A BUST TO THE KING'S GAMBIT
Bobby Fischer
The King's Gambit has lost popularity, but not sympathy. Analysts treat it
with kid gloves and seem reluctant to demonstrate an outright refutation.
 The Chessplayers Manual by Gossip and Lipschutz, published in 1874,
devotes 237 pages to this gambit without arriving at a conclusion. To this
day the opening has been analyzed romantically - not scientifically.
Moderns seem to share the same unconscious attitude that caused the old-
timers to curse stubborn Steinitz:  He took the beauty out of chess .
To the public, the player of the King's Gambit exhibits courage and
derring-do. The gambit has been making a comeback with the younger
Soviet masters, notably Spassky (who defeated Bronstein, Averbach and
myself with it). His victories rarely reflected the merits of the opening
since his opponents went wrong in the mid-game. It is often the case,
also, as with Santasiere and Bronstein, that the King's Gambit is played
with a view to a favorable endgame. Spassky told me himself the gambit
doesn't give White much, but he plays it because neither does the Ruy
Lopez nor the Giuoco Piano.
The refutation of any gambit begins with his King and Queen reversed, Black wins
accepting it. In my opinion the King's easily.
Gambit is busted. It loses by force.
4. & h7-h6!
1. e2-e4 e7-e5
2. f2-f4 e5xf4 This in conjunction with Black's previous
3. g1-f3 d6! move I would like to call the Berlin
Defense Deferred. By this subtle
This is the key to a troublesome position, a transposition Black knocks out the
high-class "waiting move". At Mar Del possibility open to White in the last note
Plata, 1959, I played 3... g7-g5; against (to move 3).
Spassky, but this is inexact because it
gives White drawing chances in the 5. d2-d4 g7-g5
ensuing ending: e.g., 4. h2-h4 g5-g4; 5. f3- 6. 0-0 f8-g7
e5 g8-f6; 6. d2-d4 e7-e6; 7. e5-d3 f6xe4; 7. c2-c3 ...
8. c1xf4 f8-g7; and now 9. c2-c3!
(replacing Spassky's 9. b1-c3) 9. ... d8-e7, Necessary to protect the QP. 7. g2-g3 is
10. d1-e2 c8-f5; 11. b1-d2 leads to an always met by & g5-g4.
ending where Black's extra Pawn is
neutralized by White's stranglehold on the 7. & b8-c6
dark squares, especially f4.
Here there is disagreement as to Black's
Another good try, but also inexact, is the best move. Puc and Rabar, Euwe, Keres,
Berlin Defense: 3. ... h7-h6; 4. d2-d4 g7- and most analysts give the text as the main
g5; 5. h2-h4 f8-g7; 6. g2-g3 g5-g4; (also line and mention 7. & g8-e7(!); in
playable is 6. & d6; 7. g3xf4 g5-g4) 7. f3- passing.
h2 f4xg3; 8. h2xg4 (8. d1xg4 loses to 8. &
g3xh2; 9. g4-g7 d8xh4+; 10. e1-d1 h4-f6) I think 7. & g8-e7; is best because there is
8. & d7-d5; 9. e4-e5 c8-f5; 10 c1-f4, no reason why Black should not strive to
where Black cannot demonstrate any castle King-side: e.g., 8. g2-g3 d6-d5!; 9.
advantage. e4xd5 f4xg3; 10. h2xg3 (if 10. f3-e5
g3xh2+!; 11. g1-h1 0-0; 12. d5-d6 d8xd6;
Of course 3. & d7-d5; equalizes easily, wins) 10. & 0-0; 11. d1-b3 d8-d6; 12. g1-
but that's all. g2 e7-f5; wins. There is little practical
experience with this sub-variation.
4. f1-c4 ...
8. d1-b3 ...
4. d2-d4 transposes, the only difference if
White tries to force matters after 4. & g7- If 8. g2-g3 g5-g4; 9. f3-h4 f4-f3; 10. b1-d2
g5; 5. h2-h4 g5-g4; 6. f3-g5 (White also (Euwe and other analysts betray their soft-
gets no compensation after 6. c1xf4 g4xf3; mindedness toward this opening by giving
7. d1xf3 b8-c6; or 6. f3-g1 f8-h6) 6. & f7- the inferior 10. & g7-f6(?); 11. d2xf3
f6!; 7. g5-h3 g4xh3; 8. d1-h5+ e8-d7; 9. g4xf3; 12. d1xf3   unclear !!). This is
c1xf4 d8-e8!; 10. h5-f3 d7-d8; and with yet another example of  sentimental
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evaluation - after 12. & d8-e7; followed 10. h4xg5 h6xg5
by c8-h3 and 0-0-0 Black wins easily. 11. f3xg5 f6xe4
The Black's Pawn on f3 is a bone in A wild position, but Black is still master.
White's throat so why force him to
sacrifice when he must anyway? 10. & 12. c4xf7+ ...
d8-e7; is the strongest move.
The game is rife with possibilities. If 12.
In this last variation (instead of 10. b1-d2) g5xe4 e7xe4; 13. f1xf4 e4-e1+; 14. f4-f1
White can vary with 10. d1-b3 & but then e1-h4; 15. c4xf7+ e8-d8; 16. b3-d5
comes Nimzovitch's beautiful winning c6xe5!; 17. d4xe5 g7xe5; (threatening B-
line: 10. & d8-e7; 11. h4-f5 c8xf5; 12. R7 and mate) 18. f1-d1 h4-g3; wins -
e4xf5 (if 12. b3xb7 a8-b8; 13. b7xc6+ e7- owing to the threat of h8-h1+.
d7; 14. c6xd7+ f5xd7; and Black has a
winning endgame) 12. ...0-0-0; 13. c4xf7 12. & e8-d8
e7-e2; 14. b3-e6+ (if 14. f1-f2 c6xd4!; 15. 13. g5xe4 ...
f2xe2 fxe2; wins) 14. & d8-d7!; 15. f1-f2
e2-d1+; 16. f2-f1 d1-c2; 17. b1-d2 g8-f6; Not 13. g5-e6+ c8xe6; 14. b3xe6 e7xe6;
(threatening c6-d8) 18. f7-g6 (if 18. e6-b3 15. f7xe6 c6xd4!;
c2xb3; 19. f7xb3 d6-d5; with a winning
endgame) 18. & d6-d5; followed by c6-e7 13. & e7xe4
with a winning game for Black. 14. c1xf4 ...
8. & d8-e7 14. f1xf4 also loses to 14. & e4-e1+; 15.
9. h2-h4 g8-f6 f4-f1 h8-h1+; 16. g1xh1 e1xf1+; 17. h1-h2
f1xf4; etc.
Again theoretical disagreement. Perfectly
good is 9. & g5-g4!; 10. c1xf4 (forced, 14. & c6xd4
not 10. f3-d2 c6xd4!; 11. c3xd4 g7xd4+;
etc.) 10. & g4xf3; 11. f1xf3 - given by And Black wins...
analysts again as "unclear" but after g8-f6
followed by 0-0, White has nothing for the Of course, White can always play
piece. differently, in which case he merely loses
differently.
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