   
                           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)

