Chess: How does White win?

Evans was the captain of a sailing packet carrying mail between Milford Haven and Waterford in the 1820s. During one of those crossings, the gallant captain was innocently leafing through the section on the Giuoco Piano in Sarratt's New Treatise on the Game of Chess, when he suddenly discovered a promising new move for White that led to the birth of the Evans Gambit.

Coming at the height of the romantic period in the game, the swashbuckling gambit soon took the imagination of the chess world and was adopted by the likes of McDonnell, Labourdonnais, Anderssen, Moprhy, Chigorin and Steinitz. Despite never being refuted, the gambit went out of fashion at the turn of the 20th century – but it came back in vogue i in 1995 when Garry Kasparov rehabilitated it to great effect.

Evans had another claim to fame by being the "Inventor of the System of Tri-coloured Lights for Ships to prevent Collisions at Night", which was subsequently adopted by all maritime nations. Even today, the numerous victims of his gambit might prefer it if opponents were to hoist an appropriate string of lights to let them know it's coming.

One classic example is today's recent game, from the German Championship in Bonn, where one of the top favourites, Jan Gustafsson, lost in a modern-day Evans Gambit miniature to the 19-year-old unknown, Niclas Huschenbeth – and the game is all but over for Black after 13 c4!!

N Huschenbeth - J Gustafsson

German Championship, (6)

Evans Gambit

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 Bxb4 5 c3 Be7 6 d4 Na5 7 Be2 exd4 8 Qxd4 d5 9 Qxg7 Bf6 10 Qg3 dxe4 11 Nd4 Ne7 12 Nb5 Nd5 13 c4!! a6 14 cxd5 axb5 15 Nc3 Qd6 16 Bf4 Qb4 17 Be5 Qe7 18 Bxf6 Qxf6 19 0–0 Bd7 20 Nxe4 Qd4 21 Qf4 Kd8 22 Rac1 Nc4 23 Bxc4 bxc4 24 Rxc4 Qxc4 25 Qf6+ Ke8 26 Re1 Rf8 27 Nd6 checkmate 1–0