Where does the word 'gambit' come from?

Question

According to Merriam Webster's Dictionary, a gambit is

a chess opening in which a player risks one or more pawns or a minor piece to gain an advantage in position.

But I was wondering, why do we use the word 'gambit'? Where does it come from? How we came to use it?

It's a play on words. When your position is hopelessly lost you violently overturn the board, throwing pieces all around the room, and yell "Dodd Gambit!". — Pete Becker, Oct 12 '15 at 13:31

Glorfindel · Accepted Answer · 2015-10-12 06:04:08Z

6

The name 'gambit' was coined in the 16th century already by Ruy López. He derived it from the old Italian expression

dare il gambetto

(literally: 'to give the leg'). It means 'to trip (someone) over' - gambits were often used in attempt to win a game quickly.

answered Oct 11 '15 at 20:16

Glorfindel♦

16k5 gold badges41 silver badges77 bronze badges

add a comment |

1 Answer 1