Muzio Gambit


In chess, the Muzio Gambit, sometimes called the Polerio Gambit, is an opening line in the King's Gambit beginning with the moves:
White intends to sacrifice a knight for a large lead in and chances. Following the usual continuation 5...gxf3 6.Qxf3, White aims to exploit Black's resulting weakness on the f-file to attack the black king. Black most often responds with 6...Qf6 or 6...Qe7. Other possibilities for White's 5th move are 5.Bxf7+, 5.Nc3, 5.d4, 5.h4, and 5.Ne5, but 5.0-0 is generally reckoned to be White's strongest option. Most of the time, White plays 4.Bc4 with the intention of entering the Muzio Gambit. Black frequently avoids the gambit by playing 4...Bg7, which has sometimes been recommended as a safe and practical choice.
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings classifies the Muzio Gambit under code C37.

History

The opening was originally analysed by Giulio Cesare Polerio in the late 16th century; the first recorded game is by the Neapolitan player Geronimo Cascio in Alessandro Salvio's Il Puttino, published in 1634. The name "Muzio Gambit" originated with the early 19th-century English chess writer Jacob Sarratt, who misattributed the opening to Cascio's contemporary Mutio d'Allesandro in his translation of Il Puttino. In its original form, White used Italian-style free castling, placing the king on h1 and rook on f1, for an even stronger attack since checks by a queen or bishop on the g1–a7 diagonal are no longer available as a defence.
The opening reached its peak popularity in the mid 19th century, the Romantic era of chess, when sacrifices and early attacks were considered the pinnacle of chess art. Its popularity declined with the improvements in defensive technique exemplified by players such as Louis Paulsen and Wilhelm Steinitz; however, it is still occasionally seen, usually at amateur level.

Analysis

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. 0-0 gxf3
6. Qxf3 Qf6
7. e5
'''7... Qxe5'''

Double Muzio Gambit: 8.Bxf7+!?

8. Bxf7+!?
8... Kxf7 9. d4 '''Qf5'''

Main line: 8.d3

8. d3 Bh6 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. Bd2 Nbc6 11. Rae1 Qf5
'''12. Nd5 Kd8'''

Other 8th moves for White

  • 8.b3 Qxa1 9.Nc3 Bc5+ 10.Kh1 Ne7 11.d4 Bxd4 12.Bxf7+ Kd8 13.Bd2 Qxf1 14.Qxf1 Rf8 15.Qf4 Nbc6−/+.
  • 8.Nc3 Qd4+ 9.Kh1 Qxc4 10.d3 Qc6 11.Qxf4 f6.