King's Gambit Accepted

By capturing on f4, Black wins a pawn and gains an immediate threat. If Black were allowed a free move, 3...Qh4+ would be awkward, because the pawn on f4 rules out blocking with g3 and the king would have to go to e2. White's compensation lies in the removal of Black's e-pawn: the half-open f-file, the prospect of d4 with a broad pawn center, and pressure against f7. White's third move must either stop the check or prepare a tolerable answer to it.

3. Nf3, the King's Knight's Gambit, is overwhelmingly the most common choice. It covers h4 and prepares d4, after which the c1-bishop eyes f4 and White can hope to regain the pawn. Black has two broad strategies. One is to keep the pawn with ...g5, either at once (the Classical Variation) or after preparation by 3...h6 (Becker Defense) or 3...d6 (Fischer Defense). The immediate 3...g5 allows the Kieseritzky Gambit, 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5, or the sacrificial Muzio Gambit, 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. O-O, in which White gives up the knight for an attack on f7. The other strategy returns the pawn for free development, chiefly 3...d5, the Modern Defense; its main line 4. exd5 Nf6 is also known as the Abbazia Defense. Further options include 3...Nf6 (Schallopp), 3...Nc6 (MacLeod) and 3...Be7 (Cunningham), the last preparing ...Bh4+ to disturb White's king.

3. Bc4, the Bishop's Gambit, permits the check deliberately. After 3...Qh4+ 4. Kf1 the king is only mildly inconvenienced, and Nf3 will gain a tempo on the queen; Black more often replies 3...Nf6 or 3...d5. Other moves that allow the check, such as 3. d4 (Villemson Gambit) and 3. Nc3 (Mason-Keres Gambit), leave the king exposed after 3...Qh4+ 4. Ke2. A few lines try to blunt the check: 3. Qf3 Qh4+ 4. g3 fxg3 5. hxg3 leaves the queen guarding the rook, and 3. Nh3 Qh4+ 4. Nf2 blocks with the knight. 3. g3, the Gaga Gambit, scores poorly for White in practice.

Play is typically sharp and heavily theoretical, with long forcing lines on both sides. The opening flourished in the Romantic era and declined as defensive technique improved; Bobby Fischer's article claiming a refutation advocated 3...d6, written after Boris Spassky beat him with the Kieseritzky Gambit at Mar del Plata in 1960. Engines give Black a slight edge, yet in online play White scores noticeably better than Black, and the position remains among the more frequently reached named openings.