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King's Gambit Accepted

Kieseritzky Gambit, Rosenthal Defense

C39offbeatgambit

  1. 1.e4e5
  2. 2.f4exf4
  3. 3.Nf3g5
  4. 4.h4g4
  5. 5.Ne5Qe7
161 games45%47%

A Kieseritzky Gambit defense in which 5...Qe7 hits the e5-knight and usually regains a pawn, often at the cost of an early queen exchange.

Train it in Theoria

About the Rosenthal Defense

The Rosenthal Defense, 5...Qe7, attacks the knight on e5 and places the queen on the e-file against White's center. Black usually wins back a pawn, but the queen exchange that tends to follow removes much of Black's counterplay and turns the doubled f-pawns into a long-term liability. White divides almost evenly between 6. d4, supporting the knight, and 6. Nxg4, collecting the g-pawn. Black has scored better against 6. d4. Engines rate the position as roughly balanced, and the line is rarely played.

Popular continuations