The Göring Gambit can make a refreshing change from better-known lines in double e-pawn openings.
There is very little theory that has to be learned, and the main ideas for White can be picked up fairly quickly.
Whether accepted or declined, the gambit usually leads to open positions in which tactics dominate.
It really is one of those openings in which an experience of, and a feel for, the positions that arise is more important than knowing precise move-orders.
If Black knows what he is doing, he should be able to get a reasonable game. But as we saw in B), even grandmasters can apparently misunderstand a basic point about the opening.
In my praxis, the position after 4.c3 has appeared 17 times, with White winning 10 games, drawing four and only losing three.
That is a success rate of 71%, well above White's usual score of about 55%. Alas, I was Black in more games than I was White.
What follows is one game from my praxis for each of the four sections above, showing how the Göring Gambit at club level can easily vary from the theoretical norm.
A) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 dxc3
William Stanton (191) - Spanton (147)
Highbury (London) rapidplay 1991
5.Nxc3 Bb4 6.Bc4 d6 7.0-0 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Be6
Earlier the same year, against the same opponent in another Highbury rapidplay, I played 8...Nge7? After 9.Ng5 Ne5 10.Bb3 h6 11.f4! Bg4 White could have got a strong attack by, say, 12.Qe1 hxg5 13.fxe5 0-0 14.Qg3. Stanton played the inferior 12.Qd4?, which allowed the tempo-gaining 12...N7c6. I was better for much of the game, but my scoresheet ends at move 27 - we both spent a lot of time in the complications - and he eventually won.
Botterill recommended 8...Bg4, but said 8...Be6 is also good. Kaufman only covered the main move, 8...Nf6, as seen in Yuchtman - Tal.
9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.Qb3 Qd7
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
11.Ng5!?
White normally takes with 11.Qxb7, after which 11...Rb8 12.Qa6 Nf6 13.Qe2 is level, according to the engines.
The text is in keeping with Stanton's attacking style - he liked to be a pawn down with compensation, rather than a pawn up but on the back foot.
11...e5?!
Saving the e pawn but ceding the initiative. It is probably better to offer the pawn back with 11...0-0-0, eg 12.Qxe6 Nf6 13.Qxd7+ Rxd7 14.f3 Re8, when the engines reckon Black is slightly better.
12.f4 Nf6 13.fxe5 Nxe5 14.Qxb7?
Restoring material equality, but now Black regains the initiative. The engines reckon White is better after pursuing development with 14.Bf4.
14...Qc6?!
Probably even stronger is 14...0-0.
15.Qb3 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 Qxb3 17.axb3
The opening is over, and Black has emerged with a small edge thanks to the dominating knight on e5.
17...Ke7?!
Probably better is short castling, or 17...Kd7, and if, as in the game, 18.Bf4, then 18...Rhe8 supports the knight (meaning Bxe5 does not have to be met by ...dxe5) and applies latent pressure against e4.
18.Bf4 h6?!
Another doubtful move. 18...Nd3 is equal.
19.Bxe5 dxe5 20.Nf3 Ke6?
The engines reckon White is only slightly better after 20...Rhe8 or 20...Rhb8.
21.Ra6+ Kd7
Best as 21...Ke7? 22.Nxe5 leaves White threatening a major fork on g6 and a lesser one on c6..
22.Nxe5+ Kc8 23.Ng6 Re8 24.e5 (1-0, 46 moves)
**********
B) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 Nf6
David B Graham (2265) - Spanton (2115)
Hastings Challengers 1998-99
5.e5 Ne4 6.cxd4
This is second in popularity to 6.Qe2.
6...Bb4+ 7.Nbd2 d6 8.Bd3
From my original notes I see I was more concerned about 8.Bb5, but I cannot recall why!
8...Nxd2 9.Bxd2 0-0!?
This seems to be a novelty - it still does not appear in ChessBase's latest version of its Mega database. Robert Zelčić (2495) - Gordan Lazović (2325), Pula (Croatia) 1996, saw 9...Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 Bg4 11.Qe3 Qe7 with an approximately equal game (but 1-0, 31 moves).
10.Be4!?
Not 10.Bxh7+?? Kxh7 11.Ng5+?? Qxg5.
The text comes to be Komodo10's choice, and is regarded as reasonable by Stockfish10, although the latter very slightly prefers 10.0-0, meeting 10...dxe5 with 11.Nxe5 Qxd4 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.Bxb4 Qxb4 14.Qc2, claiming full compensation for the sacrificed pawn.
10...d5 11.Bc2
The idea behind White's play is that Black has been induced to reduce the pressure on White's centre. However, this has taken time, and it seems that after …
11...Bg4
… Black is at least equal.
12.Bc3 f6
Renewing pressure on the white centre. Playing ...f6 weakens the e6 square, but White is in no position to take advantage.
13.Qd3 g6 14.0-0-0!?
Ambitious but very double-edged. The black king's position has been loosened by Black's last two moves, but Black's pieces are better co-ordinated for immediate action. The engines suggest 14.Bd1!?, but that is hardly appetising.
14...fxe5 15.dxe5 Bxc3 16.Qxc3 Bxf3 17.gxf3 Qg5+ 18.Kb1 Qxe5 19.Qxe5 Nxe5 20.Rxd5 Nxf3
After a long sequence of fairly forcing captures, and a check, Black emerges a pawn to the good, but now white gets a rook to the seventh.
21.Rd7 Rad8!
Giving back the pawn, but remaining active. After 21...Rac8, White more-or-less equalises by a sequence such as 22.Be4 Ne5 (22...b6 is met by 23.Bb7) 23.Re7 Nc6 24.Bd5+ Kh8 25.Bxc6 bxc6 26.Rf1, after which Black's winning chances are minimal.
22.Rxc7 Rf7 23.Rxf7 Kxf7
White has the advantage of a bishop, rather than a knight, working with a rook. But Black has fewer pawn-islands, and all three black pieces are more active than the white ones.
24.Bd1 Nd4 25.Re1 Kf6 26.Kc1 h5!?
I believe it is correct to restrict the bishop in this way.
27.Re3 b6
I offered a draw (the engines reckon Black is slightly better).
28.Ba4 h4 29.h3!?
This is Komodo10's choice, but putting a pawn on the same-coloured square as one's bishop is often controversial, especially here as now the h pawns are fixed, a factor that normally favours a knight over a bishop.
29...g5 30.Bd1
Preventing ...g4, which would be an option after, say, 30.a3?!
30...Ne6 31.Bg4 Nf4 32.Kc2 a5 33.Re4 Rd6 34.Re3 Rc6+ 35.Rc3?
The minor-piece ending is very difficult for White, so better is 35.Kd2.
35...Rxc3+ 36.Kxc3 Ke5 37.Kc4?!
The engines suggest 37.Bc8, eg 37...Nd5+ 38.Kc4, but much prefer Black after 38...Nf6 39.Kd3 Kf4.
37...Ke4 38.Kb5 Nxh3! 39.Bxh3 Kf3
Black wins because the black kingside pawns are so far advanced. One will cost White the bishop, and the other will queen after the f pawn is captured. Meanwhile, White's queenside pawns are still on their starting squares.
40.Bd7 g4 41.Kxb6 h3 42.Kxa5 h2 43.b4 Kxf2 44.Bxg4
Or 44.Bc6 g3 45.b5 g2 etc.
44...h1=Q 45.Be6
White offered a draw, but the game finished:
45...Qa8+ 46.Kb6 Qb8+ 47.Kc5 Qc7+ 48.Kd5 Qb7+ 0-1
**********
C) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 d3?!
Spanton (2011) - Petr Benes (2087)
Liechtenstein 2011
5.Bxd3 Nf6?!
Normal is 5...d6.
6.0-0
Also strong is 6.e5 as, after 6...Ng4, White can play 7.0-0 since capturing on e5 loses a piece.
6...d6 7.Re1!?
Not very popular - one point being that White often plays f4 in the Göring, in which case the king's rook will almost certainly be better on f1.
Note that7.h3 transposes to Velimirović - Muratović from part two of this series.
7...Be7 8.Nbd2 0-0 9.Nf1!?
The engines prefer 9.h3 or 9.Nc4.
9...Ne5 10.Ne3 Re8
The engines prefer 10...Nxd3!?, although that trades a well-posted knight for a blunted bishop.
11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.Nd5 Nxd5 13.exd5 Bc5 14.b4!? Bb6?!
Almost certainly better is 14...Bf8 or 14...Bd6.
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
15.c4?
Completely missing Black's reply. White has a strong position after 15.Bb2.
15...Bd4 16.Rb1 Qh4!?
Attacking on the kingside before White can exploit his queenside space advantage, but the engines prefer queenside counterplay with 16...a5, or kingside space-gaining with 16...f5.
17.Be3 Bg4 18.Qc2 g6 19.Bxd4 exd4 20.Qa4 Re7 21.Qc2?!
The engines give 21.h3 Bd7 22.Qa3 with what they reckon is a slight edge. At least it does not lose the clear tempo that the text represents.
21...Rae8 22.Qd2 Qf6?!
Swopping off all the rooks equalises, according to the engines. I guess the point is that the d4 pawn is more easily defendable with fewer pieces, as long as one of those pieces is a queen to keep the white king away.
23.h3?!
White is better, according to the engines, after 23.Rxe7 Rxe7 24.h3.
23...Bd7
The engines reckon 23...Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 25.Qxe1 Bf5 is a complete equaliser.
24.Rxe7 Rxe7 25.Rd1
Finding the right plan, at last.
25...Ba4 26.Re1?!
I needed to keep a pair of rooks on for serious winning chances.
26...c6?!
Again ...Rxe1+ equalises.
27.Rxe7?!
It is hard for Black to meet 27.b5! The engines' main line runs 27...Rxe1+ 28.Qxe1 cxd5 29.cxd5, when Black has serious problems coordinating his pieces, eg 29...Qd6 30.Qa5 Bd1 31.Bc4 Qc5 32.d6! Qxd6 33.Qxa7, when White is winning, according to Stockfish10, although Komodo10 is less enthusiastic.
27...Qxe7 28.dxc6 Bxc6
Black offered a draw in my time, but I played on in what quickly became an error-strewn queen-and-pawn ending (1-0, 54 moves).
**********
D) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 d5
Jovanka Houska (158) - Spanton (161)
Sutton (South London) 1994
This game illustrates how quickly Black can go wrong if he does not play Capablanca's equalising plan.
5.exd5 Qxd5 6.cxd4 Bg4 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Be2 Nf6!?
Capablanca's plan starts with 8...Bxf3!?
The text is second in popularity in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, but is not liked by the engines.
9.0-0
 |
| How should Black proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
9...Qh5?
Grandmaster Alexander Onischuk played the better 9...Bxc3 in a win over an unrated junior at the 2001 World Open in Philadelphia.
10.Be3?!
Even better is 10.h3 with a strong initiative, whether Black captures on f3 or retreats the bishop.
10...0-0-0?
Better is 10...0-0, but 11.h3 is good for White.
11.h3 Bxh3?!
Desperate, but White has the upper hand after both 11..Bxf3 12.Bxf3 and 11..Be6 12.Ne5.
12.Ne5!
Best, but 12.gxh3 Qxh3 13.Ng5 is also good enough.
12...Qf5 13.Nxc6 Qg6!?
Also losing is 13...bxc6 14.gxh3 Qxh3 15.Bf4.
14.g3??
White wins easily after 14.Nxa7+ or 14.Bf3.
14...Bd6??
14...bxc6 15.Re1 Bg4 is equal, according to the engines.
15.Bd3 Bf5 16.Bxf5+ Qxf5 17.Nxd8 (1-0, 22 moves)
A reminder of how tactics often dominate in the Göring Gambit.
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