Gambit

A gambit is the sacrifice of one thing in order to obtain something else, in a calculated risk. The Passion of Christ was the most significant gambit of all.

As originating in the game of chess, a gambit refers to losing pieces, usually a pawn or two, in order to obtain a strategic advantage. (There are some exceptions, such as the Muzio Gambit, which sacrifices an entire knight, or Bobby Fischer's famous queen's gambit.) Sometimes a gambit is necessary in the end game portion of a chess match in order to achieve checkmate.

A gambit is also a small tool used to attach a cantle to a sporran.

Mike Gambit was a character in mid-70s British action series The New Avengers, played by coffee salesman Gareth Hunt (d.2007).

Increasingly the term gambit is used to refer to any calculated maneuver.