Conquistador wrote on 02/03/10 at 02:09:33:


This is indeed a line that is OK for Black and which doesn't require too much work. It's Larry Kaufman recommendation in "Chess Advantage in Black and White" and a good practical choice.

Conquistador wrote on 02/03/10 at 02:09:33:


I am no KG expert, but I am pretty sure White can get an edge against the Falkbeer.

The first one isn't a countergambit of course, but a main line that every KGeer worth his salt has prepared as seriously as the 3...g5 stuff. Modern theory tends to the statement that it is relatively not as good as 3...g5. Markovich plays it as Black and so everybody should who enjoys an open game with active piece play. But it isn't especially nicer than several other defences.
No KGeer these days fears the Falkbeer.

Iirc, it was simply to play into the symmetrical position after 4...Nf6 5.d4 d5 6.Bxf4 Bxf5. White might have a tiny edge with the extra tempo, but it's nothing. Symmetrical position, no weaknesses, black simultaneously takes all the fun out of the position and will almost certainly get equality soon (if he does not have it already). Very hard for white to play for anything in the resulting positions, really.

So, probably not 'fun', but a great way to spoil white's KG party. The stronger player will probably prevail in the middlegames that arise, but there is no tactical melee - some KG players begin to feel decidedly uncomfortable.

Due to this, 4.e5 has been the published antidote for over 100 years to this line, based on some far-from-perfect romantic game where white sacs a piece. Modern analysis (and of course computers) shed new light on the supposed refutation, and this once-shunned line now appears to be as strong as most black alternatives to 3...g5 in my view, as well as being safer than some!

Schroeder wrote on 01/29/10 at 09:51:58:


IIrc this one was recommended in one of the early SOS-books, so the surprise factor may not be too great nowadays. But this is the kind of stuff KGeers tend to play when facing their own opening. "If you can't slow down, accelerate!" : )

1 e4 e5 2 f4 ef4 3 Nf3 f5 is the ancient Gianutio Counter-Gambit.

Göran wrote on 11/18/09 at 21:26:51:


Perhaps that's not surprising, since many people think that 3...Nc6 is Black's best move after 2...exf4 3.Bc4.  Playing that way does commit Black to play 4...g5 if White goes 4.Nf3, but he should be fine.

But concerning 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 f5, I thought that 4.Nc3 was strong.

I quite like this variation for black also, and chuck it in from time to time. The only problem is that 2...Nc6 can be met by 3.Bc4 as well, which probably is not best answered by 3...f5

I've had good results with the crazy-looking 1.e4 e5 2.f4 ef 3.Nf3 f5, which was long-discredited by some spurious piece sacrifice, but which moden computer-analysis shows to be holding comfortably for black. Most people either a) don't know the critical line, whence black is fine or b) know of the piece sac (or a variation on the theme) but misplay the resulting position. 

For an example of this sort of game, see an old effort of mine in ICC's T4545 league: 

http://team4545league.org/pgnplayer/pgnplayer.php?ID=16114