FM Selim Gürcan answers the criticism of the name “Turkish Gambit” and explains the gambit’s basic principles through a game played in 1978.
The naming debate
Gürcan argues it is natural for openings to be known by different names in different sources: for example the Chelyabinsk Variation of the Sicilian is also known as Lasker–Pelikan, and 1.b4 is called the Sokolsky, Orangutan and Polish Opening. The reason the gambit is called the “Turkish Gambit” in Turkey is the intense interest of Turkish chess fans, through the Satranç Okulu channel, and their successful use of it. The “Reversed Turkish Gambit” with White and the “Crazy Turkish Gambit” are mentioned too (0:00–2:39).
The 1978 game
Black enters the centre aggressively with ...d5. The fight over White’s d4 and d3, Black’s developing moves such as ...Bd6 and ...Bg4, and the central pawn structure is explained. Although White tries to hinder Black’s development with Qe2, Black’s plan of opening the f-file and castling quickly stands out (2:40–6:00). See the video for the rest.
This article is adapted from the video on the Satranç Okulu YouTube channel.
