Gambit

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A gambit is a chess opening involving a sacrifice, usually a pawn. The player, usually White, sacrifices (gives away) a pawn or more to develop faster and get an attack against the king. Gambits are also used to control the center of the chess board for better development of pieces. The player who plays the Gambit hopes for a development advantage against the opponent. There are a few gambits that require more valuable pieces for a better chance of winning. An example:

Evans Gambit[change | change source]

Evans Gambit
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
e8 black king
g8 black knight
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
c6 black knight
c5 black bishop
e5 black pawn
b4 white pawn
c4 white bishop
e4 white pawn
f3 white knight
a2 white pawn
c2 white pawn
d2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
b1 white knight
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
e1 white king
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh


1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nc6
3.Bc4 Bc5
4.b4 Bxb4
5.c3 Ba5
6.d4 exd4
7.0-0 dxc3
8.Qb3 and White has a serious attack for the pawns. 4.b4 is the Evans Gambit.



Benko Gambit[change | change source]

In modern times gambits are usually not for direct attacks on the king. They aim at 'positional' advantages, such as freer play for the pieces. A well-known example is the Benko Gambit:


Benko Gambit
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
b8 black knight
c8 black bishop
d8 black queen
e8 black king
f8 black bishop
h8 black rook
a7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
e7 black pawn
f7 black pawn
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
f6 black knight
b5 black pawn
c5 black pawn
d5 white pawn
c4 white pawn
a2 white pawn
b2 white pawn
e2 white pawn
f2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 white rook
b1 white knight
c1 white bishop
d1 white queen
e1 white king
f1 white bishop
g1 white knight
h1 white rook
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 c5
3.d5 b5
4.cxb5 a6
5.bxa6 Bxa6
6.Nc3 d6
7.Nf3 g6
8.g3 Bg7
9.Bg2 0-0

In return for his pawn, Black gets open lines for his bishops and his rook on a8.