The Fischer Defense to the King's Gambit is a chess opening variation that begins with the moves:
52-729: Although 3...d6 was previously known, it did not become a major variation until Fischer advocated it in a famous 1961 article in the first issue of the American Chess Quarterly . In the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings , the Fischer Defense is given the code C34. After Bobby Fischer lost a 1960 game at Mar del Plata to Boris Spassky , in which Spassky played the Kieseritzky Gambit , Fischer left in tears and promptly went to work at devising
104-459: A 99.99999999% certainty that the King's Gambit is at best a draw for White, but only after 3.Be2. Revealing the prank, Rajlich admitted that current computer technology is nowhere near solving such a task. The King's Gambit is rare in modern high-level play. The main reason is that it is hard to gain an opening advantage with White against strong opponents, with GM Matthew Sadler once joking that
156-534: A blunder, White should therefore not be launching an attack. While the King's Gambit Accepted was a staple of Romantic era chess, the opening began to decline with the development of opening theory and improvements in defensive technique in the late 19th century. By the 1920s, 1.e4 openings declined in popularity with the rise of the hypermodern school, with many players switching to 1.d4 and 1.c4 openings and positional play . After World War II, 1.e4 openings became more popular again, with David Bronstein being
208-466: A high-class examination in a game between two world champions: Boris Spassky vs. Anatoly Karpov , at Berlin TV 1982, played at a one-hour-game format in an event for West German television. GM Spassky won on time in an ending of Q + N vs Q; White had a satisfactory position from the opening. A quite recent idea is 4.d4 g5 5.Nc3. White intends to leave the bishop on f1 for a while, play an improved version of
260-515: A knight but has three pieces bearing down on f7. Such wild play is rare in modern chess, but Black must defend accurately. Perhaps the sharpest continuation is the Double Muzio after 6...Qf6 7.e5 Qxe5 8.Bxf7+ !? , leaving White two pieces down in eight moves, but with a position that some masters consider to be equal. In practice White's play seems to be easier, especially when the opponent is surprised by such daring tactics. Similar lines are
312-426: A new defense to the King's Gambit. In Fischer's 1961 article, "A Bust to the King's Gambit", he claimed, "In my opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force." Fischer concluded the article with the famous line, "Of course White can always play differently, in which case he merely loses differently. (Thank you, Weaver Adams !)" The article became famous. Fischer never tested this published analysis as Black in
364-685: A question from Peter Pantelidakis of Chicago about it in one of his columns in Chess Life and Review . In several lines of the Vienna Game White offers a sort of delayed King's Gambit. In the Vienna Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4), Black should reply 3...d5, since 3....exf4 ?! 4.e5 forces the knight to retreat. 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 may lead to the Hamppe–Muzio Gambit after 4.Nf3 g5 5.Bc4 g4 6.0-0 gxf3 7.Qxf3, or to
416-521: A slight advantage. If White captures (4.exd5) then Black may play 4...Nf6 or recapture with 4...Qxd5, at which point it becomes the Scandinavian Variation of KGA . This variation was considered most critical in the past, but recent trends seem to indicate a slight advantage for White. "The refutation of any gambit begins with accepting it. In my opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force." — R. Fischer, "A Bust to
468-482: A stable pawn chain with ...h6 and ...Bg7. The Kieseritzky Gambit , 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5, is considered by modern writers such as Shaw and Gallagher to be the main line after 3...g5. It was popularized by Lionel Kieseritzky in the 1840s and used successfully by Wilhelm Steinitz . Boris Spassky used it to beat Bobby Fischer in a famous game at Mar del Plata in 1960. The main line of the Kieseritzky Gambit
520-580: A strong center with 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 (or 5...Ba5) 6.fxe5 dxe5 7.d4. This line is considered slightly dubious, however. Other options in the KGD are possible, though unusual, such as the Adelaide Countergambit 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 f5, advocated by Tony Miles ; 2...d6, which is the way the King’s Gambit was declined the first known time it was played, when after 3.Nf3, best is 3...exf4 transposing to
572-496: A tournament game; he never again faced the gambit after his 1960 loss to Spassky. Fischer himself later played the King's Gambit with some success, winning all three tournament games in which he played it. However, he played the Bishop's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4) rather than the King's Knight Gambit (3.Nf3), the only line that he analyzed in his article. Fischer called 3...d6 "a high-class waiting move". It allows Black to hold
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#1732791886738624-567: Is 6.Ng1 Bh6 7.Ne2 Qf6 8.Nbc3 c6 9.g3 f3 10.Nf4 Qe7 with an unclear position (Korchnoi/Zak). The main alternative to 4.d4 is 4.Bc4. Play usually continues 4...h6 5.d4 g5 6.0-0 Bg7, transposing into the Hanstein Gambit, which can also be reached via 3...g5 or 3...h6. The MacLeod Defense, 3...Nc6, is named after Nicholas MacLeod . Joe Gallagher writes that 3.Nf3 Nc6 "has never really caught on, probably because it does nothing to address Black's immediate problems." Like Fischer's Defense, it
676-500: Is a waiting move . An obvious drawback is that the knight on c6 may prove a target for the d-pawn later in the opening. An invention of the Hungarian/English player, János Wagenbach. John Shaw writes: "If given the time, Black intends to seal up the kingside with ...h4 followed by ...g5, securing the extra pawn on f4 without allowing an undermining h2–h4. The drawback is of course the amount of time required". Of
728-633: Is advocated, among others, by GM Simon Williams . Korchnoi and Zak recommend as best for Black 3...Nf6 4.Nc3 c6, or the alternative move order 3...c6 4.Nc3 Nf6. After 5.Bb3 d5 6.exd5 cxd5 7.d4 Bd6 8.Nge2 0-0 9.0-0 g5 10.Nxd5 Nc6, Black was somewhat better in Spielmann–Bogoljubow, Märisch Ostrau 1923. Black's other main option is 3...d5, returning the pawn immediately. Play might continue 3...d5 4.Bxd5 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Nf3 Bxc3 7.dxc3 c6 8.Bc4 Qxd1+ 9.Kxd1 0-0 10.Bxf4 Nxe4 with an equal position (Bilguer Handbuch, Korchnoi/Zak). 3...Nc6!?, Maurian Defense,
780-436: Is busted. It loses by force" and offered his Fischer Defense (3...d6) as a refutation. FM Graham Burgess , in his book The Mammoth Book of Chess , noted the discrepancy between the King's Gambit and Wilhelm Steinitz 's accumulation theory. Steinitz had argued that an attack is only justified when a player has an advantage, and an advantage is only obtainable after the opponent makes a mistake. Since 1...e5 does not look like
832-478: Is considered 9...Nh6 10.d4 d6 11.Bxh6 dxe5 12.Qxe5+ Be6 13.Qxh8 Nd7 14.Bxf8 0-0-0 and White will emerge a clear pawn ahead.) Instead, 4...Bg7 has been recommended. 4...d6 and 4...h6 transpose to Fischer's Defense and Becker's Defense, respectively. Also possible is 4...Nc6, recommended by Konstantin Sakaev . After 4...Bg7 5.d4 g4, Simon Williams advocates 6.Bxf4 gxf3 in his DVD and Chess.com video series. White
884-523: Is considered better for Black due to the insecurity of White's king. Black may play safely with 6...Nh6 (Silberschmidt Variation), or counter-sacrifice with 6...f3 ( Cochrane Gambit) or 6...Nc6 (Viennese Variation). A safer alternative to 4...g4 is 4...Bg7, which usually leads to the Hanstein Gambit after 5.d4 d6 6.0-0 h6 or the Philidor Gambit after 5.h4 h6 6.d4 d6 (other move orders are possible in both cases). The Quaade Gambit (3.Nf3 g5 4.Nc3)
936-627: Is considered to be 5...Nf6 (Berlin Defense) 6.Bc4 d5 7.exd5 Bd6 8.d4 Nh5 9.0-0 Qxh4 10.Qe1 Qxe1 11.Rxe1 0-0 12.Bb3 Bf5. The Long Whip Variation, 5...h5?! 6.Bc4 Rh7 (or 6...Nh6) is considered old-fashioned and risky, as Black loses a lot of time attempting to hold on to the pawn. 4.h4 g4 5.Ng5 is the Allgaier Gambit, intending 5...h6 6.Nxf7. This knight sacrifice is considered unsound. The extremely sharp Muzio Gambit arises after 4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0 gxf3 6.Qxf3, where White has sacrificed
988-515: Is down a knight, but has a strong attack. The Quaade Gambit has recently been advocated by Daniel King in his PowerPlay series for Chessbase. This is likely to lead to similar positions to the Quaade Gambit; however, 4...g4 5.Ne5 Qh4+ 6.g3 fxg3 7.Qxg4 g2+!? (7...Qxg4=) is now viable due to the threat against the pawn on e4. After 8.Qxh4 gxh1=Q Shaw recommends 9.Nc3 for White, with a complicated position. The Becker Defense (3.Nf3 h6), has
1040-491: Is named after a Danish amateur who discussed it in correspondence with the Deutsche Schachzeitung in the 1880s. The move has received renewed attention following its recommendation by John Shaw in his 2013 book on the King's Gambit. A well-known trap here is 4...g4 5.Ne5 Qh4+ 6.g3 fxg3 7.Qxg4 g2+ ? (7...Qxg4 8.Nxg4 d5 is about equal) 8.Qxh4 gxh1=Q 9.Qh5 ! and White is close to winning. (Black's best defense
1092-491: Is neutralized by White's stranglehold on the dark squares, especially [f4]". After 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d6 the most common response is 4.d4. If White now tries to force transpositions to Becker Defense (3...h6) or Classical Defense (3...g5) positions, then White can end up in difficulties. Fischer analyzed 4.d4 g5 5.h4 g4 6.Ng5 f6 7.Nh3 gxh3 8.Qh5+ Kd7 9.Bxf4 Qe8! 10.Qf3 Kd8 "and with King and Queen reversed, Black wins easily". Fischer claimed that White has no compensation after
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#17327918867381144-477: Is relatively untested, but if White plays 4.Nf3 Black can transpose into the Hanstein Gambit after 4...g5 5.d4 Bg7 6.c3 d6 7.0-0 h6 (Neil McDonald, 1998). John Shaw wrote that 3...Nc6 is a "refutation" of the Bishop's Gambit, as he says that Black is better in all variations. Steinitz's 3...Ne7 and the countergambit 3...f5 (best met by 4.Qe2!) are generally considered inferior. Other 3rd moves for White are rarely played. Some of these are: Black can decline
1196-625: Is sometimes considered to be Seventeen issues because Volume One Number Three was a two-part issue. Its principal editor was American grandmaster Larry Evans . Complete sets of the American Chess Quarterly magazine are becoming more difficult to acquire and typically command prices at auction in the $ 1,000-$ 2,000 range. The most famous article published in its pages was "A Bust to the King's Gambit " by U.S. Champion and future World Champion Bobby Fischer , which appeared as
1248-401: Is that after 4.d4 g5 5.h4 g4 White cannot continue with 6.Ne5 as in the Kieseritzky Gambit, 6.Ng5 is unsound because of 6...f6 ! trapping the knight, and 6.Nfd2 blocks the bishop on c1. This leaves the move 6.Ng1 as the only option, when after six moves neither side has developed a piece. The resulting slightly odd position ( diagram ) offers White good attacking chances. A typical continuation
1300-407: Is usually played with the intention of holding on to the pawn after 4.e5 Nh5. While it is not Black's most popular option, it attracted some attention in 2020 when Ding Liren used it to beat Magnus Carlsen in the online Magnus Carlsen Invitational tournament. The undefended knight on h5 means Black must be careful: for example 4.e5 Nh5 5.d4 d6 6.Qe2 Be7? (correct is 6...d5!=) 7.exd6 Qxd6 8.Qb5+ wins
1352-675: The Fischer Defense (though 2...d6 invites White to play 3.d4 instead); and 2...Nf6 3.fxe5 Nxe4 4.Nf3 Ng5! 5.d4 Nxf3+ 6.Qxf3 Qh4+ 7.Qf2 Qxf2+ 8.Kxf2 with a small endgame advantage, as played in the 1968 game between Bobby Fischer and Bob Wade in Vinkovci . The greedy 2...Qf6 (known as the Nordwalde Variation), intending 3...Qxf4, is considered dubious. Also dubious are the Keene Defense: 2...Qh4+ 3.g3 Qe7 and
1404-683: The Ghulam Kassim Gambit, 4.Bc4 g4 5.d4, and the McDonnell Gambit , 4.Bc4 g4 5.Nc3. These are generally considered inferior to the Muzio, which has the advantage of reinforcing White's attack along the f-file. Also inferior is the Lolli Gambit 4.Bc4 g4 5.Bxf7+ ?! , which leaves White with insufficient compensation for the piece after 5...Kxf7 6.Ne5+ Ke8 7.Qxg4 Nf6 8.Qxf4 d6. The Salvio Gambit, 4.Bc4 g4 5.Ne5 Qh4+ 6.Kf1,
1456-438: The King's Knight's Gambit (3.Nf3) treated in his article. King%27s Gambit The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves: White offers a pawn to divert the black e-pawn. If Black accepts the gambit , White may play d4 and Bxf4, regaining the gambit pawn with central domination, or direct their forces against the weak square f7 with moves such as Nf3, Bc4, 0-0, and g3. A downside to
1508-562: The Mafia Defense: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 c5. 2...f5 ?! is among the oldest countergambits in KGD, known from a game published in 1625 by Gioachino Greco . Vincenz Hruby also played it against Mikhail Chigorin in 1882. It is nonetheless considered dubious because 3.exf5 with the threat of Qh5+ gives White a good game. The variation is sometimes named the Pantelidakis Countergambit because GM Larry Evans answered
1560-551: The 1930s. A more modern interpretation of the Falkbeer is 2...d5 3.exd5 c6!?, as advocated by Aron Nimzowitsch . Black is not concerned about pawns and aims for early piece activity. White has a better pawn structure and prospects of a better endgame . The main line continues 4.Nc3 exf4 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.d4 Ne7 7.dxc6 Nbxc6, giving positions analogous to the Modern Variation of the gambit accepted. A common way to decline
1612-651: The Hanstein Gambit (3...g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 and later g2–g3), and, after forcing Black's f4-pawn to move, develop the queenside with Be3, Qd2, and 0-0-0. American Chess Quarterly The American Chess Quarterly was a chess magazine that was published in the United States from Summer 1961 to 1965 by Nature Food Centres . The headquarters of the magazine was in Cambridge, MA . Sixteen issues were published, in four volumes of four issues each, from Summer 1961 through April–May-June 1965. The publication count
King's Gambit, Fischer Defense - Misplaced Pages Continue
1664-463: The King's Gambit is that it weakens White's king's position, exposing it to the latent threat of ...Qh4+ (or ...Be7–h4+ ), which may force White to give up castling rights. The King's Gambit is one of the oldest documented openings, appearing in one of the earliest chess books, Luis Ramírez de Lucena 's Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez (1497). It was examined by the 17th-century Italian chess player Giulio Cesare Polerio . The King's Gambit
1716-411: The King's Gambit" The Fischer Defense (3.Nf3 d6), although previously known, was advocated by Bobby Fischer after he was defeated by Boris Spassky in a Kieseritzky Gambit at the 1960 Mar del Plata tournament . Fischer then decided to refute the King's Gambit, and the next year the American Chess Quarterly published his analysis of 3...d6, which he called "a high-class waiting move". The point
1768-569: The alternative 6.Ng1 Bh6, however in practice White has achieved good results in this line after 7.Nc3 c6 8.Nge2 Qf6 9.g3, and Nigel Short used it to defeat Vladimir Akopian in Madrid 1997. Another popular move is 4.Bc4. Fischer recommended 4...h6 in response, which he dubbed the "Berlin Defence Deferred". Black's third and fourth moves stop the white knight on f3 from moving to the two dangerous squares e5 and g5. This variation received
1820-436: The alternatives to 3.Nf3, the most important is the Bishop's Gambit, 3.Bc4. White allows 3...Qh4+ 4.Kf1, losing the right to castle, but this loses time for Black after the inevitable Nf3 and White will develop rapidly. White also has the option of delaying Nf3, however, and can instead play g3 !? , after which the game becomes quite sharp, with White having the option of Qf3 with an attack on f7, or Kg2 threatening hxg3. This idea
1872-602: The dream of every King's Gambit player is a "worse but holdable ending". A handful of grandmasters have continued to use it, including Joseph Gallagher , Hikaru Nakamura , Baskaran Adhiban , Nigel Short , and Alexei Fedorov , albeit never as a main weapon. Although Black usually accepts the gambit pawn, two methods of declining the gambit—the Classical Defense (2...Bc5) and the Falkbeer Countergambit (2...d5)—are also popular. After 2...exf4 ,
1924-414: The f3-knight with ...g4, or else to consolidate with ...Bg7 and ...h6. The main continuations traditionally have been 4.h4 and 4.Bc4. More recently, 4.Nc3 (the Quaade Gambit or Quaade Attack) has been recommended by Scottish grandmaster (GM) John Shaw as a less explored alternative to 4.h4 and superior to 4.Bc4. With 4.h4 White practically forces 4...g4, thereby undermining any attempt by Black to set up
1976-496: The f4-pawn with ...Ng6, a relatively safe square for the knight compared to the Schallopp Defense. It was played by Mark Bluvshtein to defeat former world title finalist Nigel Short at Montreal 2007, even though it has never been highly regarded by theory. The Cunningham Defense (3.Nf3 Be7) threatens a check on h4 that can permanently prevent White from castling; furthermore, if White does not immediately develop
2028-546: The first grandmaster in decades to use the King's Gambit in serious play. He inspired Boris Spassky to also take up the King's Gambit, although Spassky was not willing to risk using the opening in any of his World Championship matches. Spassky did beat many strong players with it, however, including Bobby Fischer, Zsuzsa Polgar , and a famous brilliancy against Bronstein himself. In 2012, an April Fools' Day prank by Chessbase in association with Vasik Rajlich —author of chess engine Rybka —claimed to have proven to
2080-503: The first article in the first issue. In that article, Fischer advocated what became known as the Fischer Defense to the King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d6), brashly claiming, "In my opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force." Fischer later played the King's Gambit himself with great success, winning all three tournament games in which he played it, but choosing the Bishop's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4) rather than
2132-427: The gambit is with 2...Bc5, the "classical" KGD . The bishop prevents White from castling and is such a nuisance that White often expends two tempi to eliminate it by means of Nc3–a4, to exchange on c5 or b6, after which White may castle without worry. It also contains an opening trap for novices: if White continues with 3.fxe5 ?? Black continues 3...Qh4+, in which either the rook is lost (4.g3 Qxe4+, forking
King's Gambit, Fischer Defense - Misplaced Pages Continue
2184-417: The gambit pawn with ...g5 (unless White plays the immediate 4.h4) while avoiding the Kieseritzky Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5). Fischer asserted that 3...g5 "is inexact because it gives White drawing chances" after 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Nf6 6.d4 d6 7.Nd3 Nxe4 8.Bxf4 Bg7 9.c3! (improving on Spassky's 9.Nc3) Qe7 10.Qe2 Bf5 11.Nd2, which, according to Fischer, "leads to an ending where Black's extra pawn
2236-475: The greatest brilliancies , including the Immortal Game . Nevertheless, players have held widely divergent views on it. François-André Danican Philidor (1726–1795), the greatest player and theorist of his day, wrote that the King's Gambit should end in a draw with best play by both sides, stating that "a gambit equally well attacked and defended is never a decisive [game], either on one side or
2288-525: The h5-knight. The Modern Defense, or Abbazia Defense, (3.Nf3 d5) has much the same idea as the Falkbeer Countergambit, and can in fact be reached via transposition, i.e. 2...d5 3.exd5 exf4 4.Nf3. Black concentrates on gaining piece play and fighting for the initiative rather than keeping the extra pawn. It has been recommended by several publications as an easy way to equalize, although White's extra central pawn and piece activity gives
2340-533: The idea of creating a pawn chain on h6, g5, f4 to defend the f4 pawn while avoiding the Kieseritzky Gambit, so Black will not be forced to play ...g4 when White plays to undermine the chain with h4. White has the option of 4.b3, although the main line continues with 4.d4 g5 ( ECO C37) and usually transposes to lines of the Classical Variation after 5.Bc4 Bg7 6.0-0 ( ECO C38). The rarely seen Bonch-Osmolovsky Defense (3.Nf3 Ne7) aims to defend
2392-410: The king's bishop, Ke2 would be forced, which hems the bishop in. A sample line is 4.Nc3 Bh4+ 5.Ke2 d5 6.Nxd5 Nf6 7.Nxf6+ Qxf6 8.d4 Bg4 9.Qd2 ( diagram ). White has strong central control with pawns on d4 and e4, while Black is relying on the white king's discomfort to compensate. To avoid having to play Ke2, 4.Bc4 is White's most popular response. Black can play 4...Bh4+ anyway, forcing 5.Kf1 (or else
2444-410: The offered pawn, or offer a countergambit . The Falkbeer Countergambit is named after the 19th-century Austrian master Ernst Falkbeer . It runs 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4, in which Black sacrifices a pawn in return for quick and easy development. It was once considered good for Black and scored well, but White obtains some advantage with the response 4.d3!, and the line fell out of favor after
2496-412: The other." Writing over 150 years later, Siegbert Tarrasch , one of the world's strongest players in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pronounced the opening "a decisive mistake" and wrote that "it is almost madness to play the King's Gambit." Similarly, future world champion Bobby Fischer wrote a famous article, "A Bust to the King's Gambit", in which he stated, "In my opinion the King's Gambit
2548-654: The rook and king ) or White is checkmated (4.Ke2 Qxe4#). This line often comes about by transposition from lines of the Vienna Game or Bishop's Opening , when White plays f2–f4 before Nf3. One rarely seen line is the Rotlewi Countergambit: 3.Nf3 d6 4.b4 !? . The idea of the gambit is similar to that seen in the Evans Gambit of the Italian Game . White sacrifices a pawn to try to build
2600-423: The two main continuations for White are 3.Nf3 (King's Knight's Gambit) and 3.Bc4 (Bishop's Gambit). This is the most popular move. It develops the knight and prevents 3...Qh4+. Black's two main approaches are to attempt to hold on to the pawn with ...g5, or to return the pawn in order to facilitate development . The Classical Variation arises after 3.Nf3 g5. Black defends the f4-pawn, and threatens to kick
2652-585: The wild Bertin Gambit or Three Pawns' Gambit, 5.g3 fxg3 6.0-0 gxh2+ 7.Kh1, played in the nineteenth century). In modern practice, it is more common for Black to simply develop instead with 4...Nf6 5.e5 Ng4, known as the Modern Cunningham. An under-explored but seemingly playable line here is 5...Ne4!?, the Euwe Variation, which has a number of trappy ideas. The Schallopp Defense (3.Nf3 Nf6)
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#17327918867382704-426: Was one of the most popular openings until the late 19th century, when improvements in defensive technique led to its decline in popularity. It is infrequently seen at master level today, as Black has several methods to obtain equality , but is still popular at amateur level. The King's Gambit was one of the most popular openings for over 300 years, and has been played by many of the strongest players in many of
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