              1




              Thx @akavall, I added the game in the answer.
              – Evargalo
              Dec 10 '18 at 20:54




              Thx @akavall, I added the game in the answer.
              – Evargalo
              Dec 10 '18 at 20:54












              Very impressive sacrifices. To me they kinda look speculative, but in both games black was demolished lol.
              – Isac
              Dec 11 '18 at 16:14




              Very impressive sacrifices. To me they kinda look speculative, but in both games black was demolished lol.
              – Isac
              Dec 11 '18 at 16:14











              10














              Not sure if this is considered a gambit, but one of the lines of the Steinitz variation of the Caro Kann defense involves white sacrificing a knight:



              [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1 "]
              
[Event "IBM Man-Machine, New York USA"]
              
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
              
[Date "1997.05.??"]
              
[Round "6"]
              
[Result "1-0"]
              
[White "Deep Blue"]
              
[Black "Garry Kasparov"]
              
[ECO "B17"]
              
[PlyCount "37"]
              
[StartPly "14"]
              

              
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5 Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 h6 8.Nxe6 Qe7 9.O-O fxe6 10.Bg6+ Kd8 11.Bf4 b5 12.a4 Bb7 13.Re1 Nd5 14.Bg3 Kc8 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qd3 Bc6 17.Bf5 exf5 18.Rxe7 Bxe7 19.c4 1-0


              There are only a few games involving this sacrifice, and this is due to the position requiring accurate play from white to keep the advantage.






              share|improve this answer

















              • 1




                I think this isn't seen often because the position is really hard for black to defend and so he shouldn't go into it in the first place. Pretty sure Kasparov entered it by accident, too.
                – Allure
                Dec 9 '18 at 11:12










              • True. I read this somewhere and wanted to quote the source, but couldn't remember it. Feel free to edit my post if you find a source. Thanks for your remarks!
                – Wais Kamal
                Dec 9 '18 at 16:34
















              10














              Not sure if this is considered a gambit, but one of the lines of the Steinitz variation of the Caro Kann defense involves white sacrificing a knight:



              [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1 "]
              
[Event "IBM Man-Machine, New York USA"]
              
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
              
[Date "1997.05.??"]
              
[Round "6"]
              
[Result "1-0"]
              
[White "Deep Blue"]
              
[Black "Garry Kasparov"]
              
[ECO "B17"]
              
[PlyCount "37"]
              
[StartPly "14"]
              

              
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5 Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 h6 8.Nxe6 Qe7 9.O-O fxe6 10.Bg6+ Kd8 11.Bf4 b5 12.a4 Bb7 13.Re1 Nd5 14.Bg3 Kc8 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qd3 Bc6 17.Bf5 exf5 18.Rxe7 Bxe7 19.c4 1-0


              There are only a few games involving this sacrifice, and this is due to the position requiring accurate play from white to keep the advantage.






              share|improve this answer

















              • 1




                I think this isn't seen often because the position is really hard for black to defend and so he shouldn't go into it in the first place. Pretty sure Kasparov entered it by accident, too.
                – Allure
                Dec 9 '18 at 11:12










              • True. I read this somewhere and wanted to quote the source, but couldn't remember it. Feel free to edit my post if you find a source. Thanks for your remarks!
                – Wais Kamal
                Dec 9 '18 at 16:34














              10












              10








              10






              Not sure if this is considered a gambit, but one of the lines of the Steinitz variation of the Caro Kann defense involves white sacrificing a knight:



              [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1 "]
              
[Event "IBM Man-Machine, New York USA"]
              
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
              
[Date "1997.05.??"]
              
[Round "6"]
              
[Result "1-0"]
              
[White "Deep Blue"]
              
[Black "Garry Kasparov"]
              
[ECO "B17"]
              
[PlyCount "37"]
              
[StartPly "14"]
              

              
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5 Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 h6 8.Nxe6 Qe7 9.O-O fxe6 10.Bg6+ Kd8 11.Bf4 b5 12.a4 Bb7 13.Re1 Nd5 14.Bg3 Kc8 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qd3 Bc6 17.Bf5 exf5 18.Rxe7 Bxe7 19.c4 1-0


              There are only a few games involving this sacrifice, and this is due to the position requiring accurate play from white to keep the advantage.






              share|improve this answer












              Not sure if this is considered a gambit, but one of the lines of the Steinitz variation of the Caro Kann defense involves white sacrificing a knight:



              [FEN "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1 "]
              
[Event "IBM Man-Machine, New York USA"]
              
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
              
[Date "1997.05.??"]
              
[Round "6"]
              
[Result "1-0"]
              
[White "Deep Blue"]
              
[Black "Garry Kasparov"]
              
[ECO "B17"]
              
[PlyCount "37"]
              
[StartPly "14"]
              

              
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5 Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 h6 8.Nxe6 Qe7 9.O-O fxe6 10.Bg6+ Kd8 11.Bf4 b5 12.a4 Bb7 13.Re1 Nd5 14.Bg3 Kc8 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qd3 Bc6 17.Bf5 exf5 18.Rxe7 Bxe7 19.c4 1-0


              There are only a few games involving this sacrifice, and this is due to the position requiring accurate play from white to keep the advantage.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Dec 9 '18 at 5:26









              Wais Kamal

              1,322324




              1,322324








              • 1




                I think this isn't seen often because the position is really hard for black to defend and so he shouldn't go into it in the first place. Pretty sure Kasparov entered it by accident, too.
                – Allure
                Dec 9 '18 at 11:12










              • True. I read this somewhere and wanted to quote the source, but couldn't remember it. Feel free to edit my post if you find a source. Thanks for your remarks!
                – Wais Kamal
                Dec 9 '18 at 16:34














              • 1




                I think this isn't seen often because the position is really hard for black to defend and so he shouldn't go into it in the first place. Pretty sure Kasparov entered it by accident, too.
                – Allure
                Dec 9 '18 at 11:12










              • True. I read this somewhere and wanted to quote the source, but couldn't remember it. Feel free to edit my post if you find a source. Thanks for your remarks!
                – Wais Kamal
                Dec 9 '18 at 16:34








              1




              1




              I think this isn't seen often because the position is really hard for black to defend and so he shouldn't go into it in the first place. Pretty sure Kasparov entered it by accident, too.
              – Allure
              Dec 9 '18 at 11:12




              I think this isn't seen often because the position is really hard for black to defend and so he shouldn't go into it in the first place. Pretty sure Kasparov entered it by accident, too.
              – Allure
              Dec 9 '18 at 11:12












              True. I read this somewhere and wanted to quote the source, but couldn't remember it. Feel free to edit my post if you find a source. Thanks for your remarks!
              – Wais Kamal
              Dec 9 '18 at 16:34




              True. I read this somewhere and wanted to quote the source, but couldn't remember it. Feel free to edit my post if you find a source. Thanks for your remarks!
              – Wais Kamal
              Dec 9 '18 at 16:34











              7














              The Frankenstein-Dracula variation of the Vienna game features a Rook sacrifice by Black (effectively an exchange sacrifice however, since the Knight will not escape).



              [FEN ""]
              
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.Nb5 g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8


              Impressively, this variation seems to favour Black.






              share|improve this answer





















              • Then why it does not have the word "gambit" in its name?
                – Zuriel
                Dec 11 '18 at 21:01










              • @Zuriel beats me.
                – Allure
                Dec 11 '18 at 21:34
















              7














              The Frankenstein-Dracula variation of the Vienna game features a Rook sacrifice by Black (effectively an exchange sacrifice however, since the Knight will not escape).



              [FEN ""]
              
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.Nb5 g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8


              Impressively, this variation seems to favour Black.






              share|improve this answer





















              • Then why it does not have the word "gambit" in its name?
                – Zuriel
                Dec 11 '18 at 21:01










              • @Zuriel beats me.
                – Allure
                Dec 11 '18 at 21:34














              7












              7








              7






              The Frankenstein-Dracula variation of the Vienna game features a Rook sacrifice by Black (effectively an exchange sacrifice however, since the Knight will not escape).



              [FEN ""]
              
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.Nb5 g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8


              Impressively, this variation seems to favour Black.






              share|improve this answer












              The Frankenstein-Dracula variation of the Vienna game features a Rook sacrifice by Black (effectively an exchange sacrifice however, since the Knight will not escape).



              [FEN ""]
              
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 Nc6 6.Nb5 g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8


              Impressively, this variation seems to favour Black.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Dec 10 '18 at 20:08









              Allure

              1,025215




              1,025215












              • Then why it does not have the word "gambit" in its name?
                – Zuriel
                Dec 11 '18 at 21:01










              • @Zuriel beats me.
                – Allure
                Dec 11 '18 at 21:34


















              • Then why it does not have the word "gambit" in its name?
                – Zuriel
                Dec 11 '18 at 21:01










              • @Zuriel beats me.
                – Allure
                Dec 11 '18 at 21:34
















              Then why it does not have the word "gambit" in its name?
              – Zuriel
              Dec 11 '18 at 21:01




              Then why it does not have the word "gambit" in its name?
              – Zuriel
              Dec 11 '18 at 21:01












              @Zuriel beats me.
              – Allure
              Dec 11 '18 at 21:34




              @Zuriel beats me.
              – Allure
              Dec 11 '18 at 21:34











              5














              Légal Trap is one of my most favorite games. It's just so simple, and yet gives a powerful reminder of what sacrifices can allow you to do. White sacrifices the Queen, but in exchange Black concedes the game!



              [FEN ""]
              
[ECO "C57"]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. Nc3 Bg4?! 5. h3 Bh5? 6. Nxe5! Bxd1?? 7. Bxf7+ Ke7 8. Nd5#





              share|improve this answer

















              • 9




                Does an opening trap really constitute a gambit?
                – Bladewood
                Dec 11 '18 at 2:32






              • 3




                This is not really a sacrifice.
                – JiK
                Dec 12 '18 at 1:38
















              5














              Légal Trap is one of my most favorite games. It's just so simple, and yet gives a powerful reminder of what sacrifices can allow you to do. White sacrifices the Queen, but in exchange Black concedes the game!



              [FEN ""]
              
[ECO "C57"]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. Nc3 Bg4?! 5. h3 Bh5? 6. Nxe5! Bxd1?? 7. Bxf7+ Ke7 8. Nd5#





              share|improve this answer

















              • 9




                Does an opening trap really constitute a gambit?
                – Bladewood
                Dec 11 '18 at 2:32






              • 3




                This is not really a sacrifice.
                – JiK
                Dec 12 '18 at 1:38














              5












              5








              5






              Légal Trap is one of my most favorite games. It's just so simple, and yet gives a powerful reminder of what sacrifices can allow you to do. White sacrifices the Queen, but in exchange Black concedes the game!



              [FEN ""]
              
[ECO "C57"]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. Nc3 Bg4?! 5. h3 Bh5? 6. Nxe5! Bxd1?? 7. Bxf7+ Ke7 8. Nd5#





              share|improve this answer












              Légal Trap is one of my most favorite games. It's just so simple, and yet gives a powerful reminder of what sacrifices can allow you to do. White sacrifices the Queen, but in exchange Black concedes the game!



              [FEN ""]
              
[ECO "C57"]
              
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. Nc3 Bg4?! 5. h3 Bh5? 6. Nxe5! Bxd1?? 7. Bxf7+ Ke7 8. Nd5#






              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered Dec 10 '18 at 12:37









              Svalorzen

              1591




              1591








              • 9




                Does an opening trap really constitute a gambit?
                – Bladewood
                Dec 11 '18 at 2:32






              • 3




                This is not really a sacrifice.
                – JiK
                Dec 12 '18 at 1:38














              • 9




                Does an opening trap really constitute a gambit?
                – Bladewood
                Dec 11 '18 at 2:32






              • 3




                This is not really a sacrifice.
                – JiK
                Dec 12 '18 at 1:38








              9




              9




              Does an opening trap really constitute a gambit?
              – Bladewood
              Dec 11 '18 at 2:32




              Does an opening trap really constitute a gambit?
              – Bladewood
              Dec 11 '18 at 2:32




              3




              3




              This is not really a sacrifice.
              – JiK
              Dec 12 '18 at 1:38




              This is not really a sacrifice.
              – JiK
              Dec 12 '18 at 1:38











              1














              There is the Bronstein Gambit in the Two-knights Defence



              [FEN ""]
              

              
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.d3 h6 7.Nf3 e4 8.dxe4





              share|improve this answer




























                1














                There is the Bronstein Gambit in the Two-knights Defence



                [FEN ""]
                

                
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.d3 h6 7.Nf3 e4 8.dxe4





                share|improve this answer


























                  1












                  1








                  1






                  There is the Bronstein Gambit in the Two-knights Defence



                  [FEN ""]
                  

                  
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.d3 h6 7.Nf3 e4 8.dxe4





                  share|improve this answer














                  There is the Bronstein Gambit in the Two-knights Defence



                  [FEN ""]
                  

                  
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.d3 h6 7.Nf3 e4 8.dxe4






                  share|improve this answer














                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer








                  edited Dec 21 '18 at 5:32









                  Wais Kamal

                  1,322324




                  1,322324










                  answered Dec 11 '18 at 20:53









                  Ywapom

                  2,472220




                  2,472220






























                      draft saved

                      draft discarded




















































                      Thanks for contributing an answer to Chess Stack Exchange!


                      • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                      But avoid …



                      • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                      • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                      To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.





                      Some of your past answers have not been well-received, and you're in danger of being blocked from answering.


                      Please pay close attention to the following guidance:


                      • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                      But avoid …



                      • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                      • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                      To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                      draft saved


                      draft discarded














                      StackExchange.ready(
                      function () {
                      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fchess.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f23187%2fare-there-any-gambits-involving-sacrificing-a-piece%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                      }
                      );

                      Post as a guest















                      Required, but never shown





















































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown

































                      Required, but never shown














                      Required, but never shown












                      Required, but never shown







                      Required, but never shown







                      -

                      Popular posts from this blog

                      Сан-Квентин

                      Image
                      Сан-Квентин Местоположение Сан-Квентин, Калифорния Координаты 37°56′13″ с. ш. 122°29′20″ з. д. H G Я O L Текущий статус Действует Режим безопасности минимальный и максимальный Количество мест 3 302 Открытие Июнь 1852 Находится в ведомстве California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Начальник Mike Martel, начальник  Сан-Квентин на Викискладе Сан-Квентин (англ.  San Quentin ) — тюрьма, располагающаяся на 432 акрах (около 1,7 км²), на мысе Сан-Квентин, в округе Марин, штат Калифорния, США. Тюрьма штата Калифорния Сан-Квентин была открыта в июле 1852 года и является старейшей в штате. Она была построена заключёнными, которые проживали в течение строительства на тюремном судне Вабан. В Сан-Квентине отбывали наказание и мужчины, и женщины до 1934 года, когда построили женскую тюрьму в Техачапи и туда перевели всех заключённых женщин. В Сан-Квентине приводятся в исполнение смертные казни, для этого имеется газовая камера, но...
                      Read more

                      8-я гвардейская общевойсковая армия

                      Image
                      8-я гвардейская общевойсковая ордена Ленина армия Награды: Войска: РККА → Советская армия → СВ России Род войск: Формирование: 1943 Расформирование (преобразование): 1992 Предшественник: 62-я армия (1942—43) → 8-я гвардейская общевойсковая армия (1943—92) → 8-й гвардейский армейский корпус (1992—98) Боевой путь Изюм-Барвенковская операция Донбасская операция Запорожская операция Битва за Днепр Днепропетровская операция Березнеговато-Снигирёвская операция Одесская операция Люблин-Брестская операция Варшавско-Познанская операция Восточно-Померанская операция Берлинская наступательная операция У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. 8-я армия. Фотография Гвардейского Красного Знамени (лицевая сторона) 8-й гвардейской армии , образца 1943 года. Фотография Гвардейского Красного Знамени (оборотная сторона) 8-й гвардейской армии , образца 1943 года. 8-я гвардейская общевойсковая ордена Ленина армия  — гвардейское фор...
                      Read more

                      Алькесар

                      Image
                      Муниципалитет Алькесар Alquézar Герб 42°10′16″ с. ш. 0°01′27″ в. д. H G Я O L Страна Испания   Испания Автономное сообщество Арагон Провинция Уэска Комарка Сомонтано-де-Барбастро Алькальд Хосе Марияно Альтемир Ласкорс (ИСРП) История и география Площадь 32,36 км² Высота НУМ 660 м Часовой пояс UTC+1, летом UTC+2 Население Население 313 человек ( 2010 ) Плотность 9,92 чел./км² Этнохороним alquezarano/-a Цифровые идентификаторы Телефонный код +34 974 Почтовые индексы 22112 Автомобильный код HU alquezar.org   (исп.) Показать/скрыть карты Алькесар Алькесар Алькесар  Аудио, фото и видео на Викискладе Алькесар (исп.  Alquézar ) — муниципалитет в Испании, входит в провинцию Уэска, в составе автономного сообщества Арагон. Муниципалитет находится в составе района (комарки) Сомонтано-де-Барбастро. Занимает площадь 32,36 км². Население — 321 челове...
                      Read more