This is part of the Think Like a Chess Master series, written by young ambitious players on popular topics. It uses questions and exercises to draw the reader into the subject, and offers practical tips which will bring results. Gambits add excitemnt and imbalance to chess, and an understanding of them is essential for all chess players. This simple guide to gambit play shows that there is no mystery behind pawn sacrifices, and explains when to play them and how to meet them. To a chess master, a gambit is an investment of a pawn, not a speculative offer. Pawns can be sacrificed for many reasons, the most common being to open lines, gain time or force the opponent's pieces to bad squares. The material in this book is designed to help the reader develop a feel for how much a pawn is worth. All the analysis within this text has been computer-checked for maximum accuracy. It is a systematic study of the general themes behind gambit play.