Why dont you capture that #&%!*? pawn ?

Every gambiteer has seen this before : you offer a pawn and your opponent refuses to capture it. You make a waiting move, and still he refuses. And finally you find yourself without waiting moves in a considerably worse position.

That's what happended to me some time ago in my match in the Belgian league a few weeks ago.

Guido De Bouver - David Molina Gomez
1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nc3 e6
Refusing to take it

5.Bg5
Ok, no worry, I have a waiting move

5...Bb4 6.a3
Not wanting to take it again. But I have another move.

6..Bxc3 7.bxc3 h6 8.Bh4
Why don't you take that stupid pawn !!!

8...Qd5 9.Rb1
Please, I cant stand it anymore

9...exf3 10.Nxf3
Ahhhh, finally

10...Ne4 11.Rb3
And I went on to win the endgame in 47 moves, but I can hardly say my opening was successful.

But where could I have improved ? Guess the position after 4...e6 occurs often.

5.fxe4 is probably the best move, but 5.Bg5 is more consistent with Blackmar Diemer play, after which 5...exf3 transposes to the Euwe defense.

After 5...Be7, white is forced to play 6.fxe4 whilst 5...Bb4, as played by my opponent, also calls for 6.fxe4 ( and not 6.a3 as I played in the above game ).

5...h6 is answered by 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 and now both 7.Nxe4 and 7.fxe4 are possible.

The black counterattack in the centre 5...c5 equalises after 5...dxc5 6.Qxd1+ Rxd1

5...Nbd7 is also answered best by 6.fxe4.

5...Nc6 ( diagram ) seems to be the best move for black, as it attacks the d4 pawn.

White has 6.Bb5 and 6.fxe4. We will look here at the last option. 6...Nxd4 can be met by the surprising 7.Nf3, but 7...h6 gives black a small advantage

So white has to be very carefull when black declines to take the free f3 pawn. It is an area that gambiteers have not looked at very closely in the past.

All in all, I think the straightforward 5.fxe4 ( diagram ) is simpler and easier than 5.Bg5. In fact, white has already achieved what he hoped for : opening the f file. On the other hand, white didnt get the development advantage, but still has the pawn.