To be honest, 9.Nc3 looks bad for white after 9. ... Nh5.

@MNb: After 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.c3 Bb6 white doesn't play 5.d4?! but 5.Na3, which is also given by Gallagher. I think he has a nice game after that.

THX 

In the CCN articles I gave the line 15.Rg1 Kh8 16.Nd2 Rg8 and after 17.Nxf6 I was not convinced that White gets enough for the piece so I evaluated the position as -/+. Indeed after 17...Rxg1 (17...Qxf6? 18.Qh5!) 18.Qxg1 Qxf6 Black 'just' needs to bring his pieces out to win. Maybe White has some chances otb.

15.Be2 has been played twice (two draws) in corr play by someone named Vavrla.

You might also want to check out this game from www.geocities.com/Reddorg2000/CCLAVVP.htm

White: CCLA Team & Friends
Black: Vytas Palciauskas
King's Knight's Gambit
Start date 29 October 2004
1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 g5 4 h4 g4 5 Ne5 Nf6 6 Bc4 d5 7 exd5 Bd6 8 d4 0-0 9 Bxf4 Nh5 10 g3 f6 11 Nxg4 Qe8+ 12 Kd2 Nxf4 13 gxf4 Qe4 14 Kc3 b5 15 Bxb5 Kh8 16 Na3 c5 17 dxc6 ep Nxc6 18 Bxc6 Qxc6+ 19 Nc4 Ba6 20 b3 Bxc4 21 bxc4 Rab8 22 a3 Bxf4 23 Rf1 Qc7 24 Kd3 f5 25 Rxf4 Qxf4 26 Ne5 Rg8 27 Nf7+ Kg7 28 Ng5 Qxh4 29 Qh1 Qg3+ 30 Nf3 Kh8 31 Rf1 Rbe8 32 Qh4 Qd6 33 Rh1 Rg7 34 Re1 Rf8 35 c3 Rg3 36 Rh1 Rf7 37 Rh3 f4 38 Rxg3 fxg3 39 Ne5 Rg7 40 Qh1 Qf8 41 Qg2 h5 42 Ke3 h4 0-1

Move 14 was an unpleasant novelty. Another choice for White was the adventure 15.Rg1 Kh8 16.Nd2 Qxf4 17.Bxb5 f5 18.Ne5 Bxe5 19.dxe5 Qxe5+ 20.Kb3 Qxd5+ 21.Kb3 Qb7+ 22.Ka3 though not exactly forced, and one is left with the impression that deeper analysis will reveal something for Black here.
Another try is 15.Bxb5 Kh8 16.Be2 but then Black has the piece sac 16...Nc6! The computers don't like this but I think Black is winning.
I was advising the team for a while. One of the other advisors was N.Eric Pedersen. Unfortunately he never revealed how he intended to improve on his game against Hux (given in CCN) If 14...b5 holds up is moot and White needs an improvement.
I smelled a rat as Palciauskas allowed White the chance to play 9.Bxf4, which everyone thought was good for White, so I recommended 9.Nc3!? for White.

Today I looked at some analysis of 6.d4 by Michael Jensen and concluded that black is better. By the way, do you know the articles by Michael Jensen from Correspondence Chess News? They are a must-read for every true King's Gambitteer!

My game went:
1.e4 e5 2.f4 ef4: 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Nf6 6.Bc4 d5 7.ed5: Bd6 8.d4 0-0 9.Bf4: Nh5 10.g3 f6 11.Ng4: Nf4: 12.gf4: Qe8+ 13.Kd2 and now my opponent played the strong move 13. ... Qe4!, after which I think that black is already better!
14.Kc3 Qf4: 15.Nh2 Kh8! (stronger than 15. ... c5?! 16.dc6:+ Kh8 17.Qf3 Nc6: 18.Qf4: Bf4: 19.Nf3)
16.Qf3 (16.Qf1 Qh6! 17.Nf6 c6! with initiative for black) Qh6 17.Nd2 f5 and black already had an unpleasant initiative which unfolded after Nb8-d7-f6, Bd7 and b5 and I got crushed.
After the game my opponent and I discovered what may be an improvement for white:
During the game I calculated 15.Rg1 Kh8 16.Nd2 Rg8 and the knight has nowhere to go, but Nf6: may actually be playable!!! 
What do the experts think about that?
But there also exists another alternative for black: 16.Nd2 f5!? after which black should be better.

So this is the reason why I ply the King's Bishop Gambit now!

By the way, another point that is of interest to all KGs:

Some time ago there was a discussion about 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 which reached the conclusion that black has equality after 3.Nf3 d6 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.d3 Bg4 7.Na4 0-0!?

What about the other variation 3.Nf3 d6 4.c3 ? It has always been my favorite and so far I scored 2,5/3 against an opposition of average 2300 in OTB games.
Is there any way to equality known for black? My source is Gallagher's book and he doesn't give one.

What is the current status of the line 1.e4 e5 2.f4 ef4: 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 ?
As it seems, black has a draw after 5. ... d6!?

But doesn't he have good winning chances after 5. ... Nf6 ?
What is supposed to be white's best option, 6.d4 or 6.Bc4 ?

About half a year ago I got horribly slain in the 6.Bc4 variation and so I gave up the Knight's gambit, but perhaps there is hope after 6.d4 ?!?!

woofwoof wrote on 08/09/06 at 05:27:07:


Same for me, after both 6...f5 and 6...Bh6 7.Nc3 c6 8.Nge2 Qf6 9.g3 fxg3 10.Nxg3 Bxc1 11.Rxc1 Qf4 12.Nce2 Qe3 13.Qd2 Qxd2+ 14.Kxd2 Ne7 Van Wessel-Bellin,1997. And there are also some ...f3 lines.
But I will leave a concrete proof to the Überdekers amongst us. 

Actually the Muzio is not that dead. Those who are familiar with Bücker's work on the KG and don't rely on McDonald  know how interesting 4.Bc4 g4 (Bg7 =+) 5.0-0 gxf3 6.Qxf3 Qf6 7.d3 is. Bücker gives very deep analysis, leading to fascinating endgames with one or two rooks on the 7th row for the piece. If it were not for the Hanstein, I would probably add this to my repertoire.

Copying the analysis is not nice, but I can give one game known with this:
7.d3 Bh6 8.Nc3 Ne7 9.Bxf4 Bxf4 10.Qxf4 Qxf4 11.Rxf4 o-o? (d6 or f5) 12.Raf1 d5 13.Bxd5 Nxd5 14.Nxd5 Na6 15.R1f3 Be6 16.Rg3+ Kh8 17.Nf6 Rg8 18.Rh4 Rg7 19.Rg5 Rag8 20.Rxh7 Rxh7 21.Rxg8 1-0, Gold - Von Kochanovski, Wien 1887.
Ain't chess cute?

7.e5 Qxe5 8.d3 Bh6 9.Nc3 Ne7 10.Bd2 Nbc6 11.Rae1 Qf5 12.Nd5 Kd8 13.Qe2 (the only promising continuation)
a)13...b5 14.Bxf4 (14.Nxe7 Qc5+ 15.Rf2 is to be investigated) Bxf4 15.Rxf4 Qg5 16.Rg4 (and not 16.Nxe7??) Qf5 17.Rf4 is one way to settle the draw. Another is 10...c6 11.Rae1 Qc5+ 12.Kh1 d5 13.Qh5 Qd6 14.Bxd5 o-o! 15.Rxe7 cxd5 16.Nxd5 Nc6 17.Bxf4 Bxf4 18.Rxf4 Qg6 19.Nf6+ Kg7 20.Ne8+ Kg8, Edöcs-Glauser, SUI 1983.
Na, those interested in the Muzio must try to lay hands on Bückers stuff, either

A personal approach to the KG, published in The Myers Opening Bulletin (1983/84).
Das neue KG, Stuttgart: Franckh, 1986
Het nieuwe KG, translation by SH Postma, Zutphen: Thieme, 1987.

The latter contains additions and improvements and therefor is the best. A good reason to learn reading Dutch. 

Quote:


yes, you get 4...Bg7 nearly all the time OTB

5 Nc3 is a good transpositional move, and 3...g5 players are not usually familiar with these 5 Nc3, 6 g3 lines

similarly there's 5 h4 h6 6 hxg5 hxg5 7 Rxh8 Bxh8 8 g3, which is an idea of Keres' in an obscure line of the Becker

4.d4 Bg7 5.Nc3 leads to all kind of transpositions:
5...g4 6.Bxf4 Rosentreter again or maybe even 6.Bc4.
5...d6 Fischer Defence.
5...h6 Becker Defence.

I also would like to see that book on complex numbers published in English,   to refresh my knowledge. All I now remember is i = √-1 and that it had something to do with solving third grade equations.

Actually it is not so intriguing as I put my faith in the Rosentreter.
The only thing I didn't try was 4.Bc4 ... anyway, the Polerio gambit is hardly more than equal or a draw.
I still believe that 4.h4 is the best move. The problem is that the book was intended for beginners and 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 is way to complicated.

In the Rosentreter 4.d4 g4 5.Bxf4 (5.Ne5 Qh4+ 6.g3 fxg3 7.Qxg4 Qxg4 draws; 5.Bc4 Ghulam-Kassim is better than its reputation but still better for Black)  5...gxf3 6.Qxf3 Nc6! 7.Bc4 d5 draws. 7.d5 Nce7 is probably slightly better for Black. 7.c3 is difficult to judge but I have some ideas here. In practical play White has some chances, but it is not easy for beginners.

The Quaade gambit 4.Nc3 is met by 4...Nc6! Then 5.h4 and 5.d4 draws while 5.Bc4 is interesting but not so promising. I even tried 5.g3 in vain.