8765432abcdefgh1

King's Gambit Declined

Soller-Zilbermints Gambit

C30gambitoffbeat

  1. 1.e4e5
  2. 2.f4f6
  3. 3.fxe5Nc6
147 games52%45%

A rare King's Gambit Declined line in which Black meets 2...f6 3. fxe5 with 3...Nc6, leaving a pawn en prise to prepare the recapture ...fxe5.

Train it in Theoria

About the Soller-Zilbermints Gambit

After the dubious 2...f6 3. fxe5, Black plays 3...Nc6 rather than 3...fxe5 at once. The knight guards e5, so the Qh5+ tactics that punish the immediate recapture no longer work. The most common reply, 4. exf6, lets Black regain material with the developing 4...Nxf6, while 4. Nf3 allows 4...fxe5. The critical try is 4. Bb5, aiming to trade off the knight defending e5, and engines give White a slight edge.

Popular continuations