Happy Halloween Gambit

The Halloween Gambit offers social players a fun opportunity to fight back while being a piece down.  I teach it to my chess class every Halloween and then allow students to collect data on the particular opening.  Definitely not recommended for tournament play, however.

The Halloween Gambit Handout

Instructive Videos:  

Real and Jordan embrace the Halloween Gambit

Keegan

The Halloween Gambit, also known as the Müller-Schulze Gambit or Leipzig Gambit, is an aggressive gambit in chess, in which White sacrifices a knight for just one pawn.  There are many different kinds  of gambits, but the usual aim of a gambit is to obtain an advantageous position after giving up material.   It is related to the Four Knights Game. The Oskar Cordel reported in 1888 that Leipzig club players used it to dangerous effect but he did not believe it was sound.  Meaning that you should not use it. The opening is: 

1. e4 e5

2. Nf3 Nc6

3. Nc3 Nf6

4. Nxe5 Nxe5

5.  d4

The goal of the gambit is to seize the center with pawns and drive back Black's knights. After 4...Nxe5, White usually plays 5.d4, in preference to 5.f4, which does not facilitate his development.

Sami and Abby (The Halloween Bride vs. Bloody Red Riding Hood)