Gambit facts for kids

A gambit is a chess opening involving a sacrifice. In these openings a player, usually White, sacrifices (gives away) a pawn or more. The usual reason is to develop faster, and get an attack against the black king. An example:

Evans Gambit

Evans Gambit

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.e4 e5

2.Nf3 Nc6

3.Bc4 Bc5

4.b4 Bxb4

5.c3 Ba5

6.d4 exd4

7.0-0 dxc3

8.Qb3 and White has a serious attack for the pawns. 4.b4 is the Evans Gambit.

Benko Gambit

In modern times gambits are usually not for direct attacks on the king. They aim at 'positional' advantages, such as freer play for the pieces. A well-known example is the Benko Gambit:

Benko Gambit

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

1.d4 Nf6

2.c4 c5

3.d5 b5

4.cxb5 a6

5.bxa6 Bxa6

6.Nc3 d6

7.Nf3 g6

8.g3 Bg7

9.Bg2 0-0

In return for his pawn, Black gets open lines for his bishops and his rook on a8.

See also

In Spanish: Gambito para niños