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| Moves | 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nxe5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ECO | C47 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Four Knights Game | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Synonym(s) |
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TheHalloween Gambit (also known as theMüller–Schulze Gambit orLeipzig Gambit) is an aggressivechess openinggambit in which White sacrifices a knight early on for a single pawn. The opening is an offshoot of the normally staidFour Knights Game and is defined by the moves:
The theoreticianOskar Cordel reported in 1888 thatLeipzig club players used the opening to dangerous effect, but he did not believe it wassound. Their name for it,Gambit Müller und Schulze, was not after any players by those names, but rather a jocular German equivalent of "Smith and Jones" or "Tom, Dick, and Harry". The modern name "Halloween Gambit" was given by the German player Steffen Jakob, who explained that "Many players are shocked, the way they would be frightened by a Halloween mask, when they are mentally prepared for a boring Four Knight's, and then they are faced with Nxe5."[1]
White's objective is to seize thecenter with pawns and drive back Black's knights. After 4... Nxe5, White usually plays 5. d4 (5.f4 does nothing fordevelopment), after which Black can retreat the attacked knight to either g6 or c6.
| 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 | ||
When Black retreats 5...Ng6, White chases the f6-knight with 6.e5. Then after 6...Ng8 7.Bc4, former world championMax Euwe recommended 7...d5 8.Bxd5 c6, contending in volume 11 of his opening series that Black has a decisive advantage.[1]Grandmaster (GM)Larry Kaufman recommends instead 8...N8e7 in this line, but prefers the 5...Nc6 lines, saying that 5...Ng6 "should also be good but is unnecessarily risky".[2]
Instead of holding on to the extra piece with the usual 6...Ng8, a more logical continuation according toEric Schiller is 6...Bb4, giving Black the better game after 7.exf6 Qxf6 with a lead in development and pressure in the center.[3]
When Black retreats 5...Nc6, White chases the knight again with 6.d5. Then Black has 6...Ne5 (the Main line), or 6...Bb4 (Piński's move).
| 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 | ||
After 6...Ne5, White chases again with 7.f4. Then after 7...Ng6 the game usually continues 8.e5 Ng8 9.d6 cxd6 10.exd6 (see diagram). In this case White's attack is very dangerous, and likely to prevail in practical play, with the threat of Nb5–c7 difficult to defend satisfactorily. Precise defense may theoretically preserve Black'smaterial advantage but White has achieved their opening objectives.
| 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 | ||
GMLarry Kaufman wrote in 2004 that the Müller–Schulze Gambit isrefuted by 4...Nxe5 5.d4 Nc6 6.d5 Bb4! 7.dxc6 Nxe4 8.Qd4 Qe7, which he attributes to the PolishIM Jan Piński.[4][5] In 2003, Piński analyzed 9.Qxg7 (there is also the defensive resource 9.Be3 and after 9...0-0 10.Bd3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Bd6 12.cxb7 Bxb7 13.0-0 White has equalized the material but Black has more open lines and can take control quicker being a tempo up; Kaufman wrote in 2020 that after 13...Rfe8 14.Rab1 Bc6, "White has no compensation for his poor pawn structure")[2] 9...Nxc3+ 10.Be3 Nd5+ 11.c3 Rf8 12.cxb4 Nxe3 13.fxe3 Qxb4+, concluding "Black is very close to winning".[6]
A similar gambit can be tried by Black: after 4.g3, Black can play 4...Nxe4!? This line is arguably sounder than its White counterpart because White's 4.g3 has weakened the f3-square. Moreover, White cannot play the line recommended by Kaufman with colors reversed, because 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Nc3 d4 7.Bb5? dxc3 8.Nxe5? Qd5 9.Qe2? loses to 9...Qxh1+. However, with the pawn on g3, Nh4 is possible and it should be easier tocastle.[5]
The followingspeed chess games (played by Brause, a chess computer) show what can befall an unprepared player of the black pieces:
The next game, played in a Halloween Gambit thematic tournament, won the prize for the most spectacular game won by White.
