Top Mistakes in the Evans Gambit and How To Avoid Them! Evan's Gambit Opening Principles and Ideas!

[@BooksNGuns]

I just binged every popular video on Evans Gambit and this was by far the best. Uniquely structured, great delivery, thorough, with zero filler. Best part.... it's a series!

[@michelcharbonnier7603]

This video is doing the one thing brilliantly which all other opening videos seem to do wrong: Explaining why (theoretical) moves are made by explaining how one side fails if they play something else. Thank you, sir.

[@mikegaravani7309]

most underrated chess youtuber

[@rjaffern]

Thanks!

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Appreciate it, Randall!!

[@donaldcreech7782]

Awesome video! Glad I finally found it from your newest recommendation vid. Will be watching the 1000-1400 video too soon

[@InfiniteQuest86]

This is great! You do so much research for these videos! My vote is how to respond or mistakes facing the fried liver as black. I don't know if 2000s play it, but it is so popular at the lower levels because no one knows what to do.

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Thanks for noticing! Really good suggestion, I'll add it to the list of upcoming videos!

[@deviongants3724]

Good stuff I'm still learning and thumbs up

[@rxanne-4781]

Really helpful! I like that you explain why certain moves that seem logical are a mistake. Could you do more videos on the caro kan and the sicilian ?

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Glad it helps! Thanks for the recommendations, I will add them to my list for future videos!

[@willyh.r.1216]

Very helpful, keep it up man.

[@polychromaa]

3:43 you recommended the move O-O instead of d4 immediately, but i would disagree. after c3 Bc5 d4 exd4 you can do O-O instead of take back on d4, so if exd4 O-O dxc3 you can play Bxf7+, then Kxf7 and Qd5+ wins back the bishop and white is doing much better.

[@kellamyoshikage286]

Also notable, even if you do take back Nd2 is a viable option. Yes, black can trade off a piece, but the queenside knight is quite possibly the single worst piece in the Evan's gambit. Really the bigger problem is that black giving up the bishop pair this way disrupts white's other pieces as the white queen loves b3 and the dark square bishop loves a3, neither of them can reach that diagonal anymore from d2. ...Though Bd2 covers Na5 so there is still some value to it.

[@polychromaa]

@@kellamyoshikage286 i doubt the queens knight is a huge problem. i have found the opposite over a few months. Nd2 is very passive too, in most of the variations the knight will go to the c3 square, as i have found in my analysis

[@kellamyoshikage286]

In Ba5 lines, your knight can't really develop at all. Ba3 is standard to prevent black from castling and prepare e5 to bust open the center, and the c3 pawn often eventually gets pinned to Re1. So Nd2 becomes the only option in this line, but this allows dxc3 and c2 to come with tempo if done before the bishop is stopped. As Ba5 is the main line defense against Evan's gambit, this situation is rather common. Meanwhile Bc5 is black's worst response due to d4 coming with tempo anyway. There's also just the fact that after white castles the knight can help shield Re1 in this line, albeit with the downside of paralyzing the bishop. But then Bb4 leaves a target and if Bxd2 we win the bishop pair and cover Na5, albeit losing Ba3.

[@polychromaa]

@@kellamyoshikage286 i play d4 immediately after Ba5, and after exd4 i castle right away ( 5. ...Ba5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O) so i cant relate to any of that probably as in the variation i play my knight gets to c3 often. i find 6. O-O kind of slow really and gives less problems to my opponents compared to 6. d4

[@floridaman6982]

Great data! Been playing queit Italian line for so long after this series I’ll try my hand at this gambit

[@bekuadro]

wonderful video to learn the basics of the Evans. Cheers!

Great video Nelson ! Super instructive

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Appreciate it, Jose!

[@fabiovives7200]

great content i started playing chess a few month ago, never got above 600. But since I start watching your videos I see improvement in my games. Very clear explination, good video editing skill as well. Thank you!

[@Rad_Dude_Man]

What is your elo now

[@BillRatio]

Yes! My 2nd favorite opening! I'm really looking forward to these. Great concept for a series of videos.

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Thanks, Bill!

[@Gnemfran]

I liked your approach to explaining the Evans ! Thanks

[@micahclawrence]

You have a talent for lecture. Very listenable style.

[@wugz9927]

very informative!

[@RAGAMANZ59]

GREAT HELP, THANKS!!!

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Glad it helped!

[@thalabathivikram]

Hi..this top mistakes series is really nice..would like to see more continuation videos in this series..

[@SmilingIbis]

3:48 I have found that after the 5... Bc5 retreat, 6.d4 can be played, since after the exchange ...exd4 7. cxd4 Bb4+, you can just move the K to f1 and frequently (after ...d6) play d5, chase the knight away and then Qa4+ wins the B. The position is playable but needs precision the 600-1000 player really isn't capable of.

[@briandoile5011]

Awesome. Thanks.

[@tomdexter6925]

Great video

[@DaltonDaDigga]

Evans gambit is one of my favorites. I’m always hoping for bishop c5 in the Italian

[@zaaxi7424]

This is amazing, I've always avoided lines within Italian game set-ups for being a bit boring but this looks like fun! I'll have to give these a go

[@Blackmystix]

And d4 is somehow not boring?

[@bjaurelio]

As a Jobava London player, which is a mirror of the Italian, this video was interesting to see differences in ideas when the opponent mirrors with a bishop move. The location of the queen changes things with being able to support a pawn to d5, where in the Jobava, your king cannot support a d4 push. However, we usually play f3 to support g4, followed by h4 taking space on the king side. One question I do have, is why play b3 at all? Why not start with c3 since the position is the same, except being down a pawn after black retreats the bishop?

[@karelspinka3031]

13:51 I wouldn't move the Knight at all. Instead, I would counterattack in center with d5. Yeah, the line exf6 dxc4 fxg7 Rg8 Re1+ Be6 looks dangerous but I still consider it better than alternstives.

[@kellamyoshikage286]

12:14 Bxf7 comes with check and after Qxb4 the knight's hanging regardless. If ... c5 then dxc5 and either black will still be down a piece or white's getting connected passed pawns in the center, far better development, and continued attacking potential. One thing I just realized is that I never think of Bxh6, and I struggle with dealing with Qf6 Ne7 as a defense.

[@ziwuri]

Just googled it and this opening is actually exactly the "Evans gambit", not the "Evan's gambit". Here's a snippet from its Wikipedia page: *The gambit is named after the Welsh sea Captain William Davies Evans, the first player known to have employed it. The first game with the opening is considered to be Evans-McDonnell, London 1827, although in that game a slightly different move order was tried (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 d6 and only now 5.b4).*

[@bluerfoot]

I’m an old sucky player but you have the best vids on youtube

[@Jacob_Weiser]

yo i just watched this video and played a 93% accuracy game right after, great tips👍

[@vladimirtchuiev2218]

I've played a bunch of Evan's Gambit and I always found casting before d4 to be a mistake, giving black time to solidify its defenses. With 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 6. d4 exd4 7. O-O dxc3, white shreds black's position with 8. Bxf7+ Kxf7 9. Qd5+ which aims to capture the Bishop on c5, if black allows it can also throw Qa5+ to disrupt black's structure.

[@jwdominionpyroraptor4775]

"Castling before d4 is a mistake" proceeds to not explain why its a mistake

[@lol101lol101lol10199]

I like to play d4 first and then castle instead of recapturing. If Black plays the natural move of taking on c3, you have Bxf7+, followed by Qd5+ getting the bishop back with advantage. If Black plays a different natural move, like 7...Nf6, White can get an even bigger advantage. Computer plays 7...Bb6 and 8...Na5, leading to an equal position, but I never get that from my sub-1500 opponents.

[@Sinicul87]

Love this

[@BillsYouTube1960]

I have trouble keeping tempo when my opponent retreats his bishop to A5. I hope your future videos address that.

[@bean210666]

this guy is the best tutor imho

[@hishamhamed5033]

Great video! Hope you're doing well.

[@gabrieltoledano5560]

I watch this video as warm up before entering a rabbit hole of bullet games!

[@GoldenBoyXCM]

3:38 why recapture tho. You play d4 if he takes you castle and you can still capture. If he instead plays pawn takes on c3 you sac on f7

[@andy02q]

After 1: e4,e5 2:kf3,be5 Stockfish considers 3: bc4... which could still lead to the evans gambit a blunder because you should instead just take the knight. Yet that happens to me all the time on 1200.......

[@treasonouspigeonpeckers957]

Came because Nelson recommend it in his video

[@uvreddy257]

Any good books for Evans gambit?

[@naturalmystic67]

A GM would probably say that the mistake in this opening is to play b4, though Agad would no doubt disagree.

[@denisdemonte15]

i dont see the other rating range videos :(

[@geoffreygeorge999]

3:46 actually when black takes after you play d4, I think castling is best,so after dxc3 you can play Bxf7! and after kxf7 Qd5! and the king is exposed and while you are down 2 pawns, you will 99% win the c3 pawn, and just be down 1 pawn for Castling rights and strong development. Stockfish thinks white is close to winning.And if they dont play dxc3, it will transpose to the line you reccomended,After cxd4. But the plus is that it is very likely they will play dxc3,so you are setting a trap.

[@martinbansey719]

Love it

[@tgunsofficial1208]

I love the evans gambit because it is so attacking and aggressive

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

How did you even type that so fast 👍

[@tgunsofficial1208]

@@ChessVibesOfficial magic

[@gabrieltoledano5560]

Please do the vienna game

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Thanks for the suggestion, will add it to the list of upcoming videos!

[@gabrieltoledano5560]

@@ChessVibesOfficial Ive gained 400 pts of elo since watching your videos:)

[@Standard____]

I’m trying to learn the Italian (I’ve learned 1 main line) and I’d like to spice it up a little as a 1300-1400, not a boring London playing beginner anymore (I never played the London, but I’m also learning the trompowski so I’ll need to learn a bit)

[@alexrandall8557]

I must disagree with your "Castle before d4" idea. White can often play d4 and then castle after, it is almost always a losing mistake for black to capture again on c3. One line I could give is 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bc5 6. d4 exd4 7. 0-0 dxc3 8. Bxf7+ Kxf7 9. Qd5+ Kf8 10. Qxc5+ and white is crushing Sorry if I got that line slightly wrong but I hope you can see the point. Engines tend to prefer castling after d4 because either you can capture back, or it's a mistake/inaccuracy for black to take on c3

[@jwdominionpyroraptor4775]

Nah

[@dashingwithvon7870]

D4 is perfectly fine. I usually go d4 and then castle, baiting them to take on c4. If they do, bf7 wins the pawn back and moves the king.

[@joeorawczyk5283]

I'm an unrated novice player, so maybe I'm mistaken, but is the Evan's Gambit an "opening" or is it a "line" variant following the Giuoco Piano opening? I'm having a hard time understanding the distinction between an opening and a line of play from a given point, as is commonly used in chess terminology. In Nathan Rose's book Chess Opening Names I learn: ∙ 3. Bc4 is the Italian Game opening; ∙ And after 3. ...Bc5 it becomes the Giuoco Piano (translation: Quite Game opening); ∙ Then, with 4. d3 it becomes the Giuoco Pianissimo (or Very Quite Game opening); ∙ But if 4. b4 is played before d3, then it's the Evan's Gambit opening. This is all very confusing to me, and it's a challenge to understand the relationship between similar openings with different names. Can you discuss this so beginners and novice players can better understand the who, what, when, and why of similar openings, and the difference between an opening and a line. Thanks!

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Hey Joe thanks for the question. Basically openings start at a certain position, and then there are lots of lines (also called variations within that opening). Maybe part of the confusing part is that sometimes certain lines(variations) within a main opening also have their own name. So in your example, Guicco Piano would be the main opening, and then a line or variation in that is 4. b4 which is also called the Evan's Gambit opening. And then the Evan's Gambit opening will have lines (and variations) underneath it as well. Some very popular openings (like Sicilian defense) have lots of popular lines underneath the main line so you end up with lots of lines that also have opening names beneath them. I will jot this down as an idea for a future video though, and if I get to it maybe I can show some examples in the video. Hope that helps for now though!

[@joeorawczyk5283]

@@ChessVibesOfficial So I've looked for chess video content on the topic of chess terms, vocabulary, etc. and have found a few, but none explain the difference between line and variation. Same with chess.com. Few chess books have a glossary of terms, and those that do don't define these two words. The only exception I've found is in Winning Chess Openings by Yasser Seirawan. His glossary has a listing for the word "Variation: One line of analysis in any phase of the game. It could be a line of play other than the ones used in the game. The term variation is frequently applied to one line of an opening; ... Variations can become as well-analyzed as their parent openings. ..." I also found www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-a-chess-opening-line-and-variation to be helpful. If you ever do decide to create a video within which you describe the difference between an opening variation and a line of calculation, I think you'll be the first to do so. Anyhow, thanks for your consideration on this.

[@dxfifa]

@@joeorawczyk5283 variation is used for a played/studied line of an opening. a line is just any sequence of moves at any point in the game. Say you play e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bc4 Bc5 g4 TO START THE GAME this is the Evans gambit Also known as Italian Game: Evans Gambit (which is a variation of the italian game) In another game you play e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bc4 Bc5 c3 TO START THE GAME This is the Italian Game: Classical Variation (another variation of the italian game) If these moves were all played at move 20 (which would be near impossible but i'm showing something) it would be a line not a variation eg 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 is king pawn opening: Kings knight variation but 10 e4 e5 11 Nf3 is a random line

[@ReinaldosChessLessons]

That’s a popular opening now and days.

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

Indeed!

[@vijyantmehrotra8119]

I took the tips how to play correctly against this Evan's Gambit

[@themanicpineapple8772]

9:30

[@vijyantmehrotra8119]

Regards from India

[@NinjasOfOrca]

evans I like to go d4 then castle after they take on d4 they will then take again on c3, at which point, my bishop flies into f7+, followed up with Qd5+, ready to win back the bishop and destroying black's castle opportunity

[@vladimirzeleny8816]

Who in sane mind, even at 1000 would put the bishop back to c5? There are other bishop moves more likely to be played and with some the chess engine actually doesn't like castling before d4

[@maalberico]

I thought you had the greatest mullet of all time-then realized it was just your chair…i’m sad now :(

[@ChessVibesOfficial]

🤣🤣

[@infofn207]

Hi

[@ennshenn]

Isn’t it EVANS gambit (and not Evan’s)?

[@MaxVlog449]

According to stockfish 6.O-O is actually way worse than 6.d4 for white.

[@quitethevoyeur]

It is Evans not Evan's

[@koti390]

The first one is probably a mouse slip

[@gernotg8480]

I need help

[@mountainmgtow5421]

50% of my games are suffering because you never talk about strategies for black.

[@moe_1838]

50% of your games are suffering because you're bad, not because of Nelson. He has plenty of content for black and many other channels do too

[@mountainmgtow5421]

@@moe_1838 And yet my win rate for black is 69%, while for white it's 54%. Go figure..

[@moe_1838]

@@mountainmgtow5421 your comment literally said that your games with black are bad, pick one are they good or bad

[@mountainmgtow5421]

@@moe_1838 Right, I made the initial comment before checking my stats, and after I checked I found the irony.

[@moe_1838]

@@mountainmgtow5421 I see

[@SYLVEON7777]

Ur voice looks tired

[@gernotg8480]

I need help