GAMBIT: 1: a chess opening in which a player risks one or more minor pieces to gain an advantage in position 2: a remark intended to start a conversaion 3: A calculated move
A chess handbook published in 1656 was said to have almost a hundred illustrated "gambetts." That early spelling of "gambit" is close to the Italian word gambetto, from which it is derived. Gambetto was used for an act of tripping - especially one that gave an advantage, as in wrestling. The original chess gambit is an opening in which a bishop's pawn is sacrificed to gain some advantage, but the name is now applied to many other chess openings. After being pinned down to chess for about two centuries, "gambit" finally broke free of the hold and showed itself to be a legitimate contender in the English language by weighing in with other meanings.
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