Volga gambit
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The basic position of the Volga gambit after 3.… b7 – b5
The Volga-Gambit or Benkö-Gambit or Volga-Benkö-Gambit is an opening of the chess game , which emerges from the Indian defense . The Volga Gambit is one of the closed games and is classified in the ECO codes under the keys A57 to A59. The opening was named after the grand master Pál Benkő .
The Volga Gambit begins with the trains:
- 1. d2-d4 Ng8-f6 2. c2-c4 c7-c5 3. d4-d5 b7-b5
With his last move , Black sacrifices a pawn, so he plays a gambit , with the aim of creating pressure play through further line openings on the queenside , which is effective until the endgame. In addition, as in the related Blumenfeld Gambit , a support builder of the white center is eliminated.
history
The forerunners of the Volga Gambit can be found in games by Karel Opočenský , Erik Lundin , Gösta Stoltz and David Bronstein , in which this grand piano gambit was used late. B. only after 1. d2 – d4 Ng8 – f6 2. c2 – c4 c7 – c5 3. d4 – d5 g7 – g6 4. Nb1 – c3 d7 – d6 5. e2 – e4 b7 – b5.
The name Volga-Gambit comes from an article by B. Argunov from 1946 in the Russian magazine Shachmaty . This designation is particularly common in Russian literature, but also in German literature.
At the end of the 1960s, the opening was promoted by the Hungarian grandmaster Pál Benkő , who lives in the USA, and he enriched it with many new ideas.
In his investigation, Benkő concentrated on the fianchetting of the f8- bishop after 4. c4xb5 a7 – a6 5. b5xa6 , which is now recognized as the main continuation . The continuation 4. c4xb5 e7 – e6, which is similar to the Blumenfeld gambit , has been forgotten.
variants
Refusals of the Volga Gambit
- 4. Ng1 – f3 wants to tempt Black to b5xc4 only to then immediately move without fear of b5 – b4 5. Nb1 – c3 along with 6. e2 – e4 and 7. Bf1xc4. Alex Yermolinsky recommends the belated acceptance after 4.… g6 5. c4xb5 a7 – a6 6. Qd1 – c2. 4.… e7 – e6 is a move change to the Blumenfeld Gambit . 4.… Bc8 – b7 increases the pressure on White's pawn center .
- 4. Qd1 – c2 wants to tempt Black to b5xc4 in order to then immediately move 5. e2 – e4 and 6. Bf1xc4.
- The 4. a2 – a4 recommended by Miroslav Filip wants to force b5xc4. Andrew David Martin then recommends 4.… Qd8 – a5 +. He answers 5. Bc1 – d2 and 5. Dd1 – d2 with b5 – b4. This then complicates the development of knight b1. At the same time, Black completes the queenside completely. That allows him long castling.
- 4. c4xb5 a7 – a6 5. Nb1 – c3 is the Saizew variant . After 5.… axb5 6. e2 – e4 b5 – b4 7. Nc3 – b5 d7 – d6 the b5 knight, isolated in black camp, is both active and endangered. Now 8. Bf1 – c4 is the Nescafe-Frappe attack .
- the Dlugy variant 4. c4xb5 a7 – a6 5. f2 – f3 and 6. e2 – e4
- 4. c4xb5 a7-a6 5. b5-b6. The game now takes on the character of the Benoni Defense , e.g. B. after 5.… e7 – e6 6. Nb1 – c3 Nf6xd5 7. Nc3xd5 e6xd5 8. Qd1xd5 Nb8 – c6 9. Ng1 – f3 Ra8 – b8
Adopted Volga Gambit
4. c4xb5 a7 – a6 5. b5xa6 (After 5. e2 – e3 a6xb5 6. Bf1xb5 Q5 + 7. Nb1 – c3 Bc8 – b7 the white center is under pressure.) Now we have 5.… g7 – g6 instead of the immediate 5. … Bc8xa6 as a delicacy to make 6. g2 – g3 d7 – d6 7. Bf1 – g2 g7 – g6 8.… b2 – b3, which was introduced by Lajos Portisch against Efim Geller in the 1976 Biel interzonal tournament .
In practice, both continuations run with the natural 6. Nb1 – c3 (6. b2 – b3 Bf8 – g7 7. Bc1 – b2 0–0 keeps Black's option Nb8xa6 with the goal of Sa6 – b4! And pressure on a2 and d5. The natural Nb1 – c3 can then lead to the pegging of Nc3 in the long diagonal.) Bc8xa6 result in the same thing.
The battle for the central squares d5 and e4 5.… e7 – e6 dealt with by B. Argunow is mastered by White with 6. Nb1 – c3.
- Main line 7. e2 – e4 La6xf1 8. Ke1xf1 d7 – d6 9. Ng1 – f3 Bf8 – g7
- The direct 10. g2 – g3 0–0 11. Kf1 – g2 is fast, but weakens some fields
- The longer 10. h2 – h3 0–0 11. Kf1 – g1 Nb8 – d7 12. Kg1 – h2 prevents the maneuver Nf6 – g4
- Fianchetto system 7. g2 – g3 d7 – d6 8. Bf1 – g2 Bf8 – g7 9. Ng1 – f3 Nb8 – d7. With 10. Ta1 – b1 the Jepishin variant results
- 7. Ng1 – f3 d7 – d6 8. Nf3 – d2 plans Bf8 – g7 9. e2 – e4 Ba6xf1 10. Nd2xf1 in order to be able to castle later.
- The Murey variant 7. f2 – f4 plans d7 – d6 8. Ng1 – f3 Bf8 – g7 to artificially castle after 9. e2 – e4 La6xf1 10. Rh1xf1 with Ke1 – f2 – g1.
literature
- Graham Burgess : The Nescafe Frappe Attack: attacking the Benko , Chess Enterprises, 1990 ISBN 0-945470-05-3 , ISBN 978-0-945470-05-2 .
- Gennadi Nessis , Nikolai Kalinitschenko: Volga-Benkö-Gambit - played correctly . Beyer-Verlag, 1992, ISBN 3-89168-033-3 .
- Andrew David Martin : The ABC of Benko, Chess Base DVD.
- Alexei Suetin : Attacking with the Volga Gambit, Sport-Verlag 1991.