Why is it called The 'Romantic' King's Gambit?
What makes it 'Romantic'?

King Leopold wrote:
Why is it called The 'Romantic' King's Gambit?
What makes it 'Romantic'?

`Romantic' in the sense of romanticism, which Collins defines as `a
movement in European art, music and literature in the late 18th and
early 19th centuries, characterized by an emphasis on feeling and
content rather than order and form.'


Dave.

--
David Richerby Expensive Permanent Goldfish (TM):
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ it's like a fish but it'll be there
for ever and break the bank!

King Leopold wrote:

Why is it called The 'Romantic' King's Gambit?
What makes it 'Romantic'?

Don't forget to ask 'when', as well.

Wasn't it Spielmann who was described as the last knight
of the king's gambit? That should give you the perspective:
1920's or so, when the hyper-modern chess began to become accepted.

Playing King's Gambit then probably seemed like hankering
for the good old days when an Evans still would be a suprise.
And so, of course, romantic -- though 'nostalgic' probably
is the better word to use here.

Of course, it was said much later than that, some other notion
of romanticism may have been used instead.

--
Anders Thulin http://www.algonet.se/~ath

It follows a 'romantic' notion of chess that despises defense and
admires the all-out attack.


Anders Thulin wrote:

King Leopold wrote:

Why is it called The 'Romantic' King's Gambit?
What makes it 'Romantic'?


Don't forget to ask 'when', as well.

Wasn't it Spielmann who was described as the last knight
of the king's gambit? That should give you the perspective:
1920's or so, when the hyper-modern chess began to become accepted.

Playing King's Gambit then probably seemed like hankering
for the good old days when an Evans still would be a suprise.
And so, of course, romantic -- though 'nostalgic' probably
is the better word to use here.

Of course, it was said much later than that, some other notion
of romanticism may have been used instead.

Subject: I need your answers

King Leopold wrote:

Why is it called The 'Romantic' King's Gambit?
What makes it 'Romantic'?

Don't forget to ask 'when', as well.

Wasn't it Spielmann who was described as the last knight
of the king's gambit? That should give you the perspective:
1920's or so, when the hyper-modern chess began to become accepted.

Playing King's Gambit then probably seemed like hankering
for the good old days when an Evans still would be a suprise.
And so, of course, romantic -- though 'nostalgic' probably
is the better word to use here.

Of course, it was said much later than that, some other notion
of romanticism may have been used instead.

--
Anders Thulin http://www.algonet.se/~ath



The "Romantic Era" of chess is well described in the German reference book
Grosses Schach Lexikon (compiled by Klaus Lindoerfer), which states:

"romantische Schachepoche - eine Stilrichtung vom 18. Jahrhundert bis zur
ersten Haelfte des 19. Jahrhunderts bis etwa 1860. Lief parallel mit der
kulturgeschichtlichen Epoche der Romantik, die zu dieser Zeit in Deutschland,
Frankreich und England aufkam. Das Spiel der damaligen Meister betonte die
schoepferische, spontane Linie. Aus dieser Zeit stammen viele geniale
Kombinationen: die Partien der Meister Legal, Deschappeles, La Bourdonnais,
Kieseritzky, Anderssen und Morphy sind voller geistpruehender Ideen."

George Mirijanian

Miriling wrote:

The "Romantic Era" of chess is well described in the German reference book

Grosses Schach Lexikon (compiled by Klaus Lindoerfer), which states:

"romantische Schachepoche - eine Stilrichtung vom 18. Jahrhundert bis zur
ersten Haelfte des 19. Jahrhunderts bis etwa 1860.

Only a pity he doesn't address the question of 'when'. Who was it that
first called it the 'romatic era'? They hardly used the term themselves
-- and so would not have any idea of the Kings Gambit as being particularly
romantic. I suspect the hyper-modernists coined the phrase to indicate a
type of play they *didn't* follow. (Or perhaps Lasker ... ? Steinitz
talked about 'old school' and 'modern school' but he would hardly see the
old school in a romantic light ...)

--
Anders Thulin http://www.algonet.se/~ath

One definition for 'romantic' in my Random House College Dictionary
refers to "a desire for adventure". Certainly the Kings Gambit
represents adventurous chess.

There is a well-known book by Zagorovsky called "Romantic Chess
Openings", covering the Ponziani Opening, Scotch Gambit, Evans Gambit,
etc. The Kings Gambit is not included, probably because there was no
room in this very short book for such a complicated opening. The book
jacket refers to the openings which "were popular in the 'romantic
period' of the last century...."


"King Leopold" wrote in message
...
Why is it called The 'Romantic' King's Gambit?
What makes it 'Romantic'?