Tennison Gambit
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Moves | 1.Nf3 d5 2.e4 or 1.e4 d5 2.Nf3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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ECO | A06 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Named after | Otto Mandrup Tennison | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parent | King's Pawn Game | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Synonym(s) | Abonyi Gambit Black Rook's Gambit Lemberg Gambit Lviv Gambit Polish Gambit Zukertort Gambit |
The Tennison Gambit is a chess opening in which White gambits a pawn.[1][2][3][4] The ECO code is A06, and the opening moves begin with either the Réti Opening:[5]
or the Scandinavian Defense:
History
The first person to significantly research this opening was chess amateur Otto Mandrup Tennison (1834–1909).[6][7] Tennison was born in Denmark, studied in Germany and moved to the United States in 1854. There he played in the chess clubs of New Orleans. Many strong players picked up the idea from the first half of the 20th century.
After 2...dxe4 3.Ng5
3... e5! (White had the advantage in Ermenkov–Bonchev, Bulgaria 1970, after 3...Nf6?! 4.Bc4 e6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Ngxe4 Nxe4 7.Nxe4 b5 8.Be2 Bb7 9.Bf3) 4. Nxe4 f5! favors Black.[8]
Cultural impact
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Variation
On October 11, 2020, the YouTube channel Bosnian Ape Society uploaded a video demonstrating a variation called the "Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Variation of the Tennison Gambit". This variation gained attention among players in chess-related forums, such as Reddit and chess.com. The video itself starts by teaching the gambit, which is actually playable. Following move 7, it shows an intercontinental ballistic missile, in particular a RT-2PM2 Topol-M Missile, destroying the board, this being the joke.[9]
The variation is as follows:
- 1.e4 d5
- 2.Nf3 dxe4 (original Tennison Gambit)
- 3.Ng5 Nf6
- 4.d3?! exd3
- 5.Bxd3 h6?
- 6.Nxf7! Kxf7
- 7.Bg6+! Kxg6
- 8.Qxd8.
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
8 | 8 | ||||||||
7 | 7 | ||||||||
6 | 6 | ||||||||
5 | 5 | ||||||||
4 | 4 | ||||||||
3 | 3 | ||||||||
2 | 2 | ||||||||
1 | 1 | ||||||||
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h |
This, of course, includes a significant number of dubious moves and will therefore rarely see play. However, it still provides White with a significant material advantage: being up a queen at the cost of a knight and a light-squared bishop. This still leaves White's queen vulnerable, however, and black can exploit this by laying a trap with 8.... e6 (or e5). If White continues to grab material with 9.Qxc8?, black can play 9.... Bb4+!. This discovered attack allows Black to recapture White's queen, though this may or may not lose Black's dark-squared bishop in the process due to:
- 10. c3 Rxc8
- 11.cxb4.
If White falls for this trap, Black has a knight for White's dark-squared bishop and material is even. [10]
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
8 | 8 | ||||||||
7 | 7 | ||||||||
6 | 6 | ||||||||
5 | 5 | ||||||||
4 | 4 | ||||||||
3 | 3 | ||||||||
2 | 2 | ||||||||
1 | 1 | ||||||||
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h |
Notable games
Otto M. Tennison vs. NN, New Orleans 1891
- 1. Nf3 d5
- 2. e4 dxe4
- 3. Ng5 f5
- 4. Bc4 Nh6
- 5. Nxh7 Rxh7
- 6. Qh5+ Kd7
- 7. Qg6 Rh8
- 8. Be6+ Kc6
- 9. Bxc8+ Qd6
- 10. Qe8+ Kb6
- 11. Qa4
If 11...Qc6 then 12.Qb3+ Ka6 13.Nc3 any 14.Bxb7+; 11...e6 12.a3, etc. (Tennison) 1–0
See also
References
- ^ Schiller, Eric. Gambit Opening Repertoire for White – Tennison Gambit (pp. 171–78). Cardoza Publishing. ISBN 0940685787
- ^ Virginia Newsletter (1998). pp. 13–15
- ^ 365.com – A06: Tennison (Lemberg, Zukertort) gambit
- ^ Tennison gambit Collection Chessgames.com
- ^ Reti Opening A06 Chessgames.com
- ^ Wall, Bill. Tennison Gambit.
- ^ Otto M. Tennison Chessgames.com
- ^ Benjamin, Joel; Schiller, Eric (1987). "Tennison Gambit". Unorthodox Openings. Macmillan Publishing Company. p. 79. ISBN 0-02-016590-0.
- ^ Bosnian Ape Society. "Chess Trap to Trick Your Opponent: Tennison Gambit Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Variation ". Uploaded October 11, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2xNlzsnPCQ
- ^ Gotham, Levy. "INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE GAMBIT". Uploaded December 5th, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc91zIltxIo
Further reading
- Bekemann, Uwe. (2016). Better late than never – The Tennison Gambit. Schachverlag Ullrich. ISBN 978-3959209663
- Lutes, John. (2002). Tennison Gambit. Chess Enterprises. ISBN 9780945470557