I really do enjoy playing the Bird (1.f4). But I fear the From’s Gambit (1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 with the idea of …d6). I say “with the idea of …d6” as Black doesn’t have to play …d6 so soon. He can play 2…Nc6 first and then play 3…d6. Or not at all.
This often puts White off his learned theory and he has to think for himself. It allows him to make an error. Which he often does.
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Fried-Schlechter
Vienna, 1894
1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.exd6 Bxd6 5.d4 Nf6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 g5 8.Bf2 Ne4 9.e3 g4 10.Bh4 gxf3 11.Bxd8 f2+ 12.Ke2 Bg4+ 13.Kd3 Nb4+ 14.Kxe4 f5mate 0-1
F. Lavoisier-E. Schipper
corres., 1989
1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 g5 4.d4 g4 5.Ng5 d5 6.exd6 Qxd6 7.c3 f5 (Schipper also considered 7…Qg6!? 8.d5 h6 9.dxc6 hxg5 10.Qd5 bxc6 11.Qxg5 Qxg5 12.Bxg5 Bd6 – unclear) 8.Qb3 Qe7 9.d5 Nd8 10.h3 Bh6 11.Qa4+? (11.h4) 11…Bd7 12.Qf4 Nf7 13.h4 Ne5!
14.Qg3 Nf6 15.Ne6? Bxc1 16.Qxe5 (16.Nxc7+ Kf7 17.Nxa8 Qd6! -+) 16…Bxe6 17.dxe6 O-O-O 18.a3? Rd5 19.Qg3 Rhd8 20.e3 Rd1+ 21.Ke2 Qxe6 0-1
Rutzler-Escalante
North American Open, Dec. 30 1993
1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 g5 4.h3 d6 5.d4 dxe5 6.Bxg5? f6 7.Bh4 e4 8.Nfd2 (8.d5 Nce7 Bucker) 8…Qxd4 9.Nc3 (9.c3!?) 9…Bb4 10.Nb3? (10.e3 Qxe3+) 10…Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qxc3+ 12.Nd2? (Qd2) 12…e3 -+ 13.Rb1? Nd4 14.Rc1 Bf5 (with the idea of 15…O-O-O) 0-1
Hacker-Escalante
Action Chess
Westminister Chess Club
Mar. 10 1994
1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 g5 4.g4 d6 (4…g4 5.Ng5!? is another way of complicating the position.) 5.d4 Bxg4 6.Bxg5 Be7 7.Bxe7 Qxe7 8.exd6 cxd6!? 9.Bg2 (9.h3? Bxf3 -+) 9…Bxf3 10.Bxf3 Qh4+ 11.Kf1? (Kd2) 11…Nxd4 12.Bxb7 Nf5?! (Nh6!?) 13.Qd3! (White usually has a good game after this thematic move. Black should make every effort to prevent this move.) 13…Ngh6 14.Bxa8? (Qe4+ -+) 14…Ng4!! 15.Bc6+ Ke7 16.Qe4+ Kd8! 17.Qf3 Nfe3+! 18.Qxe3 Nxe3+ 0-1
Hacker-Escalante
Westminster Chess Club, Jan. 19 1995
1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6 3.e4?? (Mr. Hacker and I talked about this game after its conclusion. I asked him if he remembered our previous game. He said he did and didn’t want to lose in the same way again. I have admit, he was successful.) 3…Qh4+ 4.Ke2 Qxe4+ 5.Kf2 Bc5+ 6.d4 Bxd4+ 7.Kg3 Bxe5+ 8.Kh3? [8.Kf2 Bd4+ 9.Kg3 Nf6!! 10.Bd3 (10.Be2 Be3!! 11.Bxe3 Qxe3+ 12.Bf3 Ne4+ 13.Kh4 Qh6+ 14.Bh5 Qg5+ 15.Kh3 Nf3#!) Nh5+! 11.Qxh5 Qe1+ 12.Kf3 Qf2+ 13.Ke4 Qxg2+ 14.Qf3 (14.Nf3 Qxh1) d5+ 15.Kxd5 Be6+ 16.Ke4 Qg6+ wins!] 8…d5+ 9.g4 h5 -+
Daven-Sharp
corres.
Wisconsin Ch., 1999
1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 g5 4.d4 g4 5.Ng5 d5 6.exd6 (White almost has to take the “d5” pawn as Black has an advantage in the center if the pawn is left alone.) 6…Qxd6 7.c3 f5 8.Na3 h6 9.Nb5 Qe7 10.Bf4 hg5 11.Nc7+ Kd8 12.Na8 gxf4 13.d5 Ne5 14.Qd4 Rh6 15.e3 b6 16.O-O-O fxe3 17.Bb5 Rd6 18.Kb1 Bh6 19.Rhf1 Nf6 20.Kc2 f4 21.Rf4 Bf4 22.Qf4 Bb7 23.Nb6 axb6 0-1
“Tejpsinghr”-Escalante
Blitz Game
AOL, Jan. 18 2003
1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.exd6 Bxd6 5.b3 Ne5 6.e3 Bg4 7.Qe2 Qf6 8.d4 Nxf3+ 9.gxf3 Bxf3 10.Qf2 Bxh1 11.Bb2 Qxf2+ 12.Kxf2 Bxh2 13.Nd2 Ne7 14.d5 Nxd5 (14…Bxd5 is better) 15.Bc4 O-O-O 16.Rxh1 Nb4 17.Ne4 Bd6 18.Bxg7 Rhg8 19.Rg1 Bf8 20.Bxf7 Rxg7 21.Rxg7 Bxg7 22.Nc5 Rd2+ 23.Ke1 Rxc2 0-1
“obisb” (1501)-Escalante
Blitz Game
Chess.com, Mar. 5 2017
1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.exd6 Bxd6 5.d3 Nf6 6.e4 Ne5 7.Be2 Bg4 8.O-O Qe7 9.Bf4 O-O-O 10.Bxe5 Bxe5 11.Nxe5 Bxe2 12.Qxe2 Qxe5 13.Nc3 h5 14.Rf5 Qd4+ 15.Kh1 g5 16.Rxg5 Ng4 17.Rxh5 Nf2+ 18.Kg1 Rxh5 19.Qxh5 Nh3+ 20.Kh1 Qg1+ 21.Rxg1 Nf2mate 0-1
The Gambit Chess Player 