Evans Gambit
The Evans Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
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. 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 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, which prompted a brief revival of interest in it. The gambit has proven resilient under modern analysis, with no clear refutation.
Main Line: 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5
Black's usual response is to accept the gambit with 4...Bxb4. 4...Nxb4 is less flexible as 5.c3 Nc6 effectively transposes into the inferior retreat 4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5. After 5.c3 the usual retreat is 5...Ba5, which pins the pawn on c3 if White plays 6.d4, but it has the drawback of removing the option of moving to the square a5 from the black knight. Later, Black will often retreat the bishop to b6 in order to facilitate...Na5. White then usually follows up with 6.d4, entailing a second pawn offer; 6.0-0 and 6.Qb3 are alternatives.6.d4 exd4
White cannot respond with 7.cxd4 due to the pin by Black's bishop on a5. While 7.Nxd4 is possible, it sets Black few problems and White usually prefers to offer a second pawn with 7.0-0 or 7.Qb3, though Black usually does not accept it.Mieses Defence: 7.0-0 Nge7
The move 7...Nge7, the Mieses Defence, was formerly rare, but was recommended by Vasily Panov in the 1960s and is now considered one of the main lines of the Evans Gambit. Black intends to meet 8.Ng5 or 8.cxd4 with 8...d5, 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
6.d4 d6
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 dxe5 9.Qxd8+ Nxd8 10.Nxe5 Be6. Although less ambitious than other options, this variation takes the sting out of White's attack by returning the gambit pawn and exchanging queens, and according to Fine, "is psychologically depressing for the gambit player" whose intent is usually an aggressive attack. Mikhail Chigorin analysed the alternative 9.Qb3 Qf6 10.Bg5 Qg6 11.Bd5 Nge7 12.Bxe7 Kxe7 13.Bxc6 Qxc6 14.Nxe5 Qe6, which avoids the exchange of queens, but reached no clear verdict.Tartakower Attack: 7.Qb3
This line is the most frequent and avoids the Lasker Defence. As in other lines with Qb3, Black must defend the pawn or else allow a later Bxf7+. Black's most common response is 7...Qd7. The weaker 7...Qe7 permits 8.d5, forcing the awkward move 8...Nd4, but following 7...Qd7, 8...Ne7 can be played instead. 7...Nh6 does not effectively defend the pawn either as White can simply play 8.Bxh6. Following 7...Qd7, White most often plays 8.dxe5, 8.0-0, or 8.Nbd2. Following any of these, Black can return the pawn with 8...Bb6 or hold onto it with 8...dxe5, though White obtains sufficient compensation in lines following this move.Other lines
Following 7.0-0, Black has several alternative moves. 7...Bd7 is known as the Sanders–Alapin Defence. It is regarded as solid. 7.0-0 exd4 transposes to the main line with 6...exd4. 7...Bg4 and 7...Nf6 are also seen. Additionally, 7.dxe5 is a lesser seen alternative for White.Other lines
- 6.0-0, the Slow Variation, is a notable alternative for White, though 6.d4 is significantly more common. Black most often plays 6...Nf6 or 6...d6. The latter usually transposes to the 6.d4 d6 line after 7.d4, but the former features notable independent lines. For example, 6...Nf6 7.d4 0-0 8.Nxe5 is dubbed the Richardson Attack.
- 6.Qb3, a move usually delayed by at least another move by White, is a playable sideline. Black most often defends against the battery with 6...Qe7. Following this, White usually plays 7.d4 or 7.0-0. Black may then play 7...exd4 to transpose to the main line with 6...exd4, but 7...Nf6 is more challenging for White. An alternative for Black is 6...Qf6, which can also transpose. 6...Nh6 is possible but rare.
- 6.d4 b5 is the Leonhardt Countergambit, which most often continues 7.Bxb5 Nxd4 8.Nxd4 exd4, followed by either 9.Qxd4 or 9.0-0.
4...Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5
Normal Position: 6.d4 exd4 7.0-0 d6 8.cxd4 Bb6
The Normal Position is the main line after 4...Bc5, and can be reached by various other move orders, and in fact is more often reached from 5...Ba5 lines. It has frequently been played ever since the 1834 La Bourdonnais–McDonnell matches. It was very common in the 19th century but is not as well regarded in the present. Black is content to settle for a one-pawn advantage and White seeks compensation in the form of and strong central pawns.Other possible move orders include 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb6 8.0-0 d6, and as mentioned earlier, from the main line of the gambit via 5...Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.0-0 d6 8.cxd4 Bb6. Comparably to in the main line, Black avoids playing 7...dxc3 because of threats such as 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Qd5+ Kf8 10.Qxc5+ d6 11.Qxc3.
9.d5 and 9.Nc3 are the most common next moves for White. In response to the former, Black usually plays 9...Na5. White often plays 10.Bb2, known as the Ulvestad Variation, which frequently continues 10...Ne7 11.Bd3 0-0 12.Nc3 Ng6 13.Ne2.
Following 9.Nc3, the Morphy Attack, preferred by Mikhail Chigorin and Morphy, the usual continuations are 9...Na5 10.Bg5, the Göring Attack, and 9...Bg4 10.Qa4, the Fraser Attack.