'Secret' Gambit Repertoire For White (part seven)

AGAINST Alekhine's Defence (1.e4 Nf6) there are several gambits that can be suggested.

One runs 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4, which becomes the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit after 3...dxe4 4.f3. and the Hübsch Gambit after the less-popular, but probably more-critical, continuation 3...Nxe4!? 4.Nxe4 dxe4.

Another runs 2.Nc3 e5 3.f4, although in practice this is nearly always declined with 3...d5.

White can also try 2.Nc3 e5 3.Bc4!?, when after 3...Nxe4!? White can go for complications with 4.Qh5 (4.Nxe4?! d5 is at least equal for Black) Nd6 5.Bb3!?, or for a more-manoeuvring type of game with 5.Qxe5+ Qe7 (only move) 6.Qxe7+.

Finally, I am suggesting 2.Bc4!?, which may look ridiculous but has been played by Arthur Bisguier, Jonathan Speelman and Božidar Ivanović.

Clearly the critical response to 2.Bc4!? is 2...Nxe4, but it is only played 41.9% of the time in games in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database. I guess many blacks are caught by surprise and try to avoid the white player's preparation.

The main line continues 3.Bxf7+ Kxf7 4.Qh5+

Position after 4.Qh5+

4...g6 5.Qd5+ e6 6.Qxe4 Bg7, when White has regained the pawn and deprived Black of castling rights, but Black has the bishop-pair.

The most-popular continuation is 7.Nf3, but much more successful is 7.d4!? Rf8 8.Nf3, when the analysis engines Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 reckon 8...d5 9.Qe2 Nc6 10.Be3 is best-met by 10...Kg8 11.Nc3 e5!? 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.dxe5 Bxe5 14.0-0-0 with an equal but unclear opposite-side castling position - White's lead in development should give good practical chances.

Black's main method of declining the gambit is 2...d5!?, but this is questionable as after 3.exd5 Nxd5 White gets the better game, according to the engines, with 4.Nf3 or the less-common, but seemingly strong, 4.d4.

Here is an old example of how quickly even very strong players can find themselves in trouble.

Johann Löwenthal - Howard Staunton

British Chess Association International Masters (Birmingham) 1858

1.e4 Nf6 2.Bc4 d5?! 3.exd5 Nxd5 4.d4

The players reached this position via the move-order 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxd5 4.d4.

4...e6 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Bd3!?

The engines prefer Bg5, here and on the previous move.

7...Bf4!?

Staunton is understandably worried about an attack on his kingside, but the engines reckon White's advantage is smaller after 7...c5 (Stockfish12) or 7...b6 (Komodo11.01).

8.Nbd2 Nc6 9.a3

An obvious alternative is 9.c3 but Löwenthal probably wanted to save the c pawn for evicting Black's knight with c4. Staunton anticipates this with ...

9...Nf6

The game continued:

10.Ne4 Bxc1 11.Rxc1 Qe7

Not 11...Nxd4?? 12.Nxf6+ Qxf6 13.Nxd4 Qxf6? 14.Bxh7+ etc.

12.Re1 b6?

This natural-looking move is a mistake, although the engines much prefer White after, say, 12...Rd8 13.c3 Bd7 14.Qe2.

13.Nxf6+ gxf6

Or 13...Qxf6 14.Be4 Bb7 15.Ne5.

14.d5 Ne5 15.Nxe5 fxe5 16.Bxh7+ Kxh7 17.Qh5+ Kh7 18.Re3

White has a winning attack.

18...Rg8 19.Rg3+ Kf8 20.Qh6+ Ke8 21.Rxg8+ Kd7 22.dxe6+ Qxe6 23.Rd1+ Kc6 24.Qxe6+ fxe6 25.Rdd8 1-0