King's Gambit

The King's Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4) is one of the oldest documented openings. White offers a pawn to divert Black's e-pawn from the centre and, if Black accepts, usually targets f7, which only the king defends. It is considered characteristic of Romantic chess, when bold attacking tactics mattered more than positional strategy.

Origins

The King's Gambit appears in Lucena's book of 1497. Ruy López de Segura was the first to publish analysis of it, and Giulio Cesare Polerio also examined it. It was one of the most popular openings of the Romantic era: the famous "Immortal Game" of 1851, Adolf Anderssen's win against Lionel Kieseritzky in London, began with it. By the late 19th century it was in decline, as leading players became aware that it and other popular gambits were likely unsound. Wilhelm Steinitz argued that attacks should only be started after the opponent has made a mistake, and as 1...e5 is not a mistake, he considered the King's Gambit logically flawed. In 1960 Boris Spassky beat Bobby Fischer with it in a famous game at Mar del Plata. Fischer then wrote an article titled "A Bust to the King's Gambit", recommending 3...d6, now called the Fischer Defense. Today it is rare at elite level, although Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura have played it, and it remains popular at club level.

The idea

After 2...exf4, 3.Nf3 is the most popular move: it develops the knight and prevents 3...Qh4+. Black either tries to hold the pawn with ...g5, sometimes prepared by ...h6, or returns it with an early ...d5 to develop. White's own king is weakened by f4, which is the main downside of the opening.

Main lines

• King's Gambit Accepted 2...exf4:
  • King's Knight's Gambit 3.Nf3, the main line, answered by the Fischer Defense 3...d6, the Modern Defense 3...d5, the Cunningham 3...Be7, or the old ...g5 lines.
  • Bishop's Gambit 3.Bc4: allows ...Qh4+ but gets quick development.
• King's Gambit Declined:
  • Falkbeer Countergambit 2...d5: Black counterattacks in the centre.
  • Classical Variation 2...Bc5: stops White castling quickly by controlling g1.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

• Leads to open, tactical positions where White has the initiative from move two.
• Many opponents are unfamiliar with it and go wrong early.
• Great for learning attacking play: open files, development and king safety.

Weaknesses

• Since the late 19th century leading players have considered it likely unsound, and Black can equalise or even get the better game with accurate defence.
• White's own king is weakened for the rest of the game.
• If the attack fails, White is often simply a pawn down.

Who should play it

The King's Gambit is for attacking players who enjoy risk and want to take the initiative at any cost, and for anyone who wants to learn tactics in open positions. It is effective against players who try to hold the extra pawn at all costs, or who defend passively. It is weakest against calm, well-prepared opponents who return the pawn at the right moment and develop quickly.

The numbers

Below 1800 on Lichess, White wins 53–54% and Black only 43%. Above 2200 both sides win 47%. In master games over the board it is even worse for White: White wins 29%, Black 35% and 36% are drawn.