FoxyChess › Gambits › Marshall Gambit (Semi-Slav)
Marshall Gambit (Semi-Slav)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4. White offers the centre pawn to open the position. In return White gets quick development and pressure on the dark squares around Black's king.
The idea
In the Semi-Slav, 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 offers the e-pawn to blow the centre open before Black is developed. After 4…dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Be2 White is two pawns down but has the bishop pair, a lead in development and the black queen exposed in the centre.
What happens next
White plays Bxb4, Be2, Nf3 and O-O-O or O-O quickly, with the queen coming to d2 or d6. The two bishops and open lines are the compensation; the black queen is chased and Black's king struggles to castle.
How to play against it
Black's main line is 5…Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Be2 Na6 9.Bd6 or 9.Ba5, when Black has to defend accurately. A simpler choice is 4…Bb4, declining the pawn and transposing to Nimzo-Indian-like positions.
A key line
More lines
Marshall Gambit Accepted
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All 2 lines in this gambit
- Marshall Gambit (Semi-Slav)
- Marshall Gambit Accepted