Villemson Gambit

The Villemson Gambit, also called the Steinitz Gambit, meets 2...exf4 with 3. d4. The move occupies the center at once and opens the diagonal of the c1-bishop, so the pawn on f4 comes under attack in a manner reminiscent of the Queen's Gambit. The drawback is that White makes no attempt to cover h4. After 3...Qh4+, interposing with 4. g3 fails because 4...fxg3 leaves the h2-pawn pinned against the rook, so White must answer 4. Ke2. The king then stands in the center and blocks the f1-bishop, and White plays for central space and rapid development in return.

The check is Black's most frequent reply and scores very well in practice. Black also often plays 3...g5, holding the extra pawn in the manner of the Classical lines, or 3...d5, striking at the center; both of these produce roughly even results. Engines consider 3...Qh4+, 3...d5 and 3...Bb4+ the strongest choices and give Black a clear advantage overall, which explains why the gambit remains a rarely seen sideline compared with 3. Nf3 and 3. Bc4. In online games, however, overall results between the two sides are nearly level.