Falkbeer Countergambit Accepted

Taking on d5 is White's standard answer to 2...d5, since 3. fxe5 runs into 3...Qh4+ 4. g3 Qxe4+, forking king and rook. White is now a pawn up with doubled d-pawns, and Black has to decide how to use the tempo gained. Engine assessment is roughly balanced, and decisive results in the database are split evenly.

The most frequent reply is the traditional 3...e4, the Staunton Line, which gives up the pawn for quick, easy development and a cramping wedge. It went out of fashion after the 1930s because of 4. d3, the Charousek Gambit, which is thought to give White the better of it. The principal modern choice is 3...exf4. After 4. Nf3 it transposes to the Modern, or Abbazia, Defense of the accepted gambit, where Black aims for piece play rather than material. Regaining the pawn at once with 3...Qxd5 is common, but White scores clearly better against it. The Nimzowitsch-Marshall Countergambit, 3...c6, offers further material for activity and has produced good results for Black. 3...Bc5, the Miles Gambit, is rarely seen.