The Exhilarating Elephant Gambit

"Elefantgambiten" 1 e4 e5 2 Sf3 d5 er en ultimat, og underkjent, frekkis mot hvit alminneligste åpning. Forfatterne viser til gode resultater i praktisk spill og mange forbedringer av den sparsommelige teorien.

En både seriøs og omfattende bok som fra svarts side velger både 3 exd5 Ld6(!) og 3 Sxe5 Ld6(!). Åpningen fikk et dårlig ry i Norge da Einar Haave tapte en radiolandskamp mot Konstantinopolsky fra Sovjet i 1954 etter i stedet 3 exd5 e4!?/?! 4 De2 Sf6 5 d3!

Forlagets egen omtale:

The Elephant Gambit is perhaps the boldest opening in all of chess theory. By meeting 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 with 2...d5!?, Black takes the fight to his opponent and aims to seize the initiative as early as possible.

The Exhilarating Elephant Gambit offers a complete repertoire for Black, based on 3.exd5 Bd6 or 3.Nxe5 Bd6 4.d4 dxe4. In return for the sacrificed pawn, Black ensures himself of quick and active development with most of his pieces pointing menacingly towards the enemy kingside. Attacking and other tactical resources abound, with a future ...e4-e3 advance often mauling White’s position like an Elephant’s tusk. With original analysis of all variations and improvements against all published “refutations”, this book contains everything you need to shock, surprise and stampede your opponents.

Fra forordet:

Of all the possible responses to 1.e4, the classical 1...e5 is known as one of the most respectable. You may, as Michael did for years, play this move in the hope of entering the Marshall Attack in the Ruy Lopez. But once you start winning, people take notice and you are doomed to meet the anti-Marshall, the Exchange Variation and that “exciting” d2-d3 stuff until the end of time. Even if you deal with those lines, White still has the choice of the Italian Game, Scotch and Bishop’s Opening, as well as an assortment of gambits and sidelines. Occasionally, it is nice to be the one determining the course of the game, even with the black pieces.

Sticking with 1...e5, the Elephant Gambit begins with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 when, instead of the usual 2...Nc6, we play the provocative 2...d5!?, which takes the game in a unique direction and will probably come as a complete surprise to the opponent. The Elephant Gambit has never been at the pinnacle of opening theory, and is often classed as a fourth-tier opening alongside such “gems” as the Grob. While there is no way for White to force a clear advantage and some of the refutations are fallacious, a few lines do promise White a slight but tangible advantage. Nevertheless, theory is one thing, practice is another and we will show how to handle all of White’s tries and get a playable position, even if White is objectively a bit better at times.

2...d5 may not yet be a pawn sacrifice but it is our intention to play a real gambit, and we present a repertoire for Black based mainly on 3.exd5 ¥d6. For the price of just one pawn, we lure White into a maze of unexplored complications.

Forfatterne:

Jakob Aabling-Thomsen is a Danish international master and Elephant expert who is known for his attacking and uncompromising playing style.

Michael Agermose Jensen is an experienced tournament competitor who has been playing and studying the Elephant Gambit since 1997. He is the author of numerous physics and mathematics books. This is his first chess book.