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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) The Electrifying Elephant Gambit (Read 11337 times)
emary
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #15 - 12/14/20 at 16:26:05
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The book is out for some time.

What do interested readers think about the stuff?

Is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 still viable  Roll Eyes 

or is it more practical to go for the slow Italian
starting with 2.Bc4    Cool

as recommended by both,
Delchev and Kravtsiv, recently.
  
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tony37
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #14 - 05/18/19 at 08:59:15
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Funny thing is that Andrew Greet didn't have the analysis of the supposed authors on 3.exd5 when he wrote his blog post
So he just announces a book on a dubious opening without checking the main line...
  
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Leon_Trotsky
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #13 - 05/17/19 at 22:37:00
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If I am understand correctly from QC blog, the book is not aim to produce an equality in every line. So if it is a +/= in some lines instead of =, if Black has playable position it would be okay.

Or at least that was how I understood it.

It would be logical though, since to put it lightly, Elephant Gambit was not really made to get = in every line nor be playable for every game for elite GMs, compare to other openings  Cheesy
  
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tony37
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #12 - 05/17/19 at 16:50:02
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fjd wrote on 05/17/19 at 06:44:10:
3...Bd6 is being advocated, I think.

3.exd5 Bd6 4.d4 e4 5.Nfd2 (planning c4 + Nc3) is an interesting line here
I wouldn't be surprised QC had to admit this opening sucks and gave up on the book
  
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Bibs
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #11 - 05/17/19 at 10:09:10
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I wonder about the title. It appears awkward, to these sensitive ears anyhow.
Perhaps 'Enigmatic Elephant' may improve? Or 'Elephant Endeavours' possibly.

On the bright side, it's not by the Elshad guy.
  
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #10 - 05/17/19 at 09:39:30
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I meet it occasionally during blitz and play 3. d4 which leads to a pleasant enough advantage for White and no fun for Black  Smiley
  

Those who want to go by my perverse footsteps play such pawn structure with fuzzy atypical still strategic orientations

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, stuck in the middlegame with you
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #9 - 05/17/19 at 06:44:10
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3...Bd6 is being advocated, I think.
  
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #8 - 05/17/19 at 02:42:59
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Sielecki's line in "Keep It Simple 1.e4"

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d5 3 exd5 e4 4 Qe2 Nf6 5 d3 Qxd5 6 Nbd2 Nc6 7 dxe4 Qh5 8 Qb5 Bc5 9 Nb3 Nxe4 10 Be3 Bb4+ 11 c3 Qxb5 12 Bxb5 Bd6 13 Nfd4 (around +0.9)

This one makes me more reluctant as Black than Shaw's suggestion.
  
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #7 - 05/17/19 at 02:12:15
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Looking at the move that Shaw doesn't give, 3 Nxe5

Initially the computer likes this line for White:
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d5 3 Nxe5 Bd6 4 d4 dxe4 5 Bc4 Bxe5 6 Qh5 Qe7 7 Qxe5 Qxe5 8 exd5 Nc6 9 Nc3 Nxe5 10 Nd5 Kd8 11 Bb3

But checking out 10 Nd5 Nxd4 11 Nxc7+ Kd7 12 Nxa8 Nf6 13 Bf4 Kc6 14 b3 Nd5 15 Bg3 Nd6 16 c4 Nb4, the variation continues.
  
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BeeCaves
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #6 - 05/17/19 at 02:03:02
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John Shaw in the Quality Chess book "Playing 1 e4.  Caro-Kann, 1...e5 and Minor Lines" writes:

"The Elephant Gambit certainly has shock value.  Perhaps the greatest shock of all is that it is not such a bad move.  I think I have faced it just once at classical time control, and I lost to GM Mark Hebden."

He recommends in the book (for White):
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d5 3 exd5 e4 4 Qe2 Nf6 5 Nc3 Be7 6 Nxe4 0-0 7 d3 and gives two different options for Black ending in +/=

7... Re8 8 Qd1 Qxd5 9 Nxf6+ Bxf6+ 10 Be2 c5 11 0-0 Nc6 12 c3 Bf5 13 Be3 Rad8 14 Qb3 +/= and according to Shaw "The extra pawn is still alive but I wouldn't claim more than the faintest of edges" (Stockfish is hovering between +0.05 and +0.10 for me)

He also gives 10... Qe6!?N as interesting for Black

Or
7... Nxd5 8 Qd1 c5 9 Be2 Nc6 10 0-0 Bf5 11 Re1 Bg6 12 Bf1 Qd7 13 c3 +/=(about +0.3 or +0.4 on Stockfish for me)

I don't know if Shaw gives the critical lines for White or if it should be recommended but his recommended variations for White definitely look playable for Black as a surprise/blitz/rapid weapon.
  
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #5 - 05/16/19 at 11:35:29
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bragesjo wrote on 05/09/19 at 11:01:53:
Who in hell would write a book on this crap opening? The opening might work in bullet if opponent does not know theory but thats it.

Whats next GM Repertour Englund Gambit?


I find it especially amusing as QC still has "Tired of bad positions? Try the main lines!" on its front page. A book by them on the Elephant sounds like an April fools joke.

That said, I'm interested. I've never seen real serious analysis of it.
  
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #4 - 05/16/19 at 11:19:27
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JEH wrote on 05/09/19 at 11:15:57:
Is it so named because it is Black who is sitting on the Electric chair waiting for a shock  Grin



Indeed, it is quite an unfortunate title for the book given some tragic historical events.
  
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JEH
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #3 - 05/09/19 at 11:15:57
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Is it so named because it is Black who is sitting on the Electric chair waiting for a shock  Grin

  

Those who want to go by my perverse footsteps play such pawn structure with fuzzy atypical still strategic orientations

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, stuck in the middlegame with you
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bragesjo
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #2 - 05/09/19 at 11:01:53
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Who in hell would write a book on this crap opening? The opening might work in bullet if opponent does not know theory but thats it.

Whats next GM Repertour Englund Gambit?
  
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Re: The Electrifying Elephant Gambit
Reply #1 - 05/08/19 at 18:15:03
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As far as I can tell from the main Quality Chess site, the Elephant Gambit book is neither published - http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/sections/1/opening/ - nor "coming coon" - http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/sections/6/coming_soon/

You might be able to find hints of how close to publication it is in some other random thread. There are lots of those off-topic timeline questions on QC blog posts.
  

Improvement begins at the edge of your comfort zone. -Jonathan Rowson
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