Thursday 22 January 2015

The $3 gambit

Looking through some of the games from the current Australian Junior Championship, I came across a variation on a well known theme. The finish to the following game borrows heavily from the Blackburne 'Shilling Gambit', which begins with 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4?! In this case it starts off as a Two Knights, Fritz Variation, before veering into familiar territory. Given this seems to be a more modern form of Blackburne's Gambit, it is only fair that the value of the opening is updated as well. Based on various estimates I have collected, a Shilling from around 1870 is worth about $3 in today's money. Unfortunately for young Piet, he may only get to pocket the original 20c though, as he seems to be the 14th player to win with these exact moves.


Green,Robert (329) - Clayden,Piet [C57]
AUS jr U8 Open Canberra (2.73), 17.01.2015



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