King's Gambit Declined, Norwalde Variation, Bücker Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4 Qf6 (3.Nc3 Qxf4 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.Bc4)

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Position after 2...Qf6 (Norwalde Variation)              Position after 5.Bc4 (Bücker Gambit)

1. Introduction

It starts as a King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4), after black declines it with 2...Qf6. It was Stefan Bücker who analyzed this variation: the Norwalde Variation. The move 2...Qf6 is positional based. Black is defending the e5-square and attacking the pawn on f4. The idea is simple: black wants to take the pawn on f4 with the Queen and hold on to the pawn on e5.

What if we compair this to 2...exf4, we see that black accepts the gambit pawn on f4 and tries to hold on to it (often with 3...g5). The statistics are in favor for white (a little more than 55%). White lures black's king's pawn out of the centre to a square where black has difficulties to defend it (easily). In the Norwalde variation black's king's pawn is staying in the centre, frustrating the attack of white.

In this game white decided to develop with 3.Nc3, leaving the f4-pawn for black to take. And after 3...Qxf4 4.Nf3 Bb4, white choose for 5.Bc4 (Bücker Gambit) a sharp gambit in the style of the Muzio gambit where white sacrifices a piece for the attack. It resulted in a very lively and complicated game. Black had to play very accurate to survive.

2. Game analysis

Date: 2013.04.13

White: Bronstein_David5261

Black: BigGStikman

WhiteElo: 2025

BlackElo: 1985

TimeControl: 1 in 3 days

1.e4 e5 2.f4

King's Gambit.

2...Qf6

King's Gambit Declined, the Norwalde Variation (C30).

3.Nc3

An alternative is: 3.Nf3.

3...Qxf4 4.Nf3

An alternative is the Schubert variation: 4.d4. After 4...Qh4+ 5.g3 Qd8 6.dxe5 white has a small lead in development and spatial advantage. But the double pawns on the e-file are a target for black; the battle for e5.

4...Bb4

Attacking the white defences for the pawn on e4 and also preventing an immediately 5.d4.

5.Bc4

The Bücker Gambit; IMO the strongest response. It's in a Muzio Gambit style (what else can we expect from a King's Gambit player?)! The alternative 5.g3 Qg4 6.Nxe5 Qxd1+ 7.Nxd1 Nc6 isn't very dangerous for black.

5...Bxc3 6.0-0

Taking back on c3 is not good, it only gives away the e4-pawn. No, white sacrifices his Knight for an attack on the f-file. With the Bishop on c4, white is aiming for the f7-square. This is all what a gambit is about.

6...f6

The best defence. I think there is no time to retreat the dark square bishop on c3. For example:

[A] 6...Bb4 7.d4 Qxe4 8.Bxf7+ Kd8 9.c3 Be7 10.Nxe5 g5 (To keep the white Rook away from f4, trapping the black Queen) 11.Bb3 Nh6 12.Qh5 and white is clearly better.

[B] 6...Ba5 7.d4 Qxe4 8.Bxf7+ Kd8 9.Nxe5 Nf6 10.Bg5 Ke7 11.c3 d6 12.Re1 Qf5 13.Bxf6+ and white is clearly better. 

7.dxc3

White's dark square bishop is entering the game with a tempo.

7...Qg4

This is better than 7...Qxe4 8.Nxe5 fxe5 9.Qh5+ or 8...Qxe5 9.Re1 Qxe1+ 10.Qxe1+ or 8...Ne7 9.Re1 Qf5 10.Bd3 Qe6 11.Qh5+ g6 12.Bxg6 Nxg6 13.Nd3 and in every variation white is clearly better.

8.Bf7+

A well known motiv. White is trying to keep the black King as long as possible in the centre.

8...Ke7

Other continuations are not stronger. For example:

[A] 8...Kxf7 9.Nxe5! 

[B] 8...Kf8 9.h3 Qg3 10.Bxg8 Rxg8 (If 10...Kxg8 11.Qd5+ Kf8 12.Nxe5!) 11.Ng5 Qh4 12.Qf3 and white is clearly better.

[C] 8...Kd8 9.h3 Qg3 10.Ng5 fxg5 11.Qh5 (Planning 12.Bxg5 and 13.Rf3) Nf6 (If 11...Ne7 12.Bxg5 h6 13.Bg8 and white is better.) 12.Bxg5 (If 12.Rxf6 gxf6 13.Qh6 c5 14.Qxf6+ Kc7 15.Qxh8 and white is perhaps slightly better) h6 13.Bh4 Qe3+ 14.Kh1 and white is better.

9.h3

An alternative is 9.Qd5 c6 10.Qb3 Nh6 11.h3 Qg3 12.Bh5 (White's threatening 13.Bxh6 and 14.Qf7+.) Rf8 and white is slightly better.

9...Qg3

I like 9...Qxe4 less, because it opens files for white's attack; 10.Bxg8 Rxg8 11.Nxe5 d6 (If 11...fxe5 12.Re1 Qf5 13.Qd5 and white is clearly better.) 12.Re1 Qxe1+ 13.Qxe1 dxe5 14.Qe4 Nc6 15.Qxh7 Be6 and white is better.

10.Bxg8

Better is: 10.Ng5 Nh6 11.Rf3 (If 11.Qh5 d6 12.Bb3 Bd7 13.Rxf6 Be8 14.Qf3 Qxf3 15.Rxf3 and white is clearly better.) Qxf3 12.Qxf3 Nxf7 13.Nxf7 Kxf7 14.Bh6 Rf8 (If 14...gxh6 15.Rf1!) 15.Qh5+ Kg8 16.Qg4 Rf7 17.Rf1 and white is slightly better. 

10...Rxg8 11.Qd5 Rf8

Better is: 11.Re8.

12.Bd2

Better is: 12.Qc5+ Ke8 13 Qxc7.

12...d6

At this point the game is balanced IMO; perhaps black is slightly better as white doesn't have compensation for his pawn.

13.Be1 Qg6 14.Nh4 Qf7 15.Qd3 Nc6 16.Bd2 Be6 17.b3 Kd7 18.Rad1 Rad8

I think black is better now, but he has to break free to get out of his defence-mode.

19.Be3 Kc8 20.a4 d5

Black is trying to create open files for himself, to create spatial advantage.

21.exd5 Bxd5 22.Qxh7 Rh8 23.Qf5+ Be6

24.Qf2

Too bad that white miscalculated; white had to play 24.Rxd8+ first.

24...Rxd1 25.Rxd1 Qh5 26.Nf3 e4 27.g4

Not a good move in a bad position.

27...Bxg4

White resigned.

0-1

3. Summery

I think this game shows that 2...Qf6 in the King's Gambit is worth playing and can lead to very interesting games. The Norwalde Variation looks weird, but can get the job done. And in the Bücker Gambit you just have to play it very accurate as black!