Theoria
8765432abcdefgh1

King's Gambit Accepted

McDonnell Gambit

C37gambitaggressiveoffbeat

  1. 1.e4e5
  2. 2.f4exf4
  3. 3.Nf3g5
  4. 4.Bc4g4
  5. 5.Nc3
79 games63%37%

A rare King's Gambit line in which White answers 4...g4 with 5. Nc3, abandoning the f3-knight; it is considered inferior to the Muzio Gambit.

Train it in Theoria

About the McDonnell Gambit

The McDonnell Gambit, 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. Nc3, leaves the attacked knight en prise and develops the queen's knight instead of castling as in the Muzio Gambit. Black nearly always takes with 5...gxf3. The line is regarded as inferior to the Muzio, which brings the rook to the f-file for the attack, and it is rarely seen in tournament play. Engines give Black a clear advantage, though White scores well in the small sample of online games.

Popular continuations