Any Use for the Duras Gambit ??

Now I have thought and thought about it a lot, and Ive even tested it by playing at an beginner expert level on Lichess, but I cant seem to find any extensively good combat with 1. e4-f5 as black.

Now I DONT want to hear anyone say that its a bad move to move the f pawns, or that playing Center game is better.  Even though that may be mostly true, I am a player that's hunch is playing unorthodox openings.  

What I want to know is if there is any advantage if white makes a mistake early in the opening, that black will make up for it.

But even I, a master of odd openings, have no way of turning the Duras Gambit into a win, or even a draw for black, unless white totally messes up.  I think this is just a bad opening, unless you are at a very high level.

Any thoughts on this opening ??

Most king's pawn gambits for black start with the move ...f5, like

• the latvian gambit 1e4,e5 2Nf3,f5
• The Rosseau gambit that happens after the italian game 3...f5
• The janisch gambit happens after the spanish opening 3...f5

And a lot more, pretty much black can play ...f5 after every king's pawn opening and turn it into a countergambit.

But doing it just after 1e4 is too weak, there is no tension yet and 1...f5 is just a free pawn with no compensation.

The only strenght of it is that black manages to move white's e pawn to a less strong square... but at the cost of a pawn.

Sorry I can't talk any good about the duras gambit, on the other side the latvian gambit achieves a lot more than the duras, maybe you'll like it more.

I agree, If white decides to be "nice" (or just stupid) black could recover with f5. My opinion is after f5...2. exf5 - Nf6 3. g4! is a killer for me. even other moves like 2. exf5 Nf6 3. d4 d5 4. Bd3! also makes it impossible to regain a pawn for pawn

Honestly, nothing wrong with being gimmicky but this gambit just looks suicidal to me, same category with Englund.

Surely there are less suicidal and still gimmicky options are there?

I mean if you are into this kind of stuff just play b5 after e4 every time 😛

oh God I havent even got to talk about how useless the Englund gambit is XD

Do speak about it, loudly enough that everyone could hear. ^^

We can say that if there's any point to it then it's to play d5 but it isn't worth sackibg the f pawn and then black just has problems developing the LSB.

Still I think the englund gambit is a lot better than the duras, specially the hartlaub-charlick variation.

That goes 1d4,e5 2dxe5,d6

The Duras Gambit IS stupid, but the position is more resililent than you'd think. After 1. e4 f5 2. exf5 Kf7!? 3. Qh5+ g6 4. hxg6+ Kg7, Black has more resources than you'd think, and can turn up a massive counterattack due to better development if White tries too hard to just checkmate Black due to the janky opening.

Understand, I'm not saying it's a winning opening at all. It's terrible. But you can troll people once in a while if you like.

I guess that this "massive counterattack" is due to the placebo effect. Black is two pawns down and his whole kingside is very exposed.

Is there any reason to claim that this position isn't just dead lost for Black?

Watch GM Igor Smirnov's video on the same on Youtube

There are just a couple of good chess channels on YouTube, and Smirnov's certainly isn't one of them. I have much better ways to waste my time.

hi. I play Duras gambit everytime white plays 1.e4

after white makes a second move, i usually follow it with Nh6. Just be aware that once white move his d-pawn, your Knight is a target for the black squared Bishop.

the opening caught a lot of players off-guard. and i learned some too.

why i play it? its exciting. well... im just a casual player though.