Wing Gambit

In chess, Wing Gambit is a generic name given to openings in which White plays an early b4, deflecting an enemy pawn or bishop from c5 so as to regain control of d4, an important central square. (Or in which Black plays ...b5, but wing gambits offered by Black are very rare.) The most important wing gambit is the Evans Gambit, which is treated separately on its own page.

Of the others, the most common is the Wing Gambit in the Sicilian Defence, which runs 1.e4 c5 2.b4 (see diagram). After Black takes with 2...cxb4, the usual continuation is 3.a3 bxa3 (3...d5! is more recently considered superior, when White must avoid 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.axb4?? Qe5+ winning the rook, a blunder actually seen in tournament play in Shirazi-Peters, Berkeley 1986; instead 5.Nf3 is better) and now the main line is 4.Nxa3, though 4.Bxa3 and 4.d4 are also seen. It is also possible to decline (or at least delay acceptance of) the gambit with 2...d5.

For his pawn, White gets quicker development and a central advantage, but it is not generally considered one of White's better choices against the Sicilian and it is virtually never seen at the professional level. Amongst amateurs it is more common, though still not so popular as other systems.

It is also possible to prepare the gambit by playing 2.a3!? followed by 3.b4; another related system is the Wing Gambit Deferred, 2.Nf3 d6 3.b4.

After Black's 2...cxb4 there is another popular third move alternative for White, 3.d4. GMs George Koltanowski, David Bronstein and World Champion Alexander Alekhine have played this line.

The Portsmouth Gambit is yet another form of the Wing Gambit. In this version, after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3, White waits for 2...Nc6 before playing 2. b4 so that Black can hardly refuse the gambit due to the threat of 3.b5, displacing the knight.

There are two Wing Gambits in the French Defence, 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4 and 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4. They can transpose into each other, and both are quite rare. A related idea is found in the Caro-Kann Defence after 1.e4 c6 2.Ne2 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4, however Black can immediately achieve an advantage by playing 4...d4! (this move is also strong in the second French line given above). Even rarer is the Wing Gambit in the Bishop's Opening, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.b4, which has some resemblance to the Evans Gambit.

There are several other "Wing Gambits" in various openings, but they are very rare, and not as notable as the openings mentioned above:

• In the English Opening: 1. c4 c5 2. b4, or 1. c4 b5
• In the Marshall Gambit of the Scandinavian Defence: 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 g6 4. c4 b5
• In the Ware Opening: 1. a4 b5 2. axb5 Bb7