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English-Weidenhagen Gambit
by Clyde Nakamura

The key to playing the EWG is to play it strategically.  One game scenario involves the Sicilian Maroczy Bind pawn structure with white pawns at c4 and e4 and no pawn at d4 and a Black half-open c-file.  The Maroczy Bind pawn structure is very dangerous for those who play the Sicilian Defense (1.e4 c5) because it prevents the thematic center pawn break d5 by Black.  This pawn break is one of the goals for Black in the Sicilian Defense to activate the Black pieces.  Black could ultimately play a passive game with no counter attack.  In the EWG White first shuts down any kind of Black counter attack.  If Black has castled kingside and there is a half open g-file, White can stack rooks on the g or h file. If Black has castled kingside and created a fianchetto position then White can place a rook on h1 and push the h pawn down to h5 to pry open the h file. If Black blocks the h pawn push with the move h5 then White can focus on a piece sacrifice on the g6 pawn to blow open the Black kingside position.

A second game scenario occurs when you have White pawns at c4, d3, and e4 and Black has pawns at c5 d6 and e5.  This means that the center is totally blocked for both sides.  If Black castles kingside then White can push the f-pawn to f4 to create a half open f-file.  If Black castles queenside then White should place a rook behind the b-pawn and push the b-pawn to b4 to create a half open b-file.  White can then stack rooks on the b-file and swing the Queen to the a-file to assist in the attack.
 

GAMBIT ACCEPTED 2…Nxg4

After 3.e4 Nf6

Rechberg takes the gambit pawn at g4 and retreats the knight to f6 as soon as I played e4.  In this position Black normally plays d6.  I pushed my pawn to e5 to chase the Black knight at f6 and the knight retreated back to the g8 square.  This is an Alekhine's Defense Four Pawn Attack opening setup (white pawns at c4, d5, e4 & f4) with a half open g-file.  Black sets up a kingside fianchetto and castles kingside.  White castles queenside and sets up for a kingside attack.  Black exchanges his king knight for my bishop.  This further weakened Black's kingside position.  Black further tried for a queenside attack on the White king but I neutralized that threat with a rook move to guard the b2 pawn.  I managed to open the g-file to Black's king and swung my queen over to the kingside.  Black then retreated the Queen to the kingside to stop my attack.  I stacked rooks on the g-file to attack the Black bishop at g7 which provided cover for the black king.  When I activated my bishop into the attack Black was getting into deeper and deeper trouble.

Evilone (1925) – Rechberg (1992)  Playchess.com  7/17/05  Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 Nf6 {Normally in the games I have played black does not move the N back to f6 right away. Black almost always play 3...d6.} 4. e5 Ng8 5. d4 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. Qd2 h5 8. Nc3 c6 9. f4 Nh6 10. Nf3 Nf5 11. O-O-O Nxe3 {Black has spent 3 tempo to take out my bad B at e3. Black lost one tempo in the transaction.} 12. Qxe3 O-O 13. Kb1 d5 14. c5 {I was attempting to lock down the center to shut down any kind of black counter attack on my queenside castled position.} Bf5+ 15. Ka1 e6 16. Ne2 Nd7 17. Ng3 b6 18. cxb6 Qxb6 19. Nh4 Rab8 20. Rd2 {Forced, otherwise I get checkmated at b2.} c5 21. Ngxf5 exf5 [diagram]

After 3.e4 Ne5

After Yefim8126 accepted the gambit pawn at g4, the Black knight retreated to e5.  I then played d4 to chase the Black knight at e5.  I quickly developed all of my pieces and castled queenside.  I had 4 pieces attacking the Black kingside whereas Black only had 2 pieces to guard his kingside.  I then sacrificed my knight on the f7 pawn and stacked rooks and the queen on the half open g-file.  Black opened the f-file and attacked my king but the Black attack was too slow.  White could sacrifice the bishop and still checkmate the Black king.
 

Evilone (2038) – Yefim8126 (1927)  Playchess.com  7/31/05 Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 Ne5 {A novel move. Black normally plays 3...d6. I am not sure if this is a bad move for black.} 4. d4 Nec6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. Bd2 O-O 8. Bd3 Bxc3 9. Bxc3 d5 10. Qe2 {White is preparing to complete his development by moving the Q off the back rank, connecting the 2 rooks and castling queenside.} dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nd7 12. O-O-O Nb6 13. Bd3 Na4 14. Rhg1 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Ne7 16. Ng5 Ng6 17. e5 Qe7 18. Qh5 h6 19. Nxf7 Qxf7 (19... Rxf7 20. Qxg6 Qa3+ 21. Kb1 Qxc3 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Bc2 Qb4+ 24. Bb3 Ke8 25. Rxg7 Rxg7 26.Qxg7 c6 27. Qxh6 {+- 1.91}) 20. Rxg6 Qxf2 21. Rdg1 (21. Rxg7+ Kxg7 22. Qg6+ Kh8 23. Qh7# {Yes I missed this easy checkmate.}) 21... Qe3+ 22. Kc2 Rf2+ 23. Kb3 Bd7 24. Rxg7+ Kh8 25. Qg6 {+- mate in 7 moves according to Fritz8.  Black cannot stop checkmate.} 1-0
 

White has the following possibilities:

Line 1:  4.Be2   This is the main accepted line most often played.
Line 2:  4.f3      This is a main accepted line (there are no games with this line).
Line 3:  4.d4     This is a main accepted line (there are no games with this line).
Line 3:  4.Nf3   This is a main accepted line (there are no games with this line).
 

Line 1: Gambit Main Accepted Line 4.Be2

This was the first known game that I had played the EWG.  I believe it was a tournament game but I am not sure what tournament.  Gilbert Busby was a chess student of my friend National Master Reynolds Takata and a very strong junior player.  Busby accepted the gambit pawn at g4 and White gained a space advantage with d5.  Busby dropped a B in the opening and played for a counter attack on my kingside castled position.  White later exchanged Queens and had a won endgame.

Clyde Nakamura – Gilbert Busby   7/24/88

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 {The English-Weidenhagen Gambit} Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 (4... h5 {Also possible is.}) 5. Nc3 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d4 g6 8. d5 {played to gain a space advantage} Ne5 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. Be3 b6 11. f4 Bh6 12. O-O Ba6 ?? {It looks like a thematic move but it was a blunder. The black bishop drops. Better was 12...0-0.} 13. Qa4+ ! b5 14. Qxa6 b4 15. Na4 Nxe4 16. Qc6+ Kf8 (16... Qd7 17. Qxa8+ {yes the R drops}) 17. Rf3 Rc8 18. Qa6 Qd7 19. Kh1 Kg7 20. fxe5 Bxe3 21. Rxe3 Nf2+ (21... Qf5 22. e6 Nf2+ 23. Kg2 Ng4 24. Bxg4 Qxg4+ 25. Kh1 {+- 3.52}) 22. Kg2 Ng4 23. Re4 h5 24. Bxg4 hxg4 25. e6 (25. Rf4 Qc7 26. Raf1 Qxe5 27. Rxf7+ Kh6 28. Qe6 Qxe6 29. dxe6 Rc7 30. Rd1 {+- 5.19}) 25... Qc7 26. Rh1 {forced since Black threatened Qxa2+ or Rxa2+} f5 27. d6 exd6 28. Ree1 d5 29. e7 Qf4 30. Qe6 Qf3+ 31. Kg1 g3 32. Qe5+ Kf7 33. Qxd5+ Qxd5 34. cxd5 gxh2+ 35. Rxh2 Rxh2 36. Kxh2 Ke8 37. d6 c4 38. Nc5 {Black cannot play 38.. .Rxc5 because 39.d7+ Kxd7 40. e8Q wins immediately - time left white 5:54 black 5:34} 1-0
 

Pocholo accepted the g pawn and played the d6 move that I had expected, but retreated his knight to the e4 square after I had attacked the knight at g4 with Be2.  Black continued to waste moves with the king knight.  I then proceeded to lock the center pawns to shut down any kind of Black counter play.  I later sacrificed a knight at g7 and forced Black to exchange rooks on the g-file.  Black had placed his two knights down my queenside to attack my king.  But this attack was too slow.  In the meantime I had placed my rook on the open g-file and moved my Queen over to the Black kingside.  Black then retreated his Queen to cover his king.  White then pushed h-pawn down the h-file and Black's king fell into a mating net.

Evilone (1838) – Pocholo (2433)   Playchess.com   7/5/05  Friendly Game, 3m + 12s

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 {A gambit similar to the Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit.} Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. Be2 Ne5 {Best was dropping the N back to f6. Black was really trying to entice my pawns forward.} 5. d4 Nec6 6. d5 Ne5 7. f4 Ned7 8. Nf3 e5 9. Nc3 Be7 10. h4 {I could not allow Black to check my king .} O-O 11. f5 {I was trying to further gain more space and shut down any kind of counter play on Black's part.} f6 {A curious move. Now Black's B is worse than a pawn.} 12. Be3 Nc5 13. Qd2 Nba6 14. O-O-O {Now I have achieved full development. All my pieces are developed and I have safely castled king side.} c6 15. Rdg1 Rf7 16. h5 h6 ? {This drops a pawn.} 17. Bxh6 Bf8 18. Bxg7 (18. Be3 {Fritz8 suggested this move but it gives Black far too much counter play.} cxd5 19. h6 Nxe4 20. h7+ Kh8 21. Qxd5 Qe8 22. Nh4 Bxf5 23. Nxf5 g5 24. Qxe4 Qc6 25. Qg4 Qd7 26. Ne4 Qc7 27. Nxf6 Nb4 28. Qxg5 Bg7 29. Nxg7 Nxa2+ 30. Kd2 Qa5+ 31. Kd1 Nc3+ 32. Kc2 Ne4 33. Nge8 Qa4+ 34. Kb1 Nc3+ 35. Kc1 Na2+ 36. Kd2 Qb4+ 37. Kd1 Nc3+ 38. Kc2 Qa4+ 39. Kxc3 Qa5+ 40. Kc2 Qa4+ 41. Kb1 {This line wins but Black had far too much counter play. My line was better that what was suggested by Fritz8.}) 18... Rxg7 19. h6 Rxg1+ 20. Rxg1+ Kh7 21. Kb1 Qa5 22. Rg6 (22. Ng5+ {Fritz8 found this move which is a really good move. It wins in a shorter time than my line.} Kh8 23. Nf7+ Kh7 24. Bh5 Bxf5 25. exf5) 22... Qd8 23. Qe1 Qe7 24. Qh1 Bd7  ? {24...Nxe4 was better} 25. Qh4 Nb4 {Not sure why Black is wasting time on the Queen side, since the attack on the king side is getting stronger with each move.} 26. Rxf6 Qd8 [Diagram]

After retreating the knight, C4rtuch0 blocked the center with pawns at c5, d6 & e5.  I had pawns at c4, d3 & e4.  White pinned the knight at f6 with Bg5 and placed a rook on the g-file.  Black castled kingside and I attacked the king with Bh6.  Black countered with Ng4.  At this point I sacrificed the B at g7 and played h3 to recover the material.  I later sacrificed my N at g4 to open up the g-file and create mating threats.  The black king later escaped to the queenside but Black lost some pawns and it was clear that the endgame was lost.

Evilone (1902) – C4rtuch0 (2216)     Playchess.com    7/16/05   Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nf3 {Black has blocked the d4 pawn advance.} c5 7. d3 Nc6 8. Bg5 Be7 9. Rg1 O-O 10.Bh6 Ng4 11. Bxg7 {An interesting B sacrifice. White gets back the piece after 11...Kxg7 12.h3.}Kxg7 12. h3 f5 13. hxg4 fxg4 14. Nh2 h5 15. Nxg4 {A second speculative sacrifice.} hxg4 16. Bxg4 Kh6 17. Rh1+ Bh4 18. Qd2+ Kg7 (18... Qg5 19. Rxh4+ {+- 3.81 the move 18...Qg5 was not good for Black.}) 19.Bxc8 Rxc8 20. O-O-O Bg5 (20... Rxf2 21. Rdg1+ Kf7 22. Qh6 Qh8 23. Qg6+ Ke7 24.Nd5+ Kd7 25. Qg4+ Kd8 26. Rxh4 {+- 6.12 and Black is in trouble.}) 21. Rdg1 Kg6 22. Kb1 Nd4 23. Qd1 Rh8 24. Rxh8 Qxh8 25. Qg4 Qd8 26. Rh1 Kg7 27. Qh5 [Diagram]

Both Evilone and Zeven castled Queenside.  Zeven could have won the exchange of B for R earlier but did not do so.  I had locked down the center so that there was no counterattack that Black could do.  White had a definite edge coming out of the opening because several of Black's pieces were still on the back rank and White also had the space advantage.  I proceeded to attack the Black king by shifting my rooks onto the c-file and placed my rook at b3.  Black retreated his king to the 7^th rank and later played a really bad move which lost in several moves.  But I believe White's attack was still too strong even without that Black error.

Evilone (2010) – Zeven (1909)   Playchess.com    6/19/05    Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d4 Nxd4 8.Nxd4 exd4 9. Qxd4 Qe7 10. Rg1 Qe5 11. Qd3 Qxh2 12. Rf1 Be6 {? Black had 12...Bh3 winning the exchange.} 13. Be3 Be7 14. O-O-O Qe5 15. f4 Qa5 16. f5 Bd7 {Driving the B back to further cramp Blacks game.} 17. Rg1 Rg8 18. Kb1 {The thematic K move after castling kingside.} O-O-O 19. Rc1 {I wanted to setup for a kingside attack on the Black K. The R is in line with the Black K.} Bc6 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. cxd5 {White now has the half open c file.} Kb8 22. Rc3 Qa4 23. Bf3 {I needed to guard the pawn at e4 because Black could capture it and force a trade of Queens.} a6 24. Rgc1 Ne8 {Fritz8 suggested 24...Nd7 instead. I believe this move is better than what was played because the Black N can go to e4 to cause problems for White.} 25. Rb3 Bf6 26. Rc4 Qd7 27. Bf2 {I wanted to play my Q to e3 to create mating threats on the Black K.} c5 {?? This is a major error that loses the game. Better was 27...Ka8 according to Fritz8.} 28. dxc6 Qe7 29. Rxb7+ Qxb7 30. cxb7 g6 31. Qe3 {Black cannot stop mate.} 1-0
 

After the opening the position was closed and De lion castled into a kingside fianchettoed position.  White castled queenside and positioned his two knights at f5 and e4 and pushed the h-pawn to open up the h-file.  White missed the easy win with the Nf6 check but the White attack later picked off the Black queen and the game.

Evilone (1905) – De lion (1953)   Playchess.com   10/4/04   Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nf3 g6 {A kingside etto. It will not be easy to crack the Black kingside position if Black castles kingside.} 7. d4 Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Bg5 Bg7 10. Qd2 h6 11. Bh4 g5 12. Bg3 Nh5 13. O-O-O {White has achieved full development. He has castled to a safe position on the Queenside and has moved the Q off the back rank to connect the 2 rooks. Black is still behind in development.} Nf4 14. Bxf4 exf4 15. Nd4 Ng6 16. Bh5 Qf6 17. f3 a6 18. Rhe1 Bd7 19. Bg4 {My B at h5 was not doing much. I believe it was better to trade off my bad B at h5.} Bxg4 20. fxg4 Ne5 21. h3 Nxc4 22. Qf2 b5 23. Nf5 O-O 24. e5 {A move not considered by Fritz8. It is a pawn sac to move my N to a better attacking square at e4.} Nxe5 25. Ne4 Qd8 26. h4 Ng6 27. hxg5 hxg5 28. Rh1 Re8 29. Rde1 Nh4 30. Nxh4 gxh4 31. Rxh4 Qe7 32. g5 Qd7 33. Qxf4 Rxe4 {Black cannot allow the N check at f6. It will really compromise the Black kingside position. White will have mating threats that cannot be stopped.} 34. Qxe4 a5 35. g6 fxg6 36. Qxg6 Qf7 37. Qh7+ Kf8 38. Rh5 Qf6 (38... Re8 39. Rxe8+ Kxe8 40. Qe4+ Kd8 41. Rf5 Qg8 42. a4 Be5 43. axb5 Qg1+ 44. Kd2 Qa1 45. Rf8+ Ke7 46. Rg8 Qxb2+ 47. Qc2 a4 48. Qxb2 Bxb2 49. Kc2 a3 50. Kb3 Kd7 51. Ra8 Ke7 52. Ra4 Kd7 53. Rh4 Kc8 {+- 2.38}) 39. Rf5 1-0
 

Matthias Budt accepted the gambit pawn, retreated the N and castled into a kingside fianchetto position.  White obtained the half open d-file and pinned the N at f6 with the B and eventually won a N because of the pin.  Matthias Budt resigned immediately.

Evilone (1917) – Matthias Budt (2086)   Playchess.com   8/28/05  Game 5 min.

13. e5 dxe5 14. Qxe5 (14. Qh4 Qa5 15. Bxf6 O-O 16. Rg3 h6 17. Bd3 Rae8 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Qh5 Rh8 20. Rxg6+ fxg6 21. Qxg6+ Kf8 22. Qf6+ Bf7 23. Qxh8+ Ke7 24. Qxh6 {+- 6.22}) 14... Qe7 15. Ne4 O-O (15... Nxe4 16. Qxg7 Qf8 17. Qe5 Nxg5 18. Rxg5 Rg8 19. Bg4 Qe7 20. Bxe6 Qxe6 21. Qc3 Kf8 22. Re5 Qf6 23. Rd2 h6 24. Kb1 Rd8 25. Re8+ Kxe8 (25... Kg7 26. Qxf6+ Kxf6 27. Rdxd8 {+- 5.25 and Black is a R down.}) 26. Qxf6 Rxd2 27.Qf4 Rd8 28. Qc7 g5 29. Qxb7 Rg6 30. Qxa7 Rd7 {+/- 0.76}) 16. Nxf6+ {+- 4.44 Black has dropped a piece} 1-0

JJ. Gonzlez – M.M. Veras  La Salle o  1990  Analyzed by Fritz8

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. Nc3 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 g6 {Consolidates f5+h5} 9. Be3 Bg7 10. Rg1 O-O  11. Qd2 Bd7 12. O-O-O Rc8 13. f4 e5 ({better is} 13... a6 {!? =/+ should be investigated more closely}) 14. Ndb5 +/= Ne8 15. f5 ({Worse is } 15. Nxa7 exf4 16. Bf2 Nxa7 17. Bxa7 Bxc3 18. Qxc3 Ra8 {-/+}) 15... Ne7 {?} ({better is} 15... a6 {and Black can hope to live} 16. Nxd6 Nxd6 17. Qxd6 Nd4 18. Bxd4 exd4 {=}) 16. Nxd6 +- Nxf5 ?? {Black has lost his nerve... understandable when you consider his position} ({better is} 16... Nxd6 17. Qxd6 Bxf5 {+-}) 17. Nxf5 (17. Nxf5 gxf5 18. exf5 {+-} ) 1-0
 

Mur2005 fianchettoed queenside and played Bb7.  White had to hand castle to avoid the Bh4 check.  Black did not guard the g7 square and I played Nxg7+ which put the Black king in a bad position.  I later played Ne6 double check which did win the Black Q.

Evilone (1901) – Mur2005   Playchess.com 8/14/05 Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nf3 b6 {A different line from what I normally see in the English- Weidenhagen Gambit.}7. d4 exd4 {Fritz8 recommends 7...Nbd7 instead of 7...exd4.} 8. Nxd4 Bb7 9. f3 {Forced otherwise the white e pawn drops.} Be7 10. Be3 Nh5 11. Kd2 {At this point I decided hand castle since I could not stop the B check at h4.} Nd7 12. Kc2 c5 13. Nf5 {This is a good outpost for my N since it attacks both the black d pawn and the g pawn.} Nhf6 {?? This is a real bad move since the g pawn now drops and the black K gets into a bad position.} 14. Nxg7+ Kf8 15. Bh6 Ng8 {?? A fatal error. The black Q has to move because of the discovered double check with the N on e6, otherwide the black Q drops.} 16. Ne6+ 1-0
 

After castling kingside into a fianchetto position Melissos dropped a piece from an e5 pawn push because of the B pin on the king knight at f6.  Black further compounded the problem by allowing White to open the h-file to connect the white Q & R in the kingside attack.

Evilone (1898)-Melissos (1989)   Playchess.com   2/27/06   Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 {The English-Weidenhagen Gambit} Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. Be2 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Nf3 {A normal position in this gambit.} g6 7. d4 exd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. Bg5 O-O 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. O-O-O Rb8 {? Black did not see my pawn push 13.e5 which wins at least a piece.} 13. e5 h6 (13... dxe5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8 15. Rxd8+ Bf8 16. Bxf6 {+- 13.16 Black is totally lost since my next move will be Be7 winning another piece.}) 14. exf6 hxg5 15. fxg7 Re8 16. h4 gxh4 {? Another error. Now my Q goes to h6 threatening mate.} 17. Qh6 f5 18. Rxh4 Qf6 {? this loses immediately with 19.Qh7+ g8Q double check and mate.} (18... Kf7 19. Rg1 Qf6 20. Rxg6 Qxg6 21. Bh5 Ke7 22. Bxg6 {+- mate in 10 moves according to Fritz8.}) 19. Qh7+ 1-0
 

Line 2: Gambit Main Accepted Line 4.f3 (no games exist)

I do not recommend this line.  The move 4.f3 creates too many kingside weaknesses.  See analysis below.

Analysis Accepted Line 4.f3   Analysis by Nakamura & Fritz8  3/10/06

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. f3 e5 5. h4 (5. fxg4 Qh4+ 6. Ke2 Bxg4+ 7. Nf3 Bxf3+ 8. Kxf3 Qh5+ {-+ 8.31 and now Whites Q drops. This line is very bad for White.}) (5. Ne2 Qh4+ 6. Ng3 Nxh2 7. Kf2 d5 8. d4 exd4 9. exd5 Bd6 10. f4 Bxf4 11. Qe1+ Kd8 12. Bxf4 Qxf4+ 13. Kg2 Ng4 {-+ 4.62}) 5... Nh6 6. d4 Be7 7. Bxh6 (7. dxe5 Bxh4+ 8. Ke2 Be6 9. Bxh6 Bxc4+ 10. Kd2 Bxf1 11. Qxf1 dxe5+ 12. Kc2 gxh6 13. Nc3 Nd7 14. Rd1 Rg8 15. Qb5 Bf2 16. Qxb7 Rg2 17. Nge2 Bd4 18. Rxh6 Bxc3 19. Kxc3 Rb8 20. Qd5 c6 21. Qd2 Nc5 22. Qxd8+ Rxd8 23. Rxd8+ Kxd8 24. Kd2 Ne6 25. Ke3 Ke7 26. Rxh7 c5 27. b3 a5 28. Rh6 Nd4 29. Nc3 Nc2+ 30. Kd3 Nb4+ 31. Ke3 Rc2 32. Na4 Nxa2 {-/+ 0.75 and the game favors Black.}) 7... gxh6 8. Kd2 Bxh4 9. Ne2 Nc6 10. d5 Bg5+ 11. Kc2 Nb4+ 12. Kb3 Na6 13. a3 Nc5+ 14. Ka2 a5 15. Nbc3 a4 16. Qc2 Qf6 17. Bg2 c6 18. Raf1 Rg8 19. Bh3 Bxh3 20. Rxh3 Be3 {=/+ 0.60} *
 

Line 3: Gambit Main Accepted Line 4.d4 (no games exist)

I also do not recommend this line.  The best White can hope for is an even position.  Most all of the lines favor Black.  See analysis below.

Analysis Accepted Line 4.d4   Analysis by Nakamura & Fritz8  3/10/06

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. d4 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Nxd4 (6. Qxd4 Nc6 7. Qd3 Nge5 8. Qb3 Nxf3+ 9. Qxf3 Ne5 10. Qg3 f5 11. Bg2 Nxc4 12. O-O c6 13. exf5 Qf6 14. Re1+ Kf7 15. Nc3 Kg8 16. Ne4 Qxf5 17. b3 d5 18. bxc4 dxe4 19. Bxe4 Qf7 20. Bd3 Be6 21. Bb2 b6 22. Rac1 Re8 {= A very strange position. Blacks R is still trapped within its own pawn structure. Even though Black is a pawn up Fritz8 says that the position is even.}) (6. Bg5 f6 7. Bf4 c5 8. Nbd2 Ne5 9. a3 Nbc6 10. Rg1 Qb6 11. Qc2 g5 12. Bg3 g4 13. Nh4 Bh6 14. O-O-O d3 15. Bxd3 Nd4 16. Qc3 Nb3+ 17. Kb1 Nxd2+ 18. Rxd2 Bxd2 19. Qxd2 Be6 20. Qc3 Qa6 21. Nf5 Bxf5 22. exf5 O-O-O 23. Rd1 h5 24. Bh4 {-+ 2.38}) 6... Qh4 7. Qf3 Ne5 8. Qf4 Bg4 9. Qg3 Qxg3 10. hxg3 Na6 11. Nd2 Nc5 {-/+ 0.87 and this does not look good for White.} *
 

Line 4: Gambit Main Accepted Line 4.Nf3 (no games exist)

This line is not to be recommended.  See Analysis below.

Analysis Accepted Line 4.Nf3   Analysis by Nakamura & Fritz8  3/11/06

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. Nf3 c5 5. d4 (5. Nc3 Ne5 6. Rg1 Nbc6 7. d3 Bg4 8. Be2 Bxf3 9. Bxf3 e6 10. Rg3 Nxf3+ 11. Rxf3 Be7 12. Rg3 Bh4 13. Rg2 Bf6 14. Be3 O-O 15. Qe2 a6 16. Qf3 b5 17. Nd1 Nb4 18. Qe2 Be5 19. a3 Nc6 20. f4 Bd4 21. Qg4 f5 22. exf5 exf5 23. Qf3 Qc7 {-+ 1.56}) (5. Rg1 Ne5 6. d4 Nxf3+ 7. Qxf3 cxd4 8. Bd3 Qa5+ 9. Nd2 Nd7 10. Be2 g6 11. a3 Bg7 12. b4 Qc7 13. Bb2 a5 14. b5 a4 15. h4 Ne5 16. Qg3 d3 17. Bf1 Be6 18. Rd1 Nf3+ 19. Qxf3 Bxb2 20. Qxd3 Qc5 21. Rg3 Bd4 22. Qf3 {-+2.38}) 5... cxd4 6. Nxd4 (6. Qxd4 Nc6 7. Qd2 Nge5 8. Be2 Bd7 9. Nc3 Rc8 10. b3 g6 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Bb2 Bg7 13. h4 Nd4 14. h5 e6 15. O-O-O Bc6 16. Kb1 Qa5 17. Bd3 h6 18. hxg6 fxg6 19. f4 O-O 20. fxe5 Qxe5 21. Rh3 Nf3 22. Qg2 Ng5 23. Rh4 Rcd8 24. Bc2 Qf6 25. Qg3 Qf3 26. Qe1 Qg2 {-+ 2.44}) 6... Qb6 7. h3 Nc6 8. hxg4 Qxd4 9. Nd2 Ne5 10. Be2 Bd7 11. g5 Bc6 12. Qc2 a5 13. Rh4 a4 14. Nf3 Nxf3+ 15. Bxf3 a3 16. Bg2 axb2 17. Bxb2 Qc5 18. Qd2 Qxc4 19. Bf1 Qc5 20. Bd4 Qa3 21. Rh3 Qa4 22. f3 e5 23. Bc3 Be7 24. Bb4 h5 {-+ 1.56} *
 

ENGLISH-WEIDENHAGEN GAMBIT DECLINED

Line 1: 2…e5
Line 2: 2…d5
Line 3: 2…c5
Line 4: 2…e6
Line 5: 2…d6
Line 6: 2…g6
Line 7: 2…c6
Line 8: 2…h6  This is the main Black declined line most often played.
 

Declined Line 1: 2…e5

This line is almost like the Oshima line of the Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.g4 e5) except that White cannot capture the e-pawn because the white and black pawns do not touch each other.

Analysis Declined Line 2..e5   Nakamura & Fritz8    3/9/06

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 e5 3. h3 {White does not have to push the g pawn.} (3. g5 Ne4 4. Nf3 Bc5 5. e3 Nxg5 6. Rg1 h6 7. Nxe5 d6 8. Nd3 Nc6 9. Bg2 Ne5 10. Nxc5 dxc5 11. d4 Bg4 12. Qa4+ b5 13. Qxb5+ Bd7 14. Qb7 Nd3+ 15. Ke2 Nxc1+ 16. Rxc1 Rb8 {+/= 0.44}) 3... h5 4. g5 Ne4 5. h4 (5. g6 Qf6 6. gxf7+ Qxf7 7. Nf3 Bc5 8. d4 exd4 9. Qd3 d5 10. cxd5 Qxd5 11. Bg2 Bf5 12. Nfd2 Nxd2 13. Bxd5 Bxd3 14. exd3 c6 15. Bxc6+ Nxc6 16. Nxd2 {=/+ 0.38}) 5... Bc5 6. e3 d5 7. Bg2 c6 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. Nc3 Bf5 10. Qb3 Nc6 11. Nxd5 Bb6 {=} *
 

White pushed the g-pawn to chase the black N at f6.  Takatan countered by attacking my f-pawn with the Black B.  Black then picked off the g-pawn but got into trouble in the opening.  White had a kingside attack brewing and forced the Black K to be temporarily trapped at f8.  White hand castled by moving the K to the middle of the board.  White missed the winning combination and eventually played one bad move which led to Black pushing the h-pawn down to h2 which tied up Whites position.  White made another bad move by not exchanging the R for N at f8 but White was lost anyway.

Evilone (1942) – Tatakan (1895) Playchess.com 7/10/05 Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 e5 {A really interesting line for black.} 3. g5 Ne4 4. Nf3 Bc5 5. e3 Nxg5 6. Nc3 d6 7. Rg1 {White is focusing on the weak g pawn with the R.} h6 8. Be2 Nc6 9. d4 Bb4 10. Nxg5 hxg5 11. d5 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 Nb8 13. e4 f6 14. Bh5+ Kf8 15. Be3 b6 16. h4 {With this move I was trying to blow open black's weakened kingside position.} gxh4 17. Kd2 {By moving my K to d2 all of my pieces on the back rank are connected. Black still has a major development problem. All of his pieces are still on the back rank.} Qe7 18. Qe2 Bd7 19. Rg2 Be8 20. Bxe8 (20. Bg4 g5 21. Qf3 Bf7 22. Qf5 Na6 23. Rb1 {-+ 0.97}) 20... Qxe8 21. Rag1 Rh7 [Diagram] (21... g5 22. Bxg5 fxg5 23. Rxg5 Ke7 24. Qg4 Kd8 25. Rg7 Qf8 {+/- 1.19})

Fritz8 evaluates the position as even after 26...e8 27.Rg1.  (26. Qh3 Kh8 27. Rf5 Qe8 28. Qf3 c6 {=/+ still a difficult game for White.}) 26... Qxg5 27. Qxg5 h3 28. Qg1 h2 29. Qh1 {? Better was 29.Rxf8+.} (29. Rxf8+ Rxf8 30. Qh1 {= this was better than what was played.} Rh3 31. Ke2 Rf6 32. a4 Rg6 33. f3 Rgg3 34. Bf2 Rxf3 35. Be1 {-+ 2.84 Black has the advantage.}) 29... gxf6 30. f4 Ng6 31. f5 Nf4 32. Bxf4 exf4 33. Ke2 Kf7 34. Kf3 Rg8 35. Kxf4 Rg1 0-1
 

Declined Line 2: 2…d5 (no games available)

This declined line 2…d5 is equal according to my analysis with chess program CometB68.  However, White has to be careful not to leave the Q in the middle of the board because Black can pick up some tempo (moves) by chasing the White Q.

Analysis Declined Line 2..d5   Nakamura & CometB68    3/24/06

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 d5 3. h3 (3. g5 Ne4 4. Nc3 Nxc3 5.dxc3 dxc4 6. Qxd8+ Kxd8 7. Bf4 Ke8 8. O-O-O Na6 9. Bg2 c6 10. Nf3 f6 11. gxf6 exf6 12. Nd2 Be6 13. Ne4 Nc5 14. Nd6+ Bxd6 15. Bxd6 Nd7 {=}) 3... dxc4 4. Bg2 h5 5. g5 Nfd7 6. Qa4 e6 7. Nf3 Be7 8. h4 O-O 9. Qxc4 Nb6 10. Qc2 (10. Qe4 Bd7 11. Ne5 Nc6 12. Nc3 Nxe5 13. Qxe5 Nc4 14. Qf4 Na5 15. Ne4 Nc6 16. Ng3 f6 17. d3 fxg5 18. Qe4 gxh4 19. Nxh5 Rf5 20. Bf3 Ne5 21. Bg4 Bc6 {-+ 2.48}) 10... Nd5 11. d3 Nc6 12. Bd2 Qd6 13. Nc3 Nf4 14. Bxf4 Qxf4 15. Qd2 Qf5 16. O-O-O {=} *
 

Declined Line Line 3: 2…c5

Leareath declined the gambit with 2…c5 and had a badly placed N on d6.  White had the space advantage and won the N for R exchange because of a Black error.  Black later ended up on the short end of a nasty combination.

Evilone (1993) – Leareath    USCL Game   2/19/01   Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 c5 {An unusual declined line.} 3. g5 Ne4 4. d3 Nd6 5. Nc3 e6 6. e4 {White has a space advantage and Blacks N at d6 is not very well placed.}Nc6 7. Nf3 f5 8. gxf6 Qxf6 9. Bg5 Qf7 10. Bg2 Be7 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Qd2 b6 13. O-O-O Bb7 14. e5 Nf5 15. Nb5 a6 {? 16.Nc7+ wins the exchange} 16. Nc7+ Kf7 17. Nxa8 Rxa8 18. Rhg1 d5 (18... Kg8 19. Ng5 {+- 1.99} h6 20. Bxc6 Bxc6 21. Ne4 Qh4 22. f4 Kh8 23. Rg2 Nd4 24. Rf1) 19. cxd5 exd5 20. Ng5+ Kg8 {?} (20... Ke8) 21. Bxd5+ Kh8 22. Nf7+  (22...Kg8 23.Nd6+ Kf8 24.Nxf5 which should win.} 1-0
 

Declined Line 4: 2…e6

Analysis Declined Line 2...e6   Nakamura & Fritz8   3/12/06

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 e6 3. g5 Ne4 4. Bg2 d5 (4... Nxg5 5.h4 h5 6. hxg5 Qxg5 7. Bf3 {+- 1.66 Black dropped a N.}) 5. cxd5 (5. d3 Nc5 6. Na3 Nc6 7. Nf3 d4 8. Nc2 e5 9. b4 Ne6 10. b5 Nb4 11. Bd2 Nxc2+ 12. Qxc2 Bd6 13. c5 Bxc5 14. Nxe5 O-O {=/+ 0.37}) (5. d4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Nxd2 7. Nxd2 Qxg5 8. Bf3 O-O {-/+ 1.19}) 5... exd5 6. Bxe4 dxe4 7. Qa4+ Nc6 8. Qxe4+ Be6 9. Nf3 Bc5 10. Nc3 (10. e3 O-O 11. d4 Bb4+ 12. Nc3 Re8 13. Qf4 Bh3 14. Rg1 Bd6 15. Qh4 Bf5 16. g6 Bxg6 17. Qxd8 Raxd8 18. Kd2 {-/+ 1.03}) 10... O-O 11. d3 Re8 12. Be3 Bb4 13. Qf4 {= For White castling kingside  would be   better than castling queenside because if White castles queenside then Black has Bxc6 followed by Bxa2 dropping the a pawn.} *
 

Flinstone50 declined the gambit g4 pawn by playing e6.  The game later transposed into a strange looking Queen Pawn Slav Defense type of game (Black pawns at c6, d5 & e6) with the N at e7.  The game again transposed into a French Defense type of position with the open c-file.  White attacked the Black K in the middle of the board by advancing both the g- & h-pawns down the kingside.  This led to White chasing the Black K towards the queenside with my Q & N.  My R got onto the open c-file and Blacks K was doomed.

Evilone  – Flinstone50    Playchess.com   7/3/05   Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 e6 3. g5 Ng8 {Also playable was 3...Ne4 4.Bg2 Nd6 which is still equal according to Fritz8.} 4. d4 Ne7 5. Nc3 d5 6. e4 c6 7. Nf3 Qa5 8. e5 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd5 10. Bd2 Qd8 11. Qe2 a6 12. O-O-O {White has a large advantage. Black still has most of his pieces on the back rank except for the N at d5. Also white has a definite space advantage and is now poised for a kingside or an attack down the middle.} Nd7 13. Ne4 b5 14. Bxd5 cxd5 15. Ng3 Bb7 16. Kb1 {The thematic K move when you have castled queenside.} Qb6 17. h4 a5 18. h5 b4 19. g6 {The key pawn thrust to break into blacks king position.} Ba6 20. gxf7+ Kxf7 21. Ng5+ Ke7 22. Qf3 h6 {According to Fritz8 this move is worse than the desperado move 22...Bd3+ which drops a B.} 23. Qf7+ Kd8 24. Nxe6+ Kc8 25. Qe8+ Kb7 26. Qxd7+ Kb8 27. Rc1 {The game is now over. White has too strong an attack.} Bd3+ 28. Ka1 {Black is now helpless. He cannot defend his K.} 1-0
 

Declined Line 5: 2…d6

Analysis Declined Line 2...d6   Nakamura & Fritz8   3/12/06

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 d6 3. g5 (3. h3 e6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. O-O {=}) 3... Nfd7 4. Nf3 Ne5 5. Nxe5 dxe5 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. Qa4 Qd6 9. Nc3 Bf5 10. d3 e6 11. e4 Bg6 12. Be3 Rd8 (12... Qxd3 {this is an error which drops the R at a8} 13. Qxc6+ Qd7 14. Qxa8+ Qd8 15. Qxa7 Bd6 16. O-O-O {+- 6.87 If 16...0-0 White wins a B with   17.c5.}) 13. O-O-O {+- 0.91} *
 

Declined Line 6: 2…g6

Analysis Declined Line 2...g6   Nakamura & Fritz8    3/11/06

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 g6 3. h3 {White does not need to push the g pawn.} (3. g5 Ne4 4. d3 Nd6 5. Nf3 h6 6. c5 Nf5 7. e4 Ng7 8. gxh6 Ne6 9. d4 d6 10. cxd6 cxd6 11. Nc3 Bxh6 12. Bxh6 Rxh6 13. Qd2 Rh8 14. Bc4 Qa5 15. O-O-O Rh3 16. Ng1 Rh7 17. Kb1 Qb4 18. Rc1 Qxc4 (18...Na6 19. Bxa6 bxa6 20. Nge2 Rh3 21. f4 Bd7 22. Rhg1 Rxh2 23. Rh1 Rxh1 24. Rxh1 Rb8 25. d5 Nf8 26. Nd4 a5 27. e5 a4 28. exd6 Qxd6 29. Rh8 Qf6 30. Rh6 a3 31. b3  a5 32. Ne4 Bf5 33. Qd3 Bxe4 34. Qxe4 Rb4 35. Qc2 Kd7 36. Ne2 a4 37. Rh3 Rb5 38. Nc3 axb3 39. axb3 Rb8 40. Ne4 Qd4 41. Ka2 Rc8 42. Qe2 Kd8 43. Rd3 Qb4 44. d6 Ne6 45. Ng5 Qxf4 46. Nxe6+ fxe6 47. Qxe6 Qf2+ 48. Kxa3 Qc5+ 49. b4 Qc1+ 50. Ka4 Ra8+ 51. Kb5 Rb8+ 52. Ka4 Qa1+ 53. Ra3 Qd1+ 54. Rb3 Qxd6 55. Qxd6+ exd6 56. Rg3 {=}) 19. Nd5 Qb5 20. Rxc8+ Kd7 21. Rc1 {+/= 0.53}) 3... d6 4. Nc3 (4. d4 Bg7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. g5 Nh5 7. Nf3 c5 8. Bg2 Qa5 9. dxc5 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Qxc5 11. Qd4 Nd7 12. Be3 Qc7 13. Nd2 {=}) 4... Bg7 5. f4 (5. Bg2 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d4 h5 8. g5 Nd7 9. d5 Nd4 10. O-O {=}) 5... e5 6. Bg2 exf4 7. d4 ({a gambit line similar to the Kahiko-Hula Gambit} 7. e3 fxe3 8. Nge2 exd2+ 9. Bxd2 Nbd7 10. O-O h6 {White is down 2 pawns but has some kind of compensation for the 2 pawns. Fritz8 gives Black an edge of -/+ 1.03 which is about 1 pawn up.} 11. g5 hxg5 12. Bxg5 O-O 13. Nd5 c6 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. Bxf6 Nxf6 16. Qd4 Nh5 17. Rad1 Qb6 18. Rf2 Qxd4 19. Rxd4 Rd8 20. Nc3 Be6 21. Rfd2 {-+ 1.63}) 7...h5 8. g5 Nh7 9. h4 f6 10. Bxf4 fxg5 11. hxg5 Nxg5 12. Qd3 Bf5 13. e4 Bc8 14. O-O-O Ne6 15. Be3 Bh6 16. Nf3 h4 17. Kb1 Bxe3 18. Qxe3 Nd7 19. e5 dxe5 20. Bh3 Nb6 21. Qxe5 {+- 2.53} *
 

Churchley declined the g-pawn gambit by playing g6.  White played e3 to guard the g-pawn.  Later Black castled kingside and the h-file opened up.  White checked the Black K with Bd5+ and the K moved to h8.  White later sacrificed the R to checkmate with the Q.

Dunce – Churchley    ICS game   10/24/99

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 g6 3. e3 {An interesting line I have not tried.} Bg7 4. Bg2 d6 5. Ne2 {Better was 5.h3 guarding the g pawn.} e5 6. g5 Nh5 7. Ng3 Nxg3 8. hxg3 Nd7 9. Nc3 O-O {Again Black should have taken the g pawn with 9...Qxg5.} 10. f4 f5 11. Bd5+ Kh8 12. Qe2 c6 {? a bad move. Black did not see the R sac on the h7 square which leads to checkmate.} 13. Rxh7+ Kxh7 14. Qh2+ {Black could play 14...Bh6 but 15.Qxh6+ gives checkmate.} 1-0
 

Declined Line 7: 2…c6

Pes4 tried an interesting idea in the opening by playing c6, transposing into a Caro-Kann type of opening.  White chased the Black N back to g8 with g5.  Black weakened the g6 square by attempting to chase away my B from the g5 square.  I later exploited the weak g6 square and won the exchange of B for R.  Black's K escaped to the queenside but Blacks queenside position was weakened on the long diagonal a8 to h1.  Black tried an attack on my K which was castled queenside but I easily neutralized Blacks attack with a few defensive moves.  The diagonal a8 to h1 opened up because White had passed pawns down the middle and Blacks K got checkmated.

Evilone  – Pes4     Playchess.com    7/15/05   Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 c6 {Interesting, a new declined line.} 3. g5 {Fritz8 preferred 3...Ne4 which is a very bold move.} Ng8 4. Nc3 h6 5. d4 hxg5 6. Bxg5 f6 {Not a good move on Blacks part. It weakens the g6 square.} 7. Qd3 Kf7 (7... fxg5 8. Qg6#) 8. Nf3 d6 9. Rg1 {Setting up the attack on the g6 square. White has Bxc6 followed by Qg6+.} fxg5 10. Nxg5+ Ke8 11. Qg6+ Kd7 12. Nf7 Qe8 13. Nxh8 Na6 14. Nf7 {I redeployed the N at h8 to bring it back into play.} Kc7 15. O-O-O Nf6 16. e4 {White grabs more space in the center of the board.} Be6 17. Nh8 {My move was not as good as 17.Ng5 according to Fritz8.} Qd7 18. f3 {Strengthening the e4 pawn.} Rc8 19. Kb1 Kb8 20. d5 cxd5 21. cxd5 Bh3 22. Bb5 Qc7 23. Qg3 Bd7 24. Bxa6 bxa6 25. Ng6 Qb6 26. Rc1 {Forced otherwise the N at c3 drops.} e6 27. Nf4 Ka8 28. Rgd1 Rb8 29. Qg2 {This has a two fold purpose. One is to guard the pawn at b2 and the other is to aim for the diagonal of the black K. If the line opens up Blacks K will be exposed to a Q check.} Qe3 30. Nxe6 Bxe6 31. dxe6 d5 32. exd5 Ba3 33. Rd2 {My Q cannot adequately guard the b2 square. This R move is for added protection on the b2 square.} Qe5 [Diagram]

Declined Line 8: 2…h6

This is the declined line most often played.

OldFIDE declined the g-pawn gambit with h6 and the game transposed into a queen pawn game with pawns at d4 and d5.  However White had a strange looking kingside fianchetto with pawns at g4 and h3.  Black tried a premature kingside attack and his king got into trouble in the middle of the board.  Black then ran his K to the Queenside.  White locked onto the 7^th rank with Q & R lined up on the Black K.  White exploited Black's weak back rank and checkmated the Black K.

Evilone (1846) – OldFIDE (1900)   Playchess.com   6/26/06 Game 5min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 h6 {The 2..h6 gambit declined line.} 3. h3 d5 4. Bg2 c6 (4...dxc4 5. Na3 e5 6. Nxc4 e4 7. d3 Nc6 8. dxe4 Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Be6 10. b3 O-O-O+ 11. Kc2 Bc5 12. Be3 Nd4+ 13. Bxd4 Bxd4 14. Rf1 Bxc4 15. bxc4 Rhe8 {=/+ 0.37 A slight edge for Black according to Fritz8. The edge might actually be larger than what Fritz8 has evaluated because White still has some piece coordination problems.}) 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. d4 Nc6 7. Nc3 e6 8. Nf3 Bd7 9. O-O Bd6 10. Re1 Ne4 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Ne5 Qh4 {? I believe this is an error by Black. Now Blacks K will be in the center after 13.Nxd7.} (12... Nxe5 13. dxe5 Bxe5 14. Bxe4 Qc7 15. Be3 Bc6 16. Bxc6+ Qxc6 17. Rc1 Qa6 18. Qd3 Qxd3 19. exd3 Rd8 20. Bxa7 Bxb2 21. Rb1 Bf6 22. Rxb7 Rxd3 {+/= 0.34 a very slight white advantage. White can push the passed a pawn to win the endgame.}) 13. Nxd7 Kxd7 14. d5 exd5 15. Qxd5 Rad8 (15... Qf6 16. Bxe4 Kc7 17. Be3 Rhd8 18. Qc4 Kb8 19. Rac1 Qe5 20. Bg2 Rd7 21. Red1 Rc7 22. Qb3 Kc8 {+- 2.91}) 16. Bf4 Kc7 17. Qxf7+ Ne7 18. Rac1+ Kb8 19. Bxd6+ Rxd6 20. Qf4 Qf6 21. Qxe4 Rb6 22. Red1 Rf8 23. Bf3 {to prevent Qxf2+} Nc6 24. Rd7 h5 25. b3 hxg4 26. hxg4 Rh8 {Black opened the h file but White has the h file covered.} 27. Rcd1 Qh4 28. Qf4+ Ka8 29. Rxg7 Rb4 30. Qc7 Qf6 [Diagram]

Ninschi declined the gambit g-pawn with h6 and the game transposed into an Alekhines Defense Four Pawns Attack type of position with both players castling kingside.  However White moved the R to the open g-file and played a beautiful B sac which tore open the White K position.  White ended up recovering the piece that was sacrificed and positioned the R on the 7^th rank.  Black could not stop checkmate.

Evilone (1961) – Ninschi (1871)  Playchess.com 6/19/05  Game 5 min.

 
Jureh declined the g-pawn gambit with h6 and castled queenside.  White set up a Saemisch type of pawn structure with pawns at c4, d4, e4 and f3.  Black later ran into a pawn fork of Q & N and lost the N.  Black's game quickly fell apart when a diagonal became weak and Black lost more  pieces.

Evilone  – Jureh     Playchess.com   7/15/05   Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 h6 {2...h6 is one of the ways to decline the English-Weidenhagen Gambit} 3. d4 d6 4. g5 {Also playable was 4.h3 guarding the g pawn.} hxg5 5. Bxg5 Ne4 {A Vulture type of move gaining a tempo by attacking my B.} 6. Bf4 Bf5 7. f3 {I needed to eject black's minor pieces from occupying the center.} Nf6 8. e4 Bg6 9. Nc3 Nh5 10. Be3 e6 11. Qd2 Be7 12. O-O-O {White has safely castled queenside is now ready to setup for a counter attack.} Nc6 13. Bd3 Nb4 14. Bb1 c6 15. a3 {I did not want the black N at b4 around my king position.} Na6 16. f4 {Gaining more space in the center.} Qa5 17. Nge2 O-O-O 18. Bd3 c5 19. Kb1 Nf6 20. h3 {To prevent black from playing Ng6. I would then have to move my B to g1 which causes coordination problems for my piecec.} cxd4 21. Nxd4 Kb8 22. Ndb5 {This is a strong outpost for my N. Black cannot easily eject this N from its strong post at b5.} Nc5 {? A bad move that loses the N.} 23. b4 Qa6 24. bxc5 dxc5 25. Qc2 Qc6 26. f5 {Played to take the pressure off of the the pawn at e4.} Bh7 [Diagram]

Master R declined the g-pawn gambit with h6 and played an early d5.  White protected the g-pawn with h3 and the opening position got a bit complicated.  Blacks Q was attacking my R at h1 so I covered with Nf3.  Later in the game Black tried a very simple checkmate with the B & Q lined up to give mate at h2.  I blocked this with f4 and Blacks Q was trapped.

Evilone (1887) – Master R (1842)  Playchess.com 9/19/05  Game 5 min.

1. c4 Nf6 2. g4 h6 3. h3 d5 4. cxd5 Qxd5 {An interesting and different line of the English-Weidenhagen Declined.} 5. Nf3 e5 6. Nc3 {Developing the N with tempo.} Qe6 7. Bg2 e4 8. Nd4 Qe5 9. e3 c5 10. Nc2 Nc6 11. d3 exd3 12. Qxd3 Be6 13. Qb5 Rb8 14. O-O Bd6 {?? A bad move which traps the black Q. Better was 14...Be7 to further complete blacks development.}15. f4 a6 16. Qa4 b5 17. Qxa6 Qd5 (17... Ne7 18. fxe5 Bxe5 19. Qa7 Nd7 20. Ne4 Rd8 21. Nxc5 Bb8 22. Qa3 Nxc5 23. Qxc5 Bc4 24. b3 Bxf1 25. Bxf1 Rd5 26. Bxb5+ Kf8 27. Qb6 Bg3 28. Ba3 Kg8 29. Bxe7 {+- 16.49}) 18. Nxd5 {+- 12.61} 1-0
 

CONCLUSION

The English-Weidenhagen Gambit (1.c4 Nf6 2.g4) belongs to the family of gambits which includes the Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.g4) and the Tuebingen Gambit (1.Nc3 Nf6 2.g4).  The main gambit accepted lines in the English-Weidenhagen Gambit are not as flexible as the Gibbins-Weidenhagen Gambit or the Tuebingen Gambit . There are 4 main accepted lines in the English-Weidenhagen Gambit and only the 4.Be2 line is playable.  Analysis has shown that the other 3 main accepted lines (4.f3, 4.d4, 4.Nf3) are dubious and not to be recommended for those who play the White side of the Gambit.  According to the games and analysis the declined lines are not a problem for White.

The English-Weidenhagen Gambit is basically a strategic game rather than a tactical game.  In tactical games short term combinations are the order of the position.  In strategic games you have a slow build up of the position with long term goals.  White has to first shut down any kind of Black counter play and get a central space advantage, development advantage and control key half open or open files.  White has to slowly build up small advantages until Black's position cracks.

A space advantage gives Black all kinds of problems because it takes more moves to defend the position.  This is because the mobility of one's pieces are limited in a cramped game.  A development advantage gives White the ability to quickly mobilize an attack to score a knockout on Black's position.  Black has fewer pieces to defend his position.  Control of the half open or open files gives White the ability to penetrate the Black position with the attack.  Usually you would stack rooks on the half open or open files and try to get to the Black seventh rank and double rooks on the seventh rank to cause Black all kinds of problems.

The theory on the English-Weidenhagen Gambit is still relatively new and there are not many games played with the EWG.  I would like to see this gambit played successfully at the master level to prove that this gambit is playable.
 

REFERENCES

Download a PGN file of the games in this article.

Yahoo Unorthodox Chess Newsgroups Messages
     3691, 4900, 4901, and 4904

Yahoo Unorthodox Chess Newsgroups Files
     c4g4.pgn - 10 games
     c4nf3g4.pgn – 1 game with notes

________________________________________________________________________

Copyright 2006 Clyde Nakamura.  All rights reserved.
 

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