Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...c6/2. d3/2...d5/3. Nf3/3...dxe4/4. Ng5

Dinic gambit
a b c d e f g h 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h
Position in Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) rnbqkbnr/pp2pppp/2p5/6N1/4p3/3P4/PPP2PPP/RNBQKB1R
Moves: 1. e4 c6 2. d3 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5
Parent: Endgame offer

White gambits their d-pawn while targeting Black's weak f7-pawn.

The most critical line is to accept the gambit with 4...exd3 and Black is up material but must be careful not to fall into any traps. After 5. Bxd3, White threatens attacks on h7 and f7. If Black is not careful and plays a natural move like 5...Nf6?? they are soon lost: 6. Nxf7! (forking queen and rook) Kxf7!? 7. Bg6+ hxg6 8. Qxd8 wins Black's queen for two minor pieces.

Alternatively Black may find declining the gambit to be more straight-forward: e.g. 4...e5 5. Nxe4 or 4...Nf6 5. Nxe4 Nxe4 6. dxe4 Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1=.

4. Ng5!? first appeared in a 1936 blindfolded simul, where the pawn was declined with 4...Nf6 (continuing 5. Nc3 Bf5 6. dxe4 Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1 Bg6...).^[1]

It was revived in the 1990s and 2000s by Serbian FM Dragan Dinic^[2], after whom we may gave it the unofficial name, the Dinic gambit.

Dragan Dinic vs Branko Komnenic, Serbian Championship. 26 February 2000.^[3]

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d3 dxe4 4. Ng5

Dinic preferred to reach the position via 2. Nf3 and 3. d3, rather than 2. d3 (known as the the Breyer variation) and 3. Nf3.

4...exd3 5. Bxd3

Accepting the free material is most critical. White gets compensation in the form of development.

In this position White's threat is, firstly, to take on h7 and win a pawn. A second threat is created by both queens being on the d-file: White can choose when to move their bishop and allow the queens to see each other. If they can move their bishop with tempo they have a chance to gain material.

5...Nf6??

This looks to be a natural developing move and adds a defender to h7.

6. Nxf7!

However White can take on f7 and fork Black's queen and rook.

6...Qd5

If 6...Kxf7!? then White can move their bishop away with check. 7. Bg6+ is a discovered attack on the queen: 7...hxg6 8. Qxd8 and White is up a queen for two minor pieces.

The text move is the most resourceful. It saves Black's queen and counterattacks g2.

7. Nxh8 Qxg2 8. Rf1

White is up a rook for a pawn.

8...Bh3

Black isn't quite threatening to win the rook while White's bishop is on e3 guarding f1, but this serves to tie down White's bishop.

If 8...Qxh7, White could have extricated their knight with 9. Ng6, because 9...hxg6?? 10. Bg6#!.

If e.g. 8...Nd7, White had the idea of 9. Bxh7 and Black cannot retake because 9...Nxh7? 10. Qh4+ picking up the knight.

9. Bf4 Nbd7 10. Nd2

Black is prepared to castle queenside, though doing so will allow White's knight back into the game. White's other knight, developed to d2 rather than c3, guards f1 and so frees up White's bishop and threatens Bxh7.

10...e5 11. Bg3 e4 12. Bc4 Bb4 13. c3 Nb6

Black threatens to take on c4 as White's knight on d2 is overloaded defending both c4 and f1.

14. Qb3 Nxc4 15. Qxc4

White brings an extra defender to c4, so that after the trade they keep f1 defended.

15...O-O-O 16. Nf7 e3 17. Nxd8 1-0

Black resigns.

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation..

1.e4 c6 2.d3 d5 3. Nf3 dxe4 4. Ng5

	.. d5
	.. e5
	.. g6
	.. d6

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• Nunn's Chess Openings. 1999. John Nunn (Editor), Graham Burgess, John Emms, Joe Gallagher. ISBN 1-8574-4221-0.

• Modern Chess Openings: MCO-14. 1999. Nick de Firmian, Walter Korn. ISBN 0-8129-3084-3.

• Kasparov, Garry, & Keene, Raymond 1989 Batsford chess openings 2. ISBN 0-8050-3409-9.

• Beat the Caro-Kann in 5 moves, Jonathan Schrantz (Youtube).