Diemer Gambit

The Diemer Gambit is White's most direct answer to the Slav Defense. Instead of developing with 3. Nf3 or 3. Nc3, White pushes 3. e4 and sets up pawns on c4, d4 and e4 against Black's lone d5-pawn. The push is not supported by any piece, so the e-pawn is effectively offered. The gamble is that the time Black spends winning and keeping it can be turned into development and an initiative. Within the Slav it is a rare sideline, and engines give Black a slight edge.

Black captures with 3...dxe4 in the large majority of games, and results in that line are almost even. The question is then whether White's lead in development and central space make up for the missing pawn. The two main ways to decline are 3...e6, which keeps the center closed and reinforces d5, and 3...Nf6, which develops while adding pressure to e4. White has scored somewhat better against 3...Nf6 in practice. Online games in this line are very rarely drawn.