The Gambit Player

                             by Lee Edwards


  In 1892, Mikhail Tchigorin opined that the man has not yet been born who¨
could prove by analysis the soundness or the unsoundness of the Evans Gambit.¨
 GM Larry Evans -- not to be confused with Captain William D. Evans, who¨
invented the gambit around 1824 -- has stated that the Evans Gambit is still¨
"the theoretician's problem child" and that it is one of those openings which¨
must be included in at least the passive repetoire of every strong player. ¨
The British analyst George Botterill has said that of the four openings¨
discussed in his book Open Gambits (including the Goring, the Scotch, and the¨
Greco gambits) "only the Evans remains fit for active service."
     The Evans was seen at the highest levels of tournament play from 1835 to¨
the end of the 19th century.  Today it is seen in an occasional grandmaster¨
game, but most often in correspondence or scholastic play, where double king¨
paw openings are more common.  As in most gambits, White strives to attack¨
Black's weak point on f7.  A good rule of thumb is that once Black has¨
castled Kingside, he usually has the better game with a Black Queenside pawn¨
mass for the ending.  But if Black gets too greedy, he is doomed.  In the¨
infamous Compromised Defense (1. e4, e5; 2. Nf3, Nc6; 3. Bc4, Bc5; 4. b4,¨
Bxb4; 5. c3, Ba5; 6. d4, exd4; 7. 0-0, dxc3), Black is three pawns ahead, but¨
generally considered to be dead lost.
     It should be mentioned that after 3. Bc4, Be7; Black's attempt to adopt¨
the Hungarian Defense may be countered by the finesse 4. b4!? (threatening 5.¨
b5 and 6. Nxe5).  After 3. Bc4, Be7; 4. b4, Nxb4; 5. c3; or 3. Bc4, Bc5; 4.¨
b4, Nxb4; 5. c3; Black has really nothing better to do than to move the¨
Knight back to c6, transposing into the Evans Gambit.  However, Black can¨
play the Hungarian by way of 3. Bc4, c6; or better yet he can play 3. Bc4,¨
Nf6; the Two Knights Defense.
     Black is generally able to parry the threats against f7, but may fall¨
victim to attacks on other weaknesses.  Here are several common Evans Gambit¨
traps with which all gambit players should be familiar:

                           Attacks on the Queen

     5. c3, Ba5; 6. d4, exd4; 7. Qb3, Qe7; 8. 0-0, Qxe4?; 9. Re1.  This first¨
trap may seem to be a bit primitive, but I used to get away with it against¨
an early computer, the Voice Chess Challenger, on the lower levels.
     In the next trap, an attacke on f7 is transformed into the capture of¨
the Queen:  5. c3, Ba5; 6. d4, d6; 7. Qb3, Qd7; 8. dxe5, dxe5; 9. 0-0, Bb6;¨
10. Rd1, Na5?; 11. Bxf7+, Qxf7; 12. Rd8+!, Kxd8; 13. Qxf7.

                           Attacks on the Bishop

     5. c3, Ba5; 6. d4, d6; 7. Qb3, Qf6?; 8. d5, and after the Knight moves,¨
9. Qa4+ followed by 10. Qxa5.
     5. c3, Bc5; 6. d4, exd4; 7. 0-0, dxc3? 8. Bxf7+, Kxf7; 9. Qd5+

                               Attack on b7

     Compromised Defense:  5. c3, Ba5; 6. d4, exd4; 7. 0-0, dxc3; 8. Qb3,¨
Qe7; 9. Nxc3, Bxc3; 10. Qxc3, f6; (compare 10. . ., Nf6, Fischer-Fine, 1963¨
in My 60 Memorable Games)
11. Ba3, d6; 12. Bd5, Bd7; 13. Rfe1, 0-0-0; 14. Rab1, (14. Nd4! -- Fischer. ¨
Castling Queenside is usually a bad idea for Black in the Evans Gambit.) 14.¨
. . Be6; 15. Rxb7!, Kxb7; 16. Qxc6+, Kc8; 17. Qa6+, Kd7; 18. Bc6++, 1-0¨
(Steinitz-Grand, London, 1872).

                                        
Fischer-Fine
New York, 1963

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 
6.d4 exd4 7.O-O dxc3 8.Qb3 Qe7 9.Nxc3 Nf6 10.Nd5 Nxd5 
11.exd5 Ne5 12.Nxe5 Qxe5 13.Bb2 Qg5 14.h4 Qxh4 15.Bxg7 Rg8 
16.Rfe1+ Kd8 17.Qg3 (1-0)

Mark Ishee-Jim Duffy
APCT Evans Gambit Thematic, 1990

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 
6.d4 exd4 7.Qb3 Qe7 8.O-O Bb6 9.cxd4 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 Bxd4 
11.Nc3 d6 12.Bxf7+ Qxf7 13.Qa4+ Bd7 14.Qxd4 Ne7 15.Rb1 Bc6 
16.Nb5 Bxb5 17.Rxb5 b6 18.Rg5 Ng6 19.Rf5 Qd7 20.Bb2 Rg8 
21.Qd5 (1-0)

Edwards-Hanebutt
Correspondence, 1980

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 
6.Qb3 Qe7 7.Ba3 d6 8.d4 exd4 9.O-O Nh6 10.e5 Nxe5 
11.Nxe5 Qxe5 12.cxd4 Qf5 13.Qe3+ Kd8 14.Nc3 Re8 15.Qc1 Qg6 
16.Ne2 Qe4?? 17.Qg5+ f6 18.Qxa5 Nf5 19.Qc3 Qg4 20.Rac1 Bd7 
21.Rfe1 Rc8 22.Bd3 Bc6 23.Ng3 Nxd4 24.Qc4 Rxe1+ 25.Rxe1 Nf3+ 
26.gxf3 Qxc4 27.Bxc4 Bxf3 28.Nf5 d5 29.Ne7 dxc4 30.Nxc8 Kxc8 
31.Re8+ Kd7 32.Re7+ Kc6 33.Rxg7 b5 34.Rxh7 Be4 35.Rh6 Bb1 
36.Rxf6+ Kb7 37.Bb4 Bxa2 38.h4 Bb1 39.h5 c6 40.h6 Kb6 
41.f4 a5 42.Bxa5+ Kxa5 43.f5 c3 44.h7 c5 45.Rc6 Kb4 
46.h8Q c4 47.Qf8+ (1-0)

Hurdle - Cock
Correspondence, 1963-64

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 
6.d4 exd4 7.Qb3 Qe7 8.O-O Nf6 9.e5 Ng4 10.Ba3 d6 
11.exd6 cxd6 12.Re1 Nce5 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.Nd2 Bxc3 15.Ne4 Bxe1 
16.Nxd6+ Kd7 17.Nxf7 Bxf2+ 18.Kh1 Qe8 19.Bb5+ (19.Qb5+ and mate in
four) Nc6 20.Qd5+ Kc7 21.Bd6+ (1-0)


Steinitz - Grand
London, 1872

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 
6.d4 exd4 7.O-O dxc3 8.Qb3 Qe7 9.Nxc3 Bxc3 10.Qxc3 f6 
11.Ba3 d6 12.Bd5 Bd7 13.Rfe1 O-O-O 14.Rab1 Be6 15.Rxb7 Kxb7 
16.Qxc6+ Kc8 17.Qa6+ Kd7 18.Bc6+ (1-0)


Fischer - Janushkowsky
Simultaneous Exhibition, 1964

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 
6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.Qb3 Qe7 9.e5 dxe5 10.Ba3 Qf6 
11.cxd4 e4 12.Ne5 Nh6 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Qa4 Bb6 15.Nc3 Bd7 
16.Nxe4 Qf4 17.Nc5 Bxc5 18.Bxc5 Nf5 19.Rfe1+ Kd8 20.Bxf7 Nd6 
21.Be6 Re8 22.g3 Qf6 23.Bxd7 Kxd7 24.d5 Nb5 25.Red1 Kc8 
26.Qa6+ Kd8 27.dxc6+ Nd6 28.Bxd6 cxd6 29.Qb7 (1-0)



Moya - de la Nunez
Spanish corr., 1980

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 
6.d4 d6 7.Qb3 Qd7 8.dxe5 Nxe5 9.Nxe5 dxe5 10.O-O Nf6 
11.Rd1 Qe7 12.Bxf7+ Qxf7 13.Rd8+ Ke7 14.Ba3+ (1-0)


Kovac - Grabner
Yugoslav corr. ch., 1982

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 
6.d4 exd4 7.O-O d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.h3 Nf6 10.Re1 h6 
11.e5 dxe5 12.Ba3 e4 13.Qb3 Qd7 14.Ne5 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Nh7 
16.Rd1 Qf5 17.Bxf7+ Qxf7 18.Rd8+ Kxd8 19.Qxf7 Re8 20.Nd2 e3 
21.Rd1 e2 22.Re1 c5 23.Rxe2 Ng5 24.Qxg7 Bd7 25.Qxh6 Ne6 
26.Nc4 Kc7 27.Rd2 Rg8 28.Rd6 Ng5 29.Rxb6 Ne4 30.Rxb7+ Kxb7 
31.Qh7 Rgd8 32.Qxe4+ Kc7 33.Bxc5 Bxh3 34.Bd6+ Kd7 35.e6+ (1-0)