Chess Openings: Learn to Play The Mengarini Variation / Delayed Wing Gambit!

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Chess Openings: Learn to Play The Delayed Wing Gambit - Chess Opening Tricks to WIN Fast!

Today we will be going over the Delayed Wing Gambit. This video might be useful for you 1. e4 players who are trying to find a counter to the Sicilian Defense Sicilian Defense. After 1. ... c5 is played, there are many different options, the Main Line, Grand Prix Attack, Smith-Morra Gambit, Alapin Variation, etc.

There are a ton of different options here, but they all require a ton of opening theory, potentially hundreds of hours for some of the Sicilian Defense responses, like the Najdorf, for example. And against all these moves, most Sicilian players are well prepared.

So in this video, I will be teaching you guys the Delayed Wing Gambit, which starts off with 1. e4 c5 and then we crazy looking move 2. a3. Now, many of you may be wondering what I am doing! When I first saw this move, I thought it was one of those dumb gambits that doesn't work against good chess players, and is based on small, cheap threats. But as I've studied it more, white can have some huge payoffs if the gambit is accepted. This is a very aggressive opening, and part of what makes it so good is that most Sicilian players don't know how to respond. I myself have been up a rook by move 9 against 2200 players. Magnus Carlsen has played it too, and if Carlsen is playing it, there has to be something about it that works.

Looking at the opening itself, we again see, 1. e4 c5 and the crazy looking move, 2. a3! By playing this we are preparing for 3. b4, which looks to distract the pawn on c5 from the center. Here are all the (good!) black responses that we will review in depth.

2. ... Nc6 1:50
2. ... e6 7:37
2. ... d5 9:58
2. ... Nf6 11:02
2. ... g6 12:04

Here I add 4 quick tips for how to best play the Delayed Wing Gambit as a whole.

1. I (personally) would only play this Gambit if you are an aggressive player.

This Gambit can lead to positions that are highly dynamic, wild, and tense. Especially in the lines in which black accepts the Gambit, potential tactics start to rise up fast. Many aggressive players (like myself!) love a chess game that can be over within 20 moves. Pieces are flying everywhere, and we just don't have the patience for a long game. We would rather look to checkmate the king, shake hands, and go on our way. However, for more positional/universal players, this opening just probably wouldn't fit your style, or be fun for you. However, you can always give it a shot, you won't know until you try!

2. As aggressive as this opening is, white has to be patient at times.

As much as us aggressive players love checkmating the king, sometimes we need to settle for a space advantage. In some lines (like Nc6, Nf6) the game could end in less than 20 moves. However, in other lines (like e6, d5, g6 etc.) we have to look to expand on our space advantage. One of the advantages of this opening is that white often gets control of the center, in which white can quickly develop the pieces, and continue to push!

3. Memorize the lines in which black accepts the Gambit.

One of the biggest advantages of this opening is that black is rarely well prepared. Due to this, if white is at a huge advantage if the gambit is accepted in many cases. The Delayed Wing Gambit is a dangerous response to the Sicilian Gambit, but only if white is prepared for the best moves and variations.

4. Get some experience with it playing blitz games.

If you eventually decide to play this in tournament games, I recommend playing some blitz games first. Yes, too much blitz, especially if you are a beginner, can be bad for you! However, it develops intuition and experience, which are very important in this opening. The positions you'll reach are unlike anything you have ever seen. If white is already well versed in the variations, this can have major payoffs. In addition, it works very well in blitz games! Black has many traps to avoid, and this becomes harder with lower time on the clock. At the end of the day though, this opening is fun to play!

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