Do Chess Gambits Work? (Advantage and Disadvantages!)
If you have studied the master tacticians of chess like Mikhail Tal or Rashid Nezhmetdinov then you would have an idea about what gambits are, they are pretty crazy.
However I am not here to define it, I am here to discuss whether it will actually work in real-world play.
Taking from my experience, here is what I know:
Chess gambits do work if the opponent does not play the appropriate counter for it, a player will give up material in order to allow their opponent an opportunity to make a mistake. If the opponent did play the right moves they would be better in material but they are usually more inactive.
I will admit that the gambits are not really one of my strong points since I am a positional player, however, I have played against many gambits over the years and can share my experience.
I think I can make a strong case about this topic. I have also seen many players play gambits on me in the past, which is part if the reason why I decided to make this article.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
Chess gambits do work in non-professional chess games
There are those who think that gambits in chess are definitely dead since they are not present in elite games, this is not true, most games played in chess are not in the levels of the elite.
Even if Magnus never plays a gambit, it doesn’t mean that it won’t have any utility at lower-mid tier games.
Chess gambits usually don’t work if the opponent can play correctly, however, this is not much of an issue since gambits provide complications where it is harder to play good moves. Finding good moves in a gambited line is much harder than you think.
The position is likely to be messy even if you are up in material, you have to play the only 1-3 moves in the position that are not losing in order to hold it well.
Most people (even titled players) do make mistakes when facing a gambit if they haven’t studied it well.
Many of the traps in a gambited line appear to be common moves yet can be quite devastating, some other factors like time control and overconfidence can increase the chances of losing as well.
Do players play well even in a messy gambit-centric line? Of course they do, it is just that players can test their opponent by allowing them to find the right moves and punishing them if they don’t.
The one who initiated the gambit gives up material advantage right off the bat in exchange for tactical opportunities that may come from having a mistake.
This is not such a bad idea if you are playing against lower/mid-tier opponents, so long as you have actually studied the lines after the gambit.
Personally I am bad at dealing with gambits, I have always suffered a relatively losing position against a gambit. This is probably because I play more on faster time formats but I have neutralized them by just avoiding the gambits that I perform badly against.
This just proves that gambits in chess are not really dead, however, you will need to use it in the right situation and at the right opponent.
Chess gambits offer an active position in exchange for the material lost
Let’s say your opponent did play the good moves that are available in the position, are you just lost if the gambit didn’t work well? Obviously not, you will be down in material but there will be compensation and the game can provide opportunities later on.
It is important to know that even if your opponent can deal with the gambit properly you will likely have a very active position.
You will be down in material (since there is a gambit) but you will be more active positionally which may lead to a material compensation if played splendidly.
If you have been reading about the old ways of chess then you would know that “activity is above material”, in modern times this is not always true but is applicable in some situations.
Even if your opponent did play well against the gambit you will still have (likely) a very good active position where the pieces are more developed.
This will provide you opportunities to get back the material you lost or even get more for it, this will of course depend on how you play the rest of the game.
This is why gambits do work in some instances, even if the opponent plays well there will still be chances to fight back with the active position that you have attained.
Gambits in chess are not as effective in the league of elites
This is something that I have alluded to earlier, gambits are really not played in the elite levels but not for the reason that you think.
Most people think that elites do not play gambits because they just don’t work, although there is a little bit of truth to this it is not the whole story.
Most competitors who participate in chess tournaments play really seriously, they want to play relatively safe openings in order to have the maximum chance of winning the event.
Gambits are extremely risky, the game is likely decisive if there is a gambit present.
Elites do not want this type of play, in fact, those who win the tournament are usually those who choose drawish lines and wait for their competitors to lose their own games (race to the top). Another of course is that their opponents are likely to play well.
Chess gambits usually do not work on elite levels where every competitor knows how to take advantage of the gambit and convert from a very minimal advantage.
This is why you rarely see gambits in professional play, it is too risky since the opponent may know how to play around it.
It is definitely a reason, but not all of the reason (professionals just want to play safe since that gives them greater chances of winning the tournament!).
Chess gambits might work effectively depending on the skill of the player
This is something that I think is really important to consider, some people say that gambits just do not work because they cannot convert wins in their own games.
This is too narrow-minded, just because it didn’t work for you does not mean it won’t work for anyone else.
The utility of gambits relies on the skill of the beholder, your opponent can neutralize the threat if they play correctly, but you can also take it back if you can play correctly yourself.
I can bet you that a relatively strong player will still have high chances of winning even while being down in material, the active position can be enough to initiate an attack that would compensate for the material.
The other way around is true though, having a very active position is not much if the player could not convert it into a positional or material advantage. The pieces that are more developed won’t be of much use if the player cannot fully utilize them.
So, gambits will work if the player can convert the active position into something of value, even if the opponent plays correctly there will be chances.
There have been so many cases of games being won (even by being down on material) just because they have a more active position.
Conclusion
Gambits in chess do work though they have to be in the hands of the right player and only use it in the right situation.
A gambit will not be always applicable depending on the nature of the game, there are too many factors including time control, psychology, tournament standing, and such.
If you’re going to take my advice though, I suggest that you only play gambits if you have studied the lines in detail, otherwise it might not be the best idea. I hope this article has given you so much information about this, thank you for reading.
