Here's some food for thought from what examples I found in the database. To me 4...b5 looks like an unnecessary weakening but today's engines may well overvalue the benefits of forcing play as they get deeper quicker into lines with forced moves (especially goes for Stockfish in the opening phase).

If you want to investigate it more thoroughly I'd suggest you let the engines play a theme tournament on the position after 4...b5 with a long time control and 2 games w+b between every engine. I would expect Houdini (and probably also Rybka) to score quite well as White (and probably also as Black depending on opposition). Other engines to invite would be for example: Komodo, Critter, Fire/Mars/Robbolito, Strelka plus perhaps a few different Sfish-clones tweaked differently (there are plenty of them nowadays). 

After a few games you'll notice which engines get the position best as white or black and can pit them against each other. and you'll notice recurring themes as well and you can move the starting position further in as the main line tends to develop.

micawber wrote on 03/19/06 at 17:59:19:


There's an internet archive site called
The Wayback Machine.
You might be able to find the Thomas Stock site on gambits through this Wayback Machine link:
http://web.archive.org/web/20020603234324/http://thomasstock.com/gambit/

Thanks Jon for sincere answers. I can hardly wait for your book, and by the way I expect three books on KG: one is yours, second is from Quality Chess Books, Sweden, and the third comes from Beyer Verlag, Germany. Johansson's FKG has 224 pages, I'm wondering how will you cover all variations of KG in single volume with small pages...

I don't understand why your future book Mr. Tait on KG must or will have 192 pages as all new opening releases from Everyman Chess. The KG bible is expected, and I don't see a reason why nobody writes a new modern book, complete and comprehensive on KG. Today we see only intros and "Novice books", books with false titles like "Bashing the...", "Winning with...", "Beating the...". Only money counts, so there are really few experts who are ready to deal with writing a top notch opening book. I feel resurrection every time when top GM outplays oponnents in openings which are disregarded. The truth really has many faces...

I do not see a reason why one should abndon KG, a specially a Bishop's KG! Here I see names from the so called "high level chess", such like Tait or Kosten by the way, and I, an amateur, think that in over the board games allways wins the better prepared player... When we speak about a computer chess there are more subtle and almost different conclusions, and because of that we do not have KG games in computer vs computer matches. I do support Mr. Johansson who wrote a KG books and I do have both, and with pleasure I do expect his future releases in this opening. And Mr. Tait, I have seen that your book about KG will apear in Everyman Chess next year. I can hardly wait to see how will you diclose KG and what will be your verdict... I must admitt that I'm a tactical player and I have all Renko's CD's on tactics. With KG I can beat even stronger players cuase theory is very important. As a future Master of Scinece I do feel delight when I must cruse in the ocean in variations which has Mr. Johansson privided for us KG followers. I sincerely hope that in those murky waters of KG lies the truth: and once even Pilatus asked the Iesus Christ: "Quid est veritas?", or in plain English: "What is the truth?". Thanks Mr. Johansson and Mr. Tait, I do love chess thanks to the KG, please keep develop it!!!

TalJechin wrote on 05/25/05 at 02:54:10:


Mark has just assured me that it was, in fact, a backgammon debt!

Looking at the list of contents of the July issue of Chess (UK) one notes "Farewell to the Kings Gambit: so let it RIP".

Who's the author and what's the reason for  this gloomy title?