King's Gambit
Encyclopedia
The King's Gambit is a chess opening
that begins with the moves:
White offers a pawn to divert the Black e-pawn so as to build a strong centre with d2–d4. Theory has shown that in order for Black to maintain the gambit pawn
, he may well be forced to weaken his kingside.
The King's Gambit is one of the oldest documented openings, as it was examined by the 17th century Italian
chess player Giulio Polerio
. It is also in an older book by Luis Ramirez de Lucena.
The King's Gambit is infrequently seen at master
level today, as Black can obtain a reasonable position by returning the extra pawn to consolidate. There are two main branches, depending on whether or not Black plays 2... exf4: the King's Gambit Accepted (KGA) and the King's Gambit Declined (KGD).
; nonetheless, players have held widely divergent views on it. François-André Danican Philidor
(1726–95), the greatest player and theorist
of his day, wrote that the King's Gambit should end in a draw
with best play by both sides, stating that "a gambit equally well attacked and defended is never a decisive [game], either on one side or the other." Writing over 150 years later, Siegbert Tarrasch
, one of the world's strongest players in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pronounced the opening "a decisive mistake" and wrote that "it is almost madness to play the King's Gambit." Similarly, future World Champion
Bobby Fischer
wrote a famous article, "A Bust to the King's Gambit", in which he stated, "In my opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force" and offered his Fischer Defense
(3. ...d6) as a refutation.
None of these pronouncements, however, have proven to be actual refutations of the King's Gambit. Although the King's Gambit has been rare in modern Grandmaster play, a handful of grandmasters have continued to use it, including Joseph Gallagher
, Trent German, Nigel Short
, and Alexei Fedorov
. It was also part of the arsenal of David Bronstein
, who almost singlehandedly brought the opening back to respectability in modern play. The King's Gambit is also frequently seen in club
play.
n player Ernst Falkbeer
. It runs 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4, in which Black sacrifices
a pawn in return for quick and easy development. It was once considered good for Black and scored well, but White obtains some advantage with the response 4.d3!, and the line fell out of favour after the 1930s.
. Black is not concerned about pawns and aims for early piece
activity. White has a better pawn structure and prospects of a better endgame. The main line continues 4.Nc3 exf4 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.d4 Ne7 7.dxc6 Nbxc6, giving positions analogous to the Modern Variation of the gambit accepted.
and is such a nuisance that White often expends two tempi
to eliminate it by means of Nc3-a4, to exchange on c5 or b6, whereupon he may castle without worry. It also contains an opening trap for novices: if White continues with 3.fxe5?? Black continues 3...Qh4+, in which either the rook
is lost (4.g3 Qxe4+, forking
the rook and king
) or White is checkmate
d (4.Ke2 Qxe4#). This line often comes about by transposition
from lines of the Vienna Game
or Bishop's Opening
, when White plays f2-f4 before Nf3.
2...Nc6 3.Nf3 f5, advocated by Tony Miles
; 2...d6, when after 3.Nf3, best is 3...exf4 transposing to the Fischer Defense
(though 2...d6 invites White to play 3.d4 instead); and 2...Nf6 3.fxe5 Nxe4 4.Nf3 Ng5! 5.d4 Nxf3+ 6.Qxf3 Qh4+ 7.Qf2 Qxf2+ 8.Kxf2 with a small endgame advantage, as played in the 1968 game between Bobby Fischer
and Robert Wade
in Vinkovci
. The greedy 2...Qf6 (known as the Norwalde Variation), intending 3...Qxf4, is considered dubious. Also dubious is the Keene Defense: 2... Qh4+ 3.g3 Qe7.
and prevents 3... Qh4+; and 3.Bc4, the Bishop's Gambit, where White's development will rapidly increase after the continuation often played in the 19th century, 3... Qh4+!? 4. Kf1 followed by 5. Nf3, driving the queen
away and gaining a tempo
; however, 3....Nf6 is far more common in modern practice. There are also many other third moves, such as:
, and was used by Boris Spassky
to beat Bobby Fischer
in a famous game at Mar del Plata
1960. This motivated Fischer into developing his own defense to the King's Gambit - see "Fischer Defense" below.
Instead of 4.h4, the extremely sharp Muzio Gambit arises after 4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0!? gxf3 6.Qxf3, where White has gambited a knight but has three pieces bearing down on f7. Such wild play is rare in modern chess, but Black must exercise care in consolidating his position. Black can avoid the Muzio by meeting 4.Bc4 with 4...Bg7 and ...h6.
to defeat former world title finalist Nigel Short
at Montreal
2007, though it has never been highly regarded by theory.
Defense (3. Nf3 Nf6) - intending 4.e5 Nh5, holding onto the pawn - is considered somewhat inferior and is rarely played today. In one of the lines, White can usually obtain a crushing attack via a rook sacrifice, i.e., 4.e5 Nh5 5.d4 g5 6.h4 g4 7.Ng5 Ng3 8.Bc4! Nxh1 9.Bxf7+ Ke7 10.Nc3 (looking for immediate mate at d5, or later via queen at f6) and Black appears doomed.
rather than keeping the extra pawn. It has been recommended by several publications as an easy way to equalize, although White keeps a slight advantage due to his extra central pawn and piece activity. If White captures (4.exd5) then Black may play 4...Nf6 or recapture with 4...Qxd5, at which it point it becomes the Scandinavian Variation of KGA.
opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force." - R. Fischer, A Bust to the King's Gambit
The Fischer Defense
(3. Nf3 d6), although previously known, was advocated by Bobby Fischer
after he was defeated by Boris Spassky
in a Kieseritzky Gambit at Mar del Plata 1960. Fischer then decided to refute the King's Gambit, and the next year the American Chess Quarterly
published Fischer's analysis of 3...d6, which he called "a high-class waiting move"
The point is that after 4. d4 g5 5. h4 g4 White cannot continue with 6. Ne5, as in the Kieseritzky Gambit, and 6.Ng5 is unsound because of 6...f6!. This leaves the move 6. Ng1 as the only option, when after six moves neither side has developed a piece.
The main alternative to 4. d4 is 4. Bc4, but it is considered inferior.
has ten codes for the King's Gambit, C30 through C39.
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
that begins with the moves:
- 1. e4 e5
- 2. f4
White offers a pawn to divert the Black e-pawn so as to build a strong centre with d2–d4. Theory has shown that in order for Black to maintain the gambit pawn
Pawn (chess)
The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
, he may well be forced to weaken his kingside.
The King's Gambit is one of the oldest documented openings, as it was examined by the 17th century Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
chess player Giulio Polerio
Giulio Polerio
Giulio Cesare Polerio , was an Italian chess theoretician and player....
. It is also in an older book by Luis Ramirez de Lucena.
The King's Gambit is infrequently seen at master
Chess master
A chess master is a chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat chess experts, who themselves typically prevail against most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning being clear from context....
level today, as Black can obtain a reasonable position by returning the extra pawn to consolidate. There are two main branches, depending on whether or not Black plays 2... exf4: the King's Gambit Accepted (KGA) and the King's Gambit Declined (KGD).
History
The King's Gambit was one of the most popular openings for over 300 years, and has been played by many of the strongest players, in many of the greatest brilliancies, including the Immortal GameImmortal game
The Immortal Game was a chess game played by Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky on 21 June 1851 in London, during a break of the first international tournament. The very bold sacrifices made by Anderssen to finally secure victory have made it one of the most famous chess games of all time...
; nonetheless, players have held widely divergent views on it. François-André Danican Philidor
François-André Danican Philidor
François-André Danican Philidor , often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the opéra comique...
(1726–95), the greatest player and theorist
Chess theory
The game of chess is commonly divided into three phases: the opening, middlegame, and endgame. As to each of these phases, especially the opening and endgame, there is a large body of theory as how the game should be played...
of his day, wrote that the King's Gambit should end in a draw
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
with best play by both sides, stating that "a gambit equally well attacked and defended is never a decisive [game], either on one side or the other." Writing over 150 years later, Siegbert Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarrasch was one of the strongest chess players and most influential chess teachers of the late 19th century and early 20th century....
, one of the world's strongest players in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pronounced the opening "a decisive mistake" and wrote that "it is almost madness to play the King's Gambit." Similarly, future World Champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
wrote a famous article, "A Bust to the King's Gambit", in which he stated, "In my opinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force" and offered his Fischer Defense
Fischer Defense
The Fischer Defense to the King's Gambit is a chess opening variation that begins with the moves:-History:After Bobby Fischer lost a 1960 game at Mar del Plata to Boris Spassky, in which Spassky played the Kieseritzky Gambit, Fischer left in tears and promptly went to work at devising a new defense...
(3. ...d6) as a refutation.
None of these pronouncements, however, have proven to be actual refutations of the King's Gambit. Although the King's Gambit has been rare in modern Grandmaster play, a handful of grandmasters have continued to use it, including Joseph Gallagher
Joseph Gallagher
Joseph Gerald Gallagher is a British Chess Grandmaster and former British Champion, as well as a chess author.Born to Irish parents Norah and Patrick, Gallagher was the eldest child . His sister Marie also played chess to an international standard at age 11...
, Trent German, Nigel Short
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short MBE is an English chess grandmaster earning the title at the age of 19. Short is often regarded as the strongest English player of the 20th century as he was ranked third in the world, from January 1988 – July 1989 and in 1993, he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Chess...
, and Alexei Fedorov
Alexei Fedorov
Alexei Fedorov is a chess grandmaster. Until 1992 he played for the Soviet Union, then briefly for Russia and from 1993 for the Belarus chess association....
. It was also part of the arsenal of David Bronstein
David Bronstein
David Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
, who almost singlehandedly brought the opening back to respectability in modern play. The King's Gambit is also frequently seen in club
Chess club
A chess club is a club formed for the purpose of playing the board game of chess. Chess clubs provide for both informal games and timed games, often as part of an internal competition or in a league.-Organisation:...
play.
Variations
Both the accepted and declined gambit have several variations, though acceptance is generally considered best.Panteldakis Countergambit
Among the oldest countergambits in KGD is the Panteldakis Countergambit, 1.e4 e5 2.f4 f5?!, known from a game played in 1625 in which Gioachino Greco used it to win with the Black pieces. It is nonetheless considered dubious because 3.exf5 with the threat of Qh5+ gives White a good game.Falkbeer Countergambit
The Falkbeer Countergambit is named after 19th-century AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n player Ernst Falkbeer
Ernst Falkbeer
Ernst Karl Falkbeer was an Austrian chess master and journalist.-Life and chess career:Born in Brno, Bohemia, Falkbeer moved to Vienna to study law, but ended up becoming a journalist...
. It runs 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4, in which Black sacrifices
Sacrifice (chess)
In chess, a sacrifice is a move giving up a piece in the hopes of gaining tactical or positional compensation in other forms. A sacrifice could also be a deliberate exchange of a chess piece of higher value for an opponent's piece of lower value....
a pawn in return for quick and easy development. It was once considered good for Black and scored well, but White obtains some advantage with the response 4.d3!, and the line fell out of favour after the 1930s.
Nimzowitsch Countergambit
A more modern interpretation of the Falkbeer is 2...d5 3 exd5 c6!?, as advocated by Aron NimzowitschAron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch was a Russian-born Danish unofficial chess grandmaster and a very influential chess writer...
. Black is not concerned about pawns and aims for early piece
Chess piece
Chess pieces or chessmen are the pieces deployed on a chessboard to play the game of chess. The pieces vary in abilities, giving them different values in the game...
activity. White has a better pawn structure and prospects of a better endgame. The main line continues 4.Nc3 exf4 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.d4 Ne7 7.dxc6 Nbxc6, giving positions analogous to the Modern Variation of the gambit accepted.
Classical Defence
A common way to decline the gambit is with 2. ..Bc5, the "classical" KGD. The bishop prevents White from castlingCastling
Castling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
and is such a nuisance that White often expends two tempi
Tempo (chess)
In chess, tempo refers to a "turn" or single move. When a player achieves a desired result in one fewer move, he "gains a tempo" and conversely when he takes one more move than necessary he "loses a tempo"...
to eliminate it by means of Nc3-a4, to exchange on c5 or b6, whereupon he may castle without worry. It also contains an opening trap for novices: if White continues with 3.fxe5?? Black continues 3...Qh4+, in which either the rook
Rook (chess)
A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
is lost (4.g3 Qxe4+, forking
Fork (chess)
In chess, a fork is a tactic that uses a single piece to attack multiple pieces at the same time. The attacker usually hopes to gain material by capturing one of the opponent's pieces. The defender often finds himself in a difficult position in which he cannot counter all threats. The attacking...
the rook and king
King (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
) or White is checkmate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
d (4.Ke2 Qxe4#). This line often comes about by transposition
Transposition (chess)
A transposition in chess is a sequence of moves that results in a position which may also be reached by another, more common sequence of moves. Transpositions are particularly common in opening, where a given position may be reached by different sequences of moves...
from lines of the Vienna Game
Vienna Game
The Vienna Game is a chess opening that begins with the moves:White's second move is less common than 2.Nf3, and is also of more recent vintage; a book reviewer wrote in the New York Times in 1888 that "since Morphy only one new opening has been introduced, the 'Vienna.The original idea behind...
or Bishop's Opening
Bishop's Opening
The Bishop's Opening is a chess opening that begins with the moves:White attacks Black's f7-square and prevents Black from advancing his d-pawn to d5....
, when White plays f2-f4 before Nf3.
Other moves
Other options in the KGD are possible, though unusual, such as the sharp countergambitGambit
A gambit is a chess opening in which a player, most often White, sacrifices material, usually a pawn, with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position. Some well-known examples are the King's Gambit , Queen's Gambit , and Evans Gambit...
2...Nc6 3.Nf3 f5, advocated by Tony Miles
Tony Miles
Anthony John Miles was an English chess Grandmaster.- Early achievements in chess :Miles was born in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham...
; 2...d6, when after 3.Nf3, best is 3...exf4 transposing to the Fischer Defense
Fischer Defense
The Fischer Defense to the King's Gambit is a chess opening variation that begins with the moves:-History:After Bobby Fischer lost a 1960 game at Mar del Plata to Boris Spassky, in which Spassky played the Kieseritzky Gambit, Fischer left in tears and promptly went to work at devising a new defense...
(though 2...d6 invites White to play 3.d4 instead); and 2...Nf6 3.fxe5 Nxe4 4.Nf3 Ng5! 5.d4 Nxf3+ 6.Qxf3 Qh4+ 7.Qf2 Qxf2+ 8.Kxf2 with a small endgame advantage, as played in the 1968 game between Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
and Robert Wade
Robert Wade (chess player)
Robert Graham Wade OBE , was a British chess player, writer, arbiter, coach, and promoter. He was New Zealand champion three times, British champion twice, and played in seven Chess Olympiads and one Interzonal tournament...
in Vinkovci
Vinkovci
Vinkovci is a city in Croatia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County. In the 2011 census, the total population of the city was 35,375, making it the largest town of the county...
. The greedy 2...Qf6 (known as the Norwalde Variation), intending 3...Qxf4, is considered dubious. Also dubious is the Keene Defense: 2... Qh4+ 3.g3 Qe7.
King's Gambit Accepted
As stated above, Black usually accepts with 2...exf4. White then has two main continuations: 3.Nf3, the King's Knight Gambit is the most common as it develops the knightKnight (chess)
The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
and prevents 3... Qh4+; and 3.Bc4, the Bishop's Gambit, where White's development will rapidly increase after the continuation often played in the 19th century, 3... Qh4+!? 4. Kf1 followed by 5. Nf3, driving the queen
Queen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
away and gaining a tempo
Tempo (chess)
In chess, tempo refers to a "turn" or single move. When a player achieves a desired result in one fewer move, he "gains a tempo" and conversely when he takes one more move than necessary he "loses a tempo"...
; however, 3....Nf6 is far more common in modern practice. There are also many other third moves, such as:
- 3. b3?! - the Orsini Gambit
- 3. Nc3 - the Mason Gambit, the Keres Gambit, the Parnu Gambit, or the Requena Gambit
- 3. d4 - the Villemson Gambit or Steinitz Gambit
- 3. Bb5 - the Shurig Gambit
- 3. Be2 - the Lesser Bishop's Gambit or Tartakower Gambit
- 3. Qe2 - Basman's Gambit
- 3. Qf3 - the Breyer Gambit, Hungarian Gambit, or Carrera Gambit
- 3. Qg4 - the Dodo Gambit
- 3. Qh5?! - the Carrera Gambit
- 3. g3?! - the Gaga Gambit
- 3. Ne2 - the Paris Gambit
- 3. h4 - the Stamma Gambit or Leonardo Gambit
- 3. Nh3 - the Eisenberg Gambit
- 3. Kf2?! - the Tumbleweed Gambit, Drunken King, or King's Own Gambit. This allows 3... Qh4+ 4. g3 fxg3+ 5. Kg2. It seems that White has given up two pawns for nothing, but Black must proceed cautiously, or White can use the many open lines with surprising effectiveness.
Classical Variation
The Classical Variation arises after 3.Nf3 g5, when there are two main continuations, 4.h4 (the Paris Attack), and 4.Bc4. After 4.h4 g4 White can choose between 5.Ng5 or 5.Ne5. 5.Ng5 is the Allgaier Gambit, intending 5...h6 6.Nxf7, but is considered dubious by modern theory. Stronger is 5.Ne5, the Kieseritzky Gambit, which is relatively positional in nature. It was used very successfully by Wilhelm SteinitzWilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
, and was used by Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
to beat Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
in a famous game at Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata chess tournament
Mar del Plata has a rich history of chess tournaments, most notably their international chess tournament and open tournament.There is also an annual city tournament, which had its first edition in 1946, and reached its 62nd edition in 2007....
1960. This motivated Fischer into developing his own defense to the King's Gambit - see "Fischer Defense" below.
Instead of 4.h4, the extremely sharp Muzio Gambit arises after 4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0!? gxf3 6.Qxf3, where White has gambited a knight but has three pieces bearing down on f7. Such wild play is rare in modern chess, but Black must exercise care in consolidating his position. Black can avoid the Muzio by meeting 4.Bc4 with 4...Bg7 and ...h6.
Becker Defence
The Becker Defence (3. Nf3 h6), has the idea of creating a pawn chain on h6, g5, f4 to defend the f4 pawn while avoiding the Kieseritzky Gambit; Black will not be forced to play ...g4 when White plays to undermine the chain with h4. White has the interesting option of 4. b3, though the main line continues with 4.d4 g5 and will usually transpose to lines of the Classical after 5.d4 d6 6.Bc4 Bg7.Bonch-Osmolovsky Defence
The rarely-seen Bonch-Osmolovsky Defence (3. Nf3 Ne7) was played by Mark BluvshteinMark Bluvshtein
Mark Bluvshtein is a Russian-born Canadian chess player, a Grandmaster, who resides in Canada. He became the youngest Canadian International Grandmaster ever in 2004, at the age of 16, having become an International Master at the age of 13...
to defeat former world title finalist Nigel Short
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short MBE is an English chess grandmaster earning the title at the age of 19. Short is often regarded as the strongest English player of the 20th century as he was ranked third in the world, from January 1988 – July 1989 and in 1993, he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Chess...
at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
2007, though it has never been highly regarded by theory.
Cunningham Defence
The Cunningham Defence (3. Nf3 Be7) is Black's most aggressive option; it can permanently prevent White from castling after 4.Bc4 Bh4+ 5.Kf1 (else the wild Bertin Gambit, or Three Pawns' Gambit, 5.g3 fxg3 6.0-0 gxh2+ 7.Kh1, played in the nineteenth century). In modern practice, it is more common for Black to simply play 4. ..Nf6 5.e5 Ng4, known as the Modern Cunningham.Schallopp Defence
The SchalloppEmil Schallopp
Emil Schallopp was a German chess player and author. He became head of the shorthand department of the Reichstag. He wrote many books, including one on the Steinitz–Zukertort 1886 World Championship match...
Defense (3. Nf3 Nf6) - intending 4.e5 Nh5, holding onto the pawn - is considered somewhat inferior and is rarely played today. In one of the lines, White can usually obtain a crushing attack via a rook sacrifice, i.e., 4.e5 Nh5 5.d4 g5 6.h4 g4 7.Ng5 Ng3 8.Bc4! Nxh1 9.Bxf7+ Ke7 10.Nc3 (looking for immediate mate at d5, or later via queen at f6) and Black appears doomed.
Modern Defence
The Modern Defence, or Abbazia Defense, (3.Nf3 d5) has much the same idea as the Falkbeer Counter-Gambit, and can in fact be reached by transposition, e.g. 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 exf4. Black concentrates on gaining piece play and fighting for the initiativeInitiative (chess)
Initiative in a chess position belongs to the player who can make threats that cannot be ignored. He thus puts his opponent in the position of having to use his turns responding to threats rather than making his own. A player with the initiative will often seek to maneuver his pieces into more and...
rather than keeping the extra pawn. It has been recommended by several publications as an easy way to equalize, although White keeps a slight advantage due to his extra central pawn and piece activity. If White captures (4.exd5) then Black may play 4...Nf6 or recapture with 4...Qxd5, at which it point it becomes the Scandinavian Variation of KGA.
Fischer Defence
"The refutation of any gambit begins with accepting it. In myopinion the King's Gambit is busted. It loses by force." - R. Fischer, A Bust to the King's Gambit
The Fischer Defense
Fischer Defense
The Fischer Defense to the King's Gambit is a chess opening variation that begins with the moves:-History:After Bobby Fischer lost a 1960 game at Mar del Plata to Boris Spassky, in which Spassky played the Kieseritzky Gambit, Fischer left in tears and promptly went to work at devising a new defense...
(3. Nf3 d6), although previously known, was advocated by Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
after he was defeated by Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
in a Kieseritzky Gambit at Mar del Plata 1960. Fischer then decided to refute the King's Gambit, and the next year the American Chess Quarterly
American Chess Quarterly
The American Chess Quarterly was a chess magazine that was published in the United States from 1961 to 1965 by Nature Food Centres. Sixteen issues were published, in four volumes of four issues each, from Summer 1961 through April-May-June 1965...
published Fischer's analysis of 3...d6, which he called "a high-class waiting move"
The point is that after 4. d4 g5 5. h4 g4 White cannot continue with 6. Ne5, as in the Kieseritzky Gambit, and 6.Ng5 is unsound because of 6...f6!. This leaves the move 6. Ng1 as the only option, when after six moves neither side has developed a piece.
The main alternative to 4. d4 is 4. Bc4, but it is considered inferior.
3...Nc6
Joe Gallagher writes that 3.Nf3 Nc6 "has never really caught on, probably because it does nothing to address Black's immediate problems." Like Fischer's Defense, it is a waiting move. An obvious drawback is that the Nc6 may prove a target for the d-pawn later in the opening.Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess OpeningsEncyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
has ten codes for the King's Gambit, C30 through C39.
- C30: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 (King's Gambit)
- C31: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 (Falkbeer Countergambit)
- C32: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 (Morphy, Charousek, etc.)
- C33: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 (King's Gambit Accepted)
- C34: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 (King's knight's Gambit)
- C35: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Be7 (Cunningham Defense)
- C36: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 d5 (Abbazia Defense)
- C37: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Nc3 /4.Bc4 g4 5.O-O (Muzio Gambit)
- C38: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 Bg7 (Philidor, Hanstein, etc.)
- C39: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 (Allgaier, Kieseritzky, etc.)