Surprise Your Opponent With The Tennison Gambit

The Tennison Gambit is an unusual opening variation for White which can be reached either from the Scandinavian Defense (via 1. e4 d5, 2. Nf3), or the Reti Opening (via 1. Nf3 d5, 2. e4). White invites Black to capture their undefended e4 pawn, hoping to gain activity as compensation.

The starting position of the Tennison Gambit.

The opening is named after a man named Otto Mandrup Tennison (1834 - 1909). Tennison had an interesting life, being born in Denmark, completing his studies in Germany, and finally settling in the United States. Outside of chess, Tennison had a career in the military and fought in the American Civil War.

After the war ended, Tennison moved to New Orleans and became an active member of the city’s chess scene. In 1891 he published an analysis of the opening which now bears his name.

The origin story of the Gambit is quite entertaining. Legend has it that Tennison, an avowed King’s Pawn Opening player with the White pieces, became tired of all the complex variations that his opponents were playing. So one day, without doing any opening study, he played 1. Nf3 instead. When his opponent replied with 1. …d5, Tennison was already unsure what to do. After pausing for a while to think, Tennison thrust his king’s pawn forward with 2. e4 and exclaimed, “Better late than never!” in reference to playing e4 a move later than he usually did. An excellent book of the same name explaining how to play the Tennison Gambit with White has since been released.

Why Play The Tennison Gambit?

The Tennison Gambit comes with an important disclaimer: it is not the strongest opening that White can play. If you are looking for the “best” options, then you may want to check out this article about the 5 best chess openings for White. Like most uncommon gambit openings, the Tennison Gambit relies more on surprise value and traps rather than objective quality.

Black’s best move against the gambit is to accept it with 2. …dxe4.

According to chess.com’s opening explorer, at master level the Tennison Gambit results in just 26% wins for White, and 51% wins for Black - almost 2-to-1 in Black’s favor! The opening is also very uncommon, with just 68 games in the database (compared to hundreds, or thousands in the more highly-respected openings). Clearly, master level players have largely discarded the Tennison Gambit.

But if you are the sort of player that the Tennison Gambit will appeal to, then none of that will bother you.

One reason to play the Tennison Gambit is for the novelty of it. As they say, variety is the spice of life. By playing the Tennison Gambit you will get crazy positions which simply never occur in quieter openings. Chess is a game, and it is perfectly valid to play unusual openings like the Tennison Gambit so long as you are having fun while doing it. “Serious” chess players may disapprove, but pay them no mind - you are under no obligation to play the same openings that elite grandmasters do.

Another reason to play the Tennison Gambit is because it is full of traps. A certain type of chess player derives great pleasure from tricking their opponent and landing a killer blow in the opening. If White wins, it will likely be because Black falls into one of the traps early in the game - whereas if Black wins, it will be probably through a slow, drawn-out grind to convert the extra pawn they gained by accepting the gambit. If you are playing chess below master level, then the likelihood of your opponent misstepping is greater - meaning the game will not last long enough for Black’s extra pawn to matter!

Finally, it has considerable surprise value. Although your opponents will probably have seen this aggressive chess gambit a few times. They will certainly not have experienced it as often as the more common alternatives. If you become a Tennison Gambit expert. Then there is every chance of gaining a practical advantage by taking the game into territory that you are better-acquainted with than your opponents.

Tennison Gambit: Thematic Tactics and Ideas

In the Tennison Gambit, White is already down a pawn on move two. If Black is allowed to consolidate, then the material deficit will eventually be telling. Therefore, it is vital for White to play energetically and be ready to take advantage of any and all tactical opportunities which present themselves.

Beyond improving your general tactical skills, there are certain traps and tactics which repeatedly occur in the Tennison Gambit. Familiarizing yourself with them will markedly increase your odds of noticing them when they occur in your own games.

Winning The Black Queen With A Sacrifice On f7

The dream result for the Tennison Gambit player is to win the enemy queen with the following trap. Colloquially known as the “Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Variation” among the online chess community.

Black has just played h6 to kick away the aggressively-placed White knight on g5, and it is White to move. Instead of retreating, White can play the shocking Nxf7!

If Black does not take the knight. Then either the Black queen or the Black rook on h8 is lost, due to the fork. Whereas if Black plays Kxf7. White has Bg6+ - a check which reveals a discovered attack. This enables White to play Qxd8 next move, picking up the Black queen.

The h5-e8 Diagonal

In the below position (with White to move), Black has again tried to kick away the strongly-situated White knight - this time by playing f6. The problem for Black is that this opens the way for White to play a devastating check via Qh5+.

The only legal way for Black to block this check is with g6 - at which point the White knight can sacrifice itself with Nxg6! After Black recaptures with hxg6, the Black rook on h8 falls with Qxh8. Once the dust settles, if we count the material we can see that White has won the exchange - having gained a rook for a knight.

Restoring The Material Balance

Rather than trying to hold on to the extra pawn they gained in the gambit, Black may instead choose to play natural developing moves, in which case White may have the opportunity to win back the gambitted pawn - such as in the below position, with White to move.

Capturing on e4 with either knight is not really in the aggressive spirit of the Tennison Gambit, as it results in a more “normal” position. But having won back their pawn, White cannot be worse.

Getting Started With The Tennison Gambit

There is not a large amount of opening theory on the Tennison Gambit. Still, if you intend to play this opening, it will be useful to study more about this opening. An excellent place to go next is this article on chessable. Usefully, it provides some ideas from Black’s perspective too. So that you can prepare yourself for the so-called “refutations” of the Tennison Gambit.

Once you have done that, try the Tennison Gambit in casual games. Find a friend of similar strength, and see what they do in reply to the Tennison Gambit when playing with Black. This will give you a better feel for the Tennison Gambit and the type of middlegames it leads to. Don’t forget to write down the moves so that you can review the games later! Try to do this with a few different opponents. So that you can get a sense of which variations are most common and therefore deserve most of your attention.

If you are really serious about becoming a Tennison “pro”, then we recommend the book Better Late Than Never by Uwe Bekemann, available from the USCF store.

At just 111 pages, the book is short - but it packs a powerful punch. After going through it, you will have the best possible chance of playing the Tennison Gambit with success.

Summary: Is The Tennison Gambit Right For You?

The Tennison Gambit can be worth exploring if you:

Play chess for fun, and winning isn’t everything. White doesn’t score very highly in games beginning with the Tennison Gambit. With correct play, Black stands better thanks to their extra material. But if you aren’t bothered by that and play chess for the pure enjoyment. Then the Tennison Gambit guarantees an exciting game. You also don’t need to study a lot of opening theory in order to play the Tennison Gambit.
Enjoy springing opening traps on your unwary opponent. The Tennison Gambit deservedly has a reputation as a “trappy” opening. As we saw, there are many ways for Black to lose the game on the spot if they are unfamiliar with the opening. If winning games of chess very quickly sounds like fun to you, then the Tennison Gambit can be worth a gamble.
Prefer sharp, double-edged positions. Tennison Gambit games get chaotic immediately. To do well with this opening, you must have well-honed tactical skills so that you can pounce on any opportunity that presents itself.

Does that sound like the kind of chess you would like to play?

If so, then surprise your opponent with the Tennison Gambit today!

FAQ

What Is The Tennison Gambit?

The Tennison Gambit is a chess opening where White gambits a pawn on e4. The starting position of the Tennison Gambit can be reached either from the Scandinavian Defense (via 1. e4 d5, 2. Nf3) or from the Reti Opening (via 1. Nf3 d5, 2. e4). Normally Black accepts the gambit with 2. …dxe4, whereupon White usually swings their knight up with Ng5 to immediately put pressure on Black’s extra pawn.

Is The Tennison Gambit A Good Opening?

According to the computer, the Tennison Gambit is not as strong as other openings for White. The main advantage of the Tennison Gambit is surprise value, because there are several traps that Black can easily fall into if they do not know the opening very well. The Tennison Gambit can also be fun to play in games where the result is not so important.

Who Was The Tennison Gambit Named After?

Otto Mandrup Tennison (1834 - 1909). Tennison was a Danish-born chess player who emigrated to the United States. Outside of chess, Tennison fought in the American Civil War. Later, he wrote an article on the opening which is now named after him.

How To Learn The Tennison Gambit?

The best book about the Tennison Gambit is “Better Late Than Never” by Uwe Bekemann. This book will teach you everything you need to know about playing this aggressive chess gambit with the White pieces.

Surprise Your Opponent With The Tennison Gambit

Why Play The Tennison Gambit?

Tennison Gambit: Thematic Tactics and Ideas