Italian-Koltanowski Gambit

Even though the engine says " Deutz Gambit " I learned it from the dirty chess tricks series on YouTube as The Italian-Koltanowski Gambit. Great stuff. If you want the link to the YT Vid, just ask and i'll post it. 

This is one of my favorite openings to play when I get the chance. Most people play Two Knight's Defense against my Italian. But recently, I've been getting to play this a little more and I just get excited everytime I get to that d4 push. Fun things always happen. And this one felt intuitive the whole way through. Also, probably the prettiest checkmate i've had in quite a while. 

All the best to everyone! Good vibes as always! Hope you enjoy the game! 

I learned this gambit from one of your posts buddy! Very nice gambit too. Thanks for the share.

The best video I have seen is by GM Williams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5W6pq8oFVw

@ChrisZifo

It has served me well in many a game. People just don't want to take with the bishop after 5.d4 but it is simply the best move. lol Works against people's intuition of giving up the bishop pair early. But I like to try to get to the Rosentreter Variation so even if they do take correctly with the bishop, I've got a plan and some ideas that I like. I have quite a successful track record with that one.

The pair of Bishops is something in open endgames. The more pawns are blocked, the stronger Knights will prove in the endgame.

In most Middlegame positions, Knights are stronger than Bishops.

The pair Q+N prove so strong and so dangerous it has been nicknamed the Bonnie & Clyde of the chessboard when there is nothing special with the pair Q+B.

Since Bishops and Knights have got the same value (3 pawns), you bet that if Bishops are preferable in some situations, Knights will be preferable in an equal number of other situations.

Some openings such as your gambit do exist and have got some success, only because beginners are (for long...) brainwashed with silly tips & advices for beginners. The way from club player to strong club player is a long and painfull serie of unlearning those tyranic ideas. I've seen players rated 2000-2200 still making poor decisions based on these harmfull and imbalanced teachings.

Here is a correspondence game with it

George Koltanowski, the greatest showman and promoter that chess has ever known. Koltanowski will be best remembered as an exhibitor, writer, promoter and showman. Possessed with an incredibly powerful memory. Koltanowski would often give exhibitions, playing several games blindfold simultaneous.

What wowed the spectators the most was he would recite the complete moves of the games without looking at the board, something which any competent master can do.

Being an exhibitor giving blindfold exhibitions is what he was best known for. He was also a top level player. He defeated grand master Flohr and Rubinstein and drew Alekhine, Fine, Kotov and Keres in tournament games. One day in the 1950's I watched Master George Koltanowski performed a blindfold 30 game presentation at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, California.

 I was impressed when he performed the Knights tour. I became a member of his Chess Friends Association and joined his chess club. We became friends.

At that time I was a rookie at chess. I used to play in any tournament that Kolty would run and I would always win my round robin matches. They were groups of four and we played six games against each other three games as black and white.

I got tired of winning and I would receive a book from Kolty as the first prize.

In his exhibitions KOLTY loved the Max Lange Attack and Pushed the Colle System Opening. . .

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I dont agree that gambits are only used in low level games and are harmful. GMs are too good to use them in CLASSICAL chess, but they often use them in Blitz and Bullet, maybe some rapid games as well.

Also, it is great fun to give up a piece if it means you can get a positional advantage.

I never said that, you can dismiss.

5...Bxd4 6.Nxd4 Nxd4 7.Be3 Ne6 isn't such fun for white. He still has to go for f4 to get any sort of compensation for the pawn, but Black is very well set to counter it.

And of course there is also the option of 5...exd4 5.e5 d5 with a direct transposition to the Max Lange.

@Mazetoskylo

After 5. Bxd4 Nxd4 6. Nxd4 Nxd4 I like to continue with 7. Bg5 and I'm happy if I get h4 8. Bh5 g5 9. f4 ---- which is the Rosentreter variation. A very fun one to look at. Very sharp and open lines. A lot of options for white to press for an attack on blacks king. And at my level currently, I have a lot of success with it.

@10

Yes, 7 Bg5 is playable too