It was the most well-liked opening for the primary three centuries of contemporary chess. Paul Morphy relied on it closely throughout his meteoric rise to world supremacy within the mid-Nineteenth century. Bobby Fischer claimed to have definitively refuted it after a well-known loss with Black to nemesis Boris Spassky 12 years earlier than their epic title match.
And nonetheless the King’s Gambit lives on.
The final Romantic opening is a uncommon customer to top-level chess lately, but it surely nonetheless has its champions — and it nonetheless retains its sting. Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi risked the gambit in a vital match on the inaugural World Rapid Team Championships in Germany final month in opposition to veteran compatriot GM Peter Svidler. Twenty-two strikes later, Black was stopping the clocks and tipping his king.
Having shocked his opponent (and disconcerted his teammates) together with his opening selection, Nepomniachtchi scores a second small victory with Svidler’s selection of three…Ne7!?, a comparatively uncommon method to meet the gambit. (Fischer’s infamous “bust” of the opening led with 3…d6, with Bobby’s predominant line persevering with 4. d4 g5 5. h4 g4 6. Ng5 f6 7. Nh3 gxh3 8. Qh5+ Kd7 9. Bxf4 Qe8! 10. Qf3 Kd8 “and Black wins easily;” subsequent praxis has proven issues aren’t fairly so easy.)
White will get the open recreation he craved, and by 13. Qxd2 0-0 14. 0-0-0, whereas he hasn’t gained his gambit pawn again but, Nepo has the higher pawns, the safer king and sufficient positional compensation to be a minimum of equal. Black has been strolling a tightrope, and White’s clear initiative and the quicker speedy time controls shortly drive Svidler to lose his steadiness.
Thus: 14…Bg4?! (Bf5 places up a more durable battle) 15. h5! Ne5 (Bxd1? 16. hxg6 Bg4 17. Qxf4 Be6 18. Rxh7 fxg6 19. Qh2, with a monster assault) 16. Qxf4 Qb8? (see diagram; overlooking a tactical trick, Black nonetheless is within the recreation after 16…Re8 17. Be2 Qc7! 18. Qf2 Rab8) 17. Nd6!, and the knight is immune due to 17…Qxd6 18. Bxh7+ Kxh7 19. Rxd6. White now threatens 18. Bxh7+! Kxh7 19. h6 g6 20. Qxe5 Rb8 21. Qf6 Qc7 [Be6 22. Nxf7 Bxf7 23. Qxf7+ Kh8 24. Qf6+ Kh7 25. Rd7+ and mate next] 22. Nxf7, successful, and a reeling Svidler goes right down to fast defeat.
The finale: 17…f6 18. Qe4 g6 (Nxd3+ 19. Rxd3 f5 20. Qe6+, and the traditional Philidor’s Mate is on faucet after 20…Kh8 21. Nf7+ Kg8 22. Nh6+! Kh8 23. Qg8+! Rxg8 24. Nf7 mate) 19. hxg6 hxg6 20. Rh6! Qxd6 (Kg7 21. Rxg6+ Nxg6 22. Qxg6+ Kh8 23. Qh7 mate) 22. Rxg6+, and Black resigned because the rook and minor piece are not any match for the White queen in traces equivalent to 22…Nxg6 23. Rxd6 Ne5 24. Rxc6! Nxc6 25. Qxg4+ Kh6 26. Bd3 Rg8 27. Qf4+ Kg7 28. Qc7+ Kf8 29. Qxc6.
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Spassky charges as one of many King’s Gambits nice fashionable champions, if solely due to his good victories with the opening over the likes of such nice grandmasters as Yuri Averbakh, David Bronstein, Lajos Portisch and, sure, Fischer.
Even after shedding the world crown to Fischer in 1972, Spassky nonetheless trotted out the gambit on memorable events, together with a brilliancy win in opposition to one other rising American star, GM Yasser Seirawan, within the 1985 Candidates match in Montpellier, France. It could be fascinating to know if Svidler was conversant in this recreation, as Black right here adopts the identical wishy-washy 3…Ne7 sideline and meets the identical grim destiny.
The social gathering begins early for White when Black tries too arduous to carry the gambit pawn: 5. Nc3 dxe4 6. Nxe4 Ng6?! 7. h4! (losing no time placing the query to the defending knight, as 7…h5 is just too positionally compromising) Qe2? (neither 7…Nc6 8. h5 Nge7 9. Bc4 or 9. Bxf4 isn’t precisely good for Black, however both line would a minimum of sidestep Spassky’s gorgeous riposte) 8. Kf2!!, making Black’s queen look silly as 8…Qxe4?? 9. Bb5+ Kd8 10. Re1 Qd5 11. Re8 is mate.
It seems the White king is completely protected on f2, whereas the Black monarch won’t ever discover a safe harbor after 8…Bg4 9. h5 Nh4 (counting on the pin on the White knight, however Seirawan’s items are getting severely misplaced) 10. Bxf4 Nc6 11. Bb5 (Rxh4!? Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Qxh4+ 13. g3 Qe7 14. Re1 was additionally very robust right here) 0-0-0 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Qd3 — White has recovered the gambit pawn, Black’s queenside pawns are a multitude, and Spassky nonetheless enjoys a powerful lead in improvement; Black’s recreation might already be past salvation.
As within the first recreation, Black has to give up his queen simply to keep away from an much more disastrous destiny on 17. Qxc6 Rxd4 (giving up the change with 17…Rd6 18. Bxd6 Qxd6 19. Qxd6 Bxd6 20. Ne4 is also simply successful for White) 18. Rae1 Rxf4 (Qd8 19. Re8 Qd5, and White can select between 20. Na6 mate and 20. Bxc7 mate) 18. Qb5+ Ka8 20. Qc6+ Kb8 21. Rxe7 Bxe7 22. Rd1, and, as within the Nepomniachtchi recreation, the White queen is way too robust for Black’s rook and minor piece.
After 27. Qa4! (threatening each the a-pawn and 28. Qg4+ Kb8 29. Qxg7) g5 28. Qxa7 Rf4 29. Qa6+ Kb8 30. Qd3 Be7 31. Qxh7 g4 32. Kg3, Black resigns as he has misplaced two extra pawns and it’s hopeless in traces equivalent to 32…Rxf3+ 33. Kxg4 Rf2 34. Qh8+ Kb7 35. Qe8 Bd6 36. h6, and the handed pawn will quickly price Seirawan much more materials.
(Click on the picture above for a bigger view of the chessboard.)
Nepomniachtchi-Svidler, World Rapid Team Championship, Duesseldorf, Germany, August 2023
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Ne7 4. d4 d5 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nc3 cxd4 7. Nxd4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Ng6 9. h4 Nc6 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Qe2 Bb4+ 12. Bd2 Bxd2+ 13. Qxd2 O-O 14. O-O-O Bg4 15. h5 Ne5 16. Qxf4 Qb8 17. Nd6 f6 18. Qe4 g6 19. hxg6 hxg6 20. Rh6 Qxd6 21. Bc4+ Kg7 22. Rxg6+ Black resigns.
Spassky-Seirawan, Montpellier Candidates, Montpellier, France, October 1985
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Ne7 4. d4 d5 5. Nc3 dxe4 6. Nxe4 Ng6 7. h4 Qe7 8. Kf2 Bg4 9. h5 Nh4 10. Bxf4 Nc6 11. Bb5 O-O-O 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Qd3 Nxf3 14. gxf3 Bf5 15. Qa6+ Kb8 16. Nc5 Bc8 17. Qxc6 Rxd4 18. Rae1 Rxf4 19. Qb5+ Ka8 20. Qc6+ Kb8 21. Rxe7 Bxe7 22. Rd1 Rf6 23. Nd7+ Bxd7 24. Qxd7 Rd8 25. Qb5+ Kc8 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Qa4 g5 28. Qxa7 Rf4 29. Qa6+ Kb8 30. Qd3 Be7 31. Qxh7 g4 32. Kg3 Black resigns.
• David R. Sands might be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e mail at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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