Roscher Gambit

The Roscher Gambit arises when White, after 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6, develops with 3. Nf3 instead of protecting e4 with 3. Nc3. The e-pawn is left hanging, and engines regard the offer as unsound, giving Black a slight edge. After 3...Nxe4 4. Bd3 Nf6, White can continue 5. c4, relying on rapid development and central space in return for the pawn. That compensation is generally judged inadequate. In online games Black wins slightly more often than White after the capture.

Black is under no obligation to accept. The most common reply is 3...e5, which reaches the Nimzowitsch Variation of the Philidor Defense. 3...c5 heads for a Sicilian structure through the Anti-Qxd4 move order. Declining with 3...g6 leaves White little better than 4. Nc3, transposing to the Classical Pirc, and 3...Bg4 is a less frequent alternative. The line is named after Joerg Roscher, who played it in the 1980s, although an early example is attributed to Charles Jaffé.