Quote:


Personally, after 1.e4 c5 2.a3(?!) g6(!) 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5. e5(?) Nc6(!) I think white has nothing.  He's lost the initiative, is behind in development, and has opened the a1-h8 diagonal for his opponent.  I think in this position white is thinking hard about how to equalize.
  If he tries 6. Qc5 hoping to get some play against the opened center after 6....d6 then black can even avoid those lines (playable as they may be) by playing 6...Ne4!  Once white moves his queen, Qa5+ will win the e pawn for black and white will be suffering.  Other 6 moves for white appear equally hopeless as 6. Qc3 is answerd by the Ne4 and Qa5+ combo and Qh4 is answered by the simple Ne5.  I know white will reply to Qa5+ with Bd2 (after a N exchange on d2) and follow the Q exchange on e5 with Bc3 pinning black's N but black simply plays f6 with an extra center pawn.  This line is similar to subvariations of the accelerated where white exchanges on c6 early and plays e5.  Those lines are known to be equal and here black has an extra center pawn.  You may have found something here.....for black!  I don't say that to be nasty, I hope this saves you a point or two.

I'd like to add I agree with the fellow who posted about 2...g6.  I don't think you need to be a confirmed dragon player to commit to this move here.  Once it becomes apparent white can't challenge the long black diagonal successfully without further preparation then g7 becomes the proper place for the bishop.  Most Sicilianers fianchetto their dark-squared bishop when they play against the closed variation for example regardless of how they answer the open variation.  Maybe white can try 3. Nf3 or even 3.b4 but how willing are you Wing gambiteers to open that diagonal when black's king bishop will gaze down it immediately after say 3.b4 Bg7 ?  I think it's very hard to justify 2.a3?! if black takes an aggressive stance to the position.

Cheers, 
Badknight

I've played 2.a3 versus Master David Sprenkle many years ago.  Ok, so I lost but I feel I had good compensation after 1.e4 c5 2.a3 e6 3.b4 cxb4 4.axb4 Bxb4 5.c3 Be7 6.d4 d6 7.Bd3 e5 8.f4.  Unfortunately this is one of many old game scores I can't find.

Well, I've started playing it in correspondence chess, I must finally be completely insane. 

Playing it against an 1800 on IECC, once it's finished I'll post the game on the wing gambit thread to be dissected by good players 

If the wing gambit catches on OTB in grandmaster play, I want the credit 

After 3.d4?! Nf6 can be played, but even in your line it doesn't work because 5.e5 Ng8  6.e6? fxe6  7.Qxh8 Nf6!  Maybe their are some improvements that can be made because it is very hard to sight read without a board in front of you!

Right off the top of my head, I think that 2.a3 would simply be a wasted tempo after 2....g6, although if White knew that Black didn't like fianchetto set ups then......   8)

There is a forum topic getting a lot of replies on the Wing Gambit 2. b4. Why not prepare it with 2. a3?

After something like 2...Nc6 3. b4 cb 4. ab Nxb4 5. c3 Nc6 6. d4 surely White may have enough compensation for a pawn. Black is close to getting overrun by those White central pawns.  8)