Mr Fletcher’s gambits … and some that he missed.

 

In 1954, an Edinburgh amateur named Elliott Fletcher published a book called Gambits Accepted, which on one level is one of the worst chess books ever written. His analysis is unreliable, and his attitude to some very ropey openings is woefully uncritical.

But the book is largely redeemed by a games collection which includes some little known treasures.

We think that Fletcher’s collection should be preserved for posterity.

Fletcher stated that he could find only 84 gambits. He had overlooked some obvious candidates, and we have managed to expand Fletcher’s collection to 95. In one or two instances, with the aid of Internet databases which of course weren’t available in 1954, we think we have found better candidates for inclusion than Fletcher himself chose.

1. Damiano Gambit NN-NN (with a surprise in the notes)
2. Schulze-Muller Gambit Phillips-Pillsbury
3. Jerome Gambit Sorensen-NN
4. Evans Gambit Spens-Cheshire
5. Mortimer-Evans Gambit Blackburne-Steinitz
6. Basque Gambit Richter-Ahues
7. Scotch Gambit Blackburne-Gifford
8. Goering Gambit Beddall-Leffler
9. King’s Rook’s Pawn Gambit Zollner-Vaughan, Cray & Greenwell
10. King’s Knight Gambit Stoltz-Rellstab
11. Allgaier Gambit Ourousoff-Bihn
12. Allgaier-Thorold Gambit Gunsberg-Ballard
13. Kieseritsky Gambit Harrwitz-Szen
14. Rice Gambit Marshall-von Scheve
15. Salvio Gambit NN-von der Lasa
16. Cochrane Gambit Tchigorin-Winawer
17. Muzio Gambit Maroczy-Tchigorin
18. Muzio-Lolli Gambit Elliott-Roper
19. Double Muzio Gambit
20. Young Gambit Young-Marshall
21. Greco-Philidor Gambit MacDonnell-Labourdonnais
22. Hanstein Gambit Spielmann-Grunfeld
23. Calabrese-Philidor Gambit Marshall-Gunsberg
24. Calabrese Gambit Greco-NN
25. Rosentreter Gambit/ Soerensen Gambit Gottschall-NN
27. Quaäde Gambit Schmid-Alapin
28. Cunningham Gambit Steinitz-Bird
29. Three Pawns Gambit von d. Lasa-Jaenisch
30. King’s Bishop Gambit Tchigorin-Schlechter
31. Lesser Bishop Gambit Bird-Weiss
32. Breyer Gambit Milner-Barry-Mitchell
33. Polerio Gambit Loyd-Moore
34. Pernau Gambit Willemson-Weigel
35. Orsini Gambit Guglielmetti-di Aria
36. Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit Blumberg-Rennie
37. Lopez Gambit Staunton-NN
38. Bishop’s Wing Gambit Dubois-Wyvill
39. MacDonnell Double Gambit Dubois-Wyvill
40. Centre Gambit Potter-Matthews
41. Danish Gambit Schnitzler-Alexandre
42. Vienna Gambit Purdy-Cowen
43. Hamppe-Allgaier Gambit Blackburne-Benfy
44. Hamppe-Allgaier-Thorold Gambit Hirschfield-Zukertort
45. Hamppe-Muzio Gambit Lange-v. Drygalski
46. Pierce Gambit Dinge-Walbrodt
47. Vienna-Cunningham Gambit Blackburne-Berry
48. Steinitz Gambit Steinitz-Zukertort
49. Fyfe Gambit NN-NN
50. Sicilian Wing Gambit Tartakower-Luckis
51. Albin-Chatard Gambit Alekhine-Fahrni
52. Alekhine Gambit Tramoyeres-Marin
53. Latvian (Counter)-Gambit Alonso-de Soto
54. Corkscrew Counter-Gambit Gamman-Blackburne
55. Lopez Counter Gambit NN-NN
56. Philidor Counter Gambit NN-Schallopp
57. Queen’s Pawn Counter Gambit Kozelen-Eliskases
58. Jaenisch Counter Gambit Gossip-Blackburne
59. Ponziani Counter Gambit Blackburne-Robey
60. Middleton Counter Gambit ‘MacR’-Hart
61. Gianutio Counter Gambit Milner-Barry-Alexander
62. Bledow Counter Gambit Swiderski-Teichmann
63. Bishop’s (Bryan) Counter Gambit Morphy-Maurian
64. Falkbeer Counter Gambit Gunsberg-v. Bardeleben
65. Calabrese Counter Gambit NN-Boden
66. Lewis Counter Gambit Chomat-Conill
67. Centre Counter Gambit Vergani-Blackburne
68. Swiss Gambit Wagner-v. Skerszewski
69. Lemberg Gambit Keres-Teltvecker
70. Reti Gambit Castaldi-Norcia
71. Staunton Gambit Gligoric-Kostic; Tartakower-Mieses
72. Blackmar’s Second Gambit Reti-Euwe
73. Blackmar’s First Gambit Wallis-NN
74. Queen’s Gambit Janowski-Schallopp
75. Marshall Gambit Janowski-Suechting
76. From (Counter)-Gambit Bird-Blackburne
77. Blumenfeld Counter Gambit Tarrasch-Alekhine
78. Budapest (Counter)-Gambit Bendix-Aitken
79. Tartakower Counter Gambit Whyte-Davis
80. Schara-Hennig Counter Gambit Pirc-Alekhine
81. Tarrasch Counter Gambit Barrera-Moritz
82. Albin Counter Gambit Karu-Keres
83. Winawer Counter Gambit Alapin-Marco
84. Benoni Counter Gambit NN-NN

And a number that Mr Fletcher missed.

Books by people like Eric Schiller list any number of recently invented gambits; but these are all gambits which had been played before Fletcher’s book was published, and seem to have met his criteria for inclusion.

85. Steinitz (Counter) Mason-Steinitz
86. Belgrade Gambit Markov-Rohacek
87. Ourousoff Gambit Schlechter-Neustadt & Tietz
88. Cochrane (Petroff) Gambit Gossip-City of Birmingham
89. Morra Gambit Tartakover-Lokvenc
90. Marshall (Counter-) Gambit Frere-Marshall
91. Charlick (Counter-) Gambit Apperley-Charlick
92. Milner-Barry Gambit Milner-Barry-Isles
93. Dilworth (Counter-) Gambit (mentioned by Fletcher who wrongly stated that it did not qualify for inclusion by his criteria) Estelles-Dilworth
94. Volga (now Benko) (Counter-) Gambit Bozic-Udovcic
95. Lisitsyn Gambit Haberditz-Hysek


1. Damiano Gambit NN-NN (with a surprise in the notes)



2. Schulze-Muller Gambit Phillips-Pillsbury



3. Jerome Gambit Sorensen-NN

Fletcher quotes a club game for the Jerome; and none of the surviving games by Jerome himself which we had located when putting this collection together were won by White. But the Danish player and problemist Soren Sorensen showed an interest in the gambit. Even greater interest has been shown by Rick Kennedy who has been researching this outrageous opening for some years and the fruit of whose researches can be found at http://jeromegambit.blogspot.co.uk .

I am impressed that friend Kennedy has unearthed so many games won by Jerome himself. I am something more than impressed to find that a Czech player has been willing to play the Jerome in correspondence play.

4. Evans Gambit Spens-Cheshire



5. Mortimer-Evans Gambit Blackburne-Steinitz



6. Basque Gambit Richter-Ahues



7. Scotch Gambit Blackburne-Gifford



8. Goering Gambit Beddall-Leffler



9. King’s Rook’s Pawn Gambit Zollner-Vaughan, Cray & Greenwell


10. King’s Knight Gambit Stoltz-Rellstab

11. Allgaier Gambit Ourousoff-Bihn


12. Allgaier-Thorold Gambit Gunsberg-Ballard

13. Kieseritsky Gambit Harrwitz-Szen

14. Rice Gambit Marshall-von Scheve


15. Salvio Gambit NN-von der Lasa

16. Cochrane Gambit Tchigorin-Winawer

17. Muzio Gambit Maroczy-Tchigorin


18. Muzio-Lolli Gambit Elliott-Roper



19. Double Muzio Gambit/ 20. Young Gambit Young-Marshall

21. Greco-Philidor Gambit MacDonnell-Labourdonnais

22. Hanstein Gambit Spielmann-Grunfeld


23. Calabrese-Philidor Gambit Marshall-Gunsberg


24. Calabrese Gambit Greco-NN



25. Rosentreter Gambit/ 26. Soerensen Gambit Gottschall-NN


27. Quaäde Gambit Schmid-Alapin

28. Cunningham Gambit Steinitz-Bird

29. Three Pawns Gambit von d. Lasa-Jaenisch

30. King’s Bishop Gambit Tchigorin-Schlechter


.

31. Lesser Bishop Gambit Bird-Weiss

32. Breyer Gambit Milner-Barry-Mitchell

33. Polerio Gambit Loyd-Moore

34. Pernau Gambit Willemson-Weigel

35. Orsini Gambit Guglielmetti-di Aria

36. Boden-Kieseritzky Gambit Blumberg-Rennie

37. Lopez Gambit Staunton-NN


38. Bishop’s Wing Gambit/ 39. MacDonnell Double Gambit Dubois-Wyvill

40. Centre Gambit Potter-Matthews

41. Danish Gambit Schnitzler-Alexandre

42. Vienna Gambit Purdy-Cowen

43. Hamppe-Allgaier Gambit Blackburne-Benfy

44. Hamppe-Allgaier-Thorold Gambit Hirschfield-Zukertort

45. Hamppe-Muzio Gambit Lange-v. Drygalski

46. Pierce Gambit Dinge-Walbrodt

47. Vienna-Cunningham Gambit Blackburne-Berry

48. Steinitz Gambit Steinitz-Zukertort

49. Fyfe Gambit NN-NN

50. Sicilian Wing Gambit Tartakower-Luckis

51. Albin-Chatard Gambit Alekhine-Fahrni

52. Alekhine Gambit Tramoyeres-Marin

53. Latvian (Counter)-Gambit Alonso-de Soto


54. Corkscrew Counter-Gambit Gamman-Blackburne

55. Lopez Counter Gambit NN-NN

56. Philidor Counter Gambit NN-Schallopp

57. Queen’s Pawn Counter Gambit Kozelen-Eliskases

58. Jaenisch Counter Gambit Gossip-Blackburne


59. Ponziani Counter Gambit Blackburne-Robey


60. Middleton Counter Gambit ‘MacR’-Hart

61. Gianutio Counter Gambit Milner-Barry-Alexander


62. Bledow Counter Gambit Swiderski-Teichmann

63. Bishop’s (Bryan) Counter Gambit Morphy-Maurian


64. Falkbeer Counter Gambit Gunsberg-v. Bardeleben

65. Calabrese Counter Gambit NN-Boden


66. Lewis Counter Gambit Chomat-Conill

67. Centre Counter Gambit Vergani-Blackburne

68. Swiss Gambit Wagner-v. Skerszewski

69. Lemberg Gambit Keres-Teltvecker

70. Reti Gambit Castaldi-Norcia


71. Staunton Gambit Gligoric-Kostic; Tartakower-Mieses

72. Blackmar’s Second Gambit Reti-Euwe


73. Blackmar’s First Gambit Wallis-NN



74. Queen’s Gambit Janowski-Schallopp


75. Marshall Gambit Janowski-Suechting


76. From (Counter)-Gambit Bird-Blackburne


77. Blumenfeld Counter Gambit Tarrasch-Alekhine


78. Budapest (Counter)-Gambit Bendix-Aitken

79. Tartakower Counter Gambit Whyte-Davis

80. Schara-Hennig Counter Gambit Pirc-Alekhine

81. Tarrasch Counter Gambit Barrera-Moritz

82. Albin Counter Gambit Karu-Keres

83. Winawer Counter Gambit Alapin-Marco

84. Benoni Counter Gambit NN-NN

85. Steinitz (Counter) Mason-Steinitz

86. Belgrade Gambit Markov-Rohacek

87. Ourousoff Gambit Schlechter-Neustadt & Tietz

88. Cochrane (Petroff) Gambit Gossip-City of Birmingham

89. Morra Gambit Tartakover-Lokvenc

90. Marshall (Counter-) Gambit Frere-Marshall

91. Charlick (Counter-) Gambit Apperley-Charlick

92. Milner-Barry Gambit Milner-Barry-Isles

93. Dilworth (Counter-) Gambit (mentioned by Fletcher who wrongly stated that it did not qualify for inclusion by his criteria) Estelles-Dilworth

94. Volga (now Benko) (Counter-) Gambit Bozic-Udovcic

95. Lisitsyn Gambit Haberditz-Hysek

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