Chessville Opening Instruction - The Dilworth Gambit - by Clyde Nakamura - The Search for Dragons and Mythical Chess Openings

Chessville
...by Chessplayers, for Chessplayers!

Today is

Site Map

Chessville
logo by
ChessPrints

Advertise
with
Chessville!!

Advertise to
thousands
of chess
fans for
as little
as $25.

Single insert:
$35
x4 insert:
@ $25 each.

From the
Chessville
Chess Store

The Dilworth Gambit
by Clyde Nakamura

The Search for Dragons
& Mythical Chess Openings

Recently I received an email message through playchess.com from my friend National Master Reynolds Takata. The message asked if I knew this gambit in the Nimzo-Indian Defense. The gambit had the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4:

The move 4.e4 is the start of the gambit because now the e-pawn can be captured. After 4.e4 Nxe4 White plays 5.Qg4 attacking the black knight at e4. I admit I do know a large number of gambits but there are some gambits that I did not know and had never seen before.

Anyway I was intrigued by this new gambit in the Nimzo-Indian because the pawn structure that occurs in this gambit is the same pawn structure that occurs in the Omega-Paris Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.e4) and the Omega-Achilles Gambit (1.c4 Nf6 2.e4). White has pawns at c4, c3, d4 and a half-open e-file.

This gambit was named the Dilworth Gambit and it was featured in an article by Vernon Dilworth called “A New Move in the Nimzo-Indian Defence” in the magazine “CHESS” (March 1949) – page 136, 137, 156. The article gave the game Dilworth-Clegg as a sample game of the Dilworth Gambit. There were other articles in CHESS which covered the Dilworth Gambit and asked the readers to come up with analysis and a refutation to the Gambit.

Listed below is an obituary of the late Vernon Dilworth, the inventor of the Dilworth Gambit:

Orbituary
From the British Chess Magazine News 2004

“Obituary: Vernon Dilworth was born in 1916 and died in October 2004. He lived much of his life in Cheshire. He mainly played correspondence chess, but did return to over-the-board play in 1972, playing for example in the Evening Standard Congress. He is most famous for the eponymous Dilworth Variation in the Ruy Lopez, which is typified by 11...Nxf2. Relatively few 20th century figures have given their name to a chess variation. He first analyzed it in an early 1940s CHESS magazine and Botvinnik must surely have seen this material as he played the line in 1943. More recent players include Leko, Yusupov and Susan Polgar. Leonard Barden told me Vernon spent a long time discussing his line with him at the Evening Standard Congress. Our condolences to his family.‘ Stewart Reuben [6/5/05]”

In the Chess World (June 1, 1949) article (page 134, 135, 136 & 144) CJS Purdy analyzed the Dilworth Gambit in the article “Pipe Dream Chess.” In the article Purdy criticized Dilworth's moves in the game Dilworth-Clegg and wrote the following conclusion:

It is true that nobody has claimed that the gambit is sound. But the mere discussion of it as a worthwhile line for White is likely to warp the average student’s judgment. Hence the necessity for a counter-demonstration. Granted, also, this gambit may succeed against very bad play. But any opening on earth will do that. Some unsound opening variations in chess are well worthy of close study because there is only one way of refuting them. The one under discussion merely requires reasonable care and common sense.

(Declined Gambit Lines)

Gambit Accepted Lines

1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6
3.Nc3 Bb4

And we now have the Nimzo-Indian Defense.

4.e4

The start of the Dilworth Gambit.

Black accepts the gambit by playing:

4…Nxe4

Here White has various options:

5.Qg4 Main Accepted Variation
5.Qc2 Guarding the N on c3 and attacking Black N on e4
5.Bd2 A defensive move directly guarding the N at c3
5.Qf3 This attacks the N at e4 and guards the White N at c3 -no games exist for this line
5.Qd3 This blocks the White B from occupying the d3 square – no games exist for this line

Accepted Line 5.Qg4

This is the Main Accepted Line most often played. Listed below is an analysis of the Main Accepted Line 5.Qg4. This line is not easy to play because it requires precise play by White.

Dilworth Gambit Analysis Accept Line 5.Qg4 Nakamura & Deep Fritz 8 2006

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qg4 Nxc3 6.a3 Be7 7.bxc3 O-O 8.Nf3 (8. Bh6 Bf6 9. Nf3 (9. Bd3 Re8 10. Be3 e5 11. Qe4 g6 12. d5 d6 13. g4 Bg7 14. Ne2 f5 15. Qg2 f4 16. Bd2 Na6 17. h4 Nc5 18. Bc2 c6 19. h5 g5 20. h6 Bf8 21. Rh5 Qf6 22. f3 Bd7 23. Kf1 e4 24. Ng1 cxd5 25. Nh3 Re5 26. cxd5 e3 27. Be1 Be8 28. c4 e2+ 29. Kg1 Bxh5 30. gxh5 Rae8 31. Rb1) 9... e5 10. dxe5 d6 11. Qg3 dxe5 12. Nd2 Bf5 13. Be2 Nc6 14. O-O Qe7 15. Bf3 Bg6 16. Bd5 gxh6 17. Ne4 Bh4 18. Qe3 Na5 19. c5 Rad8 20. Rad1 Kh8 21. g3 f5 22. gxh4 fxe4 23. Qxh6 Rxd5 24. Rxd5 Rg8 25. Kh1 Qf7 26. Qg5 Qf3+ 27. Kg1 Nc6 28. Re1 Bf7 {-+14.18}) 8...d5 9.Qh5 c5 10.Bd3 g6 11.Qh6 dxc4 (11... cxd4 12. h4 Qc7 13. Bf4 (13. h5 Bf6 14. hxg6 fxg6 15. Bg5 Qg7 16. Bxf6 Rxf6 17. cxd4 {=}) 13... Qd7 (13... Bd6 14. Ng5 Rd8 15. Qxh7+ Kf8 16. Bxd6+ Rxd6 17. Qh8+ Ke7 18. Nxf7 dxc4 19. Nxd6 cxd3 20. Nxc8+ Kd7 21. O-O Qd8 22. Nb6+ Qxb6 23. Rfd1 Qd8 24. Qxd4+ Kc7 25. Qxd8+ {+- 6.36}) 14. Ne5 Qd6 15. h5 Bg5 16. Qxg5 f6 17. Qh6 Nd7 (17... Nc6 18. hxg6 {+-}) 18. hxg6 {+- mate in 6 according to Deep Fritz 8}) 12.Ng5 (12. Bc2 cxd4 13. cxd4 Nc6 14. Ng5 Bxg5 15. Bxg5 Qa5+ 16. Kf1 Qc3 17. Re1 f5 18. Bb1 Qxd4 {- 2.86}) (12. Bxc4 cxd4 13. cxd4 b5 14. Bd3 Bb7 15. Rb1 Bxf3 16. gxf3 a6 17. Be4 Ra7 18. Rg1 Bf6 19. Kf1 Bg7 20. Qh3 f5 21. Bc2 Nc6 22. Bb3 Nxd4 23. Ba2 Qd6 {-+ 2.80}) 12... Bxg5 13.Bxg5 f6 14.Bxg6 Qe7 [diagram]

15.Bxf6 Rxf6 16.Bxh7+ Qxh7 (16... Kf7 17. Qg5 Qf8 18. Be4 Nd7 19. Qh5+ Ke7 20. Qe2 Qf7 21.h4 Kf8 22. h5 Rh6 23. Rd1 cxd4 24. Rxd4 e5 25. Rxc4 Nf6 26. Bg6 Qd5 27. O-O e4 28. Rd4 Qc5 29. Qa2 Qe7 30. Qd2 Kg7 31. Qg5 Ng8 32. Qg3 Nf6 33. Rfd1 Bg4 34.Bf5 Kh8 35.Rd7 Nxd7 36. Rxd7 Rd8 37. Rxd8+ Qxd8 38. Qe5+ Qf6 39. Qb8+ Kg7 40.Bxg4 {+/- 1.45 still a very double edged game, if White trades Queens it will be a difficult endgame.}) 17.Qxf6 Qe4+ 18.Kf1 Nd7 19.Qg5+ Kf7 20.h4 Qd3+ 21.Kg1 cxd4 22.Rh3 Qg6 23.Rf3+ Nf6 24.Qc5 Bd7 25.Qc7 Ke7 26.Qxb7 Rd8 27.Qb4+ Kf7 28.Qxc4 dxc3 29.Qc7 Ke7 30.Qxc3 Rg8 {+- 1.48} *

The Vernon Dilworth – A. Clegg game has been the main game analyzed by Vernon Dilworth, Cecil Purdy and Gary Lane in their articles on the Dilworth Gambit:

Vernon Dilworth – A. Clegg March 1949 CHESS (Nakamura & DeepFritz8)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 {the Nimzo-Indian Defense} 4.e4 {the start of the Dilworth Gambit} Nxe4 {Black accepts the gambit pawn} 5.Qg4 {the main line of the Dilworth Gambit Accepted} Nxc3 6.Bd2 (6. a3 {this is recommended by Deep Fritz 8} Be7 7. bxc3 O-O {-/+ 0.90 according to Deep Fritz 8}) 6...Nd5 7.cxd5 Bxd2+ 8.Kxd2 Qf6 {guarding the g pawn} 9.Nf3 O-O 10.d6 {played to clog the Black center so Black will have a difficult time developing his pieces on the Queenside.} (10. Bd3 {Deep Fritz 8 recommended 10.Qg5 trading Queens. I do not favor trading Queens if I am down in material.}) 10...cxd6 11.Bd3 Nc6 12.Rhe1 b6 {this is the only way to develop the Black Bishop} 13.Re3 h6 14.h4 Bb7 15.Qe4 Qg6 (15... Rfc8 16. Ke1 g6 17. h5 Na5 18. Qg4 Nc4 19. Re2 g5 20. Rd1 Na5 21. Be4 Bxe4 22. Qxe4 Qg7 23. Qd3 g4 24. Nh2 Nc6 25. Kf1 f5 {-+ 2.14 According to Deep Fritz 8}) 16.Qf4 Qf6 17.Qxd6 (17. Qe4 Rfc8 18. Ke1 g6 19. h5 Na5 20. Qg4 Nc4 21. Re2 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Kh7 23. Kf1 a5 24. a4 d5 25. hxg6+ fxg6 26. Kg2 Rab8 27. Rh1 b5 28. Qh5 Qg7 29. Rh4 bxa4 30. Rg4 Rg8 31. f4 Nxb2 32. Bxg6+ Qxg6 33. Rxg6 Rxg6+ 34. Kh2 a3 35. Qh3 a2 36. Qa3 {-+ 3.91}) 17...Qe7 18.Qf4 Rac8 19.a3 f5 20.Rg1 Qf6 21.g4 fxg4 22.Qxg4 Ne7 23.Ne5 Rc7 [diagram]

24.Reg3 Qxf2+
25.Kd1 {+- 2.48}
1-0

Vitorio Chemin (2215) – Jaime Sunye Neto (2435) BRA-ch – San Luis 1981

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qg4 Nxc3 6.a3 Be7 (6... Na2+ 7. axb4 Nxc1 8. Qxg7 Rf8 9. Rxc1 {=}) 7.bxc3 Bf6 8.Bd3 b6 9.Ne2 c5 (9... d5 10. O-O Ba6 11. a4 Bxc4 12. Bxc4 dxc4 13. Ba3 Nc6 14. Nf4 Qd7 15. Rad1 Ne7 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. d5 O-O 18. dxe6 Rad8 19. Rd7 Rxd7 20. exd7 c6 21. Nh5 Bxc3 22. Qxc4 Bb2 23. Qxc6 Rd8 24. Qb5 Bd4 25. Ng3 Qxd7 26. Re1 h6 27. h3 g6 {-+ 1.51}) 10.Qe4 (10. Ng3 cxd4 11. Nh5 Kf8 12. cxd4 Nc6 13. Be3 e5 14. Nxf6 Qxf6 15. Bg5 d5 16. Qh4 Qd6 17. cxd5 Nxd4 18. O-O Bb7 19. Rfe1 f6 20. Bd2 Qxd5 21. Be4 {=/+ 0.49}) 10...Nc6 11.d5 Ne5 12.dxe6 (12. O-O Nxd3 13. Qxd3 O-O 14. Ng3 d6 15. Bf4 Bg5 16. Bxg5 Qxg5 17. f4 Qg6 18. f5 exf5 19. Rf4 Re8 20. Raf1 Re5 21. Nxf5 a6 22. a4 h6 23. Qb1 Bd7 24. Ng3 Qxb1 25. Rxb1 Rb8 26. a5 b5 27. Kf2 b4 28. Rb3 f5 29. cxb4 cxb4 30. Rff3 g5 {-+ 1.98}) 12...Nxd3+ 13.Kf1 d5 [diagram]

14.exf7+ Kxf7
15.Qxd3 Ba6
16.Qxd5+ Qxd5
17.cxd5 Rad8
18.Be3 Rxd5
{-+ 2.48 Deep Fritz 8}
0-1

Mathias Roeder (2280) – Gilbert Volpert Ch Unterfranken – Bayern GER 1987

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qg4 Nxc3 6.a3 Be7 7.bxc3 O-O 8.Bd3 f5 9.Qe2 Bf6 10.Nf3 b6 11.a4 Nc6 12.O-O Bb7 13.Ba3 Re8 14.Rfe1 Ne7 15.Rab1 Ng6 16.Qe3 Nh4 17.Nxh4 Bxh4 18.g3 Bf6 19.f4 d6 20.Qf2 Qd7 21.Bc2 Qc6 22.d5 exd5 23.cxd5 Qxc3 (23... Qxd5 24. Rxe8+ Rxe8 25. Bb3 {+- 4.05 and the Queen drops}) 24.Rxe8+ Rxe8 25.Bb2 Qc5 (25... Qc4 26. Bxf6 Re2 27. Bb3 Qe4 28. Qf1 Ba6 29. Rd1 Qe3+ 30. Kh1 gxf6 31. Rc1 Bd3 { Black will mate in 8 according to Deep Fritz 8}) 26.Qxc5 dxc5 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Rd1 Bc8 29.Kf2 h6 30.h3 Kf7 31.d6 cxd6 32.Rxd6 Be6 33.g4 Ke7 34.Rd2 fxg4 35.Re2 Kf8 36.f5 Bf7 37.Rxe8+ Bxe8 38.hxg4 Ke7 39.Ke3 h5 40.gxh5 Bxh5 41.Kd3 Kd6 42.Kc4 Be8 {-+ 5.16} 43.Bb3 Bd7 44.Bc2 Ke5 45.a5 Bxf5 46.axb6 axb6 {-+ 6.22} 0-1

Scheffner – Ballon 1988

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qg4 Nxc3 6.a3 Ne4+ {Normally Black plays Be7 instead of Ne5} 7.axb4 d5 8.Qxg7 Qf6 9.Qxf6 Nxf6 10.b3 Nc6 11.b5 Ne7 12.Bf4 Nf5 (12... c6 13. Be5 Neg8 14. bxc6 bxc6 15. Bd3 Bb7 16. c5 h5 17. Nf3 h4 18. O-O Rh5 19. Ra2 Ne4 20. Rfa1 a6 21. Bxa6 Rxa6 22. Rxa6 Bxa6 23. Rxa6 Ne7 24. Bd6 {+/- 1.07 Rebel}) 13.Bxc7 Nxd4 14.Be5 Nc2+ 15.Kd1 Nxa1 (15... Ng4 16. Kxc2 Nxe5 17. Be2 dxc4 18. bxc4 Rg8 19. f4 Ng6 20. g3 a5 21. Nf3 f6 22. Rhe1 Rg7 23. Bd3 Bd7 24. f5 Nf8 25. Nd2 b6 {+/= 0.96 Rebel}) 16.Bxf6 Rg8 17.Bxa1 a6 18.cxd5 axb5 19.Bxb5+ Bd7 20.Bxd7+ Kxd7 21.dxe6+ fxe6 22.Bb2 Rxg2 23.Nh3 Ra5 24.Ke2 Rh5 {? this loses the game} 25.Nf4 Rgxh2 26.Rd1+ 1-0

P. Navarro Torres (2232)-M. Szymanski (2422) XI Anibal Open-Linares 3/2/05

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 {the Dilworth Gambit} Nxe4 5.Qg4 Nxc3 6.a3 Be7 7.bxc3 Bf6 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.Bd2 d5 10.Qg3 {White cannot allow the e5 pawn push which will give Black the edge.} Bd7 11.Bf4 Rc8 12.Ne5 Ne7 13.Rb1 Nf5 14.Qh3 Bxe5 15.dxe5 (15. Bxe5 O-O 16. Bd3 dxc4 17. Be4 f6 18. Bg3 Bc6 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. O-O Qd5 21. Rb7 Rb8 22. Rxc7 Qe4 23. Rxa7 Rb1 24. Bc7 Rxf1+ 25. Kxf1 Qb1+ 26. Ke2 e5 27. dxe5 fxe5 28. Ba5 Qc2+ 29. Ke1 Rb8 {-+ 6.45 Deep Fritz 8 The White King is in a very dangerous position because White cannot guard the first rank.}) 15...Bc6 16.Bd3 Qh4 17.Qf3 dxc4 18.Be4 Bxe4 19.Qxe4 b6 20.Qc6+ Kf8 21.Bg3 Qe7 22.O-O g6 23.Rbd1 Rd8 24.Rxd8+ Qxd8 25.Qxc4 Kg7 26.Qa4 (26. Bf4 Qh4 27. g3 Qe7 28. g4 Nh4 29. Kh1 g5 30. Be3 Ng6 31. f4 gxf4 32. Bxf4 Rd8 33. Qe4 Kg8 34. Qe3 Qxa3 35. Bg5 Rd5 36. Bf6 Qa6 37. Kg2 Qc4 38. h3 Rd3 39. Qh6 Qe4+ 40. Kf2 Rf3+ 41. Kg2 Qe2+ 42. Rf2 Rxf2+ 43. Kh1 Qf1# (43... Qe1#)) 26... Qe8 27.Qe4 Qe7 28.a4 Nxg3 29.hxg3 Rd8 30.Re1 a5 31.Qf4 Rd3 32.Re3 Rxe3 33.Qxe3 f6 34.Qe4 fxe5 35.Qxe5+ Kg8 36.g4 Qd6 37.Qe4 Qd5 38.Qf4 Qd1+ 39.Kh2 Qd6 40.Kg3 g5 41.Qxd6 cxd6 42.Kf3 Kf7 43.Ke4 Ke7 44.g3 (44. c4 Kd7 45. Kd3 Kc6 46. Kd2 e5 47. f3 Kc5 48. Kd3 Kb4 49. Ke4 {-+ 12.32}) 44...d5+ 45.Ke5 [diagram]

(45. Kd4 b5 46. axb5 a4 47. Kd3 Kd6 48. f4 e5 49. fxe5+ Kxe5 50. c4 a3 51. b6 Kd6 52. cxd5 a2 {-+ 12.12 and Black's pawn Queens}) 45...b5 46.axb5 a4 47.c4 a3 {White cannot stop the Black pawn from Queening.} 0-1

Accepted Line 5.Qc2

Dilworth Gambit Analysis – Accepted Line 5.Qc2 Nakamura 9/7/06

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qc2 d5 (5...Nf6 6. a3 Be7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Bd3 d5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. O-O Re8 11. Bf4 c6 12. Rae1 Bg4 13. Ne5 Be6 14. Na4 Nbd7 15. b4 Qc8 16. Nc5 Nxc5 17. bxc5 {=}) 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 c5 8.Bd3 (8. Nf3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 O-O 10. cxd5 Qxd5 11. Bd3 Nf6 12. O-O e5 13. Nb5 Qc6 14. Bg5 Nbd7 15. Rfd1 h6 16. Be3 Nc5 17. Bc4 Nce4 18. Qd3 Bf5 19. Bd5 Nxf2 20. Qxf5 Nxd5 21. Re1 Qxb5 22. Bxf2 f6 23. Qe6+ Rf7 24. Rad1 Nxc3 25. Rd2 Qa5 26. Rd3 Raf8 27. Qb3 Na4 28. Rd5 Qa6 29. Red1 Kh8 30. Rd8 Kh7 31. R8d6 Nb6 32. Bxb6 axb6 33. Qe3 Qa4 {-+ 1.82}) 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 Nc6 10.Nf3 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 Nxd2 12.Qxd2 Qxd2+ 13.Kxd2 Na5 14.Kc3 dxc4 15.Be4 Rb8 16.Nd2 Bd7 17.Kb4 c3 18.Nb3 Bc6 19.f3 Nxb3 20.Kxb3 Rc8 21.Rhc1 Kd7 {-/+ 1.29} *

W. Usatschij – G. Schuh CC EU/M/GT/195

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qc2 {normally White plays Qg4} Nxc3 6.bxc3 Be7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Bd3 h6 9.O-O Qc7 10.Re1 O-O 11.Re5 f5 12.Bf4 Qa5 (12... g5 13. Rxe6 d6 14. Bxf5 Bxe6 15. Bxe6+ Kg7 16. Bg3 Nc6 17. dxc5 Ne5 18.Nd4 Rae8 19. Bd5 Rf6 20. Ne6+ Rxe6 21. Bxe6 {+- 1.99}) 13.Rae1 Nc6 14.Bxf5 exf5 15.Rxe7 Nxe7 16.Rxe7 Qd8 17.Qe2 Qb6 18.Qe5 Rf6 19.Bxh6 gxh6 20.dxc5 Qc6 21.h3 Qe6 22.Rxe6 Rxe6 23.Qxf5 Kg7 24.Ne5 Rf6 25.Qg4+ Kf8 26.Qd4 1-0

Jyrki Kiltti – Kimmo Tervaniemi TampY Open 1992

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qc2 {Qc2 guards the N at c3} Nxc3 6.bxc3 Be7 7.Bd3 h6 8.f4 b6 9.Nf3 Bb7 10.O-O c5 11.f5 exf5 12.Ne5 O-O 13.Bxf5 Bf6 14.Ng4 Bg5 15.Ne5 Kh8 16.Bg6 Bf6 (16... f5 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18.Rae1 Nc6 19. Nf7+ Rxf7 20. Bxf7 Ne7 21. Rf2 cxd4 22. cxd4 Rf8 23. Bh5 Nc6 24.Qd1 Ba6 25. c5 bxc5 26. dxc5 f4 27. Qxd7 Qxc5 28. Re6 Ne5 29. Qd6 Qxd6 30. Rxd6 Bc4 31. Rc2 Rb8 32. h3 Rb1+ 33. Kh2 Rb4 {+- 3.57}) 17.Nxf7+ Rxf7 18.Bxf7 cxd4 19.Qg6 {+- 3.60 play would continue with 19...dxc3 20. Bxh6 Bd4+ 21.Kh1 Qh4} 1-0

Pijusmagnificus (2368) – Hossa (2635) ICS Bullet Match 11/19/2000

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qc2 d5 6.Bd3 (6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 c5 8. Bd3 cxd4 9. Ne2 Nc5 10. cxd4 Nxd3+ 11. Qxd3 dxc4 12. Qxc4 O-O {-/+ 1.04 Black has a slight edge.}) 6...Nxc3 7.bxc3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 Qxd4 9.cxb4 (9. Bb5+ c6 10. Ne2 Qh4 11. cxb4 Qxb4+ 12. Bd2 Qxb5 13. Bc3 O-O 14. O-O Qf5 15. Qb2 {-+ 2.12}) 9...Qxa1 10.Nf3 Nc6 11.O-O Nd4 12.Qa4+ Bd7 13.Qd1 b5 14.Bd3 Rd8 15.Nxd4 Qxd4 16.Be3 Qxb4 17.Qe2 O-O 18.h3 (18. Qh5 f5 19. Bg5 Rc8 20. h3 e5 21. Rb1 Qd6 22. Qe2 {-+ 4.63}) 18...Qa3 19.Rc1 c6 20.Rc2 Qb4 21.Bc5 Qb1+ 22.Kh2 Rfe8 23.Rc3 Qa1 24.Bd4 c5 25.Be5 f6 26.Bxf6 (26. Qh5 fxe5 27. Bxh7+ Kf8 28. Qxe5 Bc6 29. Qf4+ Ke7 30. Qg5+ Kf7 31. Qf4+ {=}) 26...gxf6 27.Qg4+ Kf8 28.Bxh7 (28. Rxc5 f5 29. Qf4 Qg7 30. Qd6+ Kg8 31. Rc7 Kh8 32. g3 a5 33. Bf1 Rf8 34. Bg2 f4 35. a3 fxg3+ 36. fxg3 Rf2 37. Qb6 Rxg2+ 38. Kxg2 Qb2+ 39. Qf2 Bc6+ 40. Rxc6 Rd2 41. Rc8+ Kg7 {-+ 13.39 White drops his Queen}) 28...Qxc3 29.Qg8+ Ke7 30.Qg7+ Kd6 31.Qg4 Rh8 32.Qf4+ Qe5 33.Qxe5+ Kxe5 34.Bd3 Bc6 35.g3 Rxd3 36.f4+ Ke4 37.g4 Rdxh3+ 0-1

Accepted Line 5.Bd2

Jordy Mont-Reynaud – David Kane Palo Alto 1991

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Bd2 Nxd2 6.Qxd2 O-O 7.Nf3 d5 8.Bd3 Nd7 9.O-O Nf6 10.a3 Bxc3 11.Qxc3 {I believe it was better for White to play 11. bxc3 because this move strengthens the White center pawn at d4.} Re8 12.Rac1 (12. c5 Nh5 13. Qc2 g6 14. Rfe1 c6 = Deep Fritz 8) 12... c6 13.Rfe1 Qd6 14.Qc2 Bd7 15.Ng5 g6 16.Re2 (16. c5 Qf4 17. Nf3 Ng4 18. h3 Nf6 19. Qe2 Bc8 20. b4 Nd7 21. Rb1 f6 22. b5 e5 23. bxc6 bxc6 24. Qd1 e4 25. Nd2 Nf8 26. Re3 Bxh3 27. Rxh3 exd3 28. Rxd3 Ne6 29. Rb4 a5 30. Ra4 -/+ 0.81) 16...dxc4 17.Qxc4 Qd5 18.Qxd5 (18. Nf3 Qxc4 19. Bxc4 Rad8 20. b4 Bc8 21. Kf1 a6 22. a4 Kf8 23. h4 h6 24. b5 axb5 25.axb5 cxb5 26. Bxb5 Bd7 27. Rb2 Re7 28. Ra1 Bxb5+ 29. Rxb5 Rc8 30. Ra7 Rcc7 31.Ne5 Kg7 -/+1.32) 18...exd5 19.Rce1 Rxe2 20.Rxe2 Re8 21.Nf3 Rxe2 22.Bxe2 Ne4 23.Ne5 Bc8 24.f3 Nd6 25.Kf2 (25. f4 f6 26. Ng4 Bxg4 27. Bxg4 f5 28. Be2 Nc4 29.Bxc4 dxc4 -/+3.90) 25...Nf5 26.Bd3 Nxd4 27.Ke3 Ne6 28.f4 Ng7 29.Kd4 f6 30.Nf3 Kf7 31.Kc5 Ke7 32.b4 Ne6# 0-1

Accepted Line 5.Qf3

I do not recommend this line for White. Analysis shows Black gets a slight edge in the late middlegame. It will be very difficult for White to draw this line in an endgame.

Dilworth Gambit – Analysis Accept Line 5.Qf3 Nakamura & Rebel 9/6/06

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qf3 {the 5.Qf3 accepted line of the Dilworth Gambit.} d5 6.Nge2 c5 7.a3 (7. cxd5 exd5 8. a3 cxd4 9. axb4 dxc3 10. Nxc3 O-O 11. Be3 Nf6 12. Rxa7 Rxa7 13. Bxa7 Bg4 14. Qd3 Nc6 15. Bc5 Re8+ 16. Ne2 Ne4 17. f3 Ne5 18. Qb3 Nxc5 19. bxc5 Bf5 20. Kf2 Qe7 21. h3 Qxc5+ 22. Kg3 Qc7 23. Kf2 {-+ 2.25}) 7...Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 Nxc3 9.bxc3 dxc4 10.Qg3 O-O 11.Bxc4 cxd4 12.Bh6 Qf6 13.Bg5 Qf5 14.Bd3 Qc5 15.O-O f6 16.Bh6 Qe7 17.cxd4 {=/+ 0.28} Rd8 18.Rfd1 Nc6 19.Be3 b6 20.Be4 Bb7 21.d5 exd5 22.Bxd5+ Kh8 23.Rac1 Ne5 24.Bxb7 Qxb7 25.Bf4 Rxd1+ 26.Rxd1 Ng6 27.Bc1 {=/+ 0.68 White is one pawn down and it will be a very difficult game for White the closer it gets to an endgame.} *

Accepted Line 5.Qd3

Dilworth Gambit Analysis Accept Line 5.Qd3 9/7/06 Nakamura & Deep Fritz 8

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 Nxe4 5.Qd3 {this Q move blocks the development of White B to d3} d5 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 O-O 8.Bf4 (8. Nf3 c5 9. Be2 Qa5 10. Bd2 Nxd2 11. Qxd2 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Rd8 13. Bd3 Nd7 14. Ra2 Nf6 15. O-O b6 16. Qe3 Bb7 17. Rfa1 Bxf3 18. Qxf3 cxd4 19. cxd4 Qd5 {-+ 1.95}) 8...Nd7 9.Be2 Nb6 10.c5 (10. Qe3 g5 11. Bxc7 Qxc7 12. f3 Qf4 13. Qxf4 gxf4 14. fxe4 dxe4 15. O-O-O {-+ 1.70}) 10...Na4 11.Bf3 (11. Rc1 c6 12. Nf3 b6 13. cxb6 axb6 14. Qe3 Ba6 15. c4 Nf6 16. Ne5 c5 17. Bg5 cxd4 18. Qxd4 dxc4 19. Qh4 c3 20. Ng4 Bxe2 21. Kxe2 Qd7 22. Nxf6+ gxf6 23. Bh6 Qb5+ 24. Ke1 Qf5 25. Qg3+ Qg6 26. Bxf8 Kxf8 27. Qxg6 fxg6 {=/+ 0.33 the final position is a double edged game, Black has a very slight edge but I am not sure if Black can win this game with the slight edge.}) 11...e5 (11... Naxc3 12. Rc1 Na4 13.Bxe4 dxe4 14. Qb3 Qe8 15. Bxc7 Qc6 16. Bd6 Rd8 17. Ne2 b5 18. O-O Bb7 19. Qg3 Kh8 20. Nf4 Rg8 21. Nh5 f6 22. Qh3 Rae8 23. Nf4 g6 24. Nxe6 Bc8 25. d5 Qxd5 26.Nc7 {+- 1.82}) 12.Bxe5 Naxc3 13.Ne2 Nxe2 14.Bxe2 Qe7 15.Rc1 Qg5 16.O-O c6 17.Rfe1 f6 18.Bc7 Rf7 19.Ba5 Bf5 20.Qf3 Re8 21.Bd3 Rfe7 22.h4 Qg6 23.Re3 Kf8 24.Rce1 Bg4 25.Qf4 Qf5 26.Qxf5 Bxf5 27.Kh2 Bg6 28.f3 Nf2 29.Rxe7 Rxe7 30.Rxe7 Kxe7 31.Be2 Bd3 32.Kg3 Nh1+ 33.Kh2 Bxe2 34.Kxh1 {=/+ 0.40 Black is up a pawn but it is probably difficult to win.} *

Gambit Declined Lines

Black declines the gambit pawn at e4 by playing:

4…c5 A counter strike against the White center pawns
4…d6 The most common declined line
4…b6 An interesting declined line
4…d5 No games exist for this line
4…b5 The most dynamic declined line, however there are no games with this line
4…0-0 No games exist for this line

Decined Line 4…c5

Schmitt, Michael – Meyer, Bjoern 1989 Mainz SJRP-ch U17

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 c5 {Black declines the gambit pawn at d4 and plays c5.} 5.e5 (5. a3 Ba5 6. Qd3 cxd4 7. Qxd4 Nc6 8. Qd3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Bf4 Qa5 11. Bd6 Nxe4 12. Bxf8 Kxf8 13. Ne2 f5 14. f3 Nc5 15. Qd2 (15. Qd6+ Kg8 16. Kf2 b6 17. Ra2 Ba6 18. Nd4 Qxc3 19. Nxc6 dxc6 20. Rd2 e5 21. Be2 Bxc4 22. Bxc4+ Qxc4 23. Rhd1 e4 24. Rd4 Qc3 25. Kg1 Rc8 26. Qe5 Rf8 27. Qe7 h6 28. Rd8 Rxd8 29. Qxd8+ Kh7 30. Qf8 Qe3+ 31. Kf1 Qg5 32. Qc8 Qf6 33. f4 Nd3 {-+ 3/47}) 15... b5 16. Qd6+ Kf7 17. Qxc5) 5...Ng8 {? +/- 0.85 this is a bad move which gives White the advantage.} (5...Ne4 {=/- 0.43 a slight edge for Black} 6. Qd3 cxd4 7. Qxd4 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Nc6 9. Qe3 Be7 10. Nf3 Qa5 11. Bd2 d6 12. exd6 Bxd6 13. Bd3 h6 14. Nd4 Ne5 15. Be2 O-O 16. Nb3 Qd8 17. c5 Bc7 18. Rd1 Qh4 19. Qd4 Qf6 20. f4 Nd7 21. O-O {=}) 6.d5 g6 7.Qg4 f5 (7... d6 8. exd6 f6 9. Bd2 e5 10. Qe2 Qxd6 11. f4 Nd7 12. Nf3 a6 13. O-O-O Ne7 14. Ne4 Qb6 15. d6 Nc6 16. fxe5 fxe5 17. Bh6 Ba5 18. Qf2 Nd4 19. Nxd4 cxd4 20. Ng5 Qxd6 21. Qf7+ Kd8 22. Ne6+ Qxe6 23. Qxe6 {+- 8.72}) 8.Qg3 exd5 (8... Qa5 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 b6 11. h4 exd5 12. cxd5 Ne7 13. Bd2 Qa4 14. c4 Rg8 15. Qc3 Bb7 16. Be2 Rg7 17. h5 Rf7 18. d6 Nbc6 19. dxe7 Nxe7 {+- 4.32}) 9.cxd5 d6 10.exd6 (10. Bg5 Qa5 11. e6 Na6 12. Bd2 c4 13. a3 Nf6 14. Bxc4 O-O 15. Rc1 Bxc3 16. Bxc3 Qd8 17. Ne2 {+- 2.86}) 10...Qd7 11.Bc4 Qg7 12.Qe3+ Kd7 13.Qe6+ 1-0

Declined Line 4…d6

R. Schoengart (2135) – A. Cotaru Hamburg Wichern op 1997

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 d6 {Black declines the gambit by playing d6.} 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.d5 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Nxe4 8.dxc6 b6 9.Bd3 Qf6 10.Qc2 Nxf2 11.Nf3 Nxd3+ (11... Nxh1 12. Bg5) (11...Nxh1 {?? the Black Q drops} 12. Bg5) 12.Qxd3 Qe7 13.O-O f6 14.a4 a5 15.Ba3 O-O 16.Rae1 e5 17.Nd4 Qf7 18.Nc2 (18. Nf5 Be6 19. Rf3 Bxc4 20. Qb1 Kh8 21. Rh3 g6 22. Ne3 f5 23. Nxc4 Qxc4 24. Qb5 Qxb5 25. axb5) (18. Nf5 Be6 19. Re4 Qe8 20. Rh4 g6 21. Qg3 Bxf5 22. Rxf5 Qxc6 23. c5 e4 24. cxd6 Qxa4 25. Bc1 Qd1+ 26. Rf1 Qxd6 27. Qxd6 cxd6 28. Rxe4 {+/- 0.74}) 18...Be6 19.Ne3 Qe8 20.Qe4 g6 21.Nd5 Kg7 {? Black drops the exchange} (21... f5 22. Qb1 Qf7 23. Qd1 {+/- 1.33}) (21... f5 22. Qb1 Qf7 23. Qd1 f4 24. Bc1 Rae8 25. Be3 Qg7 26. Bf2 g5 27. Qh5 Bf5 28. Qe2 {+/= 9.69}) 22.Nxc7 {+- 0.51} 1-0

DarthMusashi (1860) – Slepinin (1938) Playchess.com 6/26/06 Game 5 min.

1.c4 e6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 {The Dilworth Gambit in the Nimzoindian Defense.} d6 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Nxe4 {We now have the Omega-Achilles type of White pawn structure with pawns at c3, c4, d4 and a half open e file.} 7.Qc2 d5 8.Nf3 Nd7 9.Bd3 Ndf6 10.O-O O-O 11.Bg5 Qd6 12.Bxf6 Nxf6 13.Ne5 c5 14.Rad1 {Played to indirectly guard the pawn at d4.} b6 15.f4 {to strengthen the white knights position on e5.} Ba6 16.Qe2 Nd7 17.Qh5 f5 {the only move to stop White's kingside attack.} (17... g6 18. Nxg6 fxg6 19. Bxg6 hxg6 20. Qxg6+ Kh8 21. Rf3 Qxf4 22. Rh3+ Qh4 23. Rxh4#) 18.g4 cxd4 19.cxd4 dxc4 20.Bc2 Nf6 21.Qh4 Qxa3 22.gxf5 (22. Rf3 Qb2 23. Rf2 Qc3 24. gxf5 exf5 25. Bxf5 Bc8 26. Qg5 Bxf5 27. Qxf5 Rae8 28. Rf3 Qa5 29. Qc2 Qd5 {-+ 3.03}) 22...Qe3+ 23.Rf2 exf5 24.Bxf5 c3? [diagram]

(g6 was better) 25.Be6+ Rf7 (25... Kh8 26.Ng6#) 26.Bxf7+ Kf8 27.Bb3 {To prevent the black pawn at c3 from queening} Rd8 28.Qg3 Qe4 29.Bc2 Qd5 30.Qxc3 Bb7 31.Qb4+ Rd6 32.Nf3 {To prevent mate at h1.} Ng4 33.Re2 Nxh2 {Black plays a really tricky move but this is also lost because the black rook is pinned to the king.} 34.Kxh2 (34. Rxh2 Qxf3 35. Qxd6+ Kf7 36. Qd7+ Kf8 37. Qf5+ Ke7 38. Re1+ Be4 39. Rxe4+ Qxe4 40. Qxe4+ Kd7 41. Qb7+ Ke6 42. Re2+ Kd6 43. Bb3 a5 44. Re6#) 34...Qh5+ 35.Kg1 Bxf3 36.Qxd6+ Kf7 37.Bb3+ {It is forced mate-in-3 according to Deep Fritz 8.} 1-0

Declined Line 4…b6

The following game is an example of the 4…b6 declined line but I do not believe White played the best moves in the game. It appears that Black got lost in the tactics and received the short end of the tactics.

Koberl Ferenc-Gedeon Barcza Hungarian Champ, Budapest 1950

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 b6 {Black declines the Dilworth Gambit} 5.Nge2 Bb7 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.Nxc3 d5 (7... Nxe4 8. Qg4 O-O 9. Nxe4 f5 10. Qg5 Bxe4 11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. f3 Bb7 13. Bg5 Re8 14. O-O-O) 8.cxd5 exd5 9.b4 {? this is a bad move by White.} (9. e5 {this is the best move according to Zappa} Ne4 10. Qg4 Kf8 11. Bd3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Ba6 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 14. f4 h5 15. Qh3 Kg8 16. O-O h4 17. f5 c6 18. f6 g6 19. e6 Qc8 20. Re1 fxe6 21. Rxe6 Nc7 22. Qd3 Nxe6 23. Qxg6+ Kf8 24. Bh6+ Rxh6 25. Qxh6+ Kg8 26. Re1 Qf8 27. f7+ Qxf7 28. Rxe6 Re8 29. Rg6+ Qxg6 30. Qxg6+ Kf8 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. Qxc6 Rd8 33. Qc7 Re8 34. Qxa7 {+- 13.76}) 9...O-O 10.Qb3 {? according to Zappa the evaluation went from +/= 0.45 to -+ 1.57} (10. e5 Ne4 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Be3 Bd5 13. Rc1 Nd7 14. Ba6 f6 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. O-O Qd7 17.Be2 {+/= 0.36}) 10...Qc8 (10... dxe4 11. Be3 Ng4 12. Qc2 Re8 13. Bc4 Qh4 14.Qe2 Rd8 15. h3 Nxe3 16. Qxe3 Nc6 17. O-O-O {-+ 1.54}) 11.Be2 (11. e5 Ne4 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13. Bc4 c5 14. dxc5 Nc6 15. e6 Ne5 16. exf7+ Kh8 17. Be3 Qf5 18. Rd1 Qg6 19. O-O Nxc4 20. Qxc4 Rxf7 21. Rd6 Rf6 22. Rfd1 {+- 2.74}) 11...c5 12.bxc5 bxc5 13.O-O (13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Re8 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. Be3 Qa5+ 17.Qb4 Qxb4+ 18. axb4 Bxd5 19. O-O Nc6 {+- 1.88}) 13...Nbd7 14.a4 Re8 15.Ba3 Rb8 16.Qa2 cxd4 17.Nb5 Nxe4 18.Rac1 Qd8 19.Nxd4 Qf6 20.Bb5 (20. Bb2 Ne5 21. Nb5 Qf4 22. Bd4 a5 23. Be3 Qh4 24. f3 d4 25. Bxd4 Nf6 26. Rc7 Bd5 27. Qd2 Rbd8 28. Qxa5 Bxf3 29. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 30. Rxf3 Rxd4 31. Nxd4 Qxd4+ 32. Rf2 Re2 33.Rc8+ Ne8 34. Rxe8+ Rxe8 35. g3 h6 36. Kg2 Qe4+ 37. Kh3 {=/+ 0.33}) 20...Red8 21.Rc7 (21. Nc6 Bxc6 22. Rxc6 Qf5 23. f3 Nef6 24. Qf2 a5 25. Bd6 {=}) 21...Ba6 22.Nc6 Nc3 23.Qc2 Bxb5 24.Nxb8 Bxf1 25.Nxd7 Qa6 26.Qxc3 Bc4 27.Qb4 Qg6 28.Ne5 Qh5 29.Nf3 h6 30.h3 Qf5 31.Rxa7 Rc8 32.Rb7 Be2 33.Qg4 (33. Nd4 Qd3 34. a5 Re8 35. Rb8 Rxb8 36. Qxb8+ Kh7 37. Bc5 Qa6 38. Nxe2 Qxe2 39. Kh2 Qa6 40. Qb6 Qe2 41. Qd6 Qe4 42. a6 d4 43. Bxd4 f6 {+- 17.19}) 33...Qc2 34.Qd7 Kh7 35.Qxf7 {+- 7.55} 1-0

Final Position: after 35.Qxf7

Declined Line 4…d5

There are no games with this line.

Declined Line 4…b5

This is the most dynamic declined line, however there exists no games for this line. Below is my analysis and my conclusion was that Black had a slight edge of =/+ 0.52. However this may not be enough to win the game for Black.

Dilworth Gambit – Declined Line 4…b5 Analysis by Nakamura & Deep Fritz 8

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e4 b5 {an interesting counter gambit which develops the Black B at b7.} 5.e5 Ne4 6.Qd3 Bb7 (6... Nxc3 7. bxc3 (7. a3 bxc4 8. Qxc4 Ba6 9. Qxb4 Bxf1 10. Kxf1 Nd5 11. Qc4 O-O {-/+ 0.81}) 7... bxc4 8. Qg3 Ba5 9. Bd2 g6 10. Bxc4 {+/- 0.86}) 7.cxb5 d6 8.Qc4 c5 9.dxc5 dxc5 10.a3 Bd5 11.Qd3 c4 12.Qc2 Qa5 13.Bd2 Nxd2 14.Qxd2 Nd7 15.Rc1 {=/+ 0.56} *

Declined Line 4…0-0

There are no games with this line.

CONCLUSION

After analyzing and looking at the Dilworth Gambit Accepted games my conclusion is that the Main Dilworth Gambit Accepted line 5.Qg4 is playable. Also playable is the Accepted line 5.Qc2 which guards the knight at c3 and attacks the Black Knight at e4. I believe this line is equal but gives White less winning chances than the main accepted line. Analysis shows that White can win in the Main Accepted Line 5.Qg4, but he has to play precisely to win. There is no margin for error. The sample games favor Black, but it could be that we are not talking about games between two players of equal ability. The Black side in the sample games appear to have a rating of close to 200 Elo points higher than the White side of the sample games.

In the Declined lines, White is at least equal or has a slight advantage in almost every line except one. Analysis shows that the declined line 4…b5 gives Black a slight edge, but this may not be enough for Black to win. The best chance for Black to refute the Dillworth Gambit is to accept the gambit pawn at e4.

Grandmaster Gary Lane of Chess Café did an analysis of this gambit in the July 1, 2005 Opening Lanes article called “The History Man”. In this article he analyzed the game Dilworth-Clegg and other lines in this gambit and concluded that the Dilworth Gambit was worth playing. He encouraged his readers to play this gambit in blitz games and to send him any successful games with this gambit so that his readers can view the bizarre play that occurs after 4…Nxe4.

REFERENCES

CHESS (March 1949) – page 136, 137, 156
Article “A New Move in the Nimzo-Indian Defence” – Vernon Dilworth

CHESS (April 1949) – page 161

CHESS (July, August, September 1949) – page 244

Chess World (June 1, 1949) – page 134, 135, 136 & 144
Article “Pipe Dream Chess” – C.J.S. Purdy (World Correspondence Champion)

Dilworth Gambit (Gambit Revue 4/1988)

July 1, 2005 Opening Lanes article by Gary Lane - “The History Man”

August 1, 2005 Opening Lanes article by Gary Lane - “The Longest Day”

Chess Notes 3762. The Dilworth Gambit - Edward Winter

Yahoo Unorthodox Chess Openings News Group - Message no. 3827

Yahoo Unorthodox Chess Openings News Group File Section

File: nimzoe4.cbv - 51 games + 1 line