Wild and Wicked – The Mason-Keres Gambit in 60 Minutes

It was first played by the legendary Irish player James Mason in Paris in 1878. The first strong player to explore the line was a young Paul Keres in the early 1930s in a series of correspondence games. Which explains why it is often known as the Mason-Keres Gambit. With the current trend in online games for the king to advance early on, you might also call it the Bong Cloud Gambit. Magnus Carlsen has played it in online games. Kasparov played it in a blitz game against Karjakin. Richard Rapport is the strongest player to play it in a classical game – with success. I have some experience with this line: I played it in my wild teenage years – with fantastic results. If you want to confuse your opponent, this could be a great way to do it. The download is broken down into five videos going into the detail of Black’s main options. Interestingly, computers often think that White’s position is satisfactory. In variations where the machines frown upon White’s set-up, some tricky human ideas are recommended to keep the game tasty. Have courage, have fun, and good luck!