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The Nameless (Completely Unsound) Gambit

Update: @chess_rehab posted a great video on this "goofy" gambit, where he recommends some lines different from what I worked out with the engine. He also covers some similar lines in other openings. Interesting!

https://youtu.be/bNzc4va5HWU?si=APKr7hLbzlyRTEiI

Update: @chess_rehab posted a great video on this "goofy" gambit, where he recommends some lines different from what I worked out with the engine. He also covers some similar lines in other openings. Interesting! https://youtu.be/bNzc4va5HWU?si=APKr7hLbzlyRTEiI

4...h6 is a good practical move against this garbage imo, I actually prefer it to ...Be7 (which is also completely winning) because in that case they can delay the sac with moves like h4 - whereas h6 forces them to sac immediately or look stupid, and then as long as Black knows to play ...Kg6-h7 and not blunder into mate then whites win % would be way way down.

As an aside, I note the comparison to the Haloween Gambit a couple of pages back. I don’t think the two are fully comparable, in the Haloween, even though it’s bad, White gets legitimate positional compensation for a while, which can turn quite scary if not met accurately, and black can’t ‘resolve’ the position as easily. That isn’t the case here. The computer’s evaluation doesn’t factor in how easy or difficult a position is to play practically, as it knows it won’t ever blunder.

4...h6 is a good practical move against this garbage imo, I actually prefer it to ...Be7 (which is also completely winning) because in that case they can delay the sac with moves like h4 - whereas h6 forces them to sac immediately or look stupid, and then as long as Black knows to play ...Kg6-h7 and not blunder into mate then whites win % would be way way down. As an aside, I note the comparison to the Haloween Gambit a couple of pages back. I don’t think the two are fully comparable, in the Haloween, even though it’s bad, White gets legitimate positional compensation for a while, which can turn quite scary if not met accurately, and black can’t ‘resolve’ the position as easily. That isn’t the case here. The computer’s evaluation doesn’t factor in how easy or difficult a position is to play practically, as it knows it won’t ever blunder.