The GothamChess Blitz Repertoire
Strike swiftly with the internet's chess teacher's trademark blitz weapons.Learn Gotham's most iconic openings -- a variety of powerful sidelines that lead to crushing attacks.
In this blog post, I will be showcasing some of Gotham's blitz openings that he has been utilizing to quickly climb the ranks. As we all know, Gotham's blitz rating is nearing 3000 currently, and he is also one of the most beloved personalities in chess. This concept is heavily inspired by the blitz repertoires created by GM Gordima, and I would definitely recommend anybody interested in improving their openings to check those out. Although the depth and quality of my analysis will not be nearly as excellent as his, I hope to provide some value and entertainment for anybody interested in these lines.
Additionally, I would like to mention that all of these lines were selected using Gotham's blitz games from OpeningTree.com. Some of the lines I will present are not fully sound or supported by the engine. Here is the link to the study for anybody who would like to conduct their own analysis: Study Link.
Overview
When going through Gotham's blitz games with white, I was immediately faced with a critical choice for the first move. Gotham plays 1.e4 and 1.d4 almost the same amount of times, so choosing one over the other was quite difficult. After some consideration, I decided the best option was to go with his 1.e4 lines, as although the Trompowsky and London are very interesting, I felt it would be nice to have an attacking theme for this repertoire. This will be much easier with 1.e4, as Gotham plays a variety of gambits and sidelines where he will sacrifice material or throw the h-pawn down the board early.
With the black pieces, I simply opted for Gotham's most common choices. This meant his famous Caro-Kann and the Queen's Gambit Accepted, but in both these openings, Gotham opts for may fascinating sidelines you may not be aware of.
White
1.e5 - Vienna Gambit
It's no surprise that Gotham's primary choice against the open games is his legendary Vienna Gambit. In fact, looking at his games against master level competition, I noticed that many players would capture the pawn or play 3.d6, resulting in passive and uncomfortable positions for black. When black goes for the main line 3.d5!, Gotham plays the 5.Qf3!? sideline, aiming to force a capture on c3 that allows him to create an overwhelming pawn mass in the center. Moreover, against the more modest 2.Nc6, Gotham opts for a setup in the style of the Bishop's Opening. However, he spices things up by playing an early f4 pawn strike and allowing a potential bishop for knight trade on c4, both aiming to seize space on the kingside for a future attack.
Sicilian - 2.a3!?
When faced with black's most popular defense against 1.e4, Gotham uses the a3 line that is played less than 1% of the time!! The idea is that if black covers the b4 advance with the knight or bishop via 2.Nc6 or 2.e6, Gotham will push the pawn and sacrifice it in Wing Gambit style, seeking to use the time gained to build a massive center. In the case of 2.Nc6, many black players will become hasty and try to hit back with 6.d5?!, but this is actually a grave mistake, allowing white to charge in with his knight to attack black's dark squared holes. These positions can very quickly lead to disaster for black, as white will overrun his coordination in the center. Against the critical 2.g6! and the less popular 2.d6, Gotham changes plans and aims to use the escape square provided by 2.a3 to place his light squared bishop on the long diagonal. If black commits his king early, Gotham often launches the h-pawn towards the kingside. Although the engine does not approve of some of these variations, the practical problems posed to black will create substantial pressure in fast blitz games.
French - 2.b3!?
Gotham's primary weapon against the dreaded French is the 2.b3!? gambit sideline. White offers his e-pawn in exchange for fast development and long side castles, aiming to launch a devastating kingside pawn storm. If black declines the pawn and plays 3.Nf6, Gotham advances in the center and places his queen on g4, disrupting black's kingside development. The main issue I had with this line is that black can play 2.c5 and transpose into the Snyder Sicilian. Although Gotham plays that line as well, I chose the 2.a3!? variation instead for this repertoire. Therefore, I gave a brief overview of these lines, where white often can get Grand Prix style positions with the added benefit of a well placed bishop on b2.
Caro-Kann - Fantasy
Gotham's most played choice against the Caro is actually the advance variation, but to stick to the concept of this repertoire, I decided to select a more offbeat and aggressive line. The Fantasy leads to some extremely unclear and chaotic positions. Black's options are quite limited when facing this line, as anything other than 3.e6 or 3.dxe5 will allow white to seize the center. Against the main line, Gotham plays the somewhat rare 6.c3!?, aiming to stabilize the center and use the open lines to launch a kingside attack later. A common theme in these positions is the queen transfer from d1-e1-h4. In regards to the 3.e6 line, Gotham plays the critical 7.Nh3 in the main line, sacrificing a pawn but gaining strong compensation along the f-file.
White Sidelines
Against sidelines, Gotham stays true to his concept of aggressive sidelines. When faced with the Scandinavian, he will usually delay the advance of the d-pawn or omit it altogether, instead first focusing on his kingside development. When the time is right, he plays Nc3 and sends the b-pawn down the board. Gotham uses a simple approach against the Pirc, positioning his pieces harmoniously to focus on a quick e5 push. Gotham's lines get really creative against the Alekhine, where he plays the offbeat Tate Variation which involves early pawn sacrifices and even a potential rook transfer across the third rank!
Black
1.e5 - Caro-Kann
Gotham goes for some unique positions within his favorite opening. In the exchange line, he sets up a kingside fianchetto and places the knight on h6, seeking to route it to the central d6 post where he will be able to support queenside play or transfer it to f7 to reinforce the f6-e5 pawn advance. Additionally, the knight facilitates the exchange of white's powerful light squared bishop. For the Advance Variation, Gotham plays the immediate 3.c5 to limit white's responses and put instant pressure on the center. He often utilizes f6 as a breakthrough to destroy white's central control and roll the d and e pawn duo down the board. Gotham's choice against the Classical Variation is the fascinating waiting move 3.a6!?. The point is that if white exchanges or advances his e-pawn, the knight on c3 will be poorly placed in the resulting positions. Therefore, white's primary option is 4.Nf3, where Gotham applies the move Bg4 to exchange the bad bishop and create a light squared stronghold in the center with his pawns, compensating for its absence. I also included a few prominent sidelines that Gotham's opponents would often use in blitz against him.
Queen's Gambit - Accepted
The QQA is an excellent choice for blitz, as the lines are quite easy to play for black. Against the mainline 3.Nf3, Gotham opts for the Nf6 and Bg4 setups, aiming to coordinate the e5 pawn advance instead of expanding on the queenside. When white plays 3.e3, Gotham decides against giving the IQP after he plays the critical 3.e5, instead playing the fascinating 3.Nc6!?, resulting in a unique set of positions with clear plans for black. Finally, Gotham meets the ambitious 3.e4 line with 3.b5, clinging to the c4 pawn even if it means sacrificing an exchange. This is because black can bank on the 2 on 1 queenside majority and white's unstable center to create important counterplay.
1.d4 Sidelines
Gotham uses a quick c5 pawn push followed by f6-e5 against the boring London System, aiming to quickly take the center. Against lines like the Psuedo-Catalan and Colle, he tries to disrupt white's typical game plans.
English - Reversed Sicilian
Gotham fights the English with a similar setup to his 2.a3!? anti-Sicilian. Although black is a tempo down and the starting move order is different, he ultimately seeks to achieve a bishop stationed on the powerful a8-g1 diagonal along with a quick kingside attack via using his h-pawn to open lines quickly.
Black Sidelines
When it comes to the Reti Gambit, Gotham advances his d-pawn to take central space. If white tries to play in Benko style with 3.b4, Gotham throws his g-pawn forward in exchange for control of the center. Against other sidelines, Gotham plays sidelines! These often involve an early movement of the light squared bishop to g4.
