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French Defense

Morphy Gambit

C00gambitoffbeat

  1. 1.e4e6
  2. 2.d4d5
  3. 3.Nh3
41 games46%46%

A rare French Defense gambit in which White plays 3. Nh3, leaving the e4-pawn unprotected; engines give Black a slight edge.

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About the Morphy Gambit

The Morphy Gambit, 3. Nh3, develops the king's knight to the rim instead of defending e4 with 3. Nc3 or 3. Nd2, so the pawn is left hanging. Black can accept with 3...dxe4, but the most common reply is 3...c5, attacking d4, and 3...Nc6 is also seen. The engine considers Black slightly better. The line is seldom played, and in the small sample of online games the results are evenly split.

Popular continuations