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Irish Gambit

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Irish Gambit
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8a8 black rookc8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishopg8 black knighth8 black rooka7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7 black pawnf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawne5 black knightd4 white pawne4 white pawna2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookb1 white knightc1 white bishopd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishoph1 white rook8
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After 3...Nxe5 4.d4

The Irish Gambit, Chicago Gambit, or Razzle Dazzle Gambit is a weak chess opening that begins:

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Nxe5?

intending 3...Nxe5 4.d4.

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Discussion

White's pawns occupy the center, but the sacrifice of a knight for a pawn is a very high price to pay. The gambit is accordingly considered unsound, and is almost never seen in high-level play. It is often referred to as the Chicago Gambit, perhaps because Harold Meyer Phillips, remarkably, used it in an 1899 game in a simultaneous exhibition in Chicago to beat Harry Nelson Pillsbury, one of the strongest players in the world at the time.

An apocryphal tale is told of the anonymous inventor of the gambit. On his deathbed, when asked what subtle idea lay behind the gambit, his last words were reportedly: "I hadn't seen the king's pawn was defended."

A similar line is the Halloween Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5?! It is also considered dubious, but is sounder than the Irish Gambit, because White can gain time by chasing both of Black's knights while occupying the center. White has won a number of short games with the Halloween Gambit.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hooper & Whyld (1996), p. 182, Irish Gambit.
  2. ^ Hooper & Whyld (1996), pp. 76–77, Chicago Gambit.
  3. "Harold Meyer Phillips vs. Harry Nelson Pillsbury, Chicago 1899". Chessgames.com. Retrieved 2006-11-18.

Bibliography

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