1. Introduction
It's a gambit you can get after:
- 1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 >> Sicilian Grand Prix Attack (B21)
- 1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.e4 >> Bird's Opening (A03)
It's like a reversed Budapest Gambit where white has the extra f2-f4 move. And after 3...dxe4 white plays 4.Ng5. An alternative is 4.Ne5, the Faj(arowicz) Variation. You can compare it with the Budapest Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4) versus the Fajarowicz Gambit (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ne4). Personally I like 4.Ng5 better, but will certainly try 4.Ne5 sometime.
4...Nf6 5.Bc4 Bg4.
The alternative is the positional 5...e6. A safe continuation after 6.Nc3 whites wins back his pawn and has an equal game. With 5...Bg4 black is attacking the white Queen. White has to play 6.Be2 to avoid early material deficit. Furthermore white is making two moves with one piece in the opening. What black player can resist this temptation?
But ... white has the surprisingly 6.Qxg4! (Or first 6.Bxf7+ and then 7.Qxg4).
A list of relevant ideas for how to handle the white pieces is as follows:
- Aim for active piece play. With only two pieces for the queen, white needs to get good coordination between his pieces.
- Restrain Black’s Queen. The Queen must not be allowed to invade white’s position, and all potential points of entry must be covered.
- Keep files closed. Open files tend to work to the advantage of Black’s Rooks and Queen. White is glad to open up diagonals.
- Don’t cash in too early. White should resist the urge to chase an exchange or a pawn, if it will cost him tempi.
2. Game analysis
Date: 2012.12.04
White BigGStikman
Black: profor
WhiteElo: 1995
BlackElo: 1896
TimeControl: 1 in 3 days
1.e4 c5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Ng5 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bg4Bryntse Gambit accepted.
6.Bxf7+ Kd7 7.Qxg4+
7.Nf7 doesn't bring white a material gain because of 7...Qd4 (threatening mate on f2) 8.Nxg4 Rg8.
7... Nxg4 8.Be6+ Kc7 9.Bxg4
The idea is that white will get two minor pieces for the Queen and a healty initiative.
9...Qe8 10.Ne6+
Pushing the black King further away, blocking the e-pawn and hindering black's development.
10...Kc6 11.Nc3
Just developing.
11... Qg6
An alternative was 11...Na6.
12.h3
Perhaps was 12.Ne8+ better!? 12...Kb6 13.Nd5+ Ka5 14.Be2 and black is in a lot of trouble! Also 12...Kd6 13.Nb5+ Kd5 14.Be6+ doesn't solve black's problems. The best continuation for black is 12...Kc7 13.Ne6+ and if black returns his King to the c6-square, it could be an early draw. But if Black wants to continue for a win, he probably plays 13...Kd6 14.h3 Na6 15.f5 and 16.Nxe4+.
12...Nd7
I believe 12...Na6 was a better move.
13.f5
The alternative was 13.d4 cxd4 14.Nxd4+ Kc7 15.Be3 but that didn't go well with idea numbers 2 and 3.
13...Qf7 14.Nxe4
The alternative was 14.d4 exd3 15.Bf3+ Kb6 16.Nd5+ Kc6 17.Ne3+ Kb6 18.Nc4+ Kb5 19.cxd3 and white takes the game home. After 14...cxd4 15.Nxd4+ Kc7 16.Nxe4 black has possibilities to develop.
14...h5 15.N4g5
When 15.Bf3 black has the oppertunity to play 15...Ne5 and creates an active piece in the centre of the board.
15...Qf6 16.Ne4
Another possibility was 16.Bf3+ Kb6 17.d3 Ne5 18.Be4.
16...Qe5 17.Bf3 Kb6
18.a4
Not good! At this point white had to play 18.d4! cxd4 19.Bf4 Qxf5 20.Bc7+ Ka6 21.Nxd4 Qg6 22.b4 and black has problems to defend his King.
18...a6 19.d4
One move too late; black has now an escape-square on a7.
19...cxd4
The losing move! Better was 19...Qxf5 20.dxc5+ Ka7 21.Be3 Kb8 22.Nd4.
20.Bf4 Qxf5
Not good! Black had to play 20...Qa5+ 21.b4 Qxb4+ 22.Bd2 Qb2 23.0-0 and could continue the game a little bit longer; now it's over.
21.Bc7+ Ka7 22.Nxd4
Black resigned. White threatens 23.Nb5+ axb5 24.axb5#
1-0
3. Summery
This gambit is not forced; and black has possibilities to transpose it into other openings or can choose for the safe 5...e6. But if black goes for 5...Bg4 you can be sure that you're playing an interesting game! White has the initiative in the game and is putting pressure on black. Black cannot do more than defending and trying to develop his pieces.
Arne Bryntse
The gambit appears to be the invention, in the 1960s, of a Swedish correspondence player: Arne Bryntse. Apparently, he even tempted opponents to accept the gambit by the use of conditional move offers, which were common in the postal chess era. In case his opponent might not see the point, when he posted the move 5.Bc4 he would add the conditional offer "if 5…Bg4 6.Qxg4." Good psychology! After that, fewer opponents would "chicken out" and prefer 5...e6. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Bryntse was a regular competitor in the Swedish correspondence chess championship, and he won the title in 1972. Bryntse played the Bird regularly but unfortunately few opponents played the necessary sequence that allowed him to offer the queen.
Two games from the master, Arne Bryntse, himself:
Game 1
Site: corr SWE/K
Date: 1968.??.??
White: Bryntse, Arne
Black: Österling, Gösta
1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Ng5 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bg4 6.Qxg4 Nxg4 7.Bxf7+ Kd7 8.Be6+ Kc6 9.Bxg4 e6 10.Nc3 Bd6
Three years later Österling played the improvement 10...Nd7 (see game 2).
11.O-O Rf8 12.d3 Na6
If 12...exd3 13.Nxe6 and 14.Bf3+
13.Nxe6 Qh4 14.Be2 Nb4 15.dxe4 a6
This prevents Nb5.
16.Bd1 Rf6 17.g3 Rg6
Black threatens to draw by perpetual check (18...Rxg3+), so Bryntse prevents that.
18.Kg2 Qe7 19.f5 Rxe6
Black must surrender the exchange one way or another (19...Rf6 20.Bg5).
20.fxe6 a5 21.a3 Na6 22.e5 Qxe6
22...Bxe5 could lead to a neat finish: 23.Rf7 Qxe6 24.Bf3+ Kb6 25.Rxb7#.
23.exd6 Kb6 24.Bf3 h6 25.Bf4 g5 26.Rae1 Qg6 27.Re7 Rb8 28.d7 Rd8 29.Be4 Qg8 30.Be5
1-0
Game 2
Site: corr SWE/K
Date: 1971.??.??
White: Bryntse, Arne
Black: Österling, Gösta
1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Ng5 Nf6 5.Bc4 Bg4 6.Qxg4 Nxg4 7.Bxf7+ Kd7 8.Be6+ Kc6 9.Bxg4 e6 10.Nc3 Nd7 11.Bxe6 Nf6 12.Nf7
Bryntse gives this a question mark but no further comment at this point.
12...Qe8 13.Bc4 a6 14.Nxh8 b5
White believed he would win a whole rook, but that is not the case. He now suffers a loss of momentum which is questionable in a sacrifical variation.
15.Bf7 Qc8 16.Nxe4 Nxe4
White can now obtain rook and bishop or two bishops for the Queen. The preferred option is the only line that gives white some chances.
17.Bh5 Qe6 18.Nf7 Kc7 19.Ne5 Qf5 20.Bf3 Re8 21.d3 Ng5 22.O-O Bd6 23.Bg4 Qf6 24.Bd2 h5
The initiative threatens to return to white, but this attempt by black is a failure.
25.Bxh5 Rh8 26.Bg4 Qh6 27.h3 Bxe5 28.fxg5 Qd6 29.Rae1 Bd4+ 30.Kh1 Rf8 31.Ba5+ Kb8 32.Rxf8+ Qxf8 33.Bf3 Qf7
White relies on the bishop-pair's strength on the long diagonals.
34.c3
34.Bc6 was tempting, but it is refuted by 34...Be5!
34...Bf2 35.g6
Black's move would have given him chances, if this reply had not existed.
35...Qxg6 36.Re7 Bg3 37.Rd7 Bh4
If 37...Kc8 38.Rd8# or 37...Bf4 38.Rd8+ Ka7 39.Ra8# or 37...Bc7 38.Bxc7+ Kc8 39.Re7 (or 39.Bg4).
38.Rb7+ Kc8 39.Rb6 Qxd3 40.Bg4+ Kc7 41.Rf6+ Kb8 42.Rf8+ Ka7 43.Bf3
1-0
