The Gambit Files: Tactical Themes to Sharpen Your Play

by Bill Harvey

Sharpen your sword! Puzzle king Bill Harvey presents 237 violent positions from 15 gambit variations – ranging from the rare Lisitsin and the neglected Blumenfeld, to the popular Milner-Barry and the fashionable Gajewski – where one side is poised to deliver the final blow.

Studying typical tactics is one of the best ways to get to know an opening: you will discover the traps and the pitfalls, develop both a sense of danger and a feel for opportunities, and learn to stay always on the alert. In The Gambit Files, the author surveys the common tactical motifs for each variation, and then inivites you to hone your cut-and-thrust skills with thematic puzzles.

Whether you’re looking to breathe new life into your current openings or to overhaul your repertoire, The Gambit Files will help you to slay your opponents faster and with confidence.

About the Author

A veteran of hundreds of tournaments in online, postal and over-the-board competition, Bill Harvey has taught chess in schools for a dozen years in the Washington, D.C. area, and edited two chess puzzle columns.

Harvey is the webmaster of http://wtharvey.com where readers can find 10,000 critical positions from historical and modern games with a quick link to the solution. This is his first book.

----------------------------------------------

Introduction:

Long before I learned how to read chess notation, I remember marveling over the final position in the famous "Shower of Gold game, Levitsky-Marshall, �Breslau 1912. Notation can make a game permanent, but it is the winning combination that captures a young explorers attention. In any opening, �characteristicstrategies yield typical tactics. A good grounding in the combinations that we are likely to face in the opening we wish to master gives us a clearer understanding and appreciation of that opening.

Gambits are a remedy for chessplayers who have become complacent. As King Solomon would say, "Dont set your heart on your wealth, but never say, I � �have enough. Studying gambits makes us better � �people: Theres greed and fear, along with �braggadocio and uncertainty and to some extent, theres an�equal measure of each. This is exactly what gets in the way of formalized gambit study. Memorizing lines often leads to cold, unemotional middlegames. This is not really what the student seeks.

For this book I have reviewed thousands of chess games for interesting combinations, relying on the engines Rybka 3 and Fritz 6 to verify that the combinations here are sound and unique. These positions should give the reader a good idea of the kind of power that must be harnessed, or faced, in a gambit. Following the review of the themes and strategies for each gambit, I have provided a collection of puzzles taken from miniatures to help to improve the readers understanding of the variation. �The solutions are given at the end of the book, with their starting diagrams for convenience.Bill Harvey - Alexandria, Virginia - May 2010

---------------------------------------------------------------

The Gambit FilesEine interessante Buchidee hat der Amerikaner Bill Harvey mit seinem Werk "The Gambit Files", Untertitel "Tactical Themes to Sharpen Your Play" umgesetzt.

In 15 Kapiteln stellt er 15 mehr oder weniger bekannte und gängige Gambits vor, macht den Leser über mehrere Diagramme und daran vorgestellte Zugfolgen auf jeweils typische Wendungen aufmerksam und nimmt ihn dann in die "Pflicht", durch das Lösen von gestellten Diagrammaufgaben eigenes Gehirnschmalz zu investieren. Einerseits wird durch diese Aufgaben das Auge auf der Suche nach typischen Aktionen geschult, andererseits vermitteln diese auch etwas vom Wesen des gerade behandelten Gambits. Folgende Gambits sind, in der Reihenfolge der Kapitel, im Buch enthalten:Lisitsin-Gambit, Skandinavisch (Portugiesisches Gambit), Caro-Kann (Fantasy-Variante), Sizilianisches Flügelgambit, Tal-Gambit im Grand-Prix-Angriff, Milner-Barry-Gambit in der Französischen Verteidigung, Rosentreter-Gambit (Königsgambit), Cochrane-Gambit (Russische Verteidigung), Schottisches Gambit, Gajewski-Gambit (Spanische Partie), Albins Gegengambit, Winawer-Gegengambit (Damengambit), Geller-Gambit (Damengambit), Blumenfeld-Gambit und Polugajewski-Variante in der Damenindischen Verteidigung.

Im Anschluss an diese Kapitel schließen die Lösungen der oben genannten Aufgaben das Werk ab.

Mehr als ein ernstes Werk zur Theorie- und Taktikschulung ist "The Gambit Files" ein gelungener Beitrag zur Schachunterhaltung. Erlernen im engeren Sinne kann man eine Gambiteröffnung hiermit nicht. Auf eine solche scharfe Waffe aufmerksam werden aber kann man hierdurch sehr wohl. Auch kann das Buch dem Spieler, der mindestens eines der behandelten Gambits bereits im Repertoire hat, zusätzlichen Stoff geben.

Jeden Leser aber kann es unterhalten.

Aus meiner Sicht ist "The Gambit Files" ein hervorragender Urlaubsbegleiter oder die Lektüre zum geruhsamen Feierabend oder Wochenende. Ein Kapitel am Tag dürfte regelmäßig zu schaffen sein; ausnahmsweise aber kann dieses Pensum, wenn der Autor dem Leser eine besonders stattliche Zahl an Aufgaben stellt, zu ehrgeizig sein.

Die Anforderungen an die englischen Sprachkenntnisse des Lesers sind niedrig, die ohnehin nur kurzen Texte sind einfach geschrieben und kommen weitgehend mit Standardvokabeln aus.

"The Gambit Files" ist eine Bereicherung am Büchermarkt!

Das Rezensionsexemplar wurde freundlicherweise von der Firma Schach E. Niggemann (www.schachversand.de) zur Verfügung gestellt.(Uwe Bekemann)

----------------------------------------------------------

THE GAMBIT FILES. Tactical Themes to Sharpen your PlayBill Harvey. Moongose Press.

Afila tu espada!  El rey de los Puzzles de Ajedrez,  Bill Harvey presenta 237 posiciones violentas de 15 variaciones tácticas - que van desde la ra Lisitsin raras y la descuidada Blumenfeld, hasta el popular gambito Milner-Barry y la actualmente de modo Gambito Gajewski  en la apertura Española. Son posiciones en las que un lado está a punto  para dar el golpe final.

Todas las variantes tratadas son:

1) The Lisitsin Gambit, 2) La Defensa Escandinava, variante Portuguesa, 3) La Variante Fantasía en la CaroKann, 4) El Gambito del Ala, 5) El Gambito Tal en el Grand Prix, 6) El Ataque Milner Barry en la Defensa Francesa, 7) El Gambito Rosentreter, 8) El Gambito Cochrane en la Petroff 9) El Gambito Escocés, 10) El Gambito Gajewski en la Ruy Lopez, 11) El Comtragambito Albin, 12) El contragambito Winawer, 13. El Gambito Geller, 14) El Gambito Blumenfeld, 15. La variante Polugaevsky en la Defensa India de Dama.

El estudio de la táctica típica es una de las mejores maneras de conocer a una apertura: usted descubrirá las trampas y le ayudará  a desarrollar un sentido de peligro y una idea de las oportunidades que la posición le ofrece  y aprenderá a mantenerse siempre alerta.

En Archivos del Gambito, el autor examina los motivos tácticos comunes para cada variante, y luego le invita a perfeccionar sus habilidades de corte y empuje con los  rompecabezas temáticos.

Ya sea que usted está buscando para dar nueva vida a sus variantes actuales o para reformar su repertorio, Archivos del Gambito le ayudará a "matar" a sus oponentes más rápido y con mayor confianza.

Un veterano de cientos de torneos en la competencia en línea, postales y sobre el tablero, Bill Harvey ha enseñado ajedrez en las escuelas de una docena de años en el área de Washington, DC, y ha editado dos columnas del rompecabezas de ajedrez.

Harvey es el webmaster de wtharvey.com donde los lectores pueden encontrar 10.000 posiciones de partidas históricas y actuales con un acceso rápido a la solución. Este es su primer libro.

www.inforchess.com/catalogo/NIC3.htm

------------------------------------------------

"Bill Harvey bringt dem Leser 15 Gambits näher."

http://www.bdf-fernschachbund.de/newsletter/ausgaben/februar2011.html

--------------------------------------------------

The gambit files by Bill Harvey2010Mongoose PressBostonhttp://www.mongoosepress.com

The American Bill Harvey well known from his site http://wtharvey.com/ presents you in this book 237 gambit exercises, all divided from 15 gambit lines as the Lisitsin Gambit: 1.Nf3 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Ng5,Portuguesse Gambit: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 or better known as the Jadoul Variation of the Scandinavian Defence.Other lines are Caro-Kann Fantasy Variation: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3 dxe4 4.fxe4 e5 5.Nf3 exd4 6.Bc4,Wing Gambit: 1.e4 c5 2.b4 cb4 3.d4 d5 4.e5 Nc6,Grand Prix Attack-Tal Gambit:1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 Nf6 4.Bb5+ Bd7 5.Bxd7 Qxd7 6.c4 e6 7.Qe2 Bd6,French Attack-Milner –Barry Attack:1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 Bd7 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4,King’s Gambit,The Rosentreter Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.d4,Petroff’s Defence- Cochrane’s Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7 Kxf7 5.d4,The Scotch Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4,Ruy Lopez-Gajewski Gambit: 1.e4 e5 1.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 d5,Albin Counter Gambit 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5,The Winawer Counter Gambit:1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e5 4.dxe5 d4,The Geller Gambit: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.e4,The Blumenfeld Gambit: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 b5 and at last the Queen’s Indian Defence-Polugaevsky Variation:1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7

5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.d5 exd5 8.Nh4.Every above mentioned line is covered with a collection model games,as the classic beauty Staunton,Howard - Brodie,Alfred [C44]London knockout London (1.1), 27.05.18511.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.0-0 Qf6 7.e5 Qe7 8.a3 cxb2 9.Bxb2 Bc5 10.Nc3 d6 11.Nd5 Qd8 12.exd6 Bxd6 13.Bxg7 Bg4 14.Re1+ Nge7 15.Nf6# 1-0,and not to forget a lot of entertaining puzzles!Conclusion: A very enjoyable gambit book!

http://chessbooks.nl/elburg156.html

------------------------------------------------------------

I received this book through the Member Giveaway.

In this book, Harvey lists 15 gambits (openings and countergambits). Variations are explained, comparative advantages of the positions are explained, and several puzzles are offered for each of the 15 gambits.

The book uses both algebraic notation and lots and lots of board shots to explain movements. One need not have extensive mastery of chess in order to understand what is happening, though you will need to learn algebraic notation (which is not difficult to do).

The book is nicely produced and would be suitable for a family that plays chess together or a public library collection. This could not be one's sole source on chess, but it is a great secondary source. ( )

BenTreat | Feb 25, 2011

-------------------------------------------------------

I received the Member Giveaway book (Thanks Bill for the autographed copy).

I have so far read just 5 of the gambits and trying to master them.

The book servers a great purpose of grouping various possibilities of chess-positions under the famous Gambits. It has so far helped to identify a position as a gambit and go for the kill (OR avoid the pitfall).

The standard algebraic notation is easy to understand, even if you are not already aware of it. The puzzles are huge in number and helps to master the gambit.

however, keeping a chess software open with you will help even further.

The only 'cons' side of the book is that it'll make you addictive to chess and you'll have to look for someone to try these gambits out!

 ankushag | Mar 20, 2011