King's Gambit

The King's Gambit is a chess opening which starts with these moves:

• 1.e4 e5
• 2.f4 and now
  • 2...exf4 is the King's Gambit accepted, and 3.Nf3 the most common move.
  • 2...any other move by Black is the King's Gambit declined. 2...d5 is most usual.

King's Gambit

a b c d e f g h 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a b c d e f g h
Moves	1.e4 e5 2.f4
ECO	C30–C39
Origin	No later than 16th century
Parent	Open Game

The opening is called a gambit because White sacrifices a pawn. In exchange for the pawn, White gets better development and opens up lines that can be used to attack/checkmate the black king. It was more popular in the 1800s, when many Black players did not know good ways to play against it.

• ECO code C30–C39. ECO is the Encyclopaedia of chess openings.