Play the Portsmouth Gambit like IM Pawel Weichhold (Crushing Gambits Series)

Crushing Gambit Series

In the Crushing Gambits Series we are covering off-beat and smashing gambits. In this latest installment, we are covering the Portsmouth Gambit against the Sicilian defense after 2... Nc6. Pawel Weichhold is a strong international master who employs the Portsmouth Gambit as his primary weapon in speed chess games against the Sicilian defense after 2... Nc6 with crushing results. On the surface it seems like a delayed wing gambit. However, the insertion of 2. Nf3 Nc6 makes this trap-rich version of the wing gambit against the Sicilian defense more effective with crushing practical results.

The Study - Play the Portsmouth Gambit like IM Pawel Weichhold

The below study is the latest installment of my "Play like..." Interactive Lesson series which can be best enjoyed with the Lichess Tools browser extension installed. The idea of the study is to learn Weichhold's treatment of the Portsmouth Gambit with a spaced-repetition philosophy.

The study includes many of the Weichhold's 309 speed chess games played in these lines up to move 20, which were downloaded, merged, and then I separated out the lines. In each chapter, I present an Weichhold main line up to a certain point. After that, you are playing through his games in that line up to move 20. As you play through the games, you should be naturally internalizing the middle game plans.

As an honorable mention, I suggest that the reader also check out the player's database and games of Andreas Esbensen (Edelson), who has master's strength in online speed chess and vast experience in the Portsmouth Gambit with 1,236 online games, particularly for insights into his plans in the deeper and rarer lines.

Here is the study:

LichessTools

To get the most out of this study you should add the LichessTools browser extension. LichessTools allows you to play through all the games/variations in an interactive lesson chapter (rather than just the single main line). So if you decline to add LiChess Tools then you are only playing 10% of the study.

Available here:

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/langlhlcknngldkeliapahbhbcmlcbcj

Cheers,

Dsoul20