King's Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.f4
Play Through the Opening
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Moves
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Move 9 of 9
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 (King's Gambit Accepted) 3.Nf3 g5 (Kieseritzky) 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 or 3...d6 (Fischer Defense) 4.Bc4
Core Ideas
King's Gambit sacrifices the f-pawn for immediate kingside attack. Most romantic opening of the 1850s era, used by Morphy, Anderssen. Now rare at top level but still potent at amateur level because many beginner defenders collapse from fast attacks. Iconic Spassky-Fischer clashes from the 1960s (Mar del Plata 1960 and around) remain classic study material.
Plan for White
Activate bishop on c4 targeting f7, queen on h5 targeting h7. Sacrifice more pieces if needed to maintain initiative. If attack fails, endgame usually lost because down material.
Plan for Black
Accept the pawn then return with Fischer Defense (3...d6) or Modern Defense (3...d5) to return the pawn for development. Seek queen trade and enter endgame with material advantage.
Grandmaster Tier Context
T2 Club through T3 Competitive Local. King's Gambit is a valuable attacking experience for players 1400-1700, but must be dropped at T4 plus because modern engine defensive resources give Black theoretical advantage.