MY god this is my first thread made on this forum and im going to risk any hope of my future reputation or lack of one in exploring the Tumbleween gambit, or otherwise known as the King's own gambit

The gambit starts off as a King's gambit and then quickly diverges into insanity

1 e4 e5
2 f4 exf4
3 kf2!?

basicly as first glance, and second gland, and third glance it looks like a drunk guy would make but on closer inspection it offers very intersting possiblities of attack for white.

First the most common move of

3 ...Qh4

is analyized in a poem of all things in Tumbleweed printed in the Ohio Chess Bulletin for December 1960! The poem mentions three diffrent games played with this gambit all of them leading to the eventual capture of black's queen

The games are avialable in the link but here they are in chess notation

1)

1. e4 e5
2. f4 exf4
3. Kf2 Qh4
4. g3 fxg3
5. Kg2 gxh2
6. Rxh2 Qxe4
7. Nf3 d5
8. Nc3 Qg6
9. Kh1 Bg4
10. Rg2 Qh5
11. Kg1 Bxf3
12. Be2 Bxe2
13. Rxe2

2)

1-3 As above
4. g3 fxg3
5. Kg2 gxh2
6. Rxh2 Qxe4
7. Nf3 d5
8. Nc3 Qg4
9. Kh1 Be6
10. Bh3 Qg3
11. Bxe6 fxe6
12. d4 Nf6
13. Ne5 Bd6
14. Ne2

3)
1-3 As above
4. g3 fxg3
5. Kg2 Qxe4
6. Nf3 d5
7. Bb5 Kd8
8. Re1
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This is what we could call the main line and and forms of attack for the tumbleweed gambit, which in my opinion is a very interesting gambit and leads into a very exciting game in which both players are at the edge of there seats. As the poet stated

"Now in this simple opening you've noticed, I ween
Are a thousand and one ways of catching the Queen."

Now this isn't to say that this opening is a good one, but it's an interesting opening and one that is pretty diffrent from any im used to.

Although these three games studied the most common

1. e4 e5
2. f4 exf4
3. Kf2 Qh4
4. g3 fxg3
5. Kg2

I tried testing the opening against some computer programs (which demolished me, although the danish gambit beat them ) and the other variation and probably a better line for black was

1. e4 e5
2. f4 exf4
3. Kf2 Nf6

and

1. e4 e5
2. f4 exf4
3. Kf2 Nc6

I have yet to explore these lines
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Anyway i hope i haven't wasted anyone's time in making a thread about this opening, and i hope i haven't offended anyone in thinking this opening would even warrant discusion, lol hopefully i made a worthwhile 1st thread, although weird

- Happy Halloween.

White is going to give up 2 P’s for nothing but with all the open lines Black will probably have to be careful. I’d guess it’s probably OK in blitz or against rating challenged opponents but if it was really any good 2600’s would be playing it.

Yeah, it's a nice opening to play at the club level. I wouldn't break it out in any serious games though.

I've played a similar opening with success: 1. f4, Kf2, followed by manual castling. It's interesting to watch people try to refute it.

True, but one doesn't have to refute these dodgy lines. Even a minor positional advantage can lead to a win just as easily. By the by, 1. f4 e5 and the Kf2 idea is really out of the question

But, of course, the solution to an unsound move isn't another unsound move.

1.e4 e5 2.f4 ef 3.Kf3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Nf6 and black has a large advantage as either Nd4+ or Ng4+ will force the king into the corner before white can develop his rook.

Ronaldinho:

Well you'll never go into the tumbleweed if they don't accept your king's gambit

Edit: opps confused your ef (you probably meant exf4) for somethign else..

And as i said the only lines i have explored were Qh4, no doubt this gambit could more or less be considered a trap instead, since any move by black instead of Qh4 will demolish white. Yet in club games and speed chess that Qh4 and the allure of a quick checkmate are enough to lead oppoents to plunging to the king's throne

I have seen a few Anderssen games where after playing the Bishop's gambit 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4 3. ... Qh4+!? 4. Kf1, Anderssen played a eventual Nf3, Kg1, g3, (...fxg3), hxg3, and the rook on h1 was in an active position. This isn't the Tumbleweed, though it has some similarities.

If 1. ... e5, then 2. e4!.

ARGH, yes ladies and gentlemen, I can be a total blind blockhead at times. Like in my last game against the Pirc, I intended to play the Byrne variation, instead I play 4. f4 (Austrian Attack) first and end up trying to transpose into Accelerated Austrian (as I call it), which I got away with luckily.

The thing about the kings bishops gambit is that the Queen check is usually not considered black's best response. You're misplacing your queen. If you're going to get the advantages of the queen check (the misplaced king) without misplacing your queen ... why would you intentionally misplace your queen?