Kings Gambit

Category Open Game Opening Move Sequence 1 e4 e5, 2 f4 ECO Codes C30 to C39 King's Gambit opening has a long documented history. Both Luis Ramirez de Lucena and Giulio Polerio analyzed this opening in seventeenth century. It is however no longer very popular in tournament play. This is because analysis has shown that Black can even out the play by returning the White's offered gambit and establishing a strong defensive position. King's Gambit falls under the category of Open Game openings that begin with 1 e4 e5. Its ECO codes range from C30 to C39. Moves and Variations 1 e4 e5 2 f4 By f4 White offers a gambit to draw the Black's King's pawn from center and then aims to build a strong center after d4. Analysis of this opening indicates that Black can only maintain the extra pawn at the cost of a weak position. On the other hand by returning the pawn and strengthening his defenses Black can have an even game. Black can decline the gambit as well. King's Gambit Declined The main or Classical line here is 2 ... Bc5. This prevents White from castling and White has to lose time to chase it away. However White generally gets a mobile center in the end. The game may continue; 1 e4 e5, 2 f4 Bc5, 3 Nf3 d6, 4 c3 Nf6, 5 d4 or 5 fxe5. White should be wary of the trap 3 fxe5?, with result 3 ...Qh4+. If 4 g3, Black will fork King and Rook by Qxe4+. If 4 Ke2, Qxe4 ++. By 2 ...d5 Black aims at 3 exd5 e4!?. This is the combative Falkbeer Countergambit. Logic is to decline the White's offered gambit and to make the best of White's K-side weakness by cramping his pieces. Another modern variation of Falkbeer continues 2 ...d5 3 exd5 c6!?. However White will come up better here as well, if he does not play 3 fxe5?. In that case 3 ...Qh4+, 4 Ke2 Qxe4+ 5 Kf2 Bc5+ will give Black the advantage of the position.

The option 2 ... Nc6, 3 Nf3 f5, offers a counter gambit, with sharp play. 2 ...d6, 3 Nf3, can be transformed to Fischer Defense (see below) by 3...exf4. The variation 2 ... Nf6, 3 fxe5 Nxe4, 4 Nf3 Ng5!, 5 d4 Nxf3+, 6 Qxf3 Qh4+, 7 Qf2 Qxf2+, 8 Kxf2, may give Black a small advantage. 2 ...Qf6, followed by 3 ...Qxf4 is considered risky. King's Gambit Accepted (2 ... exf4) Accepting the gambit is more popular than declining it. From here White can choose between 3 Nf3 and several other variations like 3 Bc4. 3 Nf3 (King's Knight Gambit) is the more popular. This move develops a piece and prevents 3 ... Qh4+. 3 Nf3 g5, and is the main variation here. If 4 h4 g4 was played, White can continue, 5 Ng5 (Allgaier Gambit) with the aim 5...h6 6 Nxf7, or 5 Ne5 (Kieseritzky Gambit) with positional play. Kieseritzky is considered stronger than the risky Allgaier by modern analysts. Sharp, 4 Bc4 g4, 5 0-0!? gxf3, 6 Qxf3, lead to Muzio Gambit where in return for the loss of Knight, White has three pieces attacking weak f7. Black avoids this by 4 ... Bg7. After losing to Boris Spassky in a Kieseritzky Gambit game Bobby Fischer developed the Fischer Defense, 3 ... d6, with the aim of later playing h6 and g5. This leads to complex play, but evens the Black's chances. This is the most popular line in King's Gambit now. After developing this defense Fischer basically claimed that King's Gambit is redundant. Though that is not the case it has been rare since then. In playing Fischer Defense Black should avoid instinctive Bg4 which lead to weaknesses. 3 Nf3 d5, (Abbazia Defense) is similar to Falkbeer Countergambit described above and can be reached through it. Here the advanced Black pawn is not ideally placed but both sides have even play. Black can also play 3... h6 (Becker Defense) instead of g5, with the aim of creating a chain of pawns; h6, g5, f4. 3...Be7 is the most combative response for Black. It is called Cunningham Defense and deny White the chance to castle after 4 Bc4 Bh4+ 5 Kf1. (5 g3 fxg3, 6 0-0 gxh2+, 7.Kh1 leads to Three Pawns' Gambit). However the popular Black option here is 4 ... Nf6, 5 e5 Ng4 called the Modern Cunningham. Other options include rare 3 ...Ne7 (Bonsch-Osmolovsky Defense) and 3 Nf6 Schallopp Defense (with the aim 4.e5 Nh5, to keep the pawn). Risky 3 ...Qe7 (aiming at 4 Nc3 d5!) can also be used.

Other King's Gambit Accepted Variations are led by 3 Bc4, (Bishop's Gambit), which can lead to 3 ... Qh4+!? 4 Kf1 and 5 Nf3, with rapid development of White's pieces. However modern players are unlikely to play 3 ... Qh4+ here. Another option include the challenging 3 Nc3 (Mason Gambit) asking Black to play 3...Qh4+ 4 Ke2. 3 Qf3 (Breyer Gambit) with aim of 3 ...Qh4+ 4.g3 fxg3 5.hxg3. Other options include 3 Qe2 and 3 Ne2. They are rare however. Even more rare is 3 Kf2?!, so called Tumbleweed Gambit. Idea is to continue 3 ...Qh4+, 4 g3 fxg3+, 5 Kg2, Then if 5....gxh2, 6 Rxh2 Qxe4+. At this point White has lost three pawns in return for open lines. Though this may seem a paltry reward, White can use them with good effect, if Black is not careful.