Evans Gambit - WikiHQ

The Evans Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves:

:1. e4 e5

:2. Nf3 Nc6

:3. Bc4 Bc5

:4. b4

The Evans Gambit is an attacking line of the Giuoco Piano. White offers a pawn to divert the bishop on c5. If Black accepts, White can follow up with c3 and d4, ripping open the , while also opening diagonals to play Ba3 or Qb3 at some point, preventing Black from castling and threatening the pawn on f7, respectively. If Black declines, the pawn on b4 stakes out on the queenside, and White can follow up with a4 later in the game, potentially gaining a tempo by threatening to trap Black's .

According to Reuben Fine, the Evans Gambit poses a challenge for Black since the usual methods of handling aggressive gambits from White are more difficult to achieve than with other gambits. Fine was once beaten by this gambit in a against Bobby Fischer, in just 17 moves. The gambit was very popular during the era of Romantic chess in the 19th century.

The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings has two codes for the Evans Gambit, C51 and C52. C52 contains lines beginning 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5, the main line. C51 contains all other lines.

History

The gambit is named after the Welsh sea captain William Davies Evans, the first player known to have played it. The first game with the opening is considered to be Evans–McDonnell, London 1827, although in that game a slightly different move order was tried (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 d6 and only now 5.b4). In his monthly Chess Life column, Andrew Soltis commented that Evans was "the first player to be widely honored for an opening we know he played". Dutch Grandmaster Paul van der Sterren described the Evans Gambit as "unreal" and "fairylike".

The first analysis of the gambit was published in the Second Series of Progressive Lessons (1832) by William Lewis. The gambit became extremely popular and was played several times in the series of games between McDonnell and Louis de la Bourdonnais in 1834. Players including Adolf Anderssen, Paul Morphy and Mikhail Chigorin later took it up. The Evergreen Game won by Adolf Anderssen against Jean Dufresne opened with the Evans Gambit. Eventually, however, the second world chess champion Emanuel Lasker dealt a heavy blow to the opening with a modern defensive idea: returning the pawn under favourable circumstances. The opening was out of favour for much of the 20th century, although John Nunn and Jan Timman played it in some games in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In the 1990s, Garry Kasparov used it in a few games (notably a famous 25-move win against Viswanathan Anand in Riga, 1995), which prompted a brief revival of interest in it. The gambit has proven resilient under modern analysis, with no clear refutation. Black intends to meet 8.Ng5 or 8.cxd4 with 8...d5 (8.Ng5 0-0? is weak due to 9.Qh5 h6 10.Nxf7 Rxf7 11.Bxf7+), returning the pawn in many lines.

Compromised Defence: 7.0-0 dxc3

The 7...dxc3, dubbed the "Compromised Defence", accepts the second pawn offered by White. It is well met by 8.Qb3 Qf6 9.e5 Qg6 10.Nxc3 Nge7 11.Ba3! with a very dangerous initiative for the sacrificed pawns, and thus is not well regarded.

Anderssen Defence: 7.0-0 Nf6

7...Nf6 is known as the Anderssen Defence, with the common continuations 8.Ba3 d6 9.e5, aiming to open lines for both of White's bishops, 8.e5 d5 followed by 9.exf6 or 9.Bb5, 8.cxd4 Nxe4 9.d5 Ne7 11.Qd4 Nf6, and 8.cxd4 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5, transposing to the Mieses Defence.

Other replies to 7.0-0

Following 7.0-0, 7...d6 and 7...Bb6 are two common alternatives, usually with the idea of reaching the "Normal Position" after 7...d6 8.cxd4 Bb6 or 7...Bb6 8.cxd4 d6. The position is also commonly reached from 5...Bc5. Black may avoid it, typically with 8...Nf6 or 8...Bg4.
7.0-0 d6 8.Qb3 is known as the Waller Attack, an alternative for White to the Normal Position.
7.0-0 d3, with the idea of depriving the knight of the c3 square and slowing down White's development, was played by Jean Dufresne in the famous Evergreen Game, but has never been popular.

7.Qb3

This move has received increased attention in recent decades, most notably by Nigel Short. As White has established a battery along the b3–f7 diagonal that threatens Black's king, Black must defend the pawn or else allow a later Bxf7+, forcing the king to move and lose castling rights. As such, Black usually responds with 7...Qe7 or 7...Qf6 (which may later be kicked with an e5 by White). In either case, play most often continues 8.0-0 Bb6, with Black adding another defender to the pawn on d4.

6.d4 d6 <span id="Bronstein Defence"></span>

With this move, Black supports the pawn on e5, opens the square d7 for the queen, and unblocks the c8–g4 diagonal for the . White most often continues with 7.Qb3 or 7.0-0. 7.dxe5, as well as 7.Bg5, the Sokolsky Variation, are also seen.

Lasker Defence: 7.0-0 Bb6

Following 7.0-0, a common response for Black is 7...Bb6, originated by Emanuel Lasker. It most often continues 8.dxe5 (8.a4 is an alternative but not as well regarded Modern Chess Openings describes it as a "tricky" opening, "which can be refuted only if you know the right moves".

Other lines

White can also play 7.Ng5 after 6.d4 exd4. The usual continuation is 7...Nh6 8.Nxf7 Nxf7 9.Bxf7 Kxf7 10.Qh5+, forking Black's king and bishop on c5. Black can then gain the initiative by chasing White's queen (though Black's king is weak), so the line is not well regarded.

4...Bb6 5.a4 a6 (5...a5 is an alternative but allows 6.b5, kicking Black's knight) is the most common continuation and often leads to the Showalter Variation (5...a6 6.Nc3). Black usually responds with 6...Nf6 or 6...d6. White seems to have a small advantage with a space advantage on the queenside.