Fischer, Bobby - A Bust to the King's Gambit (Article).pdf

A BUST TO THE KING'S GAMBIT1Bobby FischerThe King's Gambit has lost popularity, but not sympathy. Analysts treat itwith kid gloves and seem reluctant to demonstrate an outright refutation.“The Chessplayers Manual” by Gossip and Lipschütz, published in 1874,devotes 237 pages to this gambit without arriving at a conclusion. To thisday the opening has been analyzed romantically - not seem to share the same unconscious attitude that caused the old-timers to curse stubborn Steinitz: “He took the beauty out of chess”.To the public, the player of the King's Gambit exhibits courage andderring-do. The gambit has been making eback with the youngerSoviet masters, notably Spassky (who defeated Bronstein, Averbach andmyself with it). His victories rarely reflected the merits of the openingsince his opponents went wrong in the mid-game. It is often the case,also, as with Santasiere and Bronstein, that the King's Gambit is playedwith a view to a favorable endgame. Spassky told me himself the gambitdoesn't give White much, but he plays it because neither does the RuyLopez nor the Giuoco . Published in American Chess Quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Summer 1961), pp. 3-9. The refutation of any gambit begins epting it. In my opinion the King'sGambit is busted. It loses by . e2-e4e7-e52. f2-f4e5xf4 3. g1-f3d7-d6!This