Originally posted by robbie carrobie
actually i was wondering what you guys who play the English think of the pawn
sacrifice on f4, as played in Fischer famous game, against Dr. Saidy. i have heard
that it is over optimistic and does not really lead to anything with correct play, was
wondering what you guys thought. Has anyone played it against you, how did you
react?

Dr. Antho ...[text shortened]... . Rxa1 Nxa4 32. Rxa4 Qe4 33. Bxa5 Rxa5 34. Rxa5 Qe1+ 35. Kh2 Qxa5 0-1[/pgn]

though I never encountered f4 lines, I think blacks f5-folow up comes as a natural way to try to create some havoc in white's position, but it seems to me that the general consensus is correct, that is, f5 seems pretty harmless. In this position, that is reached as in fisher's game, white, seems to me, is slightly better even



In this position white has one imporant weak square - d4. To counter that I suggest, unlike played, trying to gain some space on the queenside, and, more importantly, place the bishop on B2, achieving tremendous control over the centre.

So, to sum up, my patzer opinion is that this gambit is a mistake, achieving nothing important, except centre-weakness. I'll give one example continuation I just came up with, though it probalby isn't best play for any side: