Here is an example from one of my legendary Halloween Gambit Simuls to get you started:

[Event “Halloween Gambit Simul”]

[Site “Cupertino, California”]

[Date “2008.10.31”]

[Round “”]

[White “Torres, Chris”]

[Black “Student”]

[Result “1-0”]

[Eco “C47”]

[Annotator “Chris Torres”]{[ Halloween Gambit]}

1.e4 e5

2.Nf3 Nc6

3.Nc3 Nf6

4.Nxe5

{Welcome to the Halloween Gambit! “Where there is no imagination there is no horror.” ~Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.}

Nxe5 5.d4{After sacrificing his horse, White gains unimaginable powers.}

Nc6 {White should not let their heart be troubled by the game below. I know some

Halloween secrets that give white plenty of treats in the Ng6 lines!}

( 5…Ng6 6.e5 Bb4 7.exf6 Qxf6 8.Qe2+ Qe7 9.Be3 d5 10.h4 Nxh4

11.g4 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 g5 13.Rb1 h6 14.c4 Qe4 15.Rxh4 gxh4 16.f3

Qe7 17.cxd5 h5 18.g5 b6 19.Kd2 Bb7 20.c4 O-O-O 21.Rb3 Qd7 22.Qh2

Qa4 23.Kc1 Kb8 24.Bf4 Rd7 25.Be5 {…0-1, Goldsmith Alan (AUS) 2247 – Tao Trevor (AUS) 2390 , Adelaide 2002 It (open)})

6.d5 Ne5 {Again, I have some tricks up my sleave for Black’s other ideas as well.}

( 6…Bb4 7.dxc6 Nxe4 8.Qd4 Qe7 9.Be3 f5 10.cxd7+ Bxd7 11.Be2

Bc5 12.Bh5+ Kd8 13.Qd3 Bxe3 14.Qxe3 Nxc3 15.Qxe7+ Kxe7 16.bxc3

Bc6 17.O-O-O g6 18.Rhe1+ Kf6 19.Be2 Bxg2 20.Rd7 Rhe8 21.Rxh7

Rad8 22.Rd1 Rh8 23.Rxc7 Rxd1+ 24.Kxd1 Bc6 25.Ke1 Rxh2 26.Ba6

{…0-1, Sigfusson Sigurdur (ISL) 2320 – Bellin Robert (ENG) 2400 , Reykjavik 4/ 6/2007 It (cat.3)})

7.f4 {Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen.Voices whisper in the trees, “Tonight is Halloween!”~Dexter Kozen}

Neg4 {This is where I laughed an evil laugh and exclaimed that, “It is all part of my master plan!”}

8.e5 {Bring forth the pawns and the nuts.Tonight All-Hallows’ Spectre struts. Along the moonlit way.}

Bc5 {The Black Bishop and Dark Knight make merry on this last of dear October’s days.}

9.exf6 {“Tis now the very witching time of night…”~ William Shakespeare}

Bf2+ {The Black Bishop informs the White King that it is indeed time to come out and play.}

10.Ke2 {So much for king safety!}

Bb6 {“Double, double toil and trouble…”}

11.fxg7 Rg8

12.d6 {The best-known method of slaying the Vampire is to drive a wooden stake through its heart.}

Qh4 {?} {Wasting time on Halloween is not a good plan. Rxg7 was quite superior.}

13.g3 {Be gone evil one!!!}

Qf6 14.Kf3 {Perhaps not the best but impressively ambitious.}

Rxg7

15.Bh3 h5 {Now who’s king is in more danger?}

16.Re1+ {Black’s king is now existing only in a nightmare.}

Kd8

17.Ne4 Qg6 18.c4{If dxc7+ is natural, then c4 is supernatural!}

f5 {Precisely what white was expecting.}

19.Ng5 Rg8 {?} {Black does not have time to relocate the rook to e8. Better was Bc5.}

20.Qd5 {Trick or Threats!}

Rf8

21.dxc7+

Kxc7 {If Bxc7, then:} ( 21…Bxc7 22.Ne6+ Qxe6 23.Rxe6 )

22.c5 {Each monster is forced to dance.}

Ba5 23.Ne6+ {And now my knight exclaims, “Trick or Treat.”}

dxe6 {And it is the bewildered Black King who is finally tricked on Halloween.}

24.Qd6# {Happy Halloween.} 1-0

There is a unique horror the players with the black pieces feel when the Four Knights Opening takes a dark turn into the Halloween Gambit. As white, remember to make black’s Knights run… Should black do something unexpected, just grin like it is all part of your Halloween fun!