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Clemenz Opening

Spike Lee Gambit

A00gambitoffbeat

  1. 1.h3h5
  2. 2.g4
77 games38%55%

A dubious A00 gambit in which White meets 1...h5 with 2. g4, giving up a pawn for no real compensation. Engines clearly favor Black.

Train it in Theoria

About the Spike Lee Gambit

In the Spike Lee Gambit, 1. h3 h5 2. g4, White answers Black's symmetrical reply by offering the g-pawn. After 2...hxg4, by far the most common response, the h3-pawn cannot recapture because it is pinned against the rook on h1. The pawn is therefore simply lost. The push also loosens the e1–h4 diagonal, and engines give Black a clear advantage. The name follows the habit of calling early g-pawn thrusts "spikes". No tournament game with it is recorded.

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