A gambit against two openings
In this issue, Spyridon Kapnisis examines a wing gambit against the Sicilian/French, arsing after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.b4!? cxb4 4.d4 d5 5.e5 or 1.e4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e5 c5 4.b4!? cxb4 5.d4.
"Let's linger a bit to try to understand the pawn sacrifice b4. White's main goal is to reduce the pressure against d4, which further stabilises their space advantage. A solid centre allows White to develop their kingside initiative by placing their bishop on d3 and typically driving their h2-pawn to h5 or even h6. Apart from the kingside, White will play a3 and open lines on the queenside, which will lead to rapid development and activation of their pieces ..."
Kapnisis' main line continues with 5...Ne7 (5...Bd7!? - delaying ...Nc6 to exchange bishops with ...Qa5/...a6 and ...Bb5 is an interesting plan and one of the best available to Black. The same goal is pursued by 5...b6) 6.a3 Nec6 (6...bxa3 7.Nxa3! with the intention Nb5 suits White) 7.axb4 Bxb4+ 8.c3 Be7 9.Bd3 Nd7 10.0-0.
A typical position for the gambit, with clear French contours: White has a development advantage for the pawn, a space advantage, a strong centre and attacking chances on the kingside.10...Nb6. Instead of developing the queenside, Black should perhaps try to challenge the white centre with 10...f6, which is not without risk. 11.Re1 Bd7.
Now in Maier,C - Jankovic,A 1-0 (instead of the standard 12.h4) White played the interesting 12.Qd2!? to bring the queen to the kingside via Qf4-g4, which worked excellently in the game. Before that, there are plenty of deviations for both sides, which the author discusses in great detail in the annotations.
Kapnisis' conclusion: 'The positions are double-edged with chances for both players. It's hard for me to recommend this repertoire for classical games at the highest level, but I think it can be quite dangerous for blitz/rapid games for Black. For classical games, I would recommend this variation for a level up to 2300-2400. I must also mention that Sicilian players will probably feel uncomfortable with Black in a position that clearly resembles the pawn structure of the French Defence!'