Introduction

Isaac Rice, a millionaire and an extremely generous chess patron was fond of this variation of the Kieseritzky Gambit ("the Rice Gambit"):

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Bc4 d5 7. exd5 Bd6 8. O-O

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Besides supporting general chess activity in the United States, Prof. Rice organised and financed thematic tournaments where this opening, named after him, had to be played.

<He financed a match in Brighton England in 1903 to test out the variation with the world champion Emanuel Lasker having White in all six games (it might have been better if Mikhail Chigorin had had White given his attacking prowess). It took place from August 3rd to August 15th with Chigorin winning (+2, =3, -1). The gambit is considered dubious.> (1)

The match started from the following position in all of the games:

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For Chigorin's handling of the White side of the gambit (which he only appears to have played when sponsored to do so) see:

Chigorin vs B Maliutin, 1905

Chigorin vs P Evtifeev, 1905

Chigorin vs K Rosenkrantz, 1905

The Gambit's worth

The gambit was Rice's invention (1893) and he shared its early development with Samuel Lipschutz who played it in competition: Lipschutz vs I E Orchard, 1898 but he lavished a great deal of time on it and paid for professionals to play and analyze it.

Alexander Alekhine wrote: "This move (8.0-0) suggested by Prof.I.L.Rice, has not, truth to tell, any theoretical value, since Black can revert to a variation of the Kieseritski Gambit, not unfavourable to him, by 8...0-0. Moreover, he runs no risk in accepting the temporary sacrifice of the Knight, since white as master practice has shown, cannot hope for more than a draw after a long and difficult struggle".

Alekhine went on to say that the gambit does offer "a multitude of very complicated tactical possibilities" (Alekhine, My Best Games of Chess, Vol 1, game 32).

Lasker himself wrote:

"White is not lost. Black must play exceedingly well not to fall into the numerous traps and to obtain a promising game. The positions which arise in the Rice Gambit give difficult problems to both the first and second player and lend themselves therefore to as fine strategy as a chessplayer might wish to see. The Rice Gambit will ever be a valuable asset for the analyst, the player and the student." (3)

After Rice's death, his widow organized a memorial thematic tournament, but thereafter in the absence of Rice's financial encouragement, the gambit was seldom played.

Progress of the match

           1 2 3 4 5 6 
————————————————————————
Chigorin   0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 3½	
Lasker     1 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 2½	
———————————————————————— 
Format: Lasker had White in all the games.

           1 2 3  4  5 6 
——————————————————————————————
Chigorin   0 1 1½ 2½ 3 3½	 
Lasker     1 1 1½ 1½ 2 2½
—————————————————————————————— 	 

The match proceeded in a cordial atmosphere. Lasker appears to have relied on an acquaintance, the Sussex player Mr. H. W. Butler to see to the practical arrangements.

Another experience Mr. Butler had with him (Lasker - e.d.) was on the occasion when Tchigorin and Lasker played the Rice Gambit games. He wired Mr. Butler to meet him and Tchigorin by a certain train, which he did, and Mr. Butler made all the arrangements for the match, such as supplying board and men and clocks, etc., and he was present at every game and nightly assisted in wiring off the moves and results. On this occasion, the trio of chess players each day did the town together and a happy time was spent." (2)

Game 1 Lasker had an inferior position when Chigorin played a poor defensive move (23...Ng6?!).

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Lasker's response in whipping up a winning King-side attack was superb.

Game 2 Chigorin won in 25 moves. Lasker's 16th move was the source of his problems.

Game 3 Lasker improved his opening, finding the best 16th move <16.Bd3!>. This was the first draw of the match.

Game 4 Chigorin innovated with <15...Re8!?> after playing <15...c6> previously. This avoided Lasker's innovation <16.Bd3!>. In the next game, Chigorin found the very strong <15...Qg6!>

Game 5 Lasker came very close to losing when faced with <15...Qg6!> , but drew after Chigorin failed to convert a promising but subtle winning manoeuvre:

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<30..Rd6!> 31.Qg1 Qg3+ 32.Kd2 Ne5

Game 6 Chigorin did not repeat his excellent innovation <15...Qg6!>. Instead, he went back to the inferior <15...Re8!?> line. Neither player was particularly accurate, perhaps through weariness, and the game was drawn in 21 moves.

Notes

(1). Quotation sourced from User: Benzol

(2). "Reading Observer", November 17th, 1917, p.7.

(3). "The Rice Gambit", Lasker 1910, - quoted from Winter "Professor Isaac Rice and the Rice Gambit" 2006 at https://www.chesshistory.com/winter...

User: Chessical - original text and compilation.

Thanks to User: OhioChessFan and User: perfidious for their improvements to the original text.